The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-19
THE CHARGES DENIED.
officials Say There Was Nothing Rot
ten I'm the Strip Opening.

ten In the Str1p opening.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 1S.-The hearing
before the committee on public lands on
the proposition to investigate the opening
Of the Cherokee Strip took rather SEN
sational turn to-day The hearing was for
the purpose of giving Assistant Attorney
general Hall. of the Interior Department,
an opportunity to be heard. Mr.. Hall was
accompanied by Commissioner Lamoreux,
who. when Mr. Hall was called upon,
asked to be heard first Judge Lamoreux
with much feeling and great earnestness
said that after reading the charges that
had been made before the committee
against the officers of the department and
consultation with the Secretary of the In
terror, they deemed it the duty of the
naittee IA behalf of these sixty-one clerks
These charges were not specific. he said.
but were newspaper clippings and unoffl-
cial letters. No single man was named;
no place, or time or occasion specified
1t was no light thing. to charge sixty-one
do not occupy high places and were not
politicians. Sixty-five per cent. were Re
publicans. Many had been in the employ
were residents of Washington, with hon
orable places in the community. Are
these the kind OF men who would sell GER
hhcates for 50 cents up to s5?' he asked.
Commissioner Lamoreux presented afh-
pavits from every man In charge of
sible 1t would be for the officers CT the
government to accept brides. He also
elbitsd photographs OF the crowds before
read letters from ]. E. Malone, register.
regarding the charges. In Mr. Malone's
letter Ii was stated that District Attor-
speed s0 eee a s5r Wss up Be tine
assistant Here commlssi9ner Lamoregx
T Tspar to t Msh General Mr Land T oee
and tell what he was doing. on March 3.
1893. Mr.. Stone is the son of my immedi-
ate predecessor" Commissioner Lamoregx
read letters from A. p. Swineford, late
Governor OF Alaska. but now inspector OF
the General Land Office. showing that the
charges were not true and were made for
political effect. They bitterly assailed
Delegate Flynn and the men who were sup
porting him Other letters making counter
the Republican administration were read.
The commissioner closed by saying that
the Secretary and himself thought IL
their duty to make statement and not
allow. by their silence. TO go unanswered
an imputation placed upon the character
Of the men in the Land Office by an In
vestigation. started by the 'penny-a-liner
squirt-gun newspapers" of that country
and the 'pothouse politicians" who were
ciflcations or foundations.
Assistant Attorney general Hall said he
70 explain the methods Of ' making ths
Cherokee allotments. He directed his at
tention mainly TO the assertions OF Delegate
Flynn on the floor of the House and before
the committee that orders OF the former
administration had been changed for the
present He showed that this was innpos-
sible. Continuing further in reply to other
assertions relative to the removal OF town
sites and the selections OF the Cherokees
he said that the law allowed the Cherokees
to make the selections where desired 1t
was rumored that town sites would be Sc
lected In certain places, and that when the
Indians made their selections the railroads
bought their rights. The Secretary moved
the town sites further along the roads. as
ought to have been done. Mr.. Hall re-
piled TO several questions of the commit
tee about technical points Of the opening.
and the hearing was then conclud ed. The
probabilities are that the statements made
BY Commissioner Damoreux and Mr.. Hall
will put an end to the investigation and the
COMMITTEES will report against it.