New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-21
THE INUIiN REPORT.

because its conclusions had been anticipated
and discussed in advance, partly because WIN
the retirement of Mr.. DelanO the case seemed
to lose most of its Importance to the general
public. The country is well aware that the
source Of the Indian frauds is at Washington
rather than on the frontier, and no reform
which confines itself to few pilfcrlnS con-
tractors and subordinatcs is worth an houlrs
serious consideration. If the Secretary, or the
Commissioner, or any other high flnc-
tionary in the Department, shared III
the robbery (and it should be rcmcm-
bcrcd that Prof Marsh accused them OF
nothing worse than neglect to correct abuses
and anxiety to suppress exposures, Commas
sion of this Sort selected by the suspected olll-
GERS themselves and supplied with no facilities
whatever for thorough examination, was GER
tainy not likely to find it out Indeed the
Commissioners were not instructed 10 MAKE
any Inquiries mt the Department. or to look
into the conduct of any Department officers.
They were tod to consider the specific charges
of fraud and acknowledgement at the Red Cloud
Agency, and they made but little effort to ito
anything further.
We pointed ont when they began their work
that there was little hope of their getting at
the full truth from Indian agents, contractors
freighters, traders, and their clerks, employees,
and other dependents who are Interested III
the preservation of the present system-a class
of men whose rascality, unless report bellies
them, is quite cqualcd by their shrcwdnCs>-and
it did not appear how they could OBTAIN
the evidence of any other persons without
the power TO compel the attendance OF wit
4, of = n
pes. They could do little except listen to
such testimony as the Indian Ring (assillhlng
that there is a RING chose to lay before them.
1t has TUNED out as We expected. The Re
pot cannot be accepted rs conclusive, ana at
some future day there will doubtless he de-
mand for a new inquiry by Committee OF
Congress. Meanwhile let us see what Mr.
Atherton and his associates have to say re-
spectirg the charges by Prof. Marsh to winch
they were directed to give their especial at
tentlOn.
l. Agent Savlc was accused OF being
"wholly untitled for his position and guilty OF
- gross frauds upon the Indians" The Com
missioncrs recommend his removal for incom-
potency, and state that the system OF book
keeping at the Agency was extremely loose,
and the regulations for the inspection of sup
plies were habitually disrcgarded. But they
find no evidence of fraudulent intent, and hold
Mr.. Saville to he thoroughly honest. 2. The
statement of Prof. Marsh that the number OF
Indians at the Agency was greatly oyeresti-
mated Is sustained by the army officers, but
the Commission does not believe that
there was any design to cheat the
Government. 3. Prof. Marsh Witnessed
a certain issue of blankets, and charges that
the number of bales distributed was much less
than the number paid for. The Interpreter
Re,haw, who was present at the distribution
and counted the bales, corroborated the Pro-
lessor in an affidavit. The Commissioners re-
port that the agent, the clerks, and some Of
the Indians contradict the evidence of Prof.
Maish's eyes, and that RcShaw, on cXamina-
ton, contradcted his own affidavit, and they
therefore pronounce the charge uni0uDdcd
A. Gross frauds were committed i'll the pork
contracts and frauds in the flour contracts, for
which Inspector Threlkcld ought to be re-
moved. Contractors Slavins. McCann, and
Martin excluded from further connection with
the Department, and McCann's accounts re-
ferred to the Department of Justice. But the
flour was not so bad as Red Cloud
pretended and though the coffee, sugar, and
tobacco were pretty bad, they were not worse
than the Government intended them to bc, and
were GOOD enough for Indians anyhow. ). The
most serious of Prof. Marsh's charges related
TO the issue OF beef cattle, and they were sup
ported by the testimony of Il number OF eXpc-
rienccd army officers and by extraordinary dis
crepancies in the Agents accounts. The find
ing of the Commissioners that there
were no frauds in the beef contracts
is so remarkable under these circum-
stances that we fOrbear extended comment
until the full testimony upon which it Is
based has been made public. The Commits
sioners weighed herd of cattle at the time of
their visit, and from the figures then obtained
! they drew thC conclusion, by process OF logic
which we do not understand, that the cattle
issued in 1874 averaged over 1000 pounds
per head. Contractor BOsicr receives II high
character and the statement that he had been
excluded from dealings with the Department
on account of previous frauds seems to have
been an entire mistake, for which Mr. Boslcr
deserves an apology. q. The accusation of
extensive frauds in the transportation contracts
is fully sustained.
| The upshot of it all is that some of the
charges are found to be true and some are dis
credited, and upon The question of response
billy the Report is inconclusyc. The Com
miSsioners state that Secretary Delan0 " has
had very little connection with any of the
/" contracts made for the Indian service or
with the adjustment and payment of the
" accounts returnable to the Indian Office = but,
: referring to case in which he ordered the
payment of over $4,000 to Mccain, they
make the singular remark that while "they
can regard the account in no other light
I " than "a niuuitous and frnudulent q" ~ IL