Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-31

twenty thousand pounds Of bacon not up 10
the contract and unfit 70 eat 10 in the ware
houses az Pine Ridge The acting commissioner
OF Indian Affairs. In Response 10 the spplics-
hon for good bacon 10 be sent says-this A
dated December 81, 1891;
c. c. Cox. the inspector Of bacon and eroc>-
ries delivered in Chicago for the Indian serv-
ice. has been ordered 60 proceed 10 your agency
without delay TO inspect the bacon nov there
delivered by J. d. Armour. about which there
h controversy. His instructions are TO exam
Inc the bacon critically, crate by crate, and 20
accept whatever answers 20 short clear sides,
sound. sweet and merchantable." and 60 reject
whatever does not He Is 60 reportt 20 this ofhcs
the result OF his inspection % soon - u 10 COM
pleted.
Then there IL other correspondence showing
that Capt. Brown protested somewhat against
having the inspector. who had probably passed
the bacon At Chicago, again come 90 inspect
the same bacon after 10 had boon condemned
by Capt Penney.
Senator Manderson then went on TO show
that Capt Brown again wrote 20 the Indian
Office for 40 600 pounds Of good bacon. and that
IN January Mr.. Cox went 10 Pine Ridge and there
inspected the bacon which he had inspected
In ChicaeoShnd declared good. The report
disclosed the TACT that the second inspection
was made when tho thermometer WAS between
10 and 40 degrees below zero; that inspector
Cox hsd 20 heat his probing iron 20 a great
degree before he could cause IL SO enter a single
side of bacon. and that. with tie exception Of
5000 pounds, he passed all the bacon rejected
by Capt Penney.
al submit" said Senator henderson, .'thss
when the order came from the Indian once,
| based upon this second inspection, n Il was a
second inspection. by Inspector Cox. TO the
appolntee would have proceeded 10 issue
IT. there would not have been another
word from him. He would have said: A
sufficient warrant for my action. sufficient
| prompting for me 20 issue this villainously bed
| food IL that having called attention 20 its char
| acter 1 am now ordered by the commissioner
| OF Indian affairs 10 issue Il TO these Indians
| and he would have rested content there. But
| tins army officer, not having 30 much at stake,
perhaps, as civilian agent, did not zee 81 ~
| take that course"
| CAPT. BROWN WANTED GOOD MAT.
Capt Brown wrote again, on February z. TO
the Indian Office asking for 90 600 pounds Of
sound meat and refusing TO issue the ll4.0oo
pounds passed by Inspector Cox. This army
officer an the performance Of his duty does not
stop there, and l submit that the difference be-
tween an army officer IN performing .
duty OF this description, the man
whose head does not depend upon the
within or caprice OF his superior, and ths
civilian who hardly dare run counter 20 the
wishes oil his chief because he knows that his
| displacement will follow. is that the civilian
! would long before this time have stopped his
effort TO procure proper food for these Indians
But this man, not having any such fear before
him, on the 18th day OF February addresses
the Secretary of the Interior and appeals
from the decision Of his chief. He recites ali
the facts. He says the commissioner OF Indian
affairs will not give him bacon fit for the use Of
these Indians and has refused his request. and
appeals TO the Secretary Of the Interior that he
shall right TINS wrong before IL IL too late.
In response 20 a question by Senator voor-
hees Senator Henderson said that the commits.
eioner OF Indian affairs had telegraphed Capt
Brown to obey orders ms to the issuing of ths
bacon and from that telegram and the refusal
TO furnish ZOO pounds Of edible bacon th&
captain appealed to the Secretary of the In
. | terror.
WHY HE MADE THE EXPOSE.
, Concluding, Senator Henderson said; Mr..
President, say do not propose TO comment
upon these facts. 1 do not know whether thsI
/ bacon ~ good or bad. i have my opinion shout
, 1t. but 40 not care for the purposes OF this
! argument whether it is good or bed. Ths
moral that want to point in connection with
this correspondence is that you would peves
have had history like tins Of persistent e1fori
for the right had there been q civilian agent Q,
Pine Ridge. Hewould have accepted the sttua
ton. and this bad food would have beer
issued TO the Indians. to their disgust and
, discomfort, and we might, perhaps again, Q.
, the result, have had outbreak on the nor Oh,
ern lorder OF Nebraska similar to that which
/. occurred little over a year ago.
II nave ills expose simply becoOoe D
gives In most forcible fashion some Of the rec
. sons why / wouid vote for this proviso u
the House bill repeat, tins effort 70 not ths
. effort of the army of the United ssases
= 1t does not want this duty. al
| one of those who believe that IL would have
been far better for the Indian, that 10 would
. have been civilizing process. II many year
u ago the Indian, far as his wsrdship is con
!, | cerned, should have been taken out from undsI
. the Interior Department aud placed under sh1
3 control of the War Departments. 1 have eel
nothing in late years to change that determine
ton to which i came after a few years rec
o idence in the west and after seeing much Of th,
|, Indian. L believe today would have
: far different condition, that Indians 81
over that country would before thi
e have taken lands in severalty and have beer
\ self supporting, had this been the policy rathei
than that which We have pursued We hav,
T erred most lamentably. We have made mos
!, serious mistakes in this whole Indian policy.
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