Evening star., 1903-08-17
INDIAN LAND. SCANDAL
An Investigation Being Made
by Interior Department.
NOBLE RED MAN ROBBED
REPORT OF AGENT BROSIUS OF
INDIAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION.
Secretary Hitchcock's Visit to the West
Last Spring to Investi-
/ gate Charges.

II gate Charges.
The President, the Secretary of the In
terror, the Attorney General and the edi-
tors Of the leading daily newspapers in the
east have received, during the past forty
eight hours. copies OF a report or letter.
| written by Mr.. 8. NJ. Brosius. the Wash
ington agent Of the Indian Rights Associa-
| ton. to Mr. Philip c. Garrett OF Philadel-
phia. president of the Indian Rights Asso-
citation. in which charges of most formid-
| able character are made against the ad-
| ministration Of the affairs of the Indians in
the Indian territory. The charges are ap-
| parently made out clearly and pOintedly.
The names of the persons involved include
| some of the high officials of the territory
and of the government sent to the territory
| to administer the laws enacted by Congress
| for the benefit of the Indians. Coming at
this time, the charges have brought to light
| the fact that for months past the Depart
ment of the Interior. in conjunction with
| the Department Of Justice, has had under
investigation the affairs of Indian territory,
and that the charges presented by Mr..
! Brosus. under the SuppositiOn that he was
giving information to the government, have
been known to the department for many
| months. and are the basis of the investiga-
Secretary Hitchcock and his assistants, al
though the investigation has been conduct
ed as quietly as possible.
An Investigation On.
The fact that there is an investigation on
hand and that 1t has been going on for
several months past explains, in a measure,
Secretary Hitchcock's extended visit last
spring to Indian territory and to other por-
| tions of the country where Indians are held
on reservations. The first inkling of any
scandal connected with the administration
of the Indian lands allotment, etc. came
to the department officials last spring, and
the charges were sd grave, 1t Is said, that
Secretary Hitchcock determined to make
personal investigation. -
With this purpose in mind he left this
city for the west. accompanied by his pri-
vate secretary, Mr. Scott Smith. Mr.. Hitch
cock visited Indian territory, Oklahoma.
New Mexico, Arizona and other portions
OF the west and made very minute in
quiry as to the charges that had come to
his ears. Before departing for the west.
! however Secretary Hitchcock and the
President had several conferences In which
cussed. The President expressed his approval
of the determination of the Secretary to
make personal inquiry and requested Mr..
Hitchcock to keep him advised of the prog
ress of affairs. This Mr.. Hitchcock has
done, and 1t is said that the investigation
is now eliminating into something tangible.
something on which q report can be made.
1t was learned at the Interior Department
this morning that the charges contained In
Mr.. Brosius' report are a part of the mat
ter now under investigation by the depart
ment officials, and Star reporter was told
this morning by a high official of the In
terror Department that not only were the
Brosius charges known to the department
months ago, when the investigation was
started, bat that other ldelinQuencies of as
serious a character had been discovered
through the course of the investigation and
through the visit of Secretary Hitchcock,
and that every one of these charges is be-
ing sifted in the most thorough manner
grave situation exists in Indian terri
tory, it is admitted, and violations of the
laws for the government OF the Indians
and of the public lands have been discov-
cred. The department has kept the PreSi-
dent advised Of the situation as the inves-
tigation has progressed This Is part of
the business which took Secretary Hitch
cock to Sycamore Hill last week. The Sec
retary is not in the city today and will not
return until tomorrow. He has complete
charge of all Of these matters. having del
egated neither of his assistants to take up
the matter.
Charges Made Public.
The Brosius charges contain all that
has so far been made public regard
ing the disclosures that have come to light
during the past two or three months. Mr..
Brosius was sent to the Indian territory
by the association to investigate the ru-
mors that trust companies and other
ganizationS of white men were obtaining
land for ridiculously small SUMS. The
scheme carried out was to lease the lands
from the Indians for a term of five years.
the longest term for which an Indian can
lease his new allotment. These leases are
said to have been made for rentals far be-
low the real value of the land. In addition
to this it Is charged that the companies
then secured contracts for the sale of the
land at the end of the leases. and named
extremely small sums in these contracts
The report accuses a number of promi-
nent men of having interests in the land
companies and Of allowing their names
to be used on the companies literature.
Mr. Brosius' Statement
With regard to the methods of the COM
panies Mr.. Brosuis states:
'These companies have been organized
by the score. and cover every field of the
FIVE tribes open to investment. They are
the chief manipulators in Indian lands,
either in leasing, subleasing and (before
the recent ruling of the Secretary of the
Interior) purchasing of Creek lands These
trust and development companies are the
available avenues for the influential excess
sive holder to retain the use of his lands
in evasion of the law. The companies en-
ploy men we'll equipped for field work;
these foften in collusion with excessive
hoIders) buy out the latters rights. and
usually bring to the land Office of the
Dawes commission ignorant members Of
the tribes and see that they make proper
filing trereon. lease covering five years
for agricultural purposes is executed at
the time in favor of the company, or to
the middle man who operates In their inter-
ests. The Indian who thus files on his al
lotment usually pays for the improvements
by turning over the rents and profits Of
the land to the trust company, so that dur
ing the term of the lease the allottee re-
ceives but little or no benefit from the
lands: while the excessive holder has in
turn retained possession for another five
years Others well versed in tho mode
of securing Indians for the purpose of filing
bring them in from remote districts and
turn them over to the companies for the
best figure obtainable. according to the
demand and the shrewdness of the naanipu-
latOrS.
The Trust Companies.
1.-The interests of the trust companies
being antagonistic to those of the Indian
in many ways. 1t will be interesting to
know Of their organization. their promoters
fba of hoir