The Rich Hill tribune., 1903-09-03

-f@-t NNNffftt'fti1 - 'AfN Att'N HNNANt"t' y
Of the Peking legislation, has spenl
many years familiarlslng himself
with Oriental condition and has
been Secretary Hays mos, valued
advisor on All eastern questions
and the Secretary Of State will
probably urge Roekhills appoint.
merit to this important diplomatic
post
Within the past week there have
come to light certain facts and nu-
merous allegations affecting the
administration Of affairs 10 Indian
Territory, where the Dawes Com.
mission is engaged in pareeiiing
out something like 40, ooc, 900
acres OF lands 10 the individual
members OF the FIVE civilized tribes
OF Indians, which have given
rise to the report that grave scan
dals are about to be unearthed.
Il is yet too early to say where the
blame lies but that certain officials
have abused the trust reposed in
them seems almost certain. The
charges made implicate subordi-
mates OF both the Department of
Justice and the Department Of the
Interior and as soon as the Presi.
dent learned of them he summon
ed Secretary Hitchcock and Atlor-
ney General Knox to Oyster Bay
and ordered that thorough inves-
tigation be promptly instituted.
AS the charges increased in grav-
ity the President went a step far
ther and instructed that special
commissioners be sent by each Of
the departments involved, and
that the commissioners be chosen
entirely outside of the depart
menss. Secretary Hitchcock and
acting Attorney General McRey-
nolds both assert that no pains
will be spared to root out any evil
practices which may exist and to
bring to justice any officials who
may have been guilty Of malieas-
ance, and in view Of the vigorous
manner in which the Postofiice
scandal has been probed the pub
lie will doubtless have every con-
fdence in these promises.
The gravamen of the charges
against the Indian officials is that
they have associated themselves
with land companies and trust syn
dicates which are seeking to profit
by the sale and leasing Of the Indi-
an lands and that they are giving
such companies the benefit Of their
expert knowledge of affairs in the
Territory. Tams Bixby, chair.
man Of the Dawes Commission, is
charged with being president oI
such a company; United States
Attorney p. L. Soper, with being
vice-president OF another; Govern.
or Mosely of the Chicasaw nation
with being a large stockholder in
another; J. George Wright, an In
dian Inspector and the conhden'
tial advisor of the Secretary of the
Interior with being a director oI
another; {. r. Breckenridge with
beng director Of another, and sc
on.
The widely circulated repor
that the Postmaster General hal
made a new regulation whereby
all baggagemasters on RAILWAY
trains become mail clerks is Who'll
ly erroneous and is believed tc
have been circulated with the in
tent OF creating antagonism be-
tween the administration and the
labor organizations. The facts
are merely that the Postmaster
General is about 10 swear in a.
clerks only the baggage masters OF
trains which now carry mail SC
that they may be empowered TO
hand to newsagents along the lint
packages Of newspapers, so desig
mated, with a view to saving thu
time required TO send papers to the
postofiee and distribute then
there.
Engineering as a Life Work.