National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-05
SoME LIES TO BE LOOKED INTO.

GUILE LIHO L " DIE LOOhEO LAN L Ss
The public must be well convinced by
this time of the conspiracy on foot among
certain newspaper men to break up Gen.
Grants Cabinet by creating discord among
its members, thus destroying that harmony
which is so necessary to the success of an
Administration and party. The evidence
is conclusive as to this conspiracy, and it
receives the strongest confirmation in the
publications of the various conspirators
from day to day. The latest manifestation
is an article in the New York Tribune of
Saturday, entitled "a job to be looked
into" This article asserts, in effect, that
the Secretary of the Interior has conspired,
and is conspiring, to open up the Indian
territory to white settlement, and -appor-
ton the lands of the Indians to the rail
roads having the right Of way therein.
To support this charge certain statements
are made in regard TO the selection of the
present Board of Indian Commissi oners, to
show that they were made in the interests
of the railroads in the territory for the sole
purpose of securing legislation that will in
ure to the benefit of said railroads. I'm
fortunately for the force of the Trt6URs'S
article the statements it contains are, for the
most part, untrue, as we shall proceed to
show.
The Tribune charges, first, that Secre-
tary Delano knew of the conditions of
the land grants to certain railroads in
the Indian Territory "when he appointed
the secretary and treasurer of the Atlantic
and Pacific Mail Company president of the
Board of Indian Commissioners. We
reply to this that the Secretary of the In.
terror never appointed General Fisk presi-
dent of said board. General Fisk was re-
commended for appointment as member
of that board by the secretaries of the
Missionary Society of the N. E. Church,
: the late Rev. T. NJ. Eddy, D. D., and Rev.
r. L. Dashiel, D. D., of New York city,
Upon these recommendations, Endorsed
and approved by a conference representing
seven of the largest religious denomina-
tons, General Fisk was appointed to the
position. The Secretary of the Interior
had no more to do with making General
Fisk president of the board than the edi-
tor of the Tribune had-the board electing
its own officers without the advice or
knowledge of the Secretary. Second,
"John D. Lang, of Maine, was appointed
by Secretary Delano to fill a vacancy in
the old board" Our reply to this is that
John D. Lang was appointed member of
the board january 81, 1870, and Mr.. De-
lano was appointed Secretary of the In
terror November 1, 1870, or nine months
after Mr.. Lang's appointment. Third,
Colonel G. G. Hammond, of Chicago,
was formerly president of the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company,
and is said to be largely interested in rail-
road matters" This may or may not be
true. 1t is, at all events, entirely new to
the Secretary of the Interior, who only
knew of Colonel Hammond as fit man
for the position through the very fattering
Endorsement of Rev. S. B. Treat, of Bos-
ton, secretary of the American Board of
Foreign Missions, and of Rev. George
Whipple, of New York, secretary of the
American Missionary Society, upon whose
recommendations he was appointed.
1t is singular that the Tribune has neg
lected to make any statement about Mr..
Roberts, the only member other than those
noticed above who was in the Indian Ter
-itory. For its information we are able to
say that Mr.. Roberts was appointed at the
solicitation of members of the Society of
Friends, Of which he is prominent mem
Der, and that he has for several years been
actively engaged in the Indian work for
his society.
The other members mentioned in the
Tribune article not having been in the In
dian Territory on the occasion referred to,
it is not pertinent to the present inquiry to
refer to them, but we deem it but Justice to
allude to two Of them incidentally, mas.
much as they are misrepresented as badly
as some of the others.
The charge that Messrs. Turner and
Long received per diem compensation for
services while they were members of the
board is true, but it is not true that they
ever received such compensation sohiEe serU-
ing as members Of that board.
The charge that General 81. Fl. Sibley,
"of St. Paul, is said to be simply dummy
for A. H. Wilder, one of the largest
"Indian contractors" will be thought
most ridiculous and absurd by all who
know the sterling integrity and independ-
ence for which General Sibley is distin-
guished. -.
Thus is completely dissipated tissue Of
statements upon which is fabricated a
theory in regard to the disposition of the
Indian Territory which does grave injus-
tice to high officer of the Government in
regard to matter Of the utmost import
ance to the welfare of the Indians and the
ultimate success Of the Indian policy The
Secretary's position upon this question is
well known, having been published in his
annual reports, and expressed upon all &C.
casions when the subject was discussed,
without reserve.
The Tribune says that 'this question of
establishing Territorial government was
"the very thing which the old Board of
Commissioners fought against during the
centre period of their existence" If
this be true the long continued fight of the
late board must have left some record, some
evidence of its ar1uous struggle. Who did
it fight? How did it fight? Where did it
fghtH Give us the proof of this assertion,
or it must stand with those charges alluded
to above as existing only in the brain of
the writer.