National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-19

These aIticies were ali Of low grade and were de-
| sigpediy purchased as such; but We have found no
erpment more than the fair market price, or that
the full amount purchased did not reach the agen-
The tobacco was of three brands. All Of them
| were of dark color; but otherwise two OF tnen
were fair articles Of navy plug, composed1 s cO-
" of leaf. The third brand was miseraple
| pound of bits and cuttings, glued togetneL VIII
iiQuOrice or some other yiscid substance, pressed
two or three thicSnesses of leaf The sample
| given to Professor Marsh by Red Cloud was OF TINS
kind, except that the outer coating o. seat pp
than any of these is being furnished this year; put
| as the Indians it principally for smoking, ~
The coffee was a low grade of Rio, but certainly
To1 bettsr than the burnt and ground mixture
| called coffee that thousands Of families in the
| United States are glad to be aeie to procure The
| sample exhibited to us by Professor Marsh, con-
| sisting of few black or otherwise imperfect
grains, such as, with the necessary palms. could be
grade Of coffee. Professor Marsh, unfortunately,
| did not guard himself against imposture on this
G f Comparing d bnnd at e agency an
| being issued at the time of his visit That
Red Cloud picked it out, grain by grain,
room to doubt. He was himself extremely vague
| and non-oommittal when questioned as to the
time, place and manner of obtaining the sample,
and It was only after repeated and varied inquiry
| that we succeeded in eliciting from him even so
Z.
the testimony of Mr.. Yates, the store-keeper, and
| Mr.. Pallardy his clerk, one Of the most intelli-
| gent and competent interpreters we found at the
| agency, established the facts beyond doubt
MIR. Yates says Up 3s1, in answer to the question
| Ibid you ever hear Red Cloud Red Dog talk
Marsh. A. / heard Red Dog tell Pallardy that
| they picked the coffee Of which they gave
sample to Professor Marsh out Of quite guam,
tity, and they picked the worst grains they could
fnd. They picked, as he said, all the black
grains:
ago do not recollect positively.
20. Since Professor Marsh's statement has be-
Sai was reading the papers, and Red Dog was
in my store. turned round and asked Pallardy
TO ask him if he gave these samples; and, if so,
why he did it, and he told Pallardy that he picked
them out the black grains Of coffee and gave them
| to Professor Marsh out of quite a quantity."'
Mr.. Pallardy confirms this statement, as fol-
20. What did he say about that sample of cof
| fee? A. He said that he and Red Cloud had tied
/ those samples up and given them to Professor
Marsh; they called him the man that picked
bones.
| A. They were talking about that one day, and
/ inquired how they got all this coffee. He said
they picked the 6ad grams out OF tne eEnee IN b tns
coffee, and they said they picked i out.
1t was the very day of the conversation between
us and Red Dog that tturned on this subject. He
said they picked all the; bad grains of coffee"
SUFFERINGS AMONG THE INDIANS.
Doubtless individual instances of suffering
among the Indians may have occurred, but their
known improvidence will sufficiently account for
any such instance in the absence Of evidence Dc Of
ton shows that during the last winter, which was
unusually severe, and, as he says, "the severest
winter ever known by the residents of this coun-
try" there was restitution and suffering among
Indians encamped near Bordeaux creek, some dis
lance from the Spotted Tail agency, and that fora
period they reduced to the necessity of eating
their ponies.
from the agency, and that there was n short sup
ply of provisions, owing to the impOssibilty of
transportation, are sufficient TO exonerate the Gov
eminent from blame or responsibility Certainly
evidence that these sutferings the direct re-
suit of fraud in any form is entirely wanting. In
the fall of 1874 they often sold their -four for prices
ranging from so cents to dollar per sack Of 100
pounds. TO squaW men who bought on speculation,
or to the persons passing through the reservation
They butcher beeyes as they have been in the
habit Of killing buffalo, leaving on the carcass
considerable Of such portions of the animal
useful for food Their opposition to receiving beef
from the block, when properly butchered, is so
emphatic that change of system would be at
tended with very stout resistance on their part;
BY the change they would lose the hides of
the cattle, which they sell to the trader for three
dollars each, and by which the Government loses
about $4,000 per annum at these two agencies
The law forbidding purchases for the Indians
until the appropriations are made, and the delay
in the passage OF the appropriation bills some
times to the very close of the long session of Con
gress renders 1t impracticable TO advertise for
in season to get the supplies transported to the
Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies before the
winter sets in. When the storms Of winter come
on in that country the cold is severe and the snow
so blows in drifts as to make it impossible to
transport goods or supplies by wagons either from
the Missouri river from the Union Pacific rail
road. While this is found a reason for the Occa
siOnal scarcity Of supplies it is also another reason
for the removal of these two agencies to the Mis-
souri, river, in addition to those suggested in an
other subdivision of this report Two wagon
trains with supplies for Red Cloud agency were
nuNrhf in n In NIL co NVnr
lost and the men had their limbs frozen. A
wagon-train sent from Spotted Tail agency to the
Missouri for supplies in December 1874, was de-
layed on its return by SHOWS and the severity Of
the weather until April, 1915 Meanwhile there
was want of some articles of supplies at that
agency. We have not only been unable to ascer-
tain from the white men who gave their evidence
in that country that there any general suffer
ing at Red Cloud, but the Indians themselves,
very many of whom we examined on the subject
fail TO confirm the statement An Indians evil
dence on this subject, taken with knowledge of
his universal predispOsition to grumble and COM
plain lis very unreliabletestimOny. That there may
have been suffering among the Indians for want
of food is highly probable, but that it was due to
their improyidence or the unprecedented severity
of the winter, and the consequent impOssiblity of
keeping up supplies at the agency,is the only con-
evidence now before us.
TRANSPORTATION
1t is alleged by Prof Marsh that the Commits
sioner of Indian A fairs has allowed and paid to
ID J: Mccain for tranpsPSSrtHn1g goods and sup
mating the distance at ~ miles, when the true
distance is only las miles, at the rate established
by contract per 100 miles, and that the Indian
Bureau has not made any effort to ascertain the
true distance.
We find the facts to be that for the uears 1871
and 1872 the Indian goods and supplies for the
Red Cloud agency were transported by Mccain
from Cheyenne to the Red Cloud agency on the
per 100 miles, the distance benlng then stated
at 132 miles from Cheyenne to the old agency,
on the Platte. On the 18th day of May,
iS7a. Mccain being the lowest bidder a contract
was entered into with him for the transportation
of goods and supplies between these two points for
100 pounds per 100 miles. Subsequent to the max
ing of this contract, (27th Of July, 1873 the Red
the Platte river to point on the White river
about thirty miles nOrthward. Upon the repre-
sensations of Mccain as to the character Of the
country between the old and new locations Of the
agency, and after correspondence on the subject,
which is printed at pages $50 and Isl, report No
77s, FOrty-third Congress, first session, House
documents the Commissioners entered into new
contract with Mccain, dated 10th of October,
1873, by which he agreed to pay s1.75 per 100
pounds per 100 miles for transportation OF all
goods and supplies from Cheyenne to the new Red
Cloud agency for the fiscal year, ending June 30
1874. This contract states the distance to be 20
miles On the sth of July, 1874, another contract
was made with the same party, for transporting
goods and supplies to that agency from Cheyenne,
per 100 pounds per 100 miles, actual measurement
Of the route necessary to be Travelled.
Before taking the contract of the 10th Of Octo-
ber 1873 and before writing the letter in which he
represented the character of the country between
the two agencies, and before the removal Of the
agency from the Platte, Mccain had sublet the
transportation, or a portion thereof under that
contract to one q. Hecht at 81 per 100 pounds from
Cheyenne TO the old Red Cloud agency, and ten
cents per 100 pounds for each additional ten miles
from the old location to the point where 1t might
thereafter be located. This contract he made with
Heeht on the 18th of June, 1873 In this manner
he overreaehed the Commissioner, and manifested
bad faith ut every step oft.
The subject Of the distance seems to have en-
gagged the attention of the Commissioner Of In
dian Affairs from the time of the removal of the
agency from the Platte, and it appears that he
withheld from Mccain the payments for trans
portation on his contract until he could be salts
ned as to the distance, and Mccain, in writing
consented to receive q portion, and to permit a
sufficient amount TO be retained to cover any over
estimate till the final determination of the ques
tiOn. This was December 8, 1878. (See copy Of
same, page 663 Of testimony Accordingly the
Commissioner has always withheld sufficient
amount to provide a margin to cover any differ.
ence which might be found between two hun
dred and twelve miles and the actual distance un-
I'll after Mccain entered into the contract for the
year ending June 80 1876, when he paid him in
full for transportation done by him under his
contract ending June 80, 1875, but not
until after he had given bond for the
performance Of service under the subsequent con-
tract. And since the payment there has accrued
to Mccain credit for transportation under the