The Press., 1903-08-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
washington. August "a. 190

L
commission, or commissioner, to in
vestigate the alleged frauds perpe-
trated on the five civilized tribes OF
Indians in connection with the allot-
ment in severality of the lands in the
Indian territory, which they have
heretofore held in tribal ownership,
the attention of the president having
been called to the scandal by public
letter of the Indian Rights association.
In this letter it is alleged that several
members of the Dawes commission,
charged with the allotment of the
lands, are stockholders and directors
of companies and syndicates which
are making large profits dealing in
Indian lands, and at the expense of
the. Indians to whom the desirability
of ready cash, even in small amounts,
far outweighs all considerations of
actual or potential value.
When the attention of the secretary
of the interior was called to the open
letter of the Indian Rights association,
he pointed out that most of the per-
SONS said to be associated with the
companies in question were without
his jurisdiction. In the case of Guy
P. Cobb, formerly internal revenue
inspector of the Indian Territory, the
secretary said Cobb had consulted him
with regard to the compatibility of
retaining his federal Office after be-
coming director Of an Indian Terri
tory investment company, and the sec
retary had advised him of the neces-
sity of handing in his resignation,
which Cobb promptly did. The Sec
retary further called to the attention
of the department of justice, some
months ago, the fact that District At
torney P. l.. Soper, whose duties re-
quire him to protect the rights of the
Indians, was associated with various
land syndicates. So far as can be
learned, the department of justice took
no action in the matter. In so far as
members of the Dawes commission are
concerned the secretary of the interi-
or can do nothing, as they are respon-
sible only to congress and to the pres
ident, whose appointees they are. In
this connection, however, it is inter
esting to know that Secreatry Hitch
cock, during former administration,
called the attention of the delicacy of
the position occupied by Tams Bixby,
chairman of the Dawes commission,
because of his association with inter
ests inimical to those of the Indians.
No action was taken in the prem
ises, however.
xn attempt to bes1nirch the repu-
tation of the secretary of the interior,
made by prominent New York jour
nal, your correspondent is in posi-
tion to pronounce entirely unwarrant-
ed by the facts. After careful ex-
animation of extensive documentary
evidence on record in the department
of the interior, it is evident that, in
the first place, no fraud is charged by
the mayor of Lawton, and, in the Sec
ond place, the delay in furnishing to
Lawton and other towns in Oklahoma
the improvements of which they
doubtless stand sorely in need was
due to the unscrupulous methods of
the men who bid on the construction
of these improvements, and the de-
termination of the secretary that the
improvements, the construction of
which had been delegated to his de-
partment, shall be of permanent and
creditable character.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson has
just made public an important and
instrutive interview, in which he sets
forth the injury now being done to
the cotton industry by the gamblers
in that staple. The secretary points
to the fact that the producer of cotton
is in no way benefited by the prevail
ing abnormally high prices, for the
increase in price has all occurred since
the cotton left the producers hands.
He shows the injury done to the man
ufacturers who are unable to operate
their mills because raw cotton is too
expensive to permit of economical man
ufacture. Incidentally there is, also,
great suffering among the mill oper-
atives who are thus thrown out of
employment. A further and possibly
more. serious result is the impetus
being given to foreign cotton produc-
tion by the high price in the United
States. British manufacturers, deter
mined to free themselves from the
power of the American speculators,
are affording every encouragement to
the producers in Asia and Africa, and
the result may prove disastrous to
the industry in this country for many
years to come. According to the sec
retary, the only persons to profit by
the present high prices are the COM
paratively few speculators who have
cornered the market.
A report recently circulated, to the
effect that the president had ordered
a thorough investigation of the rela-
tions of all government employees with
labor unions, with view to ascer-
tanning if in any instance non-union
labor was Disseminated against,
turns out to be without foundation.
It appears that, following his ulti-
matum in regard to the William Mil
Ter case, the president caused to be
made thorough investigation of the
methods in the government printing
Office, and in making their inquiry the
charged with this investi-
cation asked the heads of all executive
certain questions relating
to their experiences with organized
labor. Aside from this incident of
the printing Office inquiry, the alleged
Investigation has no foundation. The
Investigation of the printing office is |
now completed, and Secretary Cortel- |