The Washington herald., 1911-08-23
VALENTINE SILENT
ON FARR CHARGES
Commissioner of Indian Al
fairs Declines to Talk.
sQUABBLEs CAUSED sHAKE-UP
No Time Spent In Considering
Charges Filed with the Secre-
swers Made to Published Letters
to James A. Carroll.

Concerning the charges filed by Joseph
r. Farr with the Secretary OF the In
terror and with the Congressional Com
mittees on Indian Affairs against Robert
G. Valentine, Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, Mr.. Valentine said yesterday aft
noon that he had not spent five minutes
brain work on the charges preferred
against him, and stated that, ss the mat
ter was now before three courts, II was
not up to him to say anything. When
asked whether or not he had made any
answer to the charges filed with the Sec
retary, he declined to answer.
He refused to make any statement con-
cerning Fairs charges of falsehood and
fraud in connection with Lac du Flam-
beau timber contracts.
Mr.. Valentines attention was directed
to the three letters written by him to
James A. Carroll in October, 1909, as
set out in Fairs libel suit and hereto
fore printed in full in The Washington
Herald, and he was asked to state what
were the big jobs ahead of him to
which he referred in one of these letters.
He also declined to state how Farr's be-
ing out of the service would have helped
in connection with those big jobs, or
why he had not rid himself Of Farr at
that time.
His attention was called to his letter
of October IT, 1909, to Carroll. in which
he said, please do not think 1 am
monomaniac on Farr." He was asked
what, in fact, was his real attitude to-
ward Farr. He declined to reply.
Concerning Mr.. Fairs statement that
1 was after his scalp and did not like
him as a man, 1 will say that he ad-
mitted he could not work compatibly
with me, and that one Of US would have
to get out" he replied.
Farr and Valentine Unfriendly.
Assistant secretary Adams, who is in
charge of the department during Sec
retary Fishers absence, said Farr was
removed from office because of disobe-
dience and because both Farr and his
attorney admitted that Valentine and
Farr were not compatible.
He said: "Farr has filed charges
against Valentine, which are now pend
ing investigation-when, 1 cannot say,
until Mr.. Fisher returns, or I have OPP
portunity to peruse them. The charges
claim that Valentine used Farr spitefully,
and that Farr did not get fair deal. l
cannot say what action will be taken by
the department in regard to the charges,
but they are not regarded as serious"
The attention of Mr.. Adams was called
to the letters written by Valentine to
Carroll in October, 1909, in which Valen-
tine warned Carroll against Farr, al
though recognizing his great ability in
many lines. He told Carroll to use lots
of salt in dealing with him, saying that
he had himself too deep an acquaintance
with Farr to care to rest any action
upon his testimony or advice alone, and
that he would feel that the Indian
Service would be gamers If Farr were
out of the service, and that conditions
would be benefited by getting another
man, even one not quite so expert IN
Fairs place because it would create a
better feeling all around in connection
with certain big jobs ahead of him.
When asked why Farr had been retained
in the service subsequent to the writing
of these letters, in view of the opinion
of him which the Indian Commissioner
expressed in them, Mr.. Adams replied
that ii was because the Commissioner
wished to give Farr another chance to
redeem himself. He declined, however, to
make any statement as to what were
the big jobs referred to by Valentine
in one of those letersi to carroii' an9
whether or not those big jobs had
any bearing upon Farr's removal from
Office on July 25 1911 He concluded by
saying, The attitude of the department
toward Valentine can be summed up py
saving that 1t sustains in all respects
Fairs dismissal from the service.
Mr.. Farr's Comment.
Regarding these statements, Mr.. Farr
said last night that he (Mr. Valentine)
was apparently using his brain to see
how to gain delay, inasmuch as nothing
had been done in the Interior Department
with the charges he had filed, nor had
Mr.. Valentine made any answer to the
suit for libel and slander filed in court !
There had also been delay in securing |
by Congress; but, said MI |
Farr eventually there would be hearing |
of the case in one of these three courts /
Mr.. Farr admitted that his official presence |
was not compatible to Mr.. Valentine, |
and quoted his sworn charges and his let |
tiers to Secretary Fisher to the effect |
that either Mr.. Valentine or he could not
be retained in the service. Il now stand |
ready" said Mr.. Farr, ito prove every |
one Of my charges, and 1 challenge the
Commissioner and the Secretary of the
Interior to afford me an opportunity Of
so doing"
Mr.. Farr expressed surprise that Mr..
Adams should say the charges were not
serious, when they included specific In
stances of deception, fraud. falsehood.
abuse of official position, and misuse OF
official authority to expend public funds.
Mr.. Farr denied that he was removed
fro,,, oA6oa hecause of disobedfence. He