The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-01-12
UNCOVERING TIE INDIAN BUREAU
FRAUDS.


wholesome truths in its discussion of the
Indian question; and the public will Ger
tainlv endorse It's statement that the pend
! inc wralglc between Secretary Schurz and
! General Sheridan, is not at all crcditablc to
either party The only good that can come
Of it will be the uncarthing of frauds and
evidences of official corruption that may cX-
cite the coming Democratic congress TO a
rigid investigation Of the manner in which
! the Indian bureau has been conducted, with
the view Of bringing the myriads of offend
crs to deserved, but long delayed Justice.
! Sheridan the Sun thinks. has the best of
the wordy warfare, because. as the Indians
are now under civilian mismanagemcnt, he
! has the more imbcciity and corruption TO
! expose: but were the case reversed and the
/ army in control. Schurz would shine pre-
eminent. Selling upon a sound but some
what carelessly lmt point in Shcridan's an
nual report, the fiery Schurz proposed to
use it for pinnmg that officer against the
wall, as an awful warning to critics of
Hayes sacred Interior department.; but
Sheridan, declining to be thus pinned up to
/ 1r,, NOW cInunp. Schrry IN ttrp
A quarrel turning on the question
whether the Indian service has been mis-
managed, becomes as one-Sidcd as a dis
cusSion whether the sun shines. The In
dian service has tor years been honey
cOmbcd with fraud. Gen. Sheridan points
for illustration to the Standing Rock,
Cheyenne, Brulc, Grow Creek, Red Cloud,
Fort Hall, and Spotted Tail Agencies, and
to the cases Of the Mandans, Arckarccs,
eros Ncntres, Assinlboines, Piegans, Shes
homes, Bannocks. Arapahoes, Kiowas, Co
manchcs, Utcs, and Apachcs And it will
not do for Mr.. Schurz to say that corrup-
ton ceased when Grant went out; for the
testimony Of Lieut. Doughcrty, a military
agent at Crow Creek, shows recent sat
tempt to force upon him employees of bad
character" besides "loose and criminal
manner" Of forwarding Indian goods with
out bills Of lading or invoices. The muddlc
which Hayes made in the transfer of the
Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Indians, while
supposing that he was only cutting an i'm
presSivc figure as Great Father before a
visiting Sioux delegation, to the admiration
of the lady guests Of his household, is also
shown.
The yirtuous indignation of Mr.. Schurz
was uncalled for. His own board of inquiry
reported to him last winter that mo bureau
or Office Of the Government has afforded
more opportunity tor concealment of fraud
than the Indian Bureau and service"
They Informed him that the business re-
lation of the agent and trader, "as at pre-
sent conducted, is simply license to an
agent and his proxy to cheat and swindlc
the Indians in the namg ofthe United States
of America They told him that "cvidcn-
ccs have been numerous of the accumu.
ation of fortunes by persons in that ser
vice upon salaries that would barely pro-
vide for the nccessarics of life The re-
suit they said, was that "the plundcrcd have
no recourse IN law, and year by year resort
to arms the only logical recourse of bar.
barous people" This Board, therefore,
only said long ago what Sheridan has re.
Gently said, putting the case, however, more
strongly, and with Il totally different array
of facts and figures, still more damaging
than Shcridans to the civilian Indian ser.
vice.
But the point in which the military men
are fatally weak IN their assumption that
army control would remedy Indian wrongs
There is no ground whatever for such an in.
ference, and it is showing its fallacy that
Mr.. Carl Schura is able to carry on with
credit his side Of the quarrel. What the
disclosures Of imbecility and corruption
prove is not the need of Indian Bureau
transfer, but the need of honest, capable
management. Wcquotc from the report Of
Carl Schun's Board, already referred to:
"Regulations prescribed by the President for the
management, " Indian affairs and directions from
the Secretary of the Interior seem to hive been
absolutely necessary TO fnll. compliance with the
law hut no regulations or directions under the stat
utes have been found by THE Board
They add That the Commissioners own
regulations had neither been rgidly en-
forced NOR fully rpgnpItpl Thpv fuund