The Portland daily press., 1878-01-16
Washington News and Gossip.
THE INDIAN RuREAu


There is feeling in Washington that per.
haps Secretary Schurz has acted with iniudi-
clous haste in respect of the men dismissed
from the Indian bureau on the basis of the
report of the board of inquiry appointed By
him. The board consists of Mayor Bradley of
the army, Mr.. McCammon of the Department.
OF Justice, and Mr.. Lockwood, chief clerk of
the Interior Department. These are compe-
tent and honorable men, bat it Is true, never
theless, that the inquiry was not conducted in
such way as to make it a reasonable basis for
Summary action in dismissing officials like
Msssrs. Smith and Galpin. The instigators of
tnis investigation, and persistent prosecutors
OF THESE men, are two persons named Wolf and
Taylor, and 1t is believed to ba one of these
to whom President Seelye refers in his letter
printed in the Tribune as follows: "After the
board was organized and was holding its ses-
sions nominally in secret, this man--wrote
me letter in high gee declaring that he had
got the commission which he wanted, and that
he was having things his own way" Both Of
these men were agents for the Cherokee In
dians in North Carolina, and the real motive
OF their pursuit of Smith and Gslpin is be-
lleved to be revenge for having been prevented
by them in course of fagrant misdoing. Men
OF high character, who profess to be familiar
with the whole matter, allege that a great
wrong has been done, and that the accused did
not have a fair chance to confront thsir ac-
cusers. They do not suspect that the Secre-
tary intended any wrong, bat they think he
has given too much weight to an e1 pdrte in
quiry, considering who are the men that pre-
ferred the charges aud against whom they were
preferred, and warm friends of the Secretary
regret his action, because they think the de-
termination was arrived at in a way that was
not fair to the victims. They are discharged
under an imputation of dishonest dealing,
which 1t is believed they do not deserve.
NEW FINANCIAL MEASURE.
Representative Schleicher Of Texas intro
duced in the House Monday joint resolution
of some Importance Mr.. Schleieher is almost
the only persistent sound-currency Democrat
from the South. The preamble to his resolu-
ton rectes the circumstances that the govern
ment, through purchases made by Secretary
Boutwell,, is 10 possession of bonds to the
amount of about one hundred and eighty-thres
million dollars in advance of the requirements
of the sinking fund. On these bonds there Ia
accumulated interest to the amount of about
twenty million dollars. The intent of his reso-
lution is to turn this sum into the sinking fund
at once, which will Obvia!e the necessity Of
raising thirty millions year for the sinking
iund Tor about seven years. This thirty mill
hons IN gold so saved is annually to be applied
to the purposes Of resumption by purchasing
gresnbacks under the provisions Of the act OF
1879 authorizing the government to make prep
arations for resumption. Mr.. Schleicher
thinks that all who favor resumption ought to
vote for this resolution, and he thinks it will
also find favor with those who are not re-
sumptionists, because they believe that the
government cannot maintain resumption IL it
is attempted, since this scheme affords means
of securing the necessary gold without extraor-
dInary taxation.