The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-12-12
MERCER RETIRES
Indian Agent at Leech Lake
Complimented by the In
dian Commissioner.
Mercer Retires at His Own
Request, Desiring to Join
His Regiment.

From TIE Journal BsOrSaW, Room 49, Post
building, Washington.
Washington, Dec 12.-Captain W. A
Mercer, Eighth cavalry. will be relieved
Of his duties as Indian agent at Leech
Lake, Mimi, by Major George L. Scott,
George L. Scott, Sixth cavalry, about
Jan. 1. He is directed to report to Ad-
jutant General Corbin for orders. 1t Is
believed that he viii be assigned to duty
with his regiment, with possibly a short
leave of absence. Captain Mercer has
been relieved at his own request, ac4
ccrding to war department officials. The
latter are especially emphatic in declaring
that hits is the only reason for his 60
ing back to his regiment.
Secretary Hitchcock could not be seen,
but in his office a statement was given out
that there had been no friction between
him and Captain Mercer. On the other
hand it is said that their relations hav
been most cordial and that he has car
ried out the secretary's instructions to
the letter, and the latter regrets exceed
ingly that he is forced to part with
most efficient subordinate.
Indian Commissioner Jones' with whom
Captain Mercer has been more intimately
associated in an official way than with the
secretary, said:
Captain Mercer has been relieved at his
own request. He is a young man in COM
paratively low rank in the service and felt
it to be to his own interest to be with his
own regiment When all officer is on detail
duty, as Captain Mercer has been, he loses
touch and probably 1mpairs his chances for
promotion. Officers in active service are dis
posed to find fault because any one of their
number is allowed to stay away from his
command there was a disposition to do this in
Captain MERGERS case. This criticism is un-
just however.
When the Spanish war broke out Captain
Mercer filed a request to be relieved from de-
tail and sent back to MS regiment. He had
just gone to Leech Lake, where he was sent
from Nebraska to carry out definite policy
Of this office. On my advice, therefore, Sec
retary Bliss specially urged that Captain
Mercer be allowed to remain in Minnesota,
and his application was denied. Several times
since then he has asked to be relieved the
last time about three months ago. He was
then winding up his Investigation of dead
and-down operations and no action was taken
because Secretary Hitchcock asked the Sec
retary of war to allow Captain Mercer to re-
main in the Indian service until that inves-
tigation had been oncuded and the contro-
versy with the lumbermen settled. That has
just been done, and other objection was
made to his leaving service
Captain Mercer has made a good agent. He
has administered the law strictly and without
favor to any one, We regret losing him, bur
realize that it is to his interest to go back
to active service.
Was Between Two Fires.
The foregoing is the first reason for
Captain MERGERS relief. secondary con-
sideratiOn, however, is the fact that he
found himself between the upper and
neither millstones toward the latter part
of the dead-and d-down operations. He was
being ground by the Indians on top and
the lumbermen on the bottom. At the
conclusion of the dead down opera
tions last spring the Indians declared that
the lumbermen had cut large amount Of
green timber. They declared Captain
Mercer was permitting the fraud and
passed resolutions condemning his admin
istration. He made an investigation and
found the Indians allegations as to green
timber was true. Then he got after the
contractors. He found out by special in
vestigatiOn that they had cut millions Of
feet of green timber He demanded pay
ment for this and forced nearly all Of the
contractors to pay for the illegal cut.
This made him unpopular with him and
certain of them have, it is said, attempted
to circulate stories rejecting on his ad-
ministration. officers of the department
say that these stories were investigated
before consent was given for his transfer
and found to be untrue. Between these
two forces Captain Mercer has had an un-
pleasant time lately, and was all the more
anxious to get away on that account
Captain Mercer is thoroughly disgusted at
the way in which his attempts to reach
an honest and fair settlement of the tim
ber question have been received in Min
nesota, and will be glad to shake the dust
of Minnesota off his feet.
Major George L. Scott, his successor, Is
familiar with logging operations. He was
agent at La Pointe for some time and was
sent from there to Fort Sill, Oklahoma
about four years ago.
KnOx's denomination.
1t is said to-day that Senator Hoar
consented to the holding up Of the ap-
pointment of Attorney General Knox be-
cause Jones, Tillman and other demo-
cratic senators insisted that the anti
trust people should be given a chance
| to present their charges. If this chance
were not given, the democratic leaders
said they would feel justified in trying
to prevent confirmation. They will prob
ably vote against it, in any event, but
it is understood that they will not re-
sort to unfair tactics should the charge
of the antitrust people prove weak.
w. w. Jermane.
REF0RMERS ENCOURAGED