The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-01-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, d. c.,
nac. 90 1890

Dec ~, 1850.
In the absence of Congress we
have during this holiday season sew
eral delegations of Inaians, and &C
tive preparations for the greatest in
auguration ceremonies ever known.
The Indians are CT various tribes,
but the delegation which is most in
teresting to us here, and probably to
people generally, is that of Chiefs of
the Ponea tribe. The means by
which these Indians were seduced
from their own excellent lands in
Dakoto, and put upon inferior lands
in an unhealthy portion of Indian
Territory, are pretty generally
known through newspaper publica-
tions and records of meetings in
Massachusetts and New York. The
Indians were cheated. The Massa-
chusetts people charged it to Secre-
tary Schurz, and the Secretary ac-
knowledged that through lack of ac-
quaintance with his duties when first
appointed he might have been re-
sponsible. Then Mr.. Hayes appoint
ed a commission to inquire into
the whole matter. Then the Chiefs
came, and they yesterday signed
all their rights to their Dakota birth
right, taking therefor a title to the
death dealing lands they now occupy
and a promise of money.
Representatives of other tribes
now in this city are less modest, or
less under the control of the Secre-
tary. They make demands less easily
complied with.
Nothing is more certain than that
the next Secretary of the Interior, if
a business man, and a fair man, will
find very much to undo in what Sec
rotary Schurz has done in his treat
ment of the Indians. 1t is a pity
that a mar of the breadth of mind
of intellect of Hendricks, or of the
full mind and long Indian experience
of Gen. Hancock, will not have con
troll of the subject for the next four
years. There will be an improve
ment, however, during that time, for
Garfield knows more of it, as Of 9th
err matters, than Hayes, and, besides,
will hardly put an impracticable
theorist at the head of the Depart
ment, having special charge of it.
AS illustrating the character Of
Secretary Schurz as a high official
[ may relate what a stated and
shown to be true in a case before the
Supreme Court at its present term
It seems that the Secretary had is
sued a patent for public land, anG
delivered it to the claimants attor
neys, and that the attorneys sent il
by letter to their client in the West
Afterwards the Secretary thought, OF
pretende | to think, the patent i'm
properly issued, and demanded it:
return. The attorneys replied thai
it had been sent by mail to its own
er. The Secretary %thereupon Undue
ed the Postmaster General to order
by telegraph the postmaster at the
place of delivery to return it. AND
it was returned, without delivery tC
its owner, to the Secretary of the In
terror. Only by threats of crimina
prosecution against Secretary
Schnrz and the Postmaster Genera.
and even then after consultation
with the Attorney General, were
these ~insolent violators of the rights
of citizens made to return the patent
to the attorneys. Such, in more
than one Department of the govern.
ment, is the way in which citizens
rights are now ~disgraced. Contempt
for the rights of common men, or ig.
norance of such rights, has marked
the administration of government
for the last 30 years trust the late
decision of the Supreme Court, that
a cabinet officer is answerable to the
courts for his official acts, will have
a good effect. DEM.