The Evening critic., 1883-03-03
LIFTING LOS LUCRE,
OR, THE DISHONEST PRACTICES
OF AN INDIAN AGENT.
The Old, Old story, An Agent on the
Make and n Compiaisant Supe-
riOr-The Case of Miles, Osage
Agent, Told I'm n Bland WAY.

Make and Compiaisant Supe-
riOr-The Case of Miles, Osage
Agent. Told I'm Bland Way.
The following letter from DR.. Bland, editor
of the Counoh FIie, furnishes some mighty In.
teresting reading:
TO the EditOror The Egealn0 critic:
Hon. II. l.. Dawes Is chairman of the Senate
Indian Committee. He was made chairman Of
tho Indian Committee because he makes great
pretentions to sympathy with the red man
and knowledge Of Indian matters. He pro-
fesses to be earnestly In favor Of protecting
the Indians from the murderous soldier, the
constituencies rum.seller, the grasping land
disposed to believe him sincere In these pro.
fessions, and have acted upon that hypothesis
But my faith In him has been sadly lessened
recently By @ certain mysterious conduct, which
month ago the President sent to tho Senate
the name OF Laban ]. Miles, for reappointment
as Indian Agent for the osage Agency. His
nomination was referred TO the Indian Com
mittee for an opinion as to tho fitness of Miles
for the position. at once called on Mr.. Dawes
and informed lin that tho Osages had filed
serious charges against Agent Miles In the 1n-
dian Onlce; that these charges were sustained
by sworn testimony, which was also on file
in the Indian ONCE. written statement of
these facts was filed with Mr.. Dawes, as chair
man of the Indian Committee, and he prom.
ised to lay the matter before his committee.
He did not do It. he did call on the Indian
Ohlcn for the papers In the case. copy OF the
charges against Agent Miles was furnished,
but not the sworn evidence which sustained
them, but Instead a whitcwashing letter. 1
saw that letter. and filed with Mr.. Dawes
written statement that the letter from the In
dian once did not cover tho case, as II omitted
the evidence against Miles. Again Mr..
Dawes said, ~ Will lay your communication
ult THE CRITIC OF that afternoon contained
the announcement of Miles confirmation by
tho Senate. On tho 10th sent my card to Mr..
Dawes, and on his declining to see me, wrote
him the following letter:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 16, 1888.
Hon. II. l.. Dd,reS, O. $. Senate, Chairman Sen.
ate indian CO1niRittee'
SIR: learn from the city press that Laban
J. Miles was confirmed by the Senate yester
day as u. s. Indian Agent. presume that
this confirmation occurred between the hours
of 10 m. and . p. M Having had an interview
with you in the marbleroom at 2 80 p. m. on
yesterday In reference to the confirmation of
Miles, at which time filed with you a paper
bearing on the case, and having received no
intimation from you that he had already been
confirmed, but on the contrary, distinct In
tlmation that he had not In the promise which
you gave that you would lay my communica-
ton before your committee, was, as you
may suppose, much surprised to learn OF his
confirmation. You Will pardon me for saying
that, unexplained, your action In this case is
an insult to mo personally and Incompatible
with the character of an honorable Senator.
Sincerely hoping that you may be able to ex-
plain your action in way TO relieve yourself
from all injurious tmputations, await your
early reply to this letter with profound solicit
tude. Respectfully, &c,
Two weeks have passed, and no reply has
reached me. In the mean time have been
trying to lind out who got Miles confirmed,
and and how i was done; interviewed IN ne
committee has not acted on his case, hence
L don't believe he has been confirmed.
The newspapers are mistaken" He re.
70 ha rtfaA NNV.Nll lNfA al
the executive clerk of the Senate. l then
called personally upon each member OF the
Indian Committee of the Senate, except
Mr.. Dawes. Senator Saunders said, 81
have been sick for two weeks and have
not heard OF the case" Senator Cameron said,
''This is the first 1 have head of Miles
reconsider the vote of oonflrmatlon.'
He did so, but was checkmated by
the objection Of senator. Senators Harrison
Slater, Walker, Coke ingalls, and pendleton al
assured me that they, TO the best OF their recol
lections, had not heard of the case, and OF
course had not been consulted on the subject
OF Miles confirmation. friend of Mr.. Dawes
informs me that he also denies having known
OF Miles confirmation until the day after II
occurred. AS the motion to confirm could moi
come from any but q member of the Indian
the case, the Senate, the public
and the writer would be greatly obliged by
any explanation Mr.. Dawes has to offer. Wa
Miles confirmed at all and II SO, how was 1
done? If he has not been confirmed, ther
how did his name get on the list of those VIII
were confirmed T. A. BLAND.
A Bland Talk.
The serious nature OF the charges contained
in this letter and the high officials involved
| caused THE CRITIC to call upon DR.. Bland t
see what he had to say In addition to the state
ments made in his letter. The Doctor blandl,
reDlied I'm detail and as follows:
"The recent reappointment OF LII. Mllos, o
| Iowa, as agent OF the Usage Indians, ha
| brought up again for consideration the lon
| list of serious charges which the 0sages flle
| against him In the summer OF 1881. Anon
| the charges signed by the head chief and al
| the subchiefs of the Great and Little Osag
tribes, and filed with the commissio ner OF Ii
dian Affairs are these;
"That Agent Miles robbed them OF the bes
| OF their rations TO supply his own table an
| the tables OF the employees OF the agency.
"Thathe organized cattle ring, composed {
his clerk and other employees and himself an
used the funds OF the Indians to buy cattl
| for this ring,
NThat said cattle were herded on the lands c
the Indians, contrary 10 law, by o cousin {
the agent, who was on the payroll OF en-
ployes, and paid for his time out Of money bt
longing to the Indians.
"They charged him with having conspIre
with one OF the licensed traders, John Flope
TO cheat and rob them In the following mar
"First-The agent read an order from tn
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs forbIddIn
traders to sell goods to tho Indians on credl
which the other trader, Hyatt, was con
PEELED to respect, but which Florer dl
not, and on annuity pay-days, while
occur twice year, when the Indians recle,
tire interest on their $7,O00,000 funds Ii
vested with the Government, the agent pe
mits Florer 10 establish himself at table
front OF the agents pay.wlndow; incloses Il
pay-window and his table by ropesi gives II
agency police orders to conduct the IndiaI
one at time 10 the pay-wlndow to get the
money, and take them from there TO FlOrer
table where they are ordered and compelled
To Deposit Every Dollar They Ha
Just Received,
taking only Florer's promise, that II the
! should be anything left after their bill wi