The Portland daily press., 1878-01-08
THE INDIAN BUREAU.
Report of the Investigating Com
mission.

Charges Of Mismanagement Under
Commissioner Smith.
WASHINGTON, Jan. THE report submit
ted to Secretary Schurz by Jos. k McCam-
mon of the Department of Justice, Cant Thos
II. Bradley, U. S. A.. and Geo. Nj. Lockwood.
chief clerk of the Interior Department. the
board of inquiry convened by him in June last
to investigate the Indian service, is very
elaborate and voluminous document, making
65 printed pages exclusive of testimony. its
conclusions in regard to the charges preferred
against the chief clerk of the Indian office
have already been made public through a let
ter of Secretary Schurz TO Mr.. Cabin
The board find concerning the Easter, North
Carolina, Cherokee matter, which was also
specially brought to its attention, that an in
vestgation of the controversy should be made
by court or commission appointed by the
President, and that the delays in its settlement
have Jeopardlzed the welfare of the Indians
The difficult nature of the extensive investiga-
ton made by the board in regard to the gen
eral conduct of the service is indicated IN the
following statement which occurs in the open
ing portion of the report on the general subject
w I'LL IcSdAu " lud SoNtTdl SeIV1C6, tu6 DOarU
says; The regulations prescribed by the Presi-
dent for the management of the Indian affairs
and the directions from the Secretary of the
Interior seem to have been absolutely necessa-
~ to full compliance with the law, but no
regulations or directions under the statutes have
been found by the board for the control either
of the bureau of officials or subordnatss in the
Indian service here or elsewhere. The in-
structiop, regulations and other advises pro-
mulgated by the Commissioner over his own
signature, have had limited effect, not having
been rigidly enforced or fully respected. I'm
der the circumstances the fact exists that no
bureau or office of the government has afforded
more opportunity for downright irresularity
and concealement of fraud than has the man.
agement of the indian bureau and service.
The board say that during the late admins
tration of the Indian Office the Commissioner
and chief clerk, with three others, namely
stenographer, correspondence clerk and annuity
clerk-formed a group which gave direction to
all matters of importance passing through the
office, and often acted upon the same by means
of personal or unofficial correspondence. There
is no doubt after considering the evidence, that
the group welded de fdct0 the greatest power
or Influence over official matters The evidence
OF the various witnesses, ana documentary evil
dence, show that the Commissioners, after max
ing promises or decisions based upon his own
convictions, refused to fulfil or execute them OF
absolutely departed from his own views in or
der to indulge the capriciousness of his chief
clerk. These irregularities of correspondence
and the REIMBURSEMENT of authority oper ated
to cover questionable tran sactions and kee p
tayOr1te PERSONS in secure positions This cor
respondence, with the fellowship it engende red
readily spread throughout the office, and some
continuance of it will doubtless exist until re-
movals ara made and orders issued to break up
the evil.
The board say they desired to interrogate the
Com missioner upon sundrg matters and other
wise to have the benefit of any statements be
might be pleased to make. but it Cid not urge
its request after be wrote FIRST to ascertain
conditlonally if any evidence had been sub
mitted rejecting on bis character as an official
or on the purity and efficiency of his admins
tration of the business of the Office. This was
considered by the board as an evasion and no
further Efforts were made to secure his attend
ance as a witness.
Further in reference to the persons who imme-
dIately associated in the two rooms, the evil
dence shows that tha chief CLERK was too ''stropg
il his attachment and too "bitter as an enc
my" to be entrusted with the power and pro-
negatives that belong to the position, in other
words, was unable to control himself, and there
fore could not satisfactorily discharge the du-
ties of a high administrative office.
After reciting various instances Of loose man
agement Oh the part of Commissioner Smith
and his subordinates, the board remarks: The
absence of regulations, systems and methods,
the suppression of the charges and specifca-
tions, the carrying on OF semi-official cores
pondence the careless disposal of papers and
records, the REIMBURSEMENT of authority or the
delegation of official power to another the loss
or disappearance of valuable papers, the I'M
warranted factious opposition to the Board of
Indian Commissioners, the unfitness for their
respective positions of the chief clerk corres-
pondence clerk and others, the persecution of
the clerk of the medical division, the incompe-
tency of the chief of the land division and acting
chief Of the land division, the habtual lack Of
circumspection in the finance division, the use.
lesSness without instruction of the force of the
civilization division, and finally, the general de-
moralization of the force of the bureau through
out did not afford data from which the lats
Commissioner could find an abuse.
The report contains the following review of
the operations in the New York office:
In connection with the annual lettings at
New York city of the bulk Of supplies for In-
dian service, temporary office has been an
nually established there where bids have been
opened, awards made and supplies inspected
and shipped. This Office has been in charge of
clerk detailed from the Indian Bureau with
delegated powers to act Tor the commissioners
in matters of routine and to perform sach other
duties incident to the Office as circumstances
might require. The Board has found little to
commend in the management of the clerk in
charge during the past two seasons. There
has been an utter lack of system and records, q
marked inclination to disregard the wishes or
directions of the Board of Indian Commission
ers and to follow only the opinons of certain of
his associates in the Indian Bureau. Neither
by business education nor experience was he
qualified for the duties of his office. Evidence
shows that the conduct of his office has been
irregular and defective The following para
graph is itself explanatory: Agents have dis
bursed money on account of subsistence for
employees without receiving in return pay ment
from employees. In such cases the Indian
Bureau has failed to suspend the allowance of
such disbursements. As an instance OF the
nraUQ1nOpa of iTrAOu1 AritU durit he az or.
ministration of Indian affairs, it 10 asserted
that seldom, if ever, was a request for con-
cession made by contractor or agent refused
By the Indian Bureau This single statement
speaks volumes for the weakness or inefficiency
il nothing else, OF those to whose care the man
agemeDt of the Indian affairs was Immediately
intrusted.
In regard to the central superintendency, the
conclusion reached by the board of inquiry is
that the present superintendent is an incomp Pc
tent and inefficient officer. They say she has
been terribly direliet. and that he has failed to
detect or rectify grave abuses within his SUPER
1ntendency and bringing to justice consplrators
to defraud the government. who seemingly have
taken little pains to conceal their nefarious
practices from the people of a large section of
the country" The board say a tabular state
ment of public money advanced to G. W. In
CALLS an Indian agent, was prepared from ba-
reau books, and it showed that from Aug. %,
1872 to October 4, 1875, the sum advanced to
tnls one man, without settlement or any &C
count up to July %, 1877, was $500, ISL, The
bonds and sureties of any Indian agent cannot
secure any such sum to the government, and
as appears from evidence, that sum has never
been satisfactorily accounted for.
The business as at present conducted is SIM
ply license to the agent and his proxy to cheat
and swindle the Indians ia the name of the
United States Of America.
ZEzEs2aa Mining i'm British Columbia.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 7.-Advices from the