The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-28
TAMS BIXBY ASKS! 4
FOR INVESTIGATION
Interior Departments Attitude
on Indian Territory Scandal
Is Set Forth.

department, today announced his in
teton of having thorough investiga-
ton made in Irregularities in Indian
territory by someone not connected
with the department. This announce
ment was made in response to a re-
quest from the Dawes commission, as
follows:
''Muskogee, Ind. Ter. Aug. 26, 1903
Secretary of the INTERIOR: Widespread
newspaper criticism, of a character in
volving the integrity Of our work and
our fidelity to duty, impels us to re-
quest that an Immediate and searching
investigation be instituted, and that the
president be Informed of this desire.
Work, unparalleled in-the history OF
civilization, the result of years of unre-
hitting toll, is threatened by fanatical
reports and questionable journalism.
We urge that there be assigned to the
work Of investigation one whose repu-s
tation for honesty. ability and fearless
ness is we'll established, and whose
findings will be universally accepted.
-.3Tams Bixby.
TT. B. Needles,
commissioners.
The secretary replied, saying that as
soon as the proper man could be Sc
cured he would be sent to the terri
tory. with instructionssJem make a COM
plete and impartial fnHliry.
Stated for Hitchcock.
The determination of Secretary
Hitchcock to send an investigator not
connected with the department of the
interior is understood to be for the
purpose of supplementing the work or
the secretary himself and of other rep
resentatives of the department in that
territory. Since early last spring the
secretary has been giving attention to
the situation in the territory. and in
spectors and other officials of the de-
partment have been engaged in the eff
the interests Of the INDIANS, The fol-.
lowing is an autholazed statement of
the departments attitade
The secretary ma dSa four OF the ter
ritory in May. for the purpose of max
ing inquiry regarding reports that had
come to him Of efforts to deprive the
Indians Of their rieh-landed inherit
lance, and the. result of this personal
investigation was to confirm the report
that there was persistent effort to Sc
cure the Indian lands at prices far be-
low their real value.
AS a consequence he made radical
revision of the regulations for the sale
of the allotted lands, and the develop
ments since that change was made in
large percentage over What would have
been paid them if the original regula-
tons had stood. The new rules require
that all Indian lands which are for sale
shall be advertised and appraised by
competent officiaE. The secretary has
Cancelled all sales made prior to the
time that the new regulations took eff
feet There were 429 of these deeds.
calling for an aggregate payment of
a.6n a
checks, have been Teturned to the pur-
chasers, and the. prices received on
inherited lands indicate. that under the
new regulations the prices paid viii ex-
coed the old prices by from Is to 125
per cent -
How Leases Are Secured.
The secretary is not authorized by
law to guard the-lI1terests of his wards
completely in the mattersof leases, and
persistent efforts to secure control of
the lands through the lease process
have been discovered. In one case the
secretary found during his stay in In
dian territory that clerks in the Office
of an Indian agent had taken on them
selves the responsibility for denying a
hearing to their attorney, who repre-
scented some $4,000 Indians. The sec
rotary denounced this transaction as
an abuse of official authority, and pro-
vided for the adequateSp punishment Of
the persons engaged in at. A favorite
method for securing the leases is to
have the Indians approached by mer-
chants, who by offeFing#their wares in
exchange, can secure the most favor
able terms from them, and the under
standing is quite general that when
control of a piece of land is once Sc
cured by leasing it will DE held by some
means until it can be purchased at the
lessee's own figures.
The secretary discovered that num-
Der of officeholders, many of them out
side of his own department, were
stockholders and officers in these COM
bines, and he Immediately made known
his dfsapproval of this system. Former
Revenue Collector Cobb, on finding an
opportunity to secure an interest in a
combination of this character, wrote to
the department and asked for an opin-
ion as to the propriety of his accepting
such an interest. He was told that the
department did not consider member
ship in one Of these companies cOmpat-
ible with the holding of a government
position, and Mr.. Cobb promptly re-
signed his official place to enter on a
business career. -
The object in sending a man from
private life to inquire into conditions
is to make the investigation still more
seal CHluS, Sill more O1SlnteT9SlSO, ana
to give the finding more complete
credence with the public at large.
Won't Punish the. Innocent.
The secretary takes the position that,
while it is necessary and right to pro-
tect the Indians, it is neither neces-
sary nor right to punish innocent Off
Gals
In this spirit, until very recently, he
has refrained from any especial in
quiry into the charges made against
the members of the Dawes commits
sion. Two of them were absent from
Indian territory on their annual leaves
when charges were made by the Indian
Rights association and. they We're al
lowed to remain away for time. They,
however, now have been recalled to
their posts for the purpose of meet
ing the criticisms published against
them. The secretary also speaks Of
Indian Inspector Wright, who has been
placed in especial authority in the ter
ritory as man who has been a trust
ed employe Of the government for
twenty years past, but he, like all 9th
ers, will be expected to give his at
tention to the inquiry.
The secretary realizes that, while
| there may be shortcomings on the part
of some of the government officials,
| there are, on the other hand, many
men not employed by the government
who have grievances; = against these
same officials and are disposed to make
all the trouble for them they can.
| These men he designates as '.grafters,"