, 1879-01-10

case before us as strong ~ Den. Sheridan can
make IT,. 4 largo majority Of the statements
contained in thu "snpplcsncntat report" refer
present Administration. The task Of answering
tho allegations contained therein might fairly
leay9 to my predecessors: In The statement
rsfetr!ng 10 ths pcrol con'mcnesnR VIII,
Of thr fortv.urc lndian Agencies
IN his military division aro alluded to, aside
frnm some 1ntinn tribes Tint lave no aRcnss,-
Of tworthtrdS OF thcN, 1t scenls Ten. Hhcrilan's
rccurds contain Nothing tint eau be turned to
fetutnt IT. til: tas ol ccusurc,-and In wllat is
satu Ut ltese fifteen agencies
plstf,vEh HorHtS, THAT - NEw 10 NE.
Inc concus1on that tli. i)ei,sTisnent It far Ict-
ter At's, 'tnor completely informed than lien:
auerltan. THE statements n,a.ic bv him atal
tic military osterra under his ors!crs, as far rs
t;lh COMPLAINT. al,oa. AGENTS xho hare
already been dismissed. and about de-
iects In the business method whlrh
have already been rcmc,itet BY shie Depart
Hlent. Tho. "suppIeu,ental rcpnrt - romct,
therefore, loo late Tor practical pnrposes, and
ls, IN ta respect. as ilIilrfl Tut OF date MS last
yeas's ALMANAC. 1nrpend to this letter state
!'ent tna''e BY tic Commissioner Of 1n,1ian A.
takes tip. pne af.cr ttc othcr. all the charges
contained. III the "aunplelncntal reWIrt." III
elusive Ut tho letters ofslicut. Lee aud Col.
Miner, md 1t fully s,'hstn,tiatcs what | sav:
JuE NaaI1lnkhbNs1fEH OH Inc lEtLEf Ut
ltrttt. i.cr, which was written about SIX week.
alter the appearance Of l.tstt.-i;cn. Shctt.Ian's
ANNA! report. and tins gives SUNG color to the
apprehension cxnrcss'r! TINT the General had
MADE THE CIAnBRs FIRST, AND Might HAVE 10
LOOK FOH THE EVIDENCE ArrERWANDs,
II particularly Interesting. 1t fs atsO worthy Of
remark HAT Lieut.. Lcc's letter refers to au In
dtal trbc whselT was according IT, ten. ailcri-
well, supplied t,nslrr the l,resent Admini.tra-
ttou. and wftrh WIS, ffnte rand Into oiIIce,
tluder Lieut.. Lees management Until recently.
II may hive etcat,cd Hch. Shcrflnn's notice that
In June, 1871, appointed a Commission to In
gutre into the cotldition oi the Indian Service.
l1Iat Inquiry was very thorough Hnh confprc.
hcns.ve; It laid oDcn many nbilses onu drlects,
md led to Important Clln@ca III The PERFORMED vi
tho of'lcf, ae well as improvements tn tho busi
ness methods and the system of supervision and
accountability. T1lcte changes ard Improve.
lnents could. 0f cuursc, not be effected In tlay,
but they havc. eone on rs rapidly ns possible,
than the co,nplaiuts OF military otllrtrs, con-
tatncd in ticn. Sheritlan's "stlpp!c,ncutal re-
port,n trc1ncl To cufI fUs.
1t Is perllaps' just to Gcn. Sheridan 10 assume
that during the sf1 weeks devoted to tho search
for old evidence against tho Indian bureau, aud
to the prcDai alton Of new testimony, he could
not lind time to Inquire into the improvements
Introduced by the present Administration OF thts
Department. although lc 'uEght have easIl v had
the Information had he asked for 1t. Had he
been abie TO do 10 bis senss OF juetice would
have suggested to him tl,c proprlety Of append
Ing to eaeh complaint In his supplemental re-
porth 3 statement Of tho action ncahwh hilo
takcn. thereon bv this Deoartment In Furnishing
ofEendcEs aud ~ correcting lefccts III business
methods. In that case his "supplcmcntal re-.
port" would have presented
VERY DIFFERENT AHrrcT. .,
ncwould have to mention not Onty that Contract
or MeCann, of whom his renort SPEAKS, wa4 cfir,l.
nally prosecuted by this department, and has
been tried aud CONVICTED; that Agcnt Livingston
and others with him hare uccn III.
bur that similar prosecutions Of Agents and con.
tractors laro bcCn set On tout In other putlB OF
hIs Military Division. liz would have had to
state that rot tniy Tue aeents who arc Justly
have been removed, but many ott,er similar
changes have tal;en pIacc about which Gen.
bheridan aeals to hayo lad, 50 far, nj, Informs
sion: lie would lmve hntl to rcrogn!ko that Tho
methods Of business aud accountability harn
been improved far beyond the changes wlirh !
lis complaints suggest as necessary. Ilad tac,l.
hhcrtdnu found tilae 10 seek this information,
and produced ~. hia Supplemental report u
Of the efficiency Of tic present Administfsttun
uf Indian Affairs ss ! could dps!re." II |
could fintlucn Gen. bheridRn to uiva rue the
honor ct personal fnspcct.on Of tho business
Depa, lnlent (aa a1so, when testfyinE befnru
1t, Invited the Joint Cummittcc pf Congress ex-
ntnini'G Into thu transtgr9 9lrsti0n}, am not uuy
confident that llc would aml thoas methods in.
tintc'y superior 10 those witch prcvnicsl tn The
indian Service when it xas under military man.
ageMcns, but It is quite poas!bc that he would
admit them to he ai ]caat equal It nut SUPERIOR
to thoso Ut the military service now In pom. of
regularity and precision in tic. systrtn OF &c.
cuantahIIlty. the safeguards against fraud and
pcculnsion, and the strlctncss Of their enforce
lnent. ttul1. Sheridan hau evidently not In
formed himself abant these things, and ouiy
thus can Il bo explained that during several
DrnF:titiN In 1hN II 1,o
Administration, when thu lar,ye majority n1 the
gnacs OF trau!l and tulsmauAgenIent alluded tu
it hts "suppletncttal rcpnrt p" occl,rrru, very
i,,lny OF which passed with tn,puuity and
hOr ONE or WHICH LED TO 1 CRIMINAL
PROSECUTION,
he l,ad although advocating tflc transfer Of the
Indian Service, not BIn4lo worl ut dcillncia-
tlon for them IL Ills annual report: While now,
undcr TINS Administrator, wcn the ihieycs@ @ are
at last TN tllclr way to tito lcnltcntIary; when
dtshnncst or Incompetent Agents arc 'icfl to
account and tltsmiAHetI without mercy; when
tho ring.1ncn and frsNalcut claimants int.u III
o c'iorus of ctrses aga!nst tho Interior Ucpnrt-
tncnt. nud struggle tD Ect out uf It's clutches: !
when tl,r leaks uni opportunities for trau! a.nl
pnculotloa are stopped, ul'c after anothur, by
clisctiye business sciornls, and wicn every pos
sibo etloFt IL tenrrss!y ,a''G 10 tatsc the sery-
Ice 10 proper tsyol Of l!oliesty mud Efficiency,
now tho General toes not hesltato to assatl III
hls Official rcpurt this Department Of tho Gov
etnment with ln'nuuslircd allegations, thull,eral
liselalm AZ soon IN lie ,s confronted with II. and
which t1e strives to support with IN cnumcra-
Lton Of ucl!nquclt otl!ccrs who have alsrady
been punished md dismissed, nnl Of ai,uses
which have D'Ecatly tcct corrected. liau ttel.
She1dan flutter Informed tltllscll le would ccr-
salnly haye preferred no, tu staud III such AZ
attitude.
The question II not what tho management OF
Indian atlaiFA has hecu under fnr.,rr Atitulnis-
Ifations Or a. tho beginning ot this; the ques-
tiotl 10 Wf,ut It Ia nov, n1Hl what. under tho
p1esent usthod Of dtrretIo,, II is iksy to b.:
rome. do nut pretend tl,at It Is now =" hut / |
leslso or hopo IL will 10 made. Further
Ina.ees ~ s!'e !crsonnet AZ welt Us In !au l',st-
rtence: Neitncr do I pretend that We "a, a..
' i "onsess with tho means allow.
- this department lur lho lndIou |
about ,ths sutlrIency of approprlattous,
Is, perhaps. mt aware that lat yeur Ill !
tns y ln,l!an Service had to sucna Ior g.ols and
r!othlng,. fpr sAbtlstuuce, for agricultural in.
pacmcnts, etc.. Inclusive OF a, tts truDsx,rta.
t'o9. , va q eealU91 wllile the army WIS nifowcd
100 tE0 tor transportation alotiu, 10 tjut iito
uMr Item OF transportation n!Uno In tho military
service cost over *l,S00 1u more linn Iii Tia
fAaxX HtkAVsk skntIA