The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-16
It WAS FULL OF JOBS.
Millions Of the Peoples Money
Squandered in the Indian Ap-
preparation Bill.
One Item OF 100000 Alone
That is Steal, Pure
and Simple.


The scandalous character Of that bill has
created great astonishment. II was finally
passed as the handiwork OF conference
committee, but IL cannot yet be obtained in
printed form, and nobody can tell. until it
is printed and minutely examined by the
treasury experts, what the real character
and amount Of it all may be. A member of
the committee on Indian affairs thought
the amount Of money it carried would
range somewhere between SIG, 6,OO0,O 600
and $2O,O0O,O00. OF this amount,
whatever it is, only about
100000 is appropriated for the Indian
service proper. The unknown remainder is
for expenses of outside legislation, said to
be of the most questionable character, in
the shape Of shady treaty stipulations with
Indians and downright jobs. The average
amount Of the annual Indian bills since the
Forty third congress has been about SIS, 600, :
600. The largest Indian bill ever passed
heretofore was that of the first session of
the Fiftieth congress. which carried $8.-
263. 700; but of this about nearly $3OOO,OOO
was required to pay judgment of the
court of claims in favor of the Choctaw ma
tion.
The bill as it passed the senate, with
amendments, of itself reveals legislation
of most astounding character. The
title of the act is San act making ap-
preparations for the current and contingent
expenses for the Indian department, and
for fulfilling treaty stipulations with vari-
GUS Indian tribes for the year ending June
30, 1892. and for other purposes" The
words. are the actual keynote of the meas
ure. When the bill passed the house it
covered sixty printed pages: when it
passed the senate it covered 219, chiefly new
and extraneOus matter.
What is regarded by democratic congress-
men as the most vicious provision in the
bill is that relating to the Choctaws and
Chickasaws and the Cheyennes and Arapa-
hoes, whereby the government pays 81 ,500,-
O0O to the Cheyennes and Arapahoes for
100000 acres of land in the Indian terri
terry, and then adds $4,000, 900 more to pay
the Chocsaws and Chickasaws for the same
land ghss%rnan Cannon, OF the committee
on appros rlations, bitterly opposed this
provision when the conference report on the
senate amendment to the bill was under
consideration and read to the house this
telegram from Secretary Noble: II think
that the claim of the Choctaws and Chicka-
saws to that land within the cheyenne and
Arapahoe reservation is not we'll founded"
The house, however, was in a recklessly
extravagant mood, and by vote of 102 to
seventy refused to instruct the conferess to
disagree to the senate amendment author
lzing the payment of the additional So, ,00O.-
600. It is denounced by members who have
examined the subject as steal, pure and
simple.
To most of the legislators in congress the
manifold technicalities of Indian treaties
and stipulations make an Indian appropria-
tion bill sealed book, hence it was impos-
sible for them to detect and expose the in
Vulnerable other frauds incorporated in the
bill. AS result they went through with
pay the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of
Dakota, or Sioux Indians, the sum of $342,-
1887. being the amount found to be due
certain members Of said bands of Indians
who served in the armies of the United
States against their own people when at
their families and descendants. under
the fourth article of the treaty of July %,
1851" etc. The whole amount appropri-
ated for carrying the Sisseton and Wahpe-
ton treaty is 81 $50 900, of which $503, 200
is made immediately available To the
tain portions of their reservation, tn Q sum
Of S946,0OO is to be paid. OF this sum,
$500, 900 is set apart to be expended sin the
building of DAMS canals, bitches and lat
erals for the purposes of irrigation in the
valleys of the Big Horn and the Little Big
Horn rivers and on Pryor cresk, and such
other streams as the secretary of the in
terror may deem proper The further
sum of $4,000 is set apart as an irrigating
fund for the maintenance and management
Of the system ef irrigation provided for in
the agreement, and 5000 is appropriated
for the construction of three grist mills. to
be located at such points as the Indian
agent may deem convenient The sum of
500, 900 is also appropriated and made i'm
mediately available for the prompt payment
to the friendly Sioux and legal residents on
the Sioux reservation for property de-
stroved or appropriated by the rowing bands
of disaffected Indians during the recent
Sioux trouble.
This appropriation bill is but sample of
the general character OF the insane, careless
and criminal legislation enacted at the SEES
sion now happily ended. None of the big
money bills. most of which were patched
up by conference committees, have yet been
printed i'll the form in which they became
laws, and until they are the full nature of
many of the jobs will not be known.