The Washington herald., 1911-08-04

| charges against me, you have COM
pletely shifted your ground; have re-
fused to decide the questions before you
which II was your duty to decide, and
for the purpose of which decision the
meeting was had; and you have instead
condemned me to dismissal from the
service in disgrace. on the ground of a
matter Of mere formal Wopriety at most,
of which 1 had had no prior notice: OF
which no evidence can be alleged to
have existed prior to that time, and
which is in fact untrue.
An Unjust Decision.
Your whole decision Is not only unjust
and unsupported by the record in the
case, but 1t is in every essential par
ticular a direct evasion Of the issues.
This I am ready to prove before any
fair tribunal; and, moreover, I will give
bond to cover the costs Of such pro-
ceeding, as we'll as all its consequences,
in case ] fail
Now. as to the charges against r. g.
valentine, Commissioner of Indian Az
fairs, the making of which in the man.
'ner in which did make them Is evidently
the chief II not the only reason for my
dismissal from the position of goven-
eral superintendent Of logging in the
| Indian Service after twelve years OF
faithful and honorable service in that
position, during which, as the records
Of your department show, I have saved
to the government and to the Indians
several million dollars: What are those
charges? The records of your office
show that they are as follows:
Charged Valentine with Fnlsehood
First. I charged him with willful
falsehood. It was necessary to do SO
because not only were his charges
against me themselves false. but in or
der to show the true facts in connection
with them I had to bring out the fact
that he had previously been guilty OF
falsehood in other matters OF essential
Importance. therefore took the re-
sponsibility Of directly charging him
with falsehood. and gave complete spec.
ifications covering the matters neces.
sarily involved in answering his charges
against me. Moreover. in my answer
which I submitted under oath, I pre-
sented clear proof OF the truth OF this
charge in the cases specified.
Next, 1 charged that he had secretly
and maliciously instigated charges
against me more than two years ago
and that he had concealed those charges
when made. and neglected and refused
to act upon them officially: and that he
had improperly concealed other official
|
that connection. This charge also wa:
made as a matter of necessity in my
| own defense. for the reason that some
| Of his present charges against me were
based upon the assumption that these ole
| charges had been made in good faith
if not actually founded in fact. All the
essential facts Of this matter were pre-
sented to you in specific detail ir
my sworn answer and in the documents
Of which I submitted copies. to which
gave clear reference in the files OF your
| department. and which contain clear
and conclusive proof OF the facts a.
stated by me.
Promoted Personal Aims.
I further charged that he had sought
to promote his own personal aims with
out regard to the public interest, and
even in direct opposition thereto. and
that he had not only used the authority
and influence Of his official position, bu,
also caused the expenditure of large
amounts Of government funds in sc
| doing.
This charge is Of the highest public
| concern, for It is essentially q charge OF
| the most insidious form OF corruption;
not the mere diversion of public funds
directly to private use with which
criminal statutes are able to deaD, but
4
| itself to private and personal ends and
uses, from which protection can be had
only through the high sense of public
| duty and the honest and Intelligent vgi-
lance Of public officers charged with the
! highest public trust. Many specifications
can be cited under this charge. and when
there is proper opportunity afforded me
to prove them, I shall specify other in
stances in addition to those contained in
| he 10 dv hof
Did Not Receive Attention.
These charges. and some others Of per-
haps minor importance were more fully
and clearly stated in my formal sworn
statements, submitted to you under date
Of May 1s, than It is possible to set them
forth in this letter. But they appear to
have received no attention or consider
alton from you whatever. Up to July "a
| forward my sworn statements contain
| ing them promptly TO the Indian Office
| But that you did not in that connection
ask for any answer to them, seems ap-
parent from tho following reference tc
| them In Second Assistant Commissioner
Haukes letter of July 8:
Your especial attention is directed tc
| language in Mr.. Farr's letter OF May
| 49, 1911, and his sworn statement No.
imputing improper motives to the COM
missioner and directly charging the lat
ter with false and malicious statements
This language throws a food Of light
upon the character of Mr.. Farr. The
retention Of a subordinate exhibiting the
| animus toward the commissioner which
is here disclosed would be intolerably
subversiye of discipline In the Indian
Service
This letter of Mr.. Hauke's is. so far
as am informed, the only reply which
has ever been made by Mr.. Valentine
or on his behalf, to my sworn state
ments. and the language above quoted
body other than myself to the charges
which I made against Mr.. Valentine
which the record to which I have ac-
cess disclosed to have been made prior
to the conference in your Office or
July a.
Made In Good Faith.
In my letter to you Of May %. in reply
to your letter. dated May 1s. said:
LAS part Of my defense It has beer
necessary for me to include certain
charges against Commissioner Valentine
have made those charges in good faith
not only In my own defense. but also in
the public interest, with full conscious
ness Of their gravity and Of the conse.
ouent fact that, they being officially OF
| record. II they are shown to be true
Mr.. Valentine cannot consistently be re-
tanned in the position OF Commissions.
OF Indian Affairs. I am also fully aware
that should fail, upon opportunity duly
given me, to prove the charges which
have made, It would be your duty &c
summarily dismiss me from the public
| service.
4 a.