Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1897-01-06
Startling Charges Laid Before Commits
siOner Browning at Washington.
FRAUD AT TWO INDIAN AGENCIES
Specific Allegations Refer to Com
tracts for water supply and
Filters at Pine Ridge
and Rosebud.

pairing SpeClHCdtlOUS lot laying VI StNtlS
and construction of reservoirs at Pine Ridge
and Rosebud agencies in South Dakota.
Fer weeks past members of congressional
delegations from South Dakota and Nebraska
have been receiving letters from bidders al
leging that the utmost favorit!sm has been
shown certain prospective contractors for
works to be done under direction of the
Bureau of Indian affairs and these letters
have become so fragrant in their allegations
that the Indian bureau has decided ia inves-
tigate.
A recent case is brought to mind in the
specifications and advertisement for the
construction of sewer pipe and reservoir at
Pine Ridge agency, wherein Henry L. Will
son, well known to Omaha contractors al
legeS that the person who bid the lowest
was on the inside of the deal and was there
by enabled to utilize conditions which
other bidders were not acquainted with.
! This matter ans the charges connected
Herewith were laid before the Indian bureau
and on December IA Andrew Rosewator, for
mer city engineer of Omaha, filed a letter
of protest against the method of advertising
and contracting for water supply and ma
chlnery at Pine Ridge and Rosebud. In
this letter, which is filed with Commits
sioner Browning. the well known Omaha
engineer states that the specifications call
| for filters of capacity OF 900 gallons
per day; that bidders acting in collision
submitted bids and plans for filters from
! twelve to twenty feet in diameter, which he
states he learns are accepted
UNCOVERS THE FRAUD.
Mr.. Rosewater goes into mathematical cal
culatlons of filters of this size and finds that
under the most liberal construction that
engineers can furnish, the filters must have
not less than one square foot for each 100
gallons passing through in twonty-four hours,
so that a twelve foot diameter filter would
have only maximum possible capacity of
| 1900 gallons a day instead of the $50, 900
required and one of twenty feet in diameter
would have a maximum capacity of 81 ,416
gallons per day in place of $50 900. Mr.
RcsCwater does not make any bones about
stating that such shams in specifications
permit only parties in the inner ring to bid,
and that he is willing to have his measure
ments reviewed by any board in any place
in the United States where the measurement
of water is ono of the requisites of engineer
service. This letter has had a most start
ling result, 1t has held up the Rosebud
contract which was ordered to be made and
has suspended entirely the Pine Ridge con-
tract. Agents at Pine Ridge and Rosebud
have been called upon to state what they
know of the conditions as outlined in Mr.
Rcsewaters letter and this may be the be-
ginning OF an inquiry into the mode of
permitting bidders who the inside to
realize upon well known conditions and may
inure to the benefit of the service at large
At the converting of the house today the
Nebraska delegation showed up in splendid
condition after its holiday vacation. An
drews, Hainer, Mercer and Strobe were in
their seats and toward o'clock KEN, the
recalcitrant and obstructionist in the first
session of the Fifty-fourth congress, walked
in and took his seat amid the breathless
silence on the part of everybody, but there
was no objection and the house continued
in the consideration of the Loud bill.
Senator Allen arrived from the west early
this afternoon and was present upon the
first attempt to secure a quorum in the
senate shortly after Senator PETER had COM
menced his remarks upon his monetary
| resolution. Senator Thurston arrived from
the west in the morning. Senator Allen to-
night said that he was opposed to the Loud
bill and wanted to know, in an inquiring
way, how the populist newspapers could
circulate their free literature under the re-
strlctions of the bill now under consideration
in the house.
HAS A PLEA FOR CHICORY.
In connection with the beet sugar in
dustry, that of chicory will receive the at
tention of the ways and means committee.
Mr.. E. Ham submitted a written brief to-
day. suggesting a duty on raw chicory now
grown by Nebraska farmers. According to
the brief submitted Nebraska farmers may
be said to be pioneers in the growing of
chicory in this country, and it is an agr-
cultural crop of natural Importance, coffee
or its substitute being, like sugar, of univer-
sal use. 1t is well known that chicory is
largely used as an admiXture with unground
coffee at pure coffee prices, greatly to the
advantage of eastern manipulators of the
tropical berry, who import their raw
chicory from Belgium at low rates For
the fiscal year ending June &c. 1895, the
United States imported $500, 900 pounds of
raw or unprepared chicory, which is free
of all duty. and this was increased to 49,
900 pounds in 1896 AS the law now
stands, the raw chicory produced by farm
ers Is free, while on the prepared article
there is a duty of cents per pound. A
duty, it is claimed on raw chcory would
stimulate its production at home Ii is
also argued that as chlcory, like sugar, is
of national importance, upon no one state
should be thrown the burden of encourag
ing its production, and especially as the
worlds production of coffee fails to in
crease with the ratio of increase of popu-
laton and consumption does the chicory
industry grow important.
Bids for the interior finish OF the base
ment, first story. etc, of the public build
ing at Omaha were opened today by Super
vising Architect Aiken. There were twelve
proposals submitted, as follows:
y; j: Jobst, Omaha ..................$ S3,97s
Charles w. Glndele, Chicago.......... $500
Charles Longshore, Valparaiso Ind. 1880
Henry Hamann, Omaha. Neb.......... 6,492
Rocheford & Gould. Omaha..,...,.... $500
w; E Frost Manufacturing company,
Edmnnds Misunderstanding; company, oo'.o
Chicago llu, flU
Hennesy & Cox ST. Paul.............. 1897
James Carlisle Sons, Minneapolis. 106 400
Butler-Ryan company, ST. Paul.. 1888
L. l.. Leach & Son. Chicago. ......,.... 81 900
The contract will probably be awarded
during the latter part of the week to b. j.
Jobst OF Omaha, who Is the lowest bidder.
Comptroller Eckels today gave out an alb
stract of the reports of the condition on De-
cember II of the four national banks in Des
Moines, 1t shows these banks to be In good |
condition, with INCREASED reserve at hand !
in case OF emergency At date of last set |
Element, October g. this reserve was 2S.75 |
per cent. while this statement shows 5000
per cent.
James Bartholomew was today commits
stoned postmaster at Palmyra, la.
Mr.. Mercer introduced today resolutions !
OF the Master Car Builders association |
against the adoption Of the metric system |
in the United States. Also petitions of
citizens OF Omaha. headed by Clement Chase, |
j. f. Fruehauf. Swartz & McKelyey and |
others and Delnicke bohemian weekly. |
against the passage OF the Loud bill.
Mr.. and Mrs. w. j. Connell left for New