The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-06

The KuinOus Tribute TINT Marsh. Evans s.
Co., the Fort Sill Traders, Paid.


Sr. LorIs. March 2.-Col. II y. Fishe~.
Nicc-President OF the Security Bank. OF this
cit, and a partner IN the nrIu Of Evans Co.,
Informed hin that his money was for political
for Inc Font Sill post S4sO0j. Marsh Iiyes I'm New
York. lie is a special partner Of the large fuTn-
ture establishment Of Hcrtter Brothers. on
broadway. He Is man of wealth. and Of late
has been nan Of some notOrlcty as a Republi-
can politician. After Marshs appointment,
which occurred two OF three months subsequent
to lie act of Concres empowering the Secretary
10 appoint. Evans and Marsh had IA meeting IN
New York city The result Of the conference
was PROPOSITION from Marsh that he would let
Evans retain The posi- ana ENJOY All the privi.
leges OF the trade on the uavment " an annual
tribute 20 him tNafshl OF tl2,OO Evans. after
demufTiug al tins eXl roit mt ngure and finding
II impossible to do better finally accepted the
proposition. Ilc went back 10 Fort sill. con;n-
ued his business was recognized a. the post
trader, land forwarded to Marsh every three
months In advance S3Op. This continued for
two years down to February, ls,2. At the close
Of 1871, the frm found that IL was impossible to
make anything under the riiinous tribute which
Marsh continued TO exact with quarterly regu-
larity.
The post trade was not nearly the monopoly
inat II appeared 10 10. ue post Is on the inlli-
tary reservation OF fott >lll' tract or ground
mile and half VIDE and three miles and hhlf
long. outside Of the military reservation las
the Indian reservation Of the kiowa and Co
inanche irihe-. THIS was under control Of the
lntencr Department. " hitch permitted a trader
10 establish himself just outside the border of
the military reservation and compete with the
post trsde. Under these circumstances, aud
with the excessive tribute levied, Evans Go.
found the business far from being a paying tn
Sc .tWent. In February, i'i2 Col. J. sher went
To New Aork and Jaw .lHfsh. aud told him thnt
IL was useless for them to 70 on With their trade
II they were forced To- carry such an Outrageous
burden. lie offered to sell out and told Marsh
lainly that the trade would have To be thrown
w II the tax was still enforced Marsh hung to
the tribute. and finally told his visitor that he
did not absorb the money himself, but that 1t
was devoted to political purposes and used FOR
The Advancement OF the Interests q the Repuu-
licau parry The trader on the Other hand
showed how the trnde Tad been affected 10y the
location on the Indian reservation through per-
mission Of the Interior Department of, first
Mathieson. and then by l.. d. smith. The result
was compromise and Lyans & Go. were in
duced 10 20 on and pay TO Marsh 5000 a year In
sem-annual payments IN advance. TINS has
continued down to the present time, Marsh con-
tnuaiiy forcing the payment and pleading party
necessities.
col. Fisher has letter from Marsh In which
the latter expressly states that the money Is for
party purposes.
Very httle correspondence was carried on,
however, on the subject, the semi-annual remit
tances being by draft. At the post OF ConchG
the post trader some time ago was Irsinor lie
resigned, and Conrad. the man who owned the
building and land Al which the trading post was
located, was strongly recommended for the po-
stion. His petition was endorsed by Gen. Mer-
ritt, commanding, and all the officers Of the
garrison and many Of the department. The RI
val application was nut In by man named
dOrsement OF the garrison. but against whom
Gen. Merritt forwarded a strong protest to Sec
rctary Belknap, charging that Beck kent low
ders were often committed. and that IN general
his character was such that he should not he al
lowed 10 put his foot on the reservation. Con-
rId's application was rejected and Beck re-
ceiyed the appointment. Beck has since stated
openly, as can be proved 10y sevcral witnesses,
his partner, Loeb, went to Washington, and
called AZ tho War Department, where, upon
making known his mission. he WAS directed TO
see man named Iron. lie did see Iron, and
opened negotiations with him which led 10 the
appointment Of Beck, and the payment Of $500
10 Iron.
In the fall Of 1874, the GovorAment advertised
from san Antonio, TCNas, the headquarters OF
that department. asking proposals to transport
army supplies from New Orleans, 1t. Louis, and
Iron Mountain Railway Company had then re-
Gently com pleted its Texas Connection and the
roads forming the chain were anxious 10 obtain
this Government freight. Their chief rivals
we've the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway
the Texas Central and Morgdne steamship and
Railway and Its connections was 30 per cent. less
than card rates, There was no possible qucs-
tion but the Iron Mountain bid was a responsible
one. II was at once approved at the department
headquarters by Gen. Augur, and then by Lieut.
Gen. Sheridan, by the chief quarterm aster Of
the department and also by Gen. Meigs. 1t
reached Secretary Belknap for approval, and
was rejected. and the Government officers here
Received Al order direct from the War Depart
ment e ship their freight II card rates or by
special contracts, There were then 900 troops
In Texas To be supplied under these proposals.
Jpe difference between the cost a3 y would
have been under the Iron Mountain Railway bid
and az n really was under Beltnap's arbitrary
order was g. Oh barefoot hOur, and ia like pro-
portion for other supplies. The greater part Of
Texas Ra.'vos gnd the Government paid the
difference,