East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-05-31
GIVE REASON FOR
AGENTS REMOVAL
CHARGE M'FATRIDGE WITH
ACT OF INSTRUMENTATION
Letter From Acting Commissioner of
Indian Affairs VALENTINO Received
by Local Business Men--Says One
of Rules of Department was Broken
Dispatch TO Portland Paper Re-
views situation I'm Full.

According to a letter from Acting
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs Valen-
tine, reviewed by the local business
men and now in the hands of James
Gwinn, secretary of the credit mems
association, Major A. e. McFatridge
was removed from his position as
agent of the Umatilla reservation for
an act of insubordination pure and
simple. The friction at the Indian
school and the filing of charges and
counter charges had nothing what
ever to do with the final action. 1t
was case of breaking one of the rules
of the department and in deliberately
violating orders which he had re-
ceived.
The following dispatch from Wash
ington to the Portland Oregonian also
sheds much light upon the final events
which led to the removal of the agent:
During the past six months there
was much friction between the en-
ployes of the Umatilla School on the
one hand and Major McFatridge and
his wife on the other The agent was
strict in his handling of school mat
ters, and the school employees consid-
cred him unnecessarily severe and
exacting. Discomfort, kept alive by
personal antagonisms, continued to
grow until charges of a more or less
serious nature were filed with the In
dian office. The school employees pre-
ferred charges against Major McFat-
ridge and complaints against his wife.
and the agent in turn preferred very
similar charges against the employees.
There grew up an utter lack of har-
mony.
When these charges assumed SER
ious nature an inspecting officer of
the Indian Service was sent to Pendle-
ton to ascertain just what was the
trouble, and to locate the blame. He
made his report several months ago,
and in this report found responsibility
on both sides. The more serious
charges were found TO be well groun-
ded; there was no evidence that Ma
jor McFatridge was guilty of miscon-
duct, nor was there any more evil
dence that any of the employees ac-
cused by him were guilty. There was,
however, ample evidence of discord,
and it was the opinion of the inspect
ing officer that part of the RESPONSE
bility for this discord was properly
attributed to Major McFatridge. His
method of dealing with school employ
es was not in accordance with Gus
toms countenanced by the Depart
ment.
Told Not to 'KnOck" Employees.
When the report of the inspector
was received by the Indian office, Ma
jor McFatridge was summoned to
and was orally repriman-
ded for such of his conduct as did not
meet with Departmental sanction.
The history of the trouble was then
reviewed at length, and when the
agent convinced the Office that trouble
would likely break out anew, it was
decided to transfer from Umatilla, all
save one of the subordinate employees,
this one having given no trouble. Mr..
Valentine told Major McFatridge that
he would give him a new slate and
hoped that with a new corps, to be
chosen gradually, he would have no
further friction.
1t was evident from the manner in
which Major McFatridge talked when
here. that he felt bitterly toward some
of his employees. and, because Of this
fact and because of the absence of
proof of the charges brought by him,
the agent was instructed orally and in
writing that none of the transferred
employees should be followed by let
ters or other evidences that their new
which would preju-
dice their new superiors against them.
In other words, regardless of the per-
sonal beliefs and inclinations, Major
was told that he must do
that would tend to discredit
any of his former employees; they
should be permitted to enter their new
duties with clean states and under no
whatever.
Writes "knocking" Letter.
Major McFatridge made that mis-
take so common to men in public life
he wrote a letter-a personal and
letter; one of the burn
It" kind, and of course the letter turn
ed up. Soon after he returned to
Umatilla from Washington Major Nc
received from Washington
etters from the Indian Commissioner
20 each of the employees slated for
and he was instructed to
urn over these letters to the respec-
i've persons. From those letters he |
earned where the various employees |
we're to go. There was one employe |
against whom Major McFatridge was |