The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-29
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 90, 1908.
TURN ON THE LIGHT.

We desire to give to Secretary Hitch
eock and to every other official of the
government full credit for whatever he
may do or intend to do toward cleaning
put the mass of corruption that has
grown rank in many of the depart
1nents No word of praise for actual
reform accomplished shall be withheld
by us, and no word of unjust censure
spoken with knowledge or intention.
But, under all the circumstances, it
seems to us that the secretary, like the
lady doth protest too much"
Two members of the Dawes commits
sion. one of them Mr.. Tams BiXby, have
asked for thorough and impartial in
vestigation of the charge that their
body has been party to the frauds
and swindles upon the Indian eontem-
plated or perpetrated. This we trust
that they will get. If innocent of all COM
plicity in improper transactions, they
are entitled to vindication; and if gull
ty, the public is entitled to their scalps.
If the secretary is honest in what he
says, there will be no difficulty about
getting at the truth.
At the same time Mr.. Hitchcock,
though he has learned better than to
follow the example of Mr.. Payne, and
wave charges of official dereliction be-
hind him gracefully for dismissal as
1lnjnn0rt1nt tn mt himself in
error in another way. He has deliv-
cred a sort of stump speech to the pub
lie through the Associated Press, in
which he assures them of the everlast-
ing determination of his department to
protect the rights of the Indians and
punish malefactors. But what are some
of the facts?
1t now appears, on the authority of
Secretary Hitchcock himself, that he
has long been aware of the improper
conditions existing in the Indian terri
tory. He says that he made a tour of
the territory in May to inquire into
these very performances. He found
that the charges advanced had sub
stantial foundation. Arrangements had
been perfected to swindle the Indians
out of their lands. The ramffications
of the conspiracy were wide, and have
by no means all been discovered or
traced The interior department has
been as thoroughly discredited as has
the postoffice. The facts are out at
last
But why was it necessary for the
Indian Rights association to take up
the matter and let the first light in
upon the facts? Why, with all this in
inquiry uncovered, and the necessity of
thorough investigation apparent to
any one, did the secretary keep silence?
Why did the public wait for it's facts
until those outside of the department.
who were really responsible for orig
mating and pushing the investigation,
had told them? Why does the secretary
reserve his greatest indignation for an
assumed class of people who make
charges because they have some pri-
vate grievance, when the return by his
office of 429 deeds, as admitted by him.
self. tells the scope of the scoundrelism
that was actually on foot? And why,
if it is true that officials who have
been discovered to be guilty have been
dismissed, does the secretary refuse to
disclose their names? Is it because, as
he says, at does not promote the pub
lie interest to publish the names of
dismissed officials" or because, as was
said of the famous Mrs. Harris, there
amt no SIGH persons?"
These are some of the questions that
rise inevitably in the thought of any
fair-minded person who reads the
statement of Mr.. Hitchcock There is
nc Ignoring or pooh-poohing of charg-
es which the department has already