The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-11-22
MILLIONS HANDLED
BY INDIAN OFFICE
Hundreds Of Employes-some De-
tails of Indian Business in
Muskogee.

Muskogee, Okla Nov. 22.-In the
Metropolitan building, an imposing
structure of seven stories, on the
northwest corner of Okmulgee ave-
nue. and Fourth street in this city,
owned by Revel and Spaujenbey. is
preserved the full history of the east
ern half of Oklahoma, formerly In
dian Territory, and of the 100000 In
dams of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Sem
mole, Cherokee and Creek Tribes of
Indians, 10 whom the land of former
Indian Territory was given by the
United States. And within these walls
transacted daily more business than,
probably, in any other building the
same size in the United States. In
deed, the Union Agency at Muskogee,
Oklahoma, is more than ten times
larger than any Indian Agency in the
world, and the. work of administering
to the red man as conducted by the
Commissioner to the Five Tribes and
the United States Indian Superintend-
ent requires a force, including field
men, of more than four hundred per-
sons, each one, it may be said, train
ed to his particular branch of the
work.
The mailing department of the In
itself and approximately two thousand
letters are received and answered
daily. Each of these letters must be
read by persons familiar with every
branch of the work in order that they
may be delivered to the division that
has charge of the matters mentioned
therein and it be given attention with
out any delay. Especially is this of
importance regarding letters contain
ing money for remittances Of every
description must be properly entered,
deposited to the account for which it
is intended and the books balanced at
the close of each days business.
The banking department of the In
dian service is one of the most impor-
tant and responsible of any of the
branches. The magnitude of this de-
partment can in a way be estimated
when one considers that more money
passes through the clearing house of
the Indian superintendent and the
commissioner to the Five Tribes each
day than through the banking clear
ing houses of many cities or course
a large amount of this money is shift
ed from one account to another in or
der to keep below the bonded amount
of the despositories, but the amount
actually received and disbursed each
day is surprising More than ten mil
lion dollars were received and dis
bursed at this agency the last year,
and it is needless to say that the Mus
kogee merchants received their share.
Another matter that is not generally
understood or realized, even by the
people who live here, is the manner
in which this money is handled. Ap-
proximately one hundred banks in the |
eastern half of Oklahoma are bonded
to the United States government in
sums ranging from ten thousand to
one hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars. These are termed government
repositories and money derived from
the sale of allotted and unallotted
lands, royalties on coal, asphalt, oil,
gas, etc, are deposited in these to the
credit Of the tribes or individual In
dians.
When one considers the above facts
and that two men are wholly responsi-
BILE and have the entire burden of this
immense banking system on their
shoulders, the Importance of this
agency can somewhat be determined.
Mr.. George N. Wise, special disbursing
officer for the Commissioner to the
Five Tribes and the United States In
dian Inspector, and Mr. Richard Kes-
sci, cashier and special disbursing
agent for the Union Indian agency,
are the men who engineer the banking
system of the Indian department and
the pressure under which these men
work would sen dthe average bank
examiner to an early grave. Mr.. Kes-
sci is the heaviest bonded disbursing
agent in the world. it is said his pres
ent bond to the United States govern
ment being something over three mil
lion dollars.
OF the 100000 Indians who are al i
lottees of the Five Tribes, approx L
mately $4,000 are still in the restricted h
is, all matters pertaining
to their lands and monies is handled
through the Indian Office here, and, as