The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-05-06

SIo oa1 WAS RAIsED FOR GRANTS RK ELEc !
TIoN-AN EXAsTFLE OF THE WAY IN |
WHICH THE REDS ABE RoBBED
The Sentinel has shown how the Indians
are plundered of their possessions under
the eagle eye OF the secretary OF the interior
for the enrichment of agents ofshe admins |
tratjon,s appointment. The saoioined Is
most sgsrsyesed case aud ia given In detail
with documentary proof The article is
subuitted;bv the washington correspondent
of the New York San: O3e OF the most Gis-
graceful charters in the history OF Grsnt's
S5ministrat;On Is tha baretaced Swindhng OF
tha Indians. Their annuilies, their supplies
for subsistence and their lauds have been |
stolen by an organized ring, which has It's
headquarters In ~tke department OF the IN
terror And to make 1t worse thls
a nrsteuded "oeacs policy" invented
for the purcosa, amidst twice the cost TO the
treasury compared with the time when the
tribes were nearly double thesr present
number. In the 1at or 1877 tne commls-
sloner Of Indian sff3irs authorized the sale
of the piae timber standing on $4,000 scres
of land in Wisconsin,, bslonging 70 oeno
of The CbiDpewas OF Lake Superior. w N
a Rust OF Esa Claire, beeams the pur-
chaser on the following terms: He had The
right .'of cutting and hauling OF sii nier-
ehzntable nine timber on said reservation,
anywhere wit hin three miles OF any and all
lakes and streams that GTe or can 50 made
uavigable for floating logs, and to cut
and remove such timoer WlLnie Sald
limits end appropriate the sans 70 EiS use
during the term of ten years trOsn and
alter the first day oi December, lS1z." 10
consideration of tbis grant hs was ito pay
for the benefit OF said Indians ten tb01Sani
dollars annually tor the term OF hya years,
toths said S. N. Clark, United States IHdisn
sgent or his successor in Otnce, at the otnce
nf tha aVeney for the Lake superior Chlpp6-
was" In brief, Rust was 10 pay $oOOns IN
ETs instailmeuts of $4,000 each Tor 5000
acres OF most valuable pine timber or about
55 cents an acre. Tho reservation was esl-
mated to contain at least 200, 900 fest OF
pine and probably much more, and was
valued at the time ct about SS0O,OOO! lie
agreement for the purchase was drawn up
by tbs. parties interested, who were upon the
snot knew the exact value of the pine TO b9
cut, and Wero familiar with the ne hods OF
.CAPTURIssa oFPIOIALs AND CHEATING IcDI-
ANS.
But this contract had 10 be signed by Clark,
this Indian agent, and the enormous dispro-
portion betwssn the price TO be psid by Rust
and the market value of tbs timber was so
marked that diplomacy was considered
NECESSARY. A certain G. u. Gilmore, we'll
known TO the interior department as q pine
operator. was con sniently a. hand. he
took the paper to Clark with the assurance
that il was "ell right" And in order 10 rs
xaoye any doubt on his mind he proposed a
meeting between Clark and John DslaRo at
Chicago, adding by way of encourage nient
4hst the completion of the agreement
would insure $4,000 to The presidential
campaign fund tor Grant. Such arguments 5
were inyincible. The contract svas signed
on the 2ad OF October. 1872, and hurried OF
10 Warrington, without any accompanying
bonseGt from the poor, victimiz5d Indians.
The ring knew bcw their approval could be
4 ,btSinsG with a few presents and q liberal
8 zpply Of the worst whisky, with which
n Wss "wards Of the nauon" are civilized.
II feuuired about eight days for this paper
To reach tbs department from the agency on
IA ks Superior. IL was exscute1 on the 2i
of letober, and, as Sppears officially on the
rec Tds was
A eting Commissioner OF Indian Affairs.
Approved, Q. DsLAEo,
Oct 10. 1872 Secretary Of the Interior.
TINS utmost dispatch was used to c0nsum-
mate .his bargain, which cOniras remark
ably W iEh the delays and difficulties pus
Durpos sly In the path OF citizens seeking
thsir n yhts in the same departmen When
the nst ure CT the contract first became
known there vas a buTs. oil inGigniLio j
and ex sitement 10 Wisconsin, and the
stronoeat represent atoms wer9 made to
anuni il, VI the gr0un OF outrageous fraud.
To opeof these renlonstrances Mr.. DelsnO
addressed the following letter, intended &C
excuse him self and the Indian bureau:
DE- pARrMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
WAEHINeTOE, Nov. q, 1872.
Sur ha We DELAYED replying to yours o
TIE 9sd inst. in order TO obtain information
from tho In cisn Office in regard 10 the
matter refsrT 81 10 by you, about which
was nninlorn tsd when your l0.ter was re-
eeived. Iupa srstand the case to be es f0l
lows: The In disn agent. Mr. 3 \. Clark
reported an off W for c0Gtrac5 for the saiC
ofthe simber 70 sae Indian 0fica and recon
Tnerded its aDs xGvsl. The Indian off =
authorized be p, ssut to close the CONTRACT OF
tina terms recomi nended by him, provided
he first obtained us approval of&he ooutrac'
by toe Indians Zach approval has since
hean forwarded t. the Indian 0filca, bat th'
cffie- Is unadvisod as ID whether the con
tract has bsen en-. e.fed into between tht
parties making tine , oifer and the IndiaE
agent. As soon as - fnanon re&cned Inc
Indiaa Office 20 the c*cs That
THE CONTRACT WAS T TOO low \ FIGURE
the agent was di1ecteCt by telegraph to stay
all proceedings in th premises, sad tht
Indian Office is nov uzlting Information
As to the exact condition al adsics.
The Indian Office and kayseli viii be OBJ
liged for any informati, va which you car
give US oE the subject.
Very respectfully yours,
G. DzLA.sc, 5 scretary.
This letter contains several glsrIRg
1ntruths. Mr.. Dslano aud his Indiae
office had made unusual haste TO sign
the contract in question on tbs 10Th
of October, which was matter Of
record, and yet on the 9th Of November,
only SIX or seven weeks later, ne says. 81
was Uniformed" on the subject He slso
saws that the Indian Office made Il condition
precedent to the transaction, THAI the ap-
provsl OF the indians sbould be "first Oh
taine6," and admits that cbis approval has
"slnce been obtained" Or. in other words,
the contract was completed ct WsshiDgtou,
without the consent Of TIE 4odians az all,
and when the fraud Was detected
then tbs memory of Ar. Delano
was afflicted like tha. OF a Brooklyn
witness. With the contract fSes officially,
bearing hrs own signature. he has the ei-