, 1881-01-15
Washington Letter.


WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec ~, 1883
EDITOR STATESMAN In the absence Of
congress We have during this holiday sea-
son several delegations of Indians. and
active preparations for the greatest inau-
suratIon ceremonies ever known.
The Indians are Of various tribes, hut
the delegation which Is most interesting
TO us here AID probably the peosle .,e,,,
orally, is that of chiefs OF the Pnnei tribe.
The means by which these Indians were
seduced from their own excellent lands in
Dakota, and put upon inferior lands in an
unhealthy portion of the Indian territor;,
are pretty GENERALLY known through news
paper publications. and record If meetings
IN Massachusetts, and New York. The
Indians were cheated The Massachu-
setts people CHARGED ii To Secretary Schurz,
and the secretary acknowledged that
through lack Of acquaintance with his du-
ties when first appointed he mi.hs have
been responsible Then Dir Hayes ap-
pointed commission tu inquire into til
whole matter Then the chiefs came, and
they yesterday signed away all their rights
to their Dakota bir,hright, taking there
for title to the death dealing LAND they
now occupy and promise Of money.
Representatives of other tribes now in
this city are less modest, or less under
the control Of the secretary. They make
demands rar less easily complied with.
Nothing is more certain than that the
next secretary of the interior, if bnisi-
ness man. and fair man, viii find very
much tn undo IN what Secretary Sctnrz
has done m the treatment OF th. Indians.
1t is a pity that man If the breadth oi
intelligence Of Hendricks, or Of the full
mind anu long Indian experience Of Gen
Hancock, VIII not have control If the sub
j-c: for the next four Years. There will
lie an Improvement, howev.r, during that
time. for Gal field knows mere of il, az of
other matters, than Hayes. and, besides,
viii hardly put an impracticahl. theortst
at he head Of the department having
SPECIAL charge Of IL
As illustrating, the character of Secre-
,ary Schurz as 4 high official, may relate
what was stated and shown to be true in
a case before the supreme court at its
present term 1t seems that the secre-
tary had issued pat mt for public land,
and delivered il To- the claimants attor-
news, and that the attorneys sent it ly
letter Ia their clients in tn. West. After
wards the secretary thought, OF pretended
to think the patent improperly issued,
and demanded rs return. The attorney s
repliei tha. 1t had been seE. by nIail to
its owner The secretary ;hereup"n in
duced the postmaster general TO order by
telegram the postmaster atthe place Of
delivery to return II. aad It was re-
turned, without delivery TO lis owner, Ia
the secretary al the inferior. Only by
threats OF criminal prosecution against
Secretary S~huTz and the poo=ma ,tcr-;sen-
eral, and even then after crnsulttioa with
the attorney general, We're these ins lent
yiolators II the rights of citizeus made to
return the parei, u the attorneys Such,
In more than QUE department, Of the gov
ernmenr, is th- WAY in which ciuz IN S
rights are now d;sgraced CONTEMPT for
the ri-h' S Of c'uimoI men, or Ignorance
of such rights, has marked the aiminis:ra-
ton Of government fur the. last thirty
years ] trust rhe llte decision of the
supreme court, that n cabinet officer is
ansver;thle L" 'he Courts for his official
acts, WI have n good effect DEN