St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-15
missioner Oberly was. before Senator
Chandler's special committee on Indian

missioner Oberly was. before Senator
Chandler's special committee on Indian
traders to-day, and submitted the corre-
spondence relating tOthe timber-cutting
contracts in the La Porte region. This
showed, as has already been stated, that
on the 18th of March last, 751 such con-
tracts had been suspended by order of
the commissioner. on the ground that
they were not in correct form and had
not been approved by the department.
On Jan. 20. this year, operations under
50U of them were ordered resumed by
the commissioner under instructions
from the secretary of the int riOr,
Villas. L eSe instructions were COIL
tanned in letter written to
Commissioner Oberly on the 29th of
January, in response to one of the COM
miSsiOner'S of the Goth, which does not
appear in the correspondence SUBJ
mitted. In that letter Secretary Villas
suggests that in view of the imminent
danger of loss to both contractor and
Indian by delay at that season, and be-
cause of the large expenditure to which
the contractor had gone into prepala a.
ton to carry on work, and because work
had been done under contracts not yet
approved, in accordance with the eS-
tabliShed custom, the commissioner ap-
prove such contracts as had been made
with the owners of allOtmentS approved
by the president. The commissioner
could. the secretary wrote, satisfy him.
self as to the
JUSTICE OF THE PRICE
named in the contracts. 10y sending a
special agent to Investigate. but he Sug-
gested the Indians usually looked after
their interests pretty closely. and tine
price and value of the timber varied
greatly. AS to removing Agent Gregory,
which the commissioner had evidently
recommended, Secretary Villas wrote
that he (Mr Gregory had asked several
times to be relieved, but until the NOM
inatiOn of his successor, who was be-
lieved to be competent to discharge the
duties, was confirmed by the senate.
there was to be no change made in the
agency. Commissioner Oberly's reply
to this letter is also missing from the
correspondence. The correspondence
furnished shows that reported COM
plants were received at the Indian
office of cutting of timber in violation of
orders to stop it and that the Indians
were threatened with violence for try
ing to prevent the loggers from carly
ing off the timber. Agent Gregory's
replies to Commissioner Oberly's COM
munications were very unsatisfactory
to that official and finally the commits
sioner telegraphed him that: Your
vinced me that you have been very
derelict in regard to this matter" In
one of his replies the agent said, in ef-
feet, that he presumed
CUTTING WAS STILL GOING
on despite orders to stop it; that the
camps were so far apart he could not
reach some of them for ten days. Be-
fore the committee last year, Mr.. Greg
Ory testified that he could reach any
point in the agency within twelve;
hours. On Feb. Commissioner Oberiy
recommended to Secretary Villas that
Clerk Allen, in the commissioners
office. be detailed to- visit the
agency and investigate the con-
dition of things, but the cor
respondence does not disclose
any action on this Recommendation.
Commissioner. ,Oberly was questioned
by Senator Blackburn, who asked him
if he thought it good administration to
last March. s.Iselo,u responded Mir.
Oberly, .sbecause 1t was for the best of
the Indians" Later he was asked if he
approved the order to resume opera
ttons under them, and replied in the
affirmative. He explained that much
timber having been cut by contractors
who believed they were entitled to do
so, to prevent them from hauling it off
would occasion loss to both contractor
and Indian. The examination of the
commissioner was concluded with the
hearing to-day, and Senator Chandler
will now begin the preparation OF his
report.