Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-09-04

Confederate in the Nefarious Business
Retirement of Secretary Root-An Attempt
Is Being Mnde to Induce the President to
Suppress Assistant Postmaster General Bris-
tow's Report. for Fear 1t Will Damage the
Party.
From our regula rcorrespondent)
WASHINGTON, Aug. y, 1903.
The scandal affecting the admins
tration of Indian affairs, and involving
both the Department of the Interior
and that OF Justice, is growing daily
and already the revelations have caused
the gravest concern to the admins.
tration which appreciates that the
discovery of corruption in two impor-
tant departments OF the government,
following y closely on the heels of the
postotfice scandals, cannot but have
serious effect on the fortunes of the
Republican party at the polls. With
view to otfsetting the damaging ef-
feet OF recent revelations, Secretary
Hitchcock has announced that he will
appoint commissioner to investigate
all OF his employees involved in the ir-
regularities and also the members of
the Dawes Commission, and the acting
Attorney General has stated that a
special commissioner will be promptly
sent to the Indian Territory to investi-
gate the alleged connection of several
officials OF the Department of Justice
with concerns organized for the pur-
pose OF making profit at the expense
of the Indians.
An example of the condition of af-
fairs now existing in the Indian Terri
tory is shown by the situation at Mus
kogee, where the Dawes Commission
has an office. The Canadian Valley
Trust Company, of which Tama Bixby,
chairman of the Dawes Commission, is
President; &. w. Hopkins, formerly
law clerk of the Commission, is an en-
ploye; and p. G. Reuter-, clerk in
charge of the land office OF the Com
mission, is director, has its offices in
the same building as the Dawes Com.
mission and occupies the same apart
ments, on the ground floor, as were
formerly occupied by the Commission,
the Commission having removed to
the second floor. As result OF this
happy arrangement, the untutored
savage walks innocently into the office
of the Trust Company, to the repre-
sentatives of which he explains his
business. 1t is alleged that these rep
resentatives are not always scrupulous
to explain that they are not, at that
particular moment representing the
Dawes Commission but are members
OF private institution, and the Indi-
an, who has valuable lands to lease or
sell, completes his business according
TO their dictation, makes his mark in
the presence of witnesses and goes his
way, all innocent of the fact that he
has not been dealing with the Dawes
Commission, the authorized represen.
tative OF the Government, and equally
innocent of the fact that in the lease
he has just executed there is contract
for the sale of his lands at the expira-
ton of the lease, at some nominal fig
ure, the contract to take effect as soon
as the law will permit him to part with
his patrimony.
Some conception of the gravity OF
the situation and the opportunities for
froud existing, where the very repre-
sentatives of the Government appoint
ed to protect the Indians are officers and
directors of concerns organized to take
advantage of his ignorance, may be
gathered from the fact that the Indian
lands now being allotted in severaltv
are estimated as worth upwards OF
$50, 600, 600, aggregating over 10000.
GOO acres, some of it the finest farm
land in the United States and much OF
it excellently situated with regard to
markets and railway facilities. Sew
eral members of the Dawes Commits
sion, United States Attorneys and In
dian Agents are charged with being
interested in these companies. most OF
which have been organized within the
past nine months and all OF which
give promise of paying unusually large
dividends, In their prospectuses.
An official announcement of the re-
signation of Secretary OF War Root
has come from Oyster Bay together
with the information that Judge Taft,
Governor-General OF tho Philippines
will be Mr.. Roots successor and that
Vice. Governor Luke f. Wright OF
Tennessee will be Judge Taft's success
sor as head of the Philippine Commits
sion. The retirement of Secretary
Root will prove source OF regret to
many besides the President for all who
have come in contact with the retir-
ing Secretary have appreciated that,
regardless of their attitude towards
the policy of the administration, Mr..
Root has performed his duties with
exceptional ability and earnestness.
Now that the Postoffice investiga.
ton is nearing an end, prominent Re.
publican politicians are Fastening to
Oyster Bay to exert their influence on
the President to prevent full publica-
ton OF Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Bristow's report. Just what
answer the President is making to
these appeals cannot be learned in
Washington, but 1t is known that be-
fore leaving for Oyster Bay Mr.. Roose-
welt pledged his word that the entire
report would be made public when the
investigation was completed and that
no guilty person should be shielded.
1t is known that the report places in
q most unenviable light many politi.
clans, who, because of the statute OF
limitations or because OF the clever.
ness with which they covsre up their
tracks, have not been prosecuted and il
is supposed To be the friends of these
who are pleading with the President
to suppress the facts. 1t is believed
however, that the President will re.
member the experience of Postmaster
General Payne in attempting to sup.
press Mr.. Bristow's reply to the Tul
loch charges and will profit by that
unfortunate blunder.o That the pub
lie will never be satisfied until the full
report has been made public and that
it will regard any attempt at suppress