Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-09-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our Regular CORRESPONDENCE
Washington, D. O., Aug. 81 The
gravity and magnitude of the Indian
Territory land scandals become more
and more apparent as time goes on and
it is freely predicted that they will far |
overshadow the postal frauds when |
the facts are finally dragged to light. |
Practically all the members of the
Dawes Commission now appear to have
been involved in schemes to defraud
the Indians, or at least profit at their
expense, and have accomplished this
end by becoming members of land and
investment syndicates. Several en-
ployes of the Department of the In
terror have also been found to have
itching and smutty fingers, notably J.
George Wright, an Indian inspector,
and Secretary Hitchcock's most trust
ed advisor, also United States attor'
ney, his assistant and other subordi-
mates of the Attorney General. Sec
rotary Hitchcock, whose personal hon.
esty no one doubts, appears to have
been hopelessly hoodwinked and he
even now seems to be grossly incom-
petent and at loss to know how to
deal with the rascalitY in his own de-
partment.
Charges that the Secretary deposited
fund of 500, 900 acruing from the
sale of lots in the towns of Hobart.
Lawton and AnadarkO, Oklahoma, in
a st. Louis trust company in which he
was interested have been entirely dis
proven, but ithas been discovered that
the Secretary did not pursue the usual
method of handling these funds but
deposited them with the Treasurer of
the United States where they are sub
ject to his personal check and that he
detailed the auditing of the accounts
to the General Land Office. a subordl'
nate bureau of his department which,
it is claimed by Treasury Department
officials. is in clear violation of the
law. 1t is further claimed that while
the disbursements made from this fund
have been audited by the Land Office
| the receipts have not been audited al
, all and the appearances are that thu
Secretary has permitted a persona
! antipathy to the Auditor for the In
. terror Department to seriously infiu
ence his judgment and to lead him in
to violating of the law.
The president has ordered as inquir!
: and the Secretary has, at the sugges
, ton of Mr.. Roosevelt, requested 6
, man who is in no way connected with
the Interior Department to undertake
a thorough investigation, but so ardu
GUS and thankleSs, does the undertak
: ing promise to be, and 80 difficult is il
: to get along with the irraseible Secreta
. ry, that considerable difficulty is be
, ing experienced in getting the desired
, Investigator to undertake the task
| The acting Attorney General is als'
, trying to secure some one to make {
| special investigation of the employees
, of the Department of Justice who ar
, charged with malfeasance, but thu
l far has been unsuccessful.
There is the greatest relief in officia
3 circles in Washington over the new
that Vice Consul W. G. Magelssen a
> Beirut, Syria, has not been murdere'
| but merely fired at. the shots failing
: to take effect When the news was frs
= received that Magelssen, had bee
!, shot, the President ordered the Eu
r ropean squadron to Turkish water
e and that order will not be revoked a
J.. it is deemed essential to the safety Q
e the American citizens in Turkey tina
t there take place a demonstration Q
. naval force in the vicinity. The Eu
t ropeap squadron, which is under tn
t command of Admiral Cotton, consist
8 of the protected cruiser Brooklyn whic
0 carries crew of SIT officers and men
8 the protected cruiser San Franscio
which carries crew of 1888 officers AM
men. and the gunboat Machias, whicI
carries ISL officers and men. It
the belief of the President and Secre
tary Hay that the presence of tn
: American fleet will act as moral de
: terrent against the violance of fanatic
toward the Americans, and will i'm
> press on the Sultan the necessity O
protecting American citizens.
The President has executed what i
regarded as a verv clever coup in deal
: ing with union labor in the Govern
ment Printing Office. He has instruct
ed Public Printer Palmer to admins
ter to every employee the oath of allegi
ance, always exacted from employee,
of the Government other than labor
ers. When the bOokbinders first talk
ed of going on strike because of the
reinstatement in the Government bind
cry, Of their expelled member, Will
liam Miller, it was announced that I'm.
der the law any man who had taken
the oath of Office and then conspied by
striking would never be able to get bis
place back. Then it was discovered
that the printers. binders, ETC., had
never taken any oath. The decision in
the Miller case is still being delayed
and meanwhile the employees of the Of
flee are being sworn in, so that it is
believed that the President has found