The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-29
RELIEF FOR THE
NAVAJO TRIBE
Immediate Wants to Be Supplied
by Interior Department
SCANDAL BROUGHT TO LIGHT
INDIAN AGENTS IN COLLISION
- WITH SPECTATORS.
Especial to The Herald1

w AsHINGTON, Aug. 2s.-Owing to
w the impoverished condition of
the Navajo Indians in southern
Utah, the interior department has made
available $4,000 for their relief
Supplies for the relief of these In
dams will be distributed by Farmer
Shoemaker, in charge of the northern
portion of the Navajo reservation, who
win make purchases at the most ac-
cessible point In case the 5000 made
available today is insufficient, further
allotments can be made from time to
time.
Commissioner Jones says two plans
are open for relief of these Indians
They can get ready employment at
s1-10 day on railroads south of their
reservation, where 800 to 400 are now
wanted Secondly, the Indian bureau
is now awaiting a report from a spe-
cial agent who is making preliminary
examinations on the Navajo reserva-
ton TO determine the location and
prepare plans for extending an irriga-
ton system, drawing water from San
Juan river 1t is proposed to extend
this system as fully as practicable, so
/ as TO reclaim all available lands on the
reservation Indians will be employed
| in construction work, and later will
have control OF the reclaimed lands
for raising their own crops Probably
! $20,0 900 or $4,000 will be expended to
complete this irrigation system. which
will relieve the Indians temporarily
and help them permanently.
So far, these Indians have shown a
4 strong aversion to working for a liv-
/ ing, but hope is entertained that the
present crisis may force them into it.
Robbing the Dead.
! Recent Investigations have developed
! the beginning OF what promises TO be-
| come an enormous scandal growing out
Of purchasing, by syndicates and in
/ dividuals. Of lands of deceased Indian
! allottees at prices considered below
| their value, an abuse which the Indian
| Office is endeavoring 70 check before il
! goes too far. AS yet it is confined to
| southwestern states, but spectators
are advancing rapidly westward and
! northward, and threaten in a short
time to penetrate every Indian reser-
walton containing allotted lands. I'm
der the law the lands Of deceased al
lottees are sold with the approval OF
the secretary of the interior, who. in
turn, depends upon Indian agents for
advice as to whether the price agreed
/ upon is a just one. There are very
| strong intimations, some backed by
much evidence on file, to show that
! several agents are in collision with
! spectators, and are first inducing the
! heirs TO agree to sell at ridiculously
low figures and subsequently report
/ ing TO the department that the con-
! tract price is a fair one.
! Several agents of these spectators
have opened Offices on the reservations
/ The department feels Itself unable TO
/ investigate every sale sent in for ap-
/ proval, and cannot avoid thus defraud-
! ing the Indians unless il holds up all
cases until special agents can investi-
| gate, which would necessitate a great
delay Commissioner Jones advocates
advertising all lands belonging to de-
| ceased allottees, the tracts to go to the
/ highest bidder, but congress must first
| sanction this plan
! The interior department was today
/ advised by wire that the forest fires
near Encampment and Battle, Carbon
( county, Wyoming, have been extin-
D guished and the special agent in that
section has been withdrawn.
! Captain Edward Chrisman, Sixth in
/ fantTy. has been detailed as professor
/ of military science and tactics at the
/ University of Idaho, Moscow.
! William H Embree, industrial teach
I er at the western Shoshone Indian
school, Nevada, was today appointed
/ superintendent Of the Vintah school 70
/ succeed Superintendent Hughes, de-
! ceased