The Portland daily press., 1878-01-18
THE INDIAN BUREAU,
VIII at President seeIye Knows About 1t
"A Severe Arraignment of Secretary
GyoyuusiasIOu

vyh at President seeIye Knows About H
"A Severe Arraigulnent of Secretary
Schurz's Commission
NEW YORK, Jan. 1I.-In q letter frJm AM
herst, Mass, dated Jan. 10, President Seelye
says:
During my service in the Forty-fourth Con-
gress was member OF the Indian committee
of the House OF Representatives, was brought
into intimate intercourse with the Indian bu-
reau and had an opportunity to vote the char
acter and conduct of the commissioner of
Indian Affairs and his chief clerk. l had no
previous acquaintance with either ,but evidence
soon appeared, and continually grew clearer
that they were honest men who stroye to the
utmost to be faithful to their high responsible
ty / could not always approve their measures
| repeatedly differed from them in iudgment.
knowing, however, that they were much more
likely to De rlghg IMAM L. But it was impossi-
BILE to have such long and intimate relations
with them as L had, and resist the conviction of
their answering honesty and single-eyed devo.
ton to their work. This conviction i still re-
tain. L believe also that every member of
the Indian com mittee associated with me, held.
and so Far as know, still holds the same con-
viction as myself upon this point
1t came to my knowledge before the close of
Congress, that some parties had sought pay
menu throughtthe Indian bureau out of Indian
funds, for a claim which Mr.. Galpin the chief
clerk had discovered fraudulent and whose
at once began to circulate charges against the
chief clerk and the commissioners, and one of
them Or bringing the charges to my notice,
told me he was going to do just what has since
been done in securing this Investigation and
bringing on the results which now appear.
After the present Secretary had been led to
entertain these charges and to constitute a
board Ofinquiry for their investigation, and
after this board had begun its so-called secret
sessions from which the accused party was ex-
nE fho hn f1rsfr
ported the charges to me, and who was a close
associate of the man whose fraudulent claim
had been stopped, wrote me from Washington,
in an apparent intoXlcatiOn of glee, declaring
that he was hoving things his own way in the
board of inquiry, and that should see If he did
not rip up things in the Indian bureau before he
not through.
This threat seems to have been accomplished.
1t appears also to be trus-though the report
of the board of inquiry not having been pub
lished, make this statement upon other evil
dence-that the testimony upon which the
board have placed the chief stress in their con-
domination of the chief clerk, was given by the
man whom he had detected and stopped in an
attempt to take $11 900 from the funds Of the
North Carolina Cherokees upon papers which
were forged.
I do not propose till L see the report, to dis
cuss its findings respecting the general man.
agement of Indian affairs. In this manage
ment, ranging over the years which this board
thought within its province to investigate,
there can De doubtless, much found to crisi-
else. No one unacquainted with the duties de-
volving upon the Indian bureau, would be
likely to apprehend the perplexities, liabili-
ties to mistake and opportunities for differ
ences of judgment which its peculiar Difficult
ties involve.
I believe, however, that there will be but one
sentiment among fair minded men, aud that
one of strong condemnation, when it is known
that accusations SO grave as these now an
nounced, are officially published as the result
OF an investigation where the accused seems to
have brought whatever charges he pleased and
to have sustained them in whatever way he
chose, while the accused, until the conclusion
which condemned him was reached, was sed-
ulously kept in ignorance both of the nature eff
their proof 1t is grim spectacle when this is
brought before the American people as a rep
resentative specimen of reform.
Very respectfully yours,