The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-03-25

We stated yesterday that the asontshmenl
and indignaiion Of the Republican leaders ~
The BELKNAp business We're feigned Tather
| than real; that they knew, or mghl nave
known, what was guing"n, out rCIuseu 10 III
Iyesiigate or interfere because II might I'm,
| lure the party" ana that they are as'onisneu
| and indignant now, not because grea' ciini
has been committed, but because II mas oeeh
found out, and the party injured thereoy
We produce the Ioll, wing extracts from 'ne
New York TriJune's Washington special, ia
ted February 10, 6i2:
| "Armv otliccrs saioucd at pOsts in the
West complain OF the rXt"r'i'hS pr"c''seu ny
the most traders, and the gross abuses prac-
| Used under the law which authorizes their
annoi,tnent. These traders are given inc
exclusive privilege Of selling goods upon the
military reservations 10 tn, officers, soldiers,
emigrnnts and Indians. The privilege is SO
valuable that it il obtained by poll'ical or
family influence at Washington by men who
never go TO the posts or engage IN tue ousi'
ness. but farm out the privilege to actual IRA
| ders for sums amountinl in some ease to CIV,
| n q or $40 o. n wear. One of the
most outrageous Cases of the kind is described
| in the following letter from an officer station
ed at Fort Sill Indian territory:
az have Incidentally heard that you nave
a desire To know whether bonus Is required
from the traders here Tor the prlVlleg Oh trau'
ing, and have been urged Ia write you the
facts in the case AS there seems to be no se-
cret made of the matter, and AS, IN common
with all others here, feel il to be great
wrong, | think you viii readily excuse the
presumption which my writing, unasked by
YOU, might indicate. / have read the CON
tract between 5 Evans, IL Fort Sill trader,
and G. p. or, c. f. Marsh OF No. 1857 or 1877
Broadway, New York, Office of Herter Bros,
whereby j. s. Evans is required to pay SAID
| G. p. or &. f. Marsh the sum OF $l2.Oo per
| wear, quarterly in advance, for the exclusive
privilege of trading un this military reserva'
| ton. | ain correctly informed that SAID sum
has been paid since, soon after the new law
went into force, and is now paid, to include
some time in February next. This is not an
isolated case. ! am informed by officers who
arc stationed at Camp Supply that Lee and
Reynolds paid 5000 outright for the same
exclusive privilege there. Other cases are
talked Of. but not corroborated 10 me; sum
cient to state, the tax here amounts TO near
| $40 per selling day, which must necessarily
be paid almost enuIely by the command and
you can readily see that prices of such goods
as we are compelled to buy must be grieVous
lily augmented thereby
4 "Mhrsn, tlc NOMINAL tTdueI Ut foI JIM %
understood to be special friend of the sec
lretary of war This friendship, il appears
enables him to live at his ease at New York
on an income of $4,000 year, which Is ex
Itorted from the soldiers and officers at the fort
by the actual traders to whom he farms out
the privilege the secretary has given him."
| Here, then, we have one of the most prom
inent and reliable journals In the couniry-a
Journal, too, identified with the Republican
party since Its origin-making substantially
| the same charges four years ago which are
now being investigated by a Democratic
house. II will be observed that these charg
ca arc not general, but particular The pla
ces, the names and the figures are given; and
| il is even mentioned that "MARsH, the nom
inal trader at Fort Sill, is d special friend OF
the secretary Of war" What could be more
explicit than this information furnished
BLAINE g. Co., four years agoS What more
did they need to base investigation upon
Why did they treat the whole matter'wlth 81
lent contempt, and allow BELKSAP and hit
laccomplices to go on unmoles'ed by so muci
as an inquiry These are questions which
the people want answered before they place
any confidence IN the pious protestations o
ln.-..ul.ii.o,> L.. dara f<pgsa I2eDyllxi61y,.