The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-07
GRAFT" IN THEI. I.
The Department Of Justice Investi-
gators Unearth Plenty
Of It..
How Booze Gets to the Indians.
Tribesmen Who Hold Too
Much Land. .
Correspondence of The Journal.

Z !
Correspondence of The Journal. -,
Muskogee, I. t., Oct. 1.-THE in
spectors sent here by the department
of justice will report plenty of graft
Ing" in the Indian territory. Three
inspectors were sent out, and after
nearly a months work they We're not
thru. Inspector Taylor returned to
Washington few days ago. presum-
ably to make a verbal report to the at
torney general, but Inspectors Chal-
mers and Oschenreiter are still on the
ground.
The department of justice investiga-
ton has nothing to do with anything
but federal officials. It does not
touch the work of the Dawes COM
mission. or Of the Indian inspector,
or the Indian agent. 1t does not go
into the subject Of leases, Of excess
sive holdings which figure in the
charges brought by Mr.. Brosius of
the Indian Rights association. Nor
has it inquired into trust companies
matters are uninVestigated, except Tor
the activities Of the representative of
the Indian Rights association.
The department of justice has in
vestigated the legal machinery In the
four federal districts into which the
territory Is divided. Its inquiry has
included the offices OF the United
States rnarshals, the United States
commissioners, and the clerks and
deputies employed by them. =
In general there has been plenty of
evidence to support the charges of
grating and corruption. The in
spectors found that the deputy mar
shals in numerous instances were do
Ing business with their hands out be-
hind them for petty brides. Four
deputies were summarily discharged.
These deputies were located at Ok
mulgee, sapulpa and Holdenville.
Shortly after the. investigation
opened the assistant United States dis
trict attorney for the western district,
Joseph Mccoy has been counsel
ton. Mr.. Mccoy has been counsel
for the Canadian Valley Trust COM
pany, of which Tams Bixby is presi-
dent. The department refused to &C
cept Mr.. McCoy's resignation, and
he Is now in state of suspension
UP. 1870 .". -.
The Booze Graft.
One of the first things discovered by
the inspectors was that thriving
liquor trade was being carried on,
and that those who were selling it,
many of them being druggists, were
paying certain parties for exemption
siderable, work has been done on
this branch of the inquiry, and
one of the incidents is the arrest Of
an attorney named Thompson,
charged with conspiracy to violate
the federal statutes against the sale
of Intoxicating liquors. In a majority
of these cases the inspectors found
parties acting as go-betweens, pur-
porting to be in position to 'inf1u-
ence the federal commissioner. The
sums collected by these go-betweens
ranged all the way from SIS a
such practices have been matters Of
common notoriety, and it is probable
chat one or more of the commits
sioners will lose their heads when
Washington; takes action on the in
spectors' reports. .. =
Various Kinds of Joints.
There are various ways in which the
governments embargo on liquor traffic
in the Indian Territory is evaded One
of the simplest is the private jug
In the house of a friend. Then
there is the "boot-leg man. who
carries 1t about on his person; he has
his customers who know him, and
patronlze his wares in out-of-the-
way Railways and corners. But the
largest trade is done by the drug
stores. II the customer Is known he
steps behind the prescription counter,
and takes his medicine without any
great effort at concealment.
Excessive Land Holdings.
One of the charges made by Mr..
Brosius, and one that reflects indi-
rectly on the United States district
attorney Tor the western district, is
that relative to excessive land hold
lngs. Mr.. -Brosius charges that the
authorities have been guilty Of inex-
cusable neglect in not enforcing, the
act OF congress imposing a penalty
OF $ioo a day on Indians who neglect
- obey tne act which requires then,
TO surrender all lands held by then
except such as they would be en-.
Titled to as allottees, under the Dawes
commission allotment.
Inc district attorney and the mem.
bers OF the Dawes commission ex.
as follows: 1 ~
After the law was passed the conon,;s
sion sent surveying parties into the f1el,
ana iocated and measured g. number -
the excessive holdings, gathering ali m
data IN regard to them that was needle,
70 epesln; prosecutions. This was turne,
over TO the prosecuting officer of ia
government and the latter began ~
preparation of his cases ,iAu at onns
however, everybody came up against III
snas; the law provided that the holdirn,
should be cut down to average" holdino; %
meaning the average amount to whit,
each indian would be entitled when a
the lands had been allotted. But tn
lands We're not yet all allotted, SO M ~
could ten exactly what an average hold
ing would be. Hence nobody con1d 90.
posltlVely that anybodys holdings wer
excessive Hence what's the use Of f.,
lowing up the prosecutions? =
And that's where it has rested eve
A.. since. eoteo eve
It Is matter of surprise, even r
those who are going to be investieat :. !
that the real investigation into india
I Lerrl1 s scandals has not 'begu
ground 1t certainly seems q pity ~ :
It mas not: Every day that goes h
Will make the evidence harder r. .nr -
cure. There is not particle Of dauf