Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-09-10
MORE SCANDALS.
Republican Land Commission In In
dian Territory Doing h
Strenuous.

The scandals in the interior depart
ment have led to the arrest of Benja-
min H. Colbert, United States marshal
for the Indian Territory. Benjamin
was a member of that immortal squad,
the Rough Riders, and was the orderly
that attended the strenuous move
ments of Col. Roosevelt. The name of
Colbert would possibly never have been
otherwise enrolled on the scroll of
fame If Col. Roosevelt had not acct
dentally been promoted to be president
of the United States. The president
has an enormous patronage to dis
tribute and as the politicians dictate
to him nearly all the appointments in
the states, and as most CT the ap-
pointees are VIGOROUSLY unfit and
many of them corrupt and incompe-
tent, the president took the bit in his
mouth when it came to making selec-
lions for the territories. He wished
to give the politicians of his party an
example Of the class of men he would
select if he were left untrampled by
the republican wire pullers. To do
this, President Roosevelt had to turn
down Col. John S. Hammer, who was
the United States marshal appointed
by President Mckinley, a Grand Army
man, and Endorsed by all the leading
republicans of the territory for ap-
pointment.
But the personal selection of the
president has turned out to be no bet
ter, if not worse, than those of Sena-
tors Hanna, Quay, Plat and the other
republican spoilsmen, for while the
majority of the appointees of those
worthless have so far succeeded in keep
ing out of the clutches of the law, the
personal a%ppointee of the president is
in limbo charged with many crimes
inc misdemeanors. The New York
Post thus enumerates them:
This official is accused of using his
power for political purposes. Letting
prisoners out of Jail that they might
vote was n of his pleasing pastimes;
lmprisoning Indians for not voting ac-
cording to his wishes, was another"
But the s~trenuousness of Benjamin
is hardly to be wondered at. His edu-
cation in Cuba and the Philippines has
together taught his lily balanced mind
that Indians and PHILIPPINES have no
rights that a white man like Benjamin
is bound to respect, and that laws are
made but to be broken when it suits
the whim or policy of those in au-
thority. He had seen Col. Roosevelt
and others sign a Round Robin" in
Cuba, which transgressed the articles
Of war and would have been followed
by court-martial if the politicians who
were responsible had dared to order an
investigation. Gen. Alger at that time
was on too thin ice to be sure of his
footing, and the "round robin" was
passed over with a reprimand.
Words are good when backed by
deeds and only So" and Benjamin was
trying to carry out this precept of his
benefactor by interpreting it to suit
the strenuous times in Indian Terri
tory. Being evidently in league with
the 'land ring" it was necessary to
carry the election there at all cost.
The bad Indians in Jail he let out to
vote the way he wanted them to. The
good Indians, who were intent on vot-
ing to save their land, which inter-
ferred with the purposes of the land
robbers to steal it, were shut up in
prison to prevent them from voting.
What a distorted view of the Justice
of Uncle Sam the white and red in
habitants of the Indian Territory must
have when the United States marshal,
who is the chief of police of the terri
tory, the friend and personal a%ppointee
of the president, does such deeds as
these.
And the Dawes commission looked
on with their hands folded behind
them, ready to receive their share of
the reward, and they still hold office
by the grace of President Roosevelt.
No wonder the cry goes up from the
Indian Territory: Turn the rascals
out.