New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-31
INTERPOLATION CLAIMS.
,o,,, v,crs ,uoUr THE INDIAN BUREAU.

CONGRESS TO CoNsipfh
INV TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrHUsHl
u,,',a,ox Ian 3O-For many years claims
.,;rst the Government and the lndlan trloes
~, occopnt Of alleged depredat1ons by the latter
.oro bcen accommodating, and Congress from time
"a time has been appealed to in behalf OF their pay
mont. A large proportion Of the claims had been
investigated and proof in support OF them hled
before the b ginning Of the present Administration
Three years ago an appropriation OF $4,000 was
made 70 enable the Indian Bureau to investigate
and adjust the unsettled claims. Since then two
other appropriations Of $4,000 each have been
made just before the adjournment of Congress
for the holidays Senator Doph introduced bill
intended to provide for just and expeditions
settlement of the claims by transferring them all
10 the Court Of Claims. He criticised with seVeri
tv the tardy action of the Government IN RELATION
20 the claims. large number of which have peeh
pending for thirty more years, ana ne s'r1""-
ouslv urged that speedy action should DE ",N'n
to indemnify honest claimants ana char"c'eiiN0u
the negligence and long delay of the GoVernmehV
rs q shame and disgrace
The Senator's criticisms were none TOO seNere'
bnt H. NAV be reasonably doubted Wheoher oii'
remedy which he proposed VIII prove auequ"Vc'
IN support of this view II has been urged 'iaV ''ic
Court NJ Claims Is already overburdcned. etc. ana
cou.coYentlv thai the addition of three or -FOUR
thousand depreciation claims TO the llSt on %
cases would the court is now CONSUL s en
tail delay of at least quarter OF century uelYie
oven - third of those depreciation claims cOuio DC
adjusted IL was supposed that the Appearances
made from time 90 time ny CohgreSo sno Ia 10 ',o
Amounting in the aggregate 70 S5O,O0O wOuiu nav
done uuch in facilitating the task oil ihNeSu-
eating. adjusting and preparing these clallhs loI
The final action Of Congress; these Iullus na fe
Lrnn undpr the control Of the managers OF inc
Indian Bureau and they arc. Of course roSponsiGIe
for the disposition which has been mace OF ,fie
purpose and should have been applied drectN 10
Tho accomplishment OF that purpose; win que
regard for economy and efficiency. But from lnc's
which have become notorious, II would seem tnaU
the officers charged with the disbursement OF TINS
money so far from applying IL 10 rghtful uses
have regarded it rs kind of fortunate |lndiail,
bit Of public provendcr outside of the ClVll
Service mangcr as IL wpre-which they were at
liberty to diver5 to partisan uses.
While nominally used to pay for the tnvestlsa-
ron of depr relation claims, the approp lai"ns aVc
in reality been apportioncd among political favor
ties who have been appointed to INVESTIGATE the
ciilnS without regard to their qu"IlIcallons ior
the task and certainly without regard TO the IN
t.rests of the Government or the rights OF honest
claimants As was but natural this scandalous
diversion of the public money has indefinitely pro-
longcd the settlement of tie claims and has re-
suited in great dissatisfaction ana blttcr com
plaint, especially among Western members OF
Congress many of whose constituents are among
the most meritOrious Of the claimants. III seems
that when the first appropriation of 81 600 was
made. the specific duties pertaining TO thc nNeSi
cation or depreciation citlNiS N'if uNhIi'u III ui'O
oct. and the former chief clerk OF the lndnan 5t-
reau. who had had an experience OF more thh
thirty years service and who was lTrIecoS IIh IN
witt all the Irdian treaties rs Wei as WIN nhe
details Of this branch of the business on inc bu-
reau was placed in charge. But under the system
soon thereafter adopted by the managers OF lhe
Rureau the sery ices of this gentleman could not
he retained any longer than was absolutely
necessary. A Confederate colonel from tennessee
of course from TcnncSsee-WhO never was cclc-
bratod for his knowledge Of law was in due time
placed in charge of the work, and after he had
gained a smattcring KNOWLEDGE of its duties II
was thought safe to dispense with the services Oh
the Ranuhlican incumbent upon whom u had mus
far been necessary to rely for aid and infomation
in the successful prosecution of the work More
over the change required to make room tor
another continuation Tennessee. OF course
who was totally ignorant of the duties TO he per
formed, hut quite willing 70 accept Inc g per
diem assigned to him as his share OF Congressional
generosity.
The ingenuity displayed in proloneing this work
rs a means OF giving positions to partisan appll,
cants outside of the Civil Service rules, Is SAID
to he very like that adopted by the Indian Bureau
under Buchanan> Administration joe Lane,
as he was famliarly called, was then Senator
from Oregon. He had made repeated applications
TO the Bureau for a position for friend OF ms,
but had not been successful Finally the chef
clerk of the Bureau gave him this hint: Senator
if Won will Secure the passage Of a resolution In
the Senate calling for copies of papers relating
to Indian affairs on the Pacific coast we shall be
able 10 find position for your mau.' The reso-
luton was offered on the following day. It at
tractcd but little. If any. attention and was passed
overhaul he files If tie Bureau and to extract all
the papers making apy mention Of Indians or
Indian affairs west OF the Rocky Mountains. A
room was assigned and Mr. Lanes friend was
placed in charge Of it at salary of = 800 year
With force Of hal' dozen or more assistants
he began the work cf copying the records and
continued il nearly two years. When il was
completed the papers were sent 10 the Senate,
and H. is hardly necessary to add. were never
opened used They had served their purpose,
and probably were sold waste paper The
present managers Of The Indian Bureau may have
this example in view. FOR the plan they have
adopted in regard TO the depreciation claims IS
very like IL in many respects. The depreciation
AUTHORIZATIONS have been used largely To satisfy
partisan demands, by the appointment of persons
who have been set 10 work 10 make COMES Of ola
obsolete records and papers dug ont or the muSty
files Of the Office where they have been buried for
thirty years or more. Most Of these papcrS arc
mere copies Of documents utterly worthless so
far rs the depreciation work is concerned. MANY
Of them have been copied and recOpcd Opi SUN
the copying work goes merrlv on partly because
OF the design 70 give occupation TO persons VITO
could not otherwise he provided for and partly
on account Of the bundcring and Ignorant man
acoment Of the person in charge OF It, Bnf ms
pecniar method of diVcrtnC The appropriation 10
nartiSan Uses is n mere bagatelle 70 the manner
in which the moneys are worse than sgnandercd
unon what is termed the field work" Upon
his work six or seven mon are employed, eacn
Of whom receives a salary OF SIS per diem ana
travelling expenses.
II is the plan OF the Bureau. as repeatedly an
nounced by Atkins and Upshaw. to have the work
NJ investigating the degradation claims performed
nv these men as far as possible. The claims
humber nearly 5000 and involve an aggregate
amount OF some s14.OOO,0oo. They are dstrib
ntcd among the field hands" who are sent
thousands 81 miles into the distant States and
ostensihly TO hunt and examine claimants and
witnesses. many Of whom have been dead for
years while others have long since left for parts
unknown. This curious policy has been adopted
too, Notwithstanding the fact that 1t is we'll
known that all the evidence and facts which can
bc obtained ana which are sufficient IN majority
az eases for the settlement OF the claims are
cir, adv n file. The only result Of the adoption
Of this method Of carrying on the work consists
~ n good time" and good pay with il, for a
bolfdozen political favoritcs, so long as Congress
generously continues 10 foot the bills II is not
clear that either the Government or the claim
ants profit TO an equal extent. Indeed, il the
practical results already attained by these trav-