Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-09-14

compel the Cherokees to accept this sum i
settlement of all claims. This they absolute
ly refused to do. The ring then carried tn
matter before Congress, and an act was passe,
appropriating 81, ,256, 500 81 to be paid tn
Indians upon their executing receipts in full
OF all demands under both treaties. At thi
time the Cherokees were suffering greatly fol
food, and for all the necessaries of life, anC
so they were driven to choose between sub
mitted to this robbery and starvation. They
consequently accepted this sum under protest
BY making the proper deductions, it will be
seen that Democratic agents of Democratic
Administrations robbed these Indians of
So, 743, 499 81, and a Democratic Congress
confirmed the robbery.
Thus it will be seen nat nearly three-quar-
tiers of the money due the Indians under these
treaties was pocketed by the Tweeds of those
halcyon Democratic days.
TURNING OF TIE GOVERNMENT.
These rings were quite impartial in their
dealings. They used the Government ma
chinery and officials to rob the Indians, and
while they were despoiling Indians to the full
extent of their ability for stealing, they were
at the same time neglecting no opportunities
for fleeing the Government
The price stipulated in the treaties to be
paid such Cherokees as removed at their own
expense was $40 per head on account of re-
moval, and $33 335 per head for subsistence.
The Government actually paid and charged
to the account of transportation and subsist-
ence S2,915, 141 So. The number of persons
removed was stated in these accounts as
13, 149. A responsible firm haG offered to
contract for tine removal of all the Cherokees
at $32 per head, but estimating the cost at
$40, which was the rate of the next higher
bid, the charge for the service should only
have been $524, ,960. This, deducted from
the sum actually paid, gives the amount of
fraud upon the Government, in this item
alone, even estimating the number of Indians
at 13, 149 as charged, of S2,289, 1S1 So.
But the records now show that the actual
number of persons removed was 1858 less
than were charged. The rate of the charge
was 1924 per head This increases the amount
stolen 1866, 1872
Next followed more ingenious method of
fraudulent accounts, by which number of
rings were given a share in the job. 1t will be
noticed that nothing approaching this method
was developed by the late overhauling of Re.
publican affairs by the Opposition House.
Various contracts were made in connection
with the removal of the Indians, with favored
friends, and these latter, as a part of the ar
without executing any portion of
their contracts, transferred them under orders
to Others They then preferred and were al
lowed claims for damages arising, as was pre-
tended, from the Government, depriving them
of the opportunity of performing their con-
tracts. Damages were thus allowed on one
class of contracts for $500 50.
In the same way contracts are made for
shoes, sufficient to give each Indian six pairs
for the removal. These were transferred to
second parties, and damages allowed the first
of $144, 1865 O3.
Democratic citizen agent stole from the |
funds to the amount of $6S, 145.
Two army officers, also Democrats, acting |
as disbursing officers, embezzled a further |
amount of $76,976 81.
Making the aggregate amount stolen from
the Government In the items named,
s3, i27, ,462 81.
There was number of other smaller sums
not yet traced out, which, when collected,
will considerably increase these figures. But
70 far the books have been adjusted, they
'how the following as the outcome of this one
Democratic transaction:
Stolen from the Cherokees. SO, 743, 499 81
Stolen from the United States. 3, ,127, 1862 81