The New York herald., 1875-08-30
pie 10 whom he gives patronage not on evidence put
on his loud professions of vigilance and none.y'
Yours truly, WILLIAM WELSH
CHARGES BY MIR. SAMUEL WALhEh.
RoBBERIEs AND IRREGULARITIES IN THE INDIAN
sERv1cE-A CABINET OFFICER DEGRADING


sEEv1oE-A CABINET OFFICER DEGRADING
HIMSELF BY PETTY pEcULATIoNs-DEsTRoY-
ING DOCUMENTS AND DocroRING THE COPIES
To THE EDITOR HERALD:-
have already endeavored show that Messrs
Dclano and Cowan had guilty knowledge of fraudulent
transactions nstanced the report of expenditures
of the contingent fund of the Department OF the In
terror made to Congress by direction of the House
per resolution of December - 1874 And il remark
able the number Of resolutions of inquiry into the
management OF Mr. Dcano's Offices which have been
offered and passed in House and Senate.
Since my last publication, however, additional facts
have been placed my possession the carriage bus-
ness and is probably well that your readers should
know the whole truth The Secrcary's Office has, at
the government expense, four carriages and nve
horses These are attended by foreman Of
stable at $40 per annum; one watchman, at $72o
per annum; two stable hands, at 5000 per annum
EACH and the drivers at s72O per annum each The
cost of harness and repairs repairs of carriages &c
for six months was reported to have been 81 100 At
same rate for balance Of the year the Secrcarys
Office alone would carriages and horses about
$4,000 per The Secretary, doubtless does not
all the horses and carriages himself exclusively;
but II makes no difference the taxpayer, who pays
for them. am crcdiby informed that one OF the car
riages driver and horses have been at Mount YER
non, Ohio, for the past four months, and that tho
drivers wife, who is employed in the Patent ONCE
draws his pay during hs absence None Of these things
could take place without the absolute knowledge and
of the Secretary and his assistant, who
thus concur in and profit by the misrepresentation Of
public moneys, while crippled soldiers starve that they
may have able bodied stable hands.
In addition TO this landaulct accommodation for the
Secretarys Office and friends in and out OF the depart
ment the Land Patent Pension and Indian Offices
have horses and carriages, costing enormously for
their support.
Besides this there is another expense incurred un-
der the supervision OF Mr.. Bond, one of Mr. Dcanos
confidential assistants which only for tho benefit OF
the Secretaries their and friends That is gcra
mum and bouquet nursery. To attend to this an as
ssiant engineer is acting foreman gardener gar
1920 EACH and the services of nearly en- labor
needed In addition 70 the flower garden, the
grass plots around the department are attended TO by
this costly force, with the aid OF still another supervso
who is paid engineer; the whole force costing more
than $4,000 per annum. The report of expenditures
show that purchases of flower pots, &c, are made az
public expense.
Here then, we have payments made for services not
contemplated by Congress and clear violations OF law
without the slightest shadow of an excuse as to the
existence of any public exigency requiring IT, and
call attention to them because they indicate the gen
eral method practiscd Department
the administration of Mr. Doano, and TO show that he Ia
capable of permitting breaches Of law and of his high
trust to his own benefit
This prodgate expenditure pervadcs every branch Of
the service under his controls but the Indian service
up prominently before the public because
the robbery of the Indians nearly always entails blood
shed and the costly movements Of bodies of troops
the remote frontier
1t is a singular connected with the Indian service
that report adverse to the interests of Ring agents
contractors has been acted except to appoint
commission which invariably reported in favor Of the
Ring and against the unavOrabe report and all unfavor-
able reports have been suppressed No better example
he furnished than scCanns transportation contract
for lS734-5-6 In 1891 il found that McCann
charged the government for carrying goods 132 miles,
the actual distance travelled being ninety. Subse-
qucnty, under contract made necessary by the
removal of the Red Cloud Agency, he allowed pay
for distance of 2l2 miles, while the department had
tho evidence of McCanns MASTER sub contractors
and n Red Cloud cinploy6 showing the distance to be
much less The loss by that single operation
S And Mr. Delano knew the acts personally for he
got them directly through the Chief Clerk of the
Indian OiIce as well officially from the Board OF
Indian Commis .ioners The same distance vas paid
for the Succeeding year at corresponding loss 10 the
public purse. McCanns contract for the current fiscal
year should he Just of impeachment against the
contracting officers Of the Interior Department. The
contract let to him from Omaha thus throwing out
the lowest bidders for wagon transportation from
Cheyenne {, Red Coud Agency, which the kind Of
transportat advertised for by Jaw he Union Pacific
Raro nj He'd TO carry government goods with
sh payment the corporation being indebted to the
Untod states Economy and the public interest de-
mandcl this law should be carried out and all gov
crnmcnt freight carried for the government AS far as
possible roa1 BY making Mr.. McCann
the government cheated out OF the cash paid
for transportation from Omaha 10 Cheyenne, and the
law violated in not giving the contract to the lowest
bidder.
Ifany supposcs that such violations of law were
permitted or aided in by officers of the Interior De-
partmcnt thus risking reputation and position from
motives of friendship, then he will have read the
history of the Interior Department for four years with
little profit
The history of the $4,000 appropriated for Teton
Sioux, who appeared and disappeared in two short
years, is still fresh in the minds of the people
The more recent appropriation oi S3OooOO lor Chey
prisoners at Leavenworh without any intention Of
bringing them there Is before the people.
The discovery OF Northern Sioux to take the place
Tetons, who existed only while the appropriation held
out, and the urgent representation OF Mr. Deano to
Congress on their behalf are well known.
The payment of $50 900 Usage Indian funds to lobby
lists in Washington has been told Of
The appropriation of $50 900 to pay claims for which
receipts the Treasury, the Interior Depart
mcnt was officially informed Is also matter of history
These are few of the irregularities to call them by
no harder name which have brought the admnistra-
ton of Indian Affairs into we-dcscrvcd dsreputc And
they ali Jobs which little honesty would have
stranglcd in their inception And have the degrad
Hg spectacle OF Cabinet officer descending to petty
populations in using public servants and appliances to
private expenditures and having his high office
traled in the mud to serve low greed OF gam The
example he sets is followed by those around him.
Private houses lifted up by mechanics paid by gov
crnmcnt Furniture procured and carpets supplied
which charged to the contingent lund. Large
shipments OF public property have been made to dis
tlnt point, and, IN Short wholesale robbery has been
committed. Messengers have been taken away from
the department long trips body servants, and
some performing private service in Washing
ton. other persons Of both have travelled al
public expense these missions Even this is not the
that may be said OF some OF Mr. Dclanos assist
ants.
This letter has become long that cannot pay such
attention desire TO new assailant of mine who
turns up IN the Interior Department He Cones sides
"intireiy with his masters aud rushes into the fray
with all the cagerncss OF his small nature anxious TO
distinguish himself IN his new calling under the eye of
his bcnclactOr SO he manully shouldered the mud
machine which the Inter began to find toe
heavy, and commenced operations last week He first
ndOrsed his predecessor and then trotted out
ms statements. want to lind that prominent army
oiccr' who is relied on 20 back up the shaky 'karak
tner'' of the carnations Of the Interior Department
When found Ire won't cost his country anything fos
''cOnmuatiOn Of quarters for little space OF
II he dont step up too promptly, I'll find him company
have before me a list of six patriots who have onlJ
object lett tOaccOmpsh in this life, and that Is the
vindcatOn of Messrs. DcanO and Cowan When they
finish that noble work they want TO die and be buroc
with a Mackinac blanket round each dead defender
They evidently wish themselves long life and plenty
it, But, seriously speaking, such combination
talent, representing the land, appointment document
Trust luna AMI Indian division OF the Secrctarys Office
ought to be capable Of something better in the way
-. LL.--- I.I.. ..I.-n.