The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-09-14
Hssaasss' sas-s ss= 'ss-ss sssss -se-.s T4--ss7-
" Cherokee debts. 1880.
" expenses of treaty 90.

Total ....... s. AiJ,gS y
Every dollar of this charge was in
direct violation of the treaty.
This total WAS then deducted from
tine four millions legally due the
Chernkees, aud they wern informed
that there was balance ti their cTed-
it Of only S1Si,07272.
The War Department next attempt
ed TO compel the CheTokeCs To accept
| this sum in settlement of all claims.
This they absolutely refused To do.
| The ring then carried the matter be-
fore Congress, and AN act was passed
apprOpriaLins 81 ,256. 500.27 tO be paid
| the Indians upon their executing re-
ceipts in full OF all demands under
both treaties. Atthis time the CherO-
KEGS were suffering greatly for food,
and for all the necessariea of life, and
so they were driven 10 chnOse be-
tween submitting tO this robbery and
/ starvation. They consequently ae-
cepted this sum under protest. by
making the proper deductions, IL will
| be saeu that Democratic agents of
Oys.-,r,7r r.tia Administrations fooued
these Indians of s., 743, 449.21i and a
Democratic Congress confirmed the
robbery.
Thus it will be seen that nearly
| three-quarters OF the money due the
Indians under these treaties WAS
pOcketed by the TweedS of those
halcyOn Democratic days.
TURNING ON THE GOVERNMENT
These rings were quite Impartial
I'm their dealings. They used the
Government machinery and officials
1 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 Gov
ernment.
The price stipulated in the treaties
to be paid such CherOkees as removed
at their own expense was SD per head
on account OF removal, and So. So /
per head for subsistence.
The Government actually paid and
charged to the account of transpOr-
tatiOn and subsistence 2,9l5. .l4l IS.
The number of persons removed was
stated in these accounts as Is, li9. a
responsible firm had offered to con-
tract for the removal of all the CherO-
KEGS at $50 per head, estimating the
cost at $40, which was the rate OF the
next higher bid, tho charge for the
service should only have been S525, :
| $50. This, deducted from the sum ae-
tually paid, gives the amount Of frsud
upOn the Government, in this item
alone, even estimating the Number Of
Indians at l3, l49 as charged, Of s., 3S9-
ISl.5S.
But the records show that the ac-
| tual number OF persons removed vas
,633 less than were charged. The
rate OF the charge was S224 per head.
This increases the amount stolen 1856, :
792.
Next followed a more ingenious
method of fraudulent accounts, by
| which q number Of rings were given a
share in the job. 1t will be noticed
| that nothing approaching this method
was developed by the late overhaul
| ing of Republican affairs 10y the OPP
position House.
Various contracts were made in c0n-
nectiOn with the removal Of the In-
dians, with favored friends, and these
latter, as part OF the arrangement,
without executing any portion OF
their contracts, transferred them un-
der orders to others. They then pre-
ferred and were allowed claims for
damages arising, rs was pretended,
/ from the Government, depriving
them of the Opportunity of perform
ing their contracts. Damages We're
| thus allowed on one class of contracts
| for $50, ,002.52.
In the same way contracts were
made for shoes, sufficient 10 give each
Indian six pairs for the removal.
These was transferred TO second par
ties, and damages allowed the first Of
$I44, ,365. .03.
A Democratic citizen agent stole
from the funds 10 amount of $6S, l45.
Two army sflicers, also Democrats,
acting as disbursing officers, embeZZled
a further amount of S7G, ,9T6.54.
Making the aggregate amount stO-
len from the Government in the items
named, $3,127, ,462.6T.
There was q number Of other small
er sums not yet traced out, which,
when collected, will considerably in
crease these figures. But so far as
the books have been adjusted, they
show the following as the outcome Of
this one Democratic transaction
stolen from the Cherok ees......--s1.Ti ~, ila p
1
Total for one Democratic s5.s7o.cH 81
DEMOCRATS swINDLING CHOCFAws.
In the Forty-third Congress, first
session, Mr.. COmingO, OF Missouri, a
Democrat, made q report upon the
/ illegal charges against she ChOctaws
in connection with their removal To
the Indian Territory. In summing
up these charges, MIR. COmingO's re-
port says:
"The erroneous items are as fol-
lows :"
"The Choctaws are charged with
the expenses OF their subsistence and
removal and these by article sixteen
OF the treaty, were to he assumed and
paid by the United States. Th'
charge on this account is 81 ,229. 1862
They are charged, also, ttrO cents pei
acre for the expense Of surveying and
selling the lands which remained un'
. sold on the lst day of January, 1888
Under tile award, this expense was 4
! be charged OTilT upon the lands 5Uiiici
had been sold. Clearly here Is al
} overeharee against the ChOctaws q
/; S4l7, ,63T. 40. The reservations aliOwe'
aud secured by the ChOetaw
amounted to 334 10l.02 aeres, and tbi
> was deducted from the whole qnaDti
1 ty ceded, aud the Choctaws were re
4 quired to pay the expense OF survey
: ing and settling these reservations
} This is another erroneous charge q
So, ,4lO1O.
/ 'fPhe erroneous charges mad
against the ChOctaws as payment