Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-07-28
coRRuPTroN CHARGED.

Hon. Jerry Simpson Makes Serious Charges
In Relation to the Cherokee strip-High
Officials Charged With Bribery.
WASHINGTON, July 19.-Yesterday
Jerry Simpson introduced a resolution
! in the house directing a day to be fixed
to discuss and vote on the Peel bill.
opening the Cherokee strip.
In the course of his remarks and
basing them on letter and some other
proofs in his possession, written and
furnished by Henry S. Lands, clerk of
the district court of Medicine Lodge,
Simpson boldly asserted that the
officials of the interior department
of the United States had been guilty of
bride taking, corruption and extortion.
That the cattlemen interested in the
Cherokee strip have paid money and
notes to the extent of so cents head
| for every hoof on the strip IN brides to
| interior department people to withdraw
| the troops and allow the driven out
| cattle to reoccupy the range where
| they are to-day.
| In the course of his remarks Mr..
Simpson said:
''Mr. Speaker, this is a bill of very
great Importance. There are people
gathered along the southern border of
Kansas from all parts of the United
| States. Some of them have been wait
| ing more than year for the opening of
| this territory. The commissioners ap-
| pointed have agreed with the Indians.
have reported to the president and the
president has furnished the house with
this treaty.
At understand of course, with the
large appropriations the democratic
party has already made that they may
| hesitate about appropriating this
money, but yet it occurs to me that
| after you have appropriated such i'm
| mense sums for building ships and for
| improving your rivers and harbors that
in order to act consistently you ought
to loan this money for the purpose of
| opening up such an immense tract of
land to the homeseekers of the country.
Besides this the cattle interest, you
| understand, have been the ones who
| have delayed the opening up of this
| country. They are to-day in collision
| with the interior department and are
| holding that country back from settle
ment 1 ask the clerk to read letter
| that 1 have handed to him that will
throw light upon this subject, showing
| to you that men high in au-
| thority in the republican par
| ty are to-day in collision with
| those cattlemen and are holding back
this land from settlement. say the
| democratic party cannot afford to be a
party to this scheme that is keeping
| this strip from being opened l now
| ask the clerk to read the letter, which
is from reliable party-the clerk of
the district court of the county in which
1 hve-who knows what he is talking
| about"
The clerk read as follows:
Last fall when the 6epar tment was crowding
the cattlemen, they made up s15,tOO or si6.o0l
for the purpose of getting immunity from dis
! turbance and stopping all interference They
succeeded. and This spring when the pressure
| became too heavy again, the department went
| in to drive out the cattlenen and they sent the
! troops to clear the strip The troops started
4 in good faith to do their duty The cattle men
! were alarmed and had been bled by the powers
| that be for the past ten years and wanted
nothing but little time to get their cattle fat
/ so they might get them out
About this time one Guthrie arrived at
] Kiowa and proposed to give the cattlemen pro-
lection for as cents a head and 10 assure them
| that they would not be Inoiested before De
! cernber /. They doubted his authority and had
been bled so freely in the past and recentlY had
| paid some one nearer home, whose name have
not been able to get, 81 ,OJ for protection tsat
| did not protect that they at first refused to
| deal with him. He then produced letters from
| Officers high IN position. ana L THINK among
Others from Gen Noble, convinced them that
| he had the requisite power 10 protect and then
| they began to dicker with him and finally set
! tied the matter on their basis:
They paid him % cents per head cash down
and gave their note for . cents per head Fay
| able December l, the notes being at a
/ kiowa bank. This cash, . cents per head, was
| paid direct to Guthrie and the notes were made
PAYABLE to him
No cattle were counted ard I send you the
word OF the men to the number of cattle
taken at their own figures, and showing the IA
ture Of the skin game all this was. gone
/, through with, and the notes are now at the
bank a kiowa
While the troops under Capt Paddock were
| trying TO get the cattle out this man Guthrie
interfered so that Capt Paddock telegraphed
the department about his (Guthriel claims OF
authority and his interference, and received
telegram in reply telling him Capt Paddock
that Guthrie had full authority and that he
must recognize Guthrie's wishes
All the cattle on the strip were transferred
to this man Guthrie and within an hour were
transferred back to the actual owners-the one
transfer to be used with the department and
the other for the protection of the owners in
case Guthrie should be disposed to act unfairly
You will see in the beginning of this letter that
he (Guthrie) offered safety until December l. In
case he was not able 10 hold the matter Of the
notes were not to be collected. but thecash
was 10 go anyway These transfers were, with
few exceptions. made directly TO Guthrie In
the few cases in which the transfers were made
indirectly there was third party between the
cattlemen and Guthrie but the transfer back
to the cattlemen was in every case direct from
Guthrie to the owner of the cattle. There is
reason TO believe that it was brought about in
this manner:
Noble went to the president and asked to be
given the control Tor the purpose Of aiding the
campaign fund. and the money is supposed 10
have largely gone IN that direction
HENRY s. Lands
MI Simpson: Now, Mr.. Speaker,
have list containing a great many of
the names of men who have paid this
money. and their notes are in the Kiowa
bank in my county, and this house can
if 1t chooses to investigate the question
get access to them In conclusion Mr.
Speaker, say that the people of this
country believe that they have the same
right as the cattle men of this country.
and they claim that this strip ought
to be opened at once. If this bill is
passed it will take ninety days before
the land can be opened by the presi-
dents proclamation. and if you delay
until he next session it will be late in
the summer before the people can get
to this land"
SAVINGS AND OOiNGS.