The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-07-24
INDIAN FRAUDS.

ment. During democratic llWts' "P w. iN'''
the management of Indian affairs WAS com
mittei to the war department, ana so lar as
the army officers were concerned, the man
arement was generally honest, the only steal
ing that was done beng by contractors IRA,
ders, suffers, and agents OF that KIND that hau
"a he taken from civilians. But their career
was generally short after detection, ana
,bouph the number OF Indians was double
then to what it is now, and the expense OIL
supplying them quadruplc, the cost OF inc
Indian department 20 the government never
reached half the sum that 1t now reaches
The additional cost OF the present bureau
over the old army system is almost the exact
measure of the amount OF stealing the ne"
system involves over the old. Regular army
officers, from their training, habits ofthoughb
and rigid discipline are measurably Tree from
the ovya Sacya tunes (accursed greed ot gold)
that'seems, ike smallpox virus,to infect every
person in these days who by hook or crook
attains to any official position under the gov
crnment that involves the handling OF money
Rut there is no department of the service IN
which this baleful characteristic OF the times
il 60 fully illustrated as in that which relates
10 the Indians. And now tor some facts.
! month or two ago Professor Marsh, OF
Vale college, man of the highest problty
and most rigid honor, had occasion TO travel
somewhat extensively over the western plans,
and visiting from necessity a large number OF
military posts and Indian agencies, had an
Ionnortunity to see much OF the dishonesty
and corruption that pervaded the service 30
stupendous and outrageous was much OF the
rascaity he saw that he took pains to gather
facts on the subject and finding that many
of these involved not only son OF Secretary
Delano, but by Necessary implication the
Secretary himself in the frauds, instead OF
reporting his facts to the Interior Department
ut Washington, he laid them before the Presi-
dent himself. These facts were somewhat
general in their nature, referring to the lnhu-
man treatment to which the Indians were
subjected through the inefiiciency and dis
honesty of the agents-their suierings from
hunger and want of clothing, by the failure
of the government to provide them with the
stipulated supplies-how they were starving
on their reservations, while the cattle ana
provisions bought for them were lying I'M
touched at the depots-and intimating that il
the Indians should leave their reservations
and take the war-path as they threatened, 1t
would only be to keep themselves from starry.
ing and redress their wrongs And the Pro-
fessor urged the President to have more
minute investigation made with a view to
applying a remedy TO the evil. The Presi-
Il dent, however, with his characteristic lndo-
lcnce or indifference, turned the paper over
10 Secretary Delano and his head of the In.
dian Bureau, Smith. These, instead of recog-
nizing the only humane and honorable motive
that alone could have actuated Prof, Marsh,
and acceding to his suggestion that an evil
apparently so crying and outrageous should
receive prompt investigation, fly ints pas
sion, and both write letters declaring that he
accuses the Indian agents wrongtully, and
that his facts are no facts,
Unexpected and gross and unjustifable as
was such an attack on Prof. Marsh from such
source, he was not however, Il man to sub
nit to ittamely; and accordingly in the New
York TriJune of the 10th inst he publishes
another open letter to the President In which
Deiano and his man Smith are shGwn up in
a manner that must make them vince in spite
of their brazen eiTrontery. The letter OF Prof.
Marsh is too long for insertion here, but the
substance of it is embraced in the following
points which he makes especially in refer
ence to the Red Cloud Agency, the lost i'm
portant in the West:
/. The agent, j. j. Saville, Is wholly unfit
ted for his position and guilty of gross frauds
upon the Indians ia his charge.
.. The number OF Indians at this agency
has been Systematically oYerstated for pur-
poses which can only result in fraud.
| 3. The last issue Of annuity goods which
witnessed was suspicious transaction, and
in part at least, fraudulent.
| 1. the beef cattle given to the Indians
have been very Inferior owing 20 the syste-
matte frauds practiced by the agent aud beef
contractors.
s. The pork issued to the Indians during
| my WISH was not SulldUlc lot human ldIt.
! g. The flour is very inferior, and that there
| is evidence of fraud in this article is conclu-
sive.
| T. The tobacco, observed, was rotten and
of little or no use to the Indians.
g. In consequence of fraud and misman-
agement the Indians suffered greatly during
the past winter for want OF proper food and
clothing
o. The contract for freighting from Chey.
enne to Red Cloud Agency was fraudulent
As the true distance is lij miles, while con
tractors were paid for pig miles.
These points Prot. Marsh not only sustans
by minute and irrcfragible facts; but Gen
Pope, at Fort Leavenworth, and Lieut. Kyle
at Fort sin; Lieut. Col. Neill, at Cheyenne
Ageacy, and Pratt, from the Kiowa, Co
manche and WishIta agencies fully back
them up.
The President, no longer able TO remain
, indifferent and stupid under such an accu
mutation of evidence, has finally appointed