Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-04-05
,sO4 WASHINGTON. D. c.. FRIDAY. April. 5. ISIS,


AnNest1gRt1nE the Indian Bureau.
ANSWERS TO HOUSE COMMITTEE INQUIRIES.
The investigating labors of the House com
mittee on the expenditures of the Interior de-
partment have not been urged on with the
same rapidity as those of the corresponding
committee in the building on the opposite side
OF street; but they are now fairly under
way, and before many days an overwhelming
mass OF documents will be in the committees
hands as a basis for operations. Sixteen ques
| tiOnS have been fired at the Indian bureau !:
| and now the mighty SpOrtsmen of the House
must traverse the innumerabe pages of fools
| cover whether they have brought down any
| game. They are informed, in accordance with
| request, what funds are distributed and under
organization of business and of the operations
| OF the various divisions of labor, etc, is fur
nlshed; The total amount of salaries is stated
| as $69SSU. Question 4, as to the hours of labor
| required from employees. gives the bureau an
| opportunity to make favorable showing. 1t
| appears that while the regular hours are from
. a. m. to p. M, the exigencieS of the service
| are such that the clerks of the higher classes
| are obliged to spend many evenings at their
work, and with some this is the rule rather
| than the exception. The messengers and la
| borerS are constantly employed for ten hours
daily, or more The fifth question is aimed at
| COMMISSIONER HAYT's FREQUENT VISITS TO
| NEW YORK
ana elsewhere: What attendance is required
| on the part of the commissioners" The reply
IS certainly not what the committee expected.
MOI a very extensive haul is made by this dip
| OF the net. Mr.. Hayt satisfies the committee
that ne is sometimes in town by replying in
s the II iirst person: I'm reply, would say that
| my attendance is required seven hours daily
subject to the absence permits customary in
| the various departments: and in further ey-
| planatIon beg leave to say that six months
| ago, when was urged to accept the office OF
| commissioner OF Indian Affairs, had large
business interests in various corporations
cGad Tca GeeGPled o Wed my the IN fully finally con-
| When L accepted the office, stipulated for
| Sufiiclent time to complete any unfinished
business which could be done without detri-
| ment to the public service. | also volunteered
! TO deduct from my salary for every day |
might be compelled to be absent attending to
e of & 2i my PbySte affairs In
| pay 1or every days absence and have only
| received the balance of my salary: and to
make sure that the public service should not
| suffer in any event have given on an average
| nearly fourteen hours daily to the work of the
| bureau at its office. To show further that the
bureau has not suffered by my absence here
with append the reports of the various heads
OF divisions as to the present state of the office
| work as compared with its conditions pre-
ylous to my assuming the office of commits
HOW APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS ARE
MADE,
ana the manner and tests of the competitive
examinations, are then explained. and the
| number and location of agencies and the num-
Der and compensation of the officers at each,
are furnished. The committee desire to find
some clue to the curious behavior of many
Indian agents; so they ask: How are agents
and other officers selected" They are OF
course % very much wiser when they are told
that selection is made from among applicants
who present the proper endorsements and tes-
tlmonials, and are thought, after a personal
interview. to be qualified. The number and
character OF claims now in existence for ar
fearageS under treaties are made known to
the committee; and their curiosity as to the
manner OF making allOtments of lands and
isshing patents is satisfied. 1t appears that no
selections, aUOtmentS or patents have been
issued in MIR. Hayt's administration but some
selections will be made this spring in such a
way as TO prevent the error and fraud which
heretofore have, to large extent, worked dis
aSter to the Indian allOttee.''
Inc eleventh question seeks to discover IN
der What statute Or statutes
DENOM1NAT10NAL NOMINATIONS AND APPOINT
MENTS
are made and oversight given. The commit
Tee smut both eyes when it fired this shot. The
reply. is: "DenominatiOnal nominations and
appointments are not made, and no question
IS ever raised as to an applicants religious
belief" 1t is stated that the various mission
boards do recommend persons, but there is no
statute which gives them any especial right in
this respect. It appears from other responses
That the work of the finance division is the
only one that is up to date: an accumulation
OF work in the other branches is being over
come, by working over time, as rapidly as the
small clerical force will allow; the land diyis-
ION Is eight months in arrears, the work has
increased more than third in volume. and it
is impossible ever to catch up without larger
a I0ree; III IN the accounts division correspond
other particular the work has been increased:
nevertheless steady progress has been made
teen ths fact up Is By 5aff faesGn m
mlttee of the House committee on In
dian affairs has been authorized to- make
question the committee follow the example
OF the House committee on post offices and
post post roads (Which called on The Postmaster
General 1Or papers that are filed exclusively
Auditory and
the mark. They wish to know the aggregate
annual estimates and expenditures for the use
dian office cannot furnish this information. the
matter coming exclusively under the jurisdic.
tion OF the War DEPARTMENT.
THE REPORT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE
FINANCE DIVISION
may give some Idea OF the increase of work in
the Indian bureau. For several years prior to
s.o dsto dhe average Of accounts paid through the
that year the number was 1,767-a gain of IS
per cent In 1877 the number so paid was
a Hrtfer ntt gain Of cent and the
crease OF nearly "A per cent. over the first
ur1 quarter Of 1s,5 The number OF requisitions
issued was AZ IN ~ 1873, ,569m 1877, and during
lne past quarter 6&-an increase of more than
Npercent over the corresponding quarter of
1871 In correspondence 1873 shows 6,310 pages,
1877 increases the number to 1894, and the past
quarter shows $3.50 pages, which is at the rate
OF G,No for the year The Indian bureau
needs considerable increase in its force to
enect complete efficiency in its operations.
AN "lNTERvIEw' STORY.-The Cincinnati
Enquirer publishes interviews between one
OF It's representatives and Hon. ThOs. A. Hen
drlckS, OF Indiana, and Hon. William Eaton
OF Kansas, a member of the democratic ma
honal executive committee, in which the latter
is credited with making some surprising state.
ments in regard to the conduct of the last
presidential campaign and Mr. Tildens ex.
penditures therein. The purport of this state
ment is that an agent Of MIR. Tilden, named
FINLEY, visited the west in 1876 and that his
line OF argument was that Mr. Tilden was
worth g .0O, 600, and of this he was willing to
spend 100000 in the campaign provided he
was nominated for President. Mr.. Eaton is
further credited with saying that Mr.. TiIden
did actually contribute $35O,OO0 in all for cam
palgn purposes.
AMERICAN ANTHRACITE AT THE PARIS EX-
POsITION.-The steam collier Pottsville, be-
longing to the Reading railroad company.
sailed from Philadelphia with the cOmpany's