The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1892-09-17
RoosEvELT's WRATH.
u II Turned Against Certain Chairman Of
Repnblican Committees

u Il Turned Against Certain Chairmsn Of
Repnblican Committees
ST. PAUL, Sept. IT. "A Sioux City
special to The Pioneer Press says:
Theodore Roosevelt, chairman of the
civil service commission, has arrived In
this city after an extensive tour among
the Indian reservations and other gov
ernncnt institutions Of the Western
states. III, promises on bis return to the
e ,st 70 !e-i some prosecutions OF the
uiatars "a Republican campaign COM
Hi ..ers that will make it very lively for
vluiators Of the civil service laws. On
his arrival here he gave the following
card to the press:
Upon investigation just completed I
find that for years 1t has been customary
for state and congressional campaign
committees to systematically levy politi-
cal assessments on the government en-
ployes In certain Indian reservations and
Indian schools In Kansas, and to less
extent in Nebraska. and especially In
South Dakota This practice Is most rife
during presidential campaigns. It OBJ
tanned four years ago, under the Demo-
cratic administration, but this is no ex-
cuse for the fact that it is now prevalent.
Within the last month there has been q
bold effort TO practice this species of black
mail On most of the Indian reservations
and In the Indian schools which j have
mentioned, attempts of the kind have
been made by local state and congress
sional campaign committees. AZ one
agency, for instance, the agent received
the following communication: "Send me
list OF all the parties at the agency, in
cluding all teachers, helpers. etc, show
ing name OF each and salary per
year, so I can make up an assess
ment list, soon and correctly. This
was signed by the chairman of the Repub-
lican state committee. Be 1t RENE nbered
that these teachers are mostly women and
the helpers Indians. There Is an infamy
OF meanness In trying TO extort money
from such defenseless employees At an
other agency the assessments were stated
oughtright. running from 800 for the
agent to $40 for the lower grade teachers.
At one school 2per cent of the salary was
specified. and so on. wish publicly to
assure the government employees In the
Indian service that they need not pay a
dollar to ant political party at all unless
they wish. and that IL they do wish, they
can pay il to whatever party they prefer.
Immediately On my return to Washing
ton shall lay all the information can
collect In each case before the department
of Justice, so that whatever or wherever
practicable the persons offending against
the law prohibiting political assessments
may be prosecuted.
In connection with this he said he
would at once bring cases through the
attorney general OF the United States
against all the offenders whom he had
located. He declined to name any OF
the offenders specifically, but said he
had all the information that he needed
in many cases. He proposes to push the
cases to the limit, and, as the law is Sc.
we're, expects TO make serious trouble.
Such an offender on conviction may be
sentenced to not over year in the peni-
tentiary and fine of not over $5, 900.