The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-07-22

New York, July l3.-The Tribune to-
morrow publishes the following letter
from Professor Marsh, of Yale College, to
President Grant
SIR:-In the two interviews / had with
you on Indian affairs l was impressed
with your earnest desire to do justice to
the Indians, and with your broad and
philanthropic views on the whole Indian
question, This must be myexcuse as a
private citizen for coming again to you
to lay before you statement of the
wrongs committed on the Sioux Indians,
mainly under my own observation dur
ing the recent visit to their country. My
visit o this region was wholly in the in
teresS of science, with no intention or
wish to investigate Indian affairs. The
frauds | observed were brought to my
knowledge by Red Cloud, who refused to
allow my party to enter the Bad Lands
until l had promised to submit his COM
plants to you in person. Since my inter-
view with you on thissubject l have been
informed by the Commissioner ofIndian
Affairs of the appointment of a commit
tee Tn investigate the affairs at the Red
Cloud Agency, and invited to lay state
ment of facts before them. This / am
quite ready to do whenever the commit
tee request it. l must decline, however,
to give my statement to the Interior De-
partment for the following reasons:
First-I have no confidence whatever
in the sincerity of the Secretary of the
Interior or Commissioner of Indian AZ
fairs when they publicly announce their
wish and determination to to correct the
present abuses in the Indian manage
ment, because have reason to know
that they have long been aware of these
abuses, and have made no sincere effort
to reform them.
Second-In all my intercourse with
these two officials, their object has mani.
festly been to find out not so much what
the frauds actually were as the extent of
my information concerning them, so as
to prevent by every meansi in their power
all publicity or exposure of them.
Third-The evidence now in my pos
session reflects unfavorably on both Sec
retary Delano and Commissioner Smith.
For these reasons l have thought it
best to lay before you, to whom, in ac-
cordance with my promise to Red Cloud,
made my first communication, the ac-
companying statement in detail, in full
confidence that the evidence presented
will meet with the consideration its i'm
portance demands. In the statement
which accompanies this aletter l have
given the results ofmy investigation into
the affairs of the Red Cloud Agency, the
largest and most important in the West.
These results clearly indicate both mis-
management and frauds, especially in
the following particulars:
First-The agent, j. ]. Saville, is wholly
untitled for his position and guilty Of
gross frauds upon the Indians in charge.
Second-The number of Indians at
IL Is agency ha sheen systematically over
stated for purposes which can only result
in fraud.
Third--The last issue of annuity goods,
which l witnessed, was suspicious
transaction, and in part, at least, fraudu-
lent. l1/ r e.
Fourth-The beef cattle given to the
Indians have been very inferior, owing
to the systematic frauds practlced by the
agent and beef contractors.
Fifth The pork issued to the Indians
during my visit was not suitable for hu-
man fare. .,or,D .r
Sixth-The -four was very inferior, and
the evidence Of fraud in this article is
concl[ i've.
seventh-The sugar and coffee issued
were not good, althopgh better than the
Eighth THE tobacco observed was rot
ten, and of little or no use to the Indians,
Ninth-In consequence of fraud and
mismansgerneht, the Indians suffered
greatly during the past winter for want
Of food and eothing, 49,. -. J, - y s,ls ts'$
TentbhThe t6Atfatt for freigIh from
Cheyenne to the Red Cloud Agency was