Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-02-05
OUR wAsHINGTOx LETTER.
The Indian DFpartment-G Gen. Grant
asa PrOphet-sherman and she
Special Agents, &c, &c.

Special Agents, &c, &c.
From Cur own Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. Q, 1880.
In 1877, when Mr.. Schurz became
Secretary of the Interior Department,
he made fulsome promises of his de.
termination to clean out what he
called the Augean Stables, 1. e., the
Indian ring. Mr.. Smith, a good man,
was promptly deposed as Commission.
er of Indian Affairs, and Mr.. Hayt
appointed in his stead. Mr.. Hayt had
been for years a political and financial
speculator, aud 1t is passing strange
that a man OF his antecsdents should
have been selected for such trust. A
moral aud financial Bankrupt, who
had lost caste with the deni-
zens of his native city, Mr..
Schuiz placed him in an office
where his opportunities for plunder
were only equalled by bis rapacty.
Not only has he been engaged Ia min
ing and contract schemes on the In
dian reservations, but he lied about II
all, when, upon oath, he denied that
spo culations. 1t has nee been much
over a year siuce Hayt was arraigned
in New Jersey for swindling the de.
positors of savings bank, and to get
himself out of the troable, he actually
swore that he was fool to keep from
being con victed as knave. 1t is diff
6cult to tell who will be appointed to
succeed Hayt, but I presume some
civil service reformer will be found
who will have the necessary quallfica-
tions for the position. Just what those
qualifications are | will leave the
CHRONICLES numerous readers to
infer.
A number of Influential Republi.
cans from the South have come here
to urge the appointment of Judge ].
j. Martin, Of Alabama, late 9th Aud
itor of the Treasury, as Hayts sue
cessor, but as Mr.. Schurz has never
| felt kindly toward Southern Republic
cans. can safely state that Judge Mar
tin will not be appointed. No Irish
need apply" Is written In bold let
ters In Mr.. Schurz's vocabulary, and
It applies with peculiar force to all
Republicans who live South of the
Potomac. A wonderful man is Gem
eral Grant, for, while In this city
recently, he stated that In less than
a year Kayt would have to be re-.
moved as Indian Com missioner; that
he ought never TO have been ap-
pointed, aud that 1t grieved him to
know that the beneticent Indian
policy inaugurated by him while
President was being destroyed by q
dishonest aud meTcenary Commits
sioner. just one month from the
time Grant expressed those senti-
ments, .Hayt's venality became so
apparent that the Secretary of the In
terror was compelled to dismiss him.
learn to-day that Mr.. Gibson, one
of the Census Supervisors nominated
for Tennessee, will probably be de-
feated OF continuation. also
learn that voluminous charges have
been preferred against him, but OF this
can not speak adgisedly, although
the information comes from a gentle.
man in Senator Harris confidence.
Harris Is q memLer of a special SenaN
torlal com mittee, whose province 1t is
to Investigate such Census nominees
as may have charges preferred against
them,
The charge that Secretary Sherman
is appointing Special Agents, with q
view to having them help along the
Sherman boom, is the mereet balder-
dash The fact is, he has made great
headway in the cotton States, and
newspapers, like the New York Times,
at once lump at the conclusion that
Especial Agent are doing the work.
To my certain knowledge, he has ap-
pointed no less than Six Grant and
Blaine men to such positions within
the past three months. 1t is said that
Mr. Tilden owns The controlling inter-
est OF the Times stock, and IL that be
true, there will he no difficulty In ac-
counting for the milk In the cocoa.
nut.n
Mr., Tilden having the Democratic
party In his trouser pockets expects to
be nominated mex summer, and above
all others he has no desire to have
Sherman as an opponent. 1t is there
fore natural that the Times should
lampoon Sherman as it Ia doing.
Among other changes the Times states
that Special / gent r. B. Elliott, Of
South Carolina, was at Raleigh last
Tuesday working In Sherman's inter-
eat. | am personally cognizant of the
falsity of that statement, for while In
this city ten days since, Elliott received
q telegram announcing the illness of q
relative at Raleigh, and he went there
to see him, happening there at the
time of the meeting of the Republican
State Executive Committee. Secre-
tary Sherman has ever been noted for
his prudence, and strict integrity, and
1t will take little higher authority
than the newspapers now engaged In
traducing him, to make the public be-
lleve that he 10 using Federal patron.
age to further his Presidential asplra.
tioDs