The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-08-31
Waxing Fat.

Within few months six separate nests Of
corruption have been found among the In
dian agencies of one region alone-the line
of the Missouri river These are the Lower
Brule, Crow Greek, Cheyenne River, Yank-
ton, Standing Rock, and Fort Berthold
Agencies. Their frauds vary from the petty
pickings of Fort Berthold to the prodigious
plumber of Crow Greek. Among the victims
whose heads have come off this year are
Agent H. f. Livingstone, Agent II. L. Greg
DRY, Trader Z. Z. Hudson, Agent John Cos
man, Trader j. S. Clarkson, and Agent E.
II. Alden. Others had been decapitated the
year preceding. In some cases removals have
been due to simple imbecility, which allowed
rascalities or troubles to go on; but in the
majority Of cases robbery and perjury were so
apparent that the worthy ofiiceholders were
glad to step down and ont.
The villainous cheating done in the name
of civilization and Christianity during the last
dozen years among the Indians has at last
compelled official notice by its audacity. A
short time since Judge Barnes charged the
Grand Jury of Dakota that the money furnish
ed by Congressional appropriation for the In
dams ofthat district is systematically stolen,
and that ''the bad management of these agen-
cies amounts TO a public scandal. No men
occupy official positions so high that their
conduct IN public affairs may not be investi-
gated by you" The rottenness of the whole
system is shown by the fact that several of
the guilty agents bore good characters prior
to appointment, but were tempted by the
easy means afforded for theft under the mis-
called administrations of Grant and Hayes
The salary of the Cheyenne River Agency
is only 81 500; that of Crow Greek, 81, 300:
of the Fort Berthold, 81 400; of the Lower
Brule, 81, 200; of the Yankton, 81 600. All
these are in the same Territory, where also is
the Red Cloud Agency, salary, s., 200, whose
enormous frauds were exposed by Prof
Marsh. These salaries are multiplied fivefolG
or tenfold, in some instances, by perquisites
and perjuries, or by downright plumber by the
red men. One Of the discovered letters of the
Lower Brule agent to the trader Of Living
stone says - send you my report of EN-.
ployees, and wish that you would put your
signature and seal-you can consider that |
swear to all that is required and as much as
is required" This Lower Brule agent had
been removed from the Ponca Agency, but
secured another appointment. AS for the
frauds at Crow Creek, their records multiply
with investigation; only the other day 800
pounds additional of hidden tobacco were
brought to light, making 5000 pounds where
Livingstone had reported but 5000.
1t must not be imagined that these half
dozen agencies are the only fraudulent ones.
Within two or three years great corruption
has been discovered also at Red Cloud Agen-
cy, the Pawnee Agency, and the Crow Agen-
cy. At the Pawnee Agency, by official re-
port, open fraud was carried on for eighteen
months. Besides, in most of these agencies,
FRAUDS have gone on for years back, each thief
retiring with his quota of plumber to make
way for n successor at the same practices.
For example, Agent Alden of Fort Berthold
only penetrated the petty swindles of putting
his wife on the pay roll as clerk, while she
was not at the agency, and pocketing $50
drawn on a carpenters voucher; but his illus.
trious predecessors, Tappan and Sperry, aim
ed at big game, the former who has since
removed his scene of operations to Texas,
having, it appears, divided 5000 with Sioux
City trader on voucher for supplies never
received from the latter. So it was with the
Cheyenne Agency, where an agent, n hum
bic teamster before his appointment, by in
dustrious use of his opportunities retired rich.
after five years, on the salary already men
toned, whilst his clerk, trader, and other
pals were also made comfortable But then
he drew rations for 1000 Indians where there
were only 5000, just as an Indian agent and
and his clerk at Standing Rock, some years
ago. got ratons for 1000 Indians where there
were not over 1000 and more than trebled
their incomes by tina. simple device of fraud.
ulent counting which greater Government
rogues than they have used with still greater
success.
There win be no complete and genuine
publication of the foul Indian agencies until
The fonnts of corruption at Washington are
cleansed. When fraud is broken down at the
root of the Government, then, and not till
then, We may hope to destroy in all the
branches,-.N T. Sun.