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

tn stav ALI proceedings ihn the premises "
we shall see bow these Instructions we're
carried out. At this timib the Rev. Il L
Smith, thu, present commi ssi0ner OF 1huinn
affairs, we an Indian ag ent, and cane y
know that these q pine cuttings were
Co. ssla He had tr an intimate
friend certain A. Il. Will Ger, who new .bg,
ures as one OF the largest aud most iaVote1
contractors of the Indian oi lice. TnenaSu
Of the relations betwOsn hese parties tbeh
is made clear by a eorrespo ndence bes~Gsn .5sH
this Rev. Agent Smith and Clark, ms Dro'het
agent of the Chippewas, in these wores:
WI.loNA = Nov. q. .GsIZ.
DEAR MAJoR-Mr. wilde Z requests me 60
forward his bid for the pin'I In Lac .OouI. our
d'Oreilles. believeit Is t. 'om sevehty-nVs,
thousand dollars to ono hu ndred tho0sand
dollars higher than Ra0t's 'hsr, an q nniess
Won are estopped fromfurth sr negotis.ions,
suggest that You draw q 'ntract ano slg,i
it, and forward it to Wilder or beIter e ~
| will see Wilder on Monday ana nave hian
draw aud sign a contract tha VIII
COVER ALI. THE POINTS YoU WANT,
and forward it to you. Then you ean.slSn
and forward t., the. .depz-tme ut. Tho soon
or thisls done the better. On soms aceonn's
I shcsld like to have Mr. Wilde1 get the
contract. Heisa a large deal. " in lumber
and railroad stocks, and is able to carry any
thing heundeytakes. He is al so g man o.
good habits aud repusstion-a muSn Detysr ,ss
style OF man every way than snaiiy Io0AS
''''N- I;Dw. 2. SMITH.
MY. Smith does not tell why ne wanted
Wilder TO get this job, "onE6me soeoHhSs;
but the reason may be inferred 1roH! N@ueiI @
good terms, since be has bao Ice tuulsn ~. -.
bureau TO run. Wilder was not SonOeus 20
rest on Smiths support alone, SO NJ I - 20
formal proposal for the Hand two, DAYS , os-
fore the foFg0ing letter was ~rletSn, as 'oi-
lows: ~ ,o-o
Major = N Clark, United States indian Agent
Bayfield,, Wis:
SrR:-I understand the Hon. Couliaiis-
sioner ofIndiau affairs has authorizsd you 70
sell the pine timber standing on the re5er-
vstion OF theLac cOurs d'0reEitas Dsnc O
Tndisns If such IL the case Wonid re-
spec fully propose to- purchase a. toe rstS "a "a
81 per thousand fact all the meTchsntso so,o
pine within three mikes OF s1res-ls SUI saeie
for running logs, the timber to re paid Tor sfl
tan vasrlv psytnents. ShoEiG M PROPOSE
tion' be accepted wfii i@Baediateiy enser
into q contract. and xecf1se the necessary
bonds for the faithful PerioriAaHo9 OF tus
same My estimate of abe qusn!lty OF YIN
Der standing on the reservation Is tNo nun
drod million feet. Your one6leDt herEs.ii''
This offer was bstter by $4,000 than the
contract made with Rust, and still i5 Wss
One-thiri OF TIE actual worth o1 the PINE
assuming the quantity ts be as sta'eo ny
/ wilder in his own interest. the Rev; = gen
smith was on tue anxious seat. aDd so ne
wrote z second and more urgent iSt'sF u
Clark for his next friend:
MINNEAPoIIs, Minn., Dec. e. lSCz-
DEAR MAJOR: l have suggested to N r.
Wilder a form for a contract which tnlniS
covers all the Interests OF the Indians and
provides funds for their needs TOR ZEN year@
certain, and | think for hueen or t"sh,Y'
at Lac Court d'Oreiles. [ b9lieVe This is the
fairest and safest form Of sale where neither
party can know and hardly approximate
TIE real amount of pine. U2less you e[9
| estoppeG from further setion f-r the present,
l suggest t5at you siga and fOrward the
contract 10 the conlmissionsr.
I Very truly, EDw. /. SMITH.
Major s. ". Clark, United states Indian
! Agent, Bayfield,, Wis.
1 This appeal was followed in farty-eight
hours by proposal on these terms
ST.. PAUL, December G, 1872.
Major s. N Clark, United States indian Agent,
BIyfeld, Wis;
DEAR SIR:-I forwarded to you through
4 MsjOr Smith, come days since, my PropuEi
tion for pine timber. now send,
AT MAJOR SMITHS SUGGESTION,
a eontrsc: for the timber signed by myself,
and if you find it satisfactory trust you
will execute it on behalf of the United
States, and forward ssme to the commits
sioner OF Indian sffai.s for approval.
Truly yours,
A. FL. WILDER.
These efforts did not succeed, for Rust had
the inside track, aud the parties connected
with him were all powerful. John DelanO
had ''seen" them, the Grant fund wS5 in
crossed, and the JOB was bound TO 20
through. But IN the presence OF Wiider's
, ] u = tr,o in - fNolQ
nos letter, the price must be raised. So
this ring coBcoeied new scheme, by which
the term of the contract was extended irOm
ten - fifteen years, and S75 coo additional
was 20 be paid, by instailment5 OF $4,000
, eaca year, Even az this rate OF Si2j, goo tor
the pine the contract was still short s75 coo
OF Wi.der's offer, and s500,o00 Of ths real
yslue. The fact that Rust nsentet to add
Oae hundred and fifty per cant. TO an agree
} ment which the departmen5 had consum-
mstsd and approved, exhibits Of itself the
corrupt character OF the whola
i were defrauded of half a million oi
dollars. Meanwhile the Rev. f. 2. Smith
D had been made com missioner of Indian af-
} fairs. Mr. slanO had discovered bis merit;
as au Iodiau sgsnt, and knew ne was che
. right man for the place. He had hsard him
! pray perhaps, and had certainly read some
, OF his pi0us correspondence. In this 20
ton, one of his first duties was TO abandon
his friend Wilder and 10 approve the second
, Rust contract which was signed on the 9th
7 of February, 1873. But he was equal TO the
3 occasion, aud Wilder was willing to be
, sacrificed-for the present. And be has
been well rewarded for his submission, as
ths report of contracts made with him by
: Smith shows. Otcourse the fact that Rust had
! first IA sde a contract for S50,G00 in October.
and then raised to SI25 900 in February fol-
flowing, looked ugly on the record. Clark,
who had signed both, was in Washington
when the department was Obliged to con-
'front.' this dilemma. The Rev. Commissioner
Smith tenderly invoked his aid TO extricate
ala concerned in this touching epistle to the
i In dian agent:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OFFICg OF INDIAN AFFAIRS,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., March g. 1873
DEAR MAJOR: Gen. CoWen Is writing an
| sxusr 90 Iatfar IN uos, or Matronolito., hoeo.o