The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-07
REIGN OF CRAFT
IN INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cato Sells, New Commissioner, Says
That Now Is the Time to
End IL.
LBy Burton K. Standish. written for
the United Press.


the United Press
WASHINGTON, Dec THE reign
of graft in Indian affairs must end
That is the edict of Cato Sells, o. s.
commissioner of Indian affairs, bust
ness man, lawyer, banker, public Of
fice-holder, and above all red-blood.
ed, two-fisted fighting man.
Ruling over the affairs OF fast
dying people, who own 100000 900
worth of the richest grazing, oil, min
eral land of the west, Sells has de-
termined that the Indians shall no
longer be the prey of vast group
In whom the spirit Of graft was ram
pant-''carrion," he calls them.
The heartless grasping OF "attor-
nays" and guardians" administering
the estates of Indian children called
most strikingly to Sells attention the
need OF reform, and quick one.
While white children's estates are or
dinarily settled at cost of only three
per cent, the average price on Indian
children's estates has been 20 per
cent. These children are the richest
average children in the country; their
properties often are $4,000; and fire.
quently this entire amount has been
1 grated by the INSCRIPTIONS
II am going to put a few OF these
men in the penitentiAry as an object
lesson" Sells declared today. 'ant
I'll see that some more go If there Il
continuance Of this ruthless raidins
of Indians"
. He feels that Oklahoma has hat
graft stamped into its very nature
Now he Is working toward a com
) plete reorganization of the Indian af
fairs system, SO that the 100000 In
; dians may have fair treatment sc
that til cir landslide only grazins
lands-shall yield more cattle, ant
! more returns.
New leases OF Indian lands to cattl'
kings, oil operators and miners vii
be at new figures. No more will TIL
rich fields of the Osages GO at SO al
! acre; hereafter they will oomman'
Y $50 or more. This is only part of tn
I ambitious program of this man VIII
4 directs holdings vaster than the stee
, corporations. His is constructiv
!, idea.
n The detective cattle and sheep c
d the western ranges, owned by II
n dams, are being wiped out and RI
p placed by sturdier strains unde
$ Sells direction. He is opsning Il
these lands to profitable investmer
y instead Of to grafters.
1t He is seeking to upbuild tn
r strength and education Of the remain
It ing Indians. Thirty-four industri'
y schools for indian children are no
q under his care, and there are like
e to be more before his regime fs en-
" ed Irrigation lands, too, are openir
u rapidly. Many OF the Indians al
having their opportunity to cultiva
20 these places, but heretofore they ha'
ID been sent in without proper equt
V ment. Sells proposes that this sy
&C tenn shall end, and that the 1ndial
ar shall have the same opportunity tn
M the white men have.
,e The job of Indian commissions
as with him, is a business propositio
r. He answered an altruist'c call Wilt
v he took the proposition, for he HI
n rstired' from active business, and h
planned to settle down In Texas, t
st state he had lived in ever since
as left Iowa after g brilliant career
mr. a United States attorney.
as Secretary Lane let 1t be known th
on he wanted man of ability. not
he job seeker; man OF red-blood
RS purpose, not weakling. He hea
at of Sells and his fight against p9nsi
Ike grafters in the middle west, AMI
ne found that Sells was indeed regu
re- fighting man, with ability, altFui
N; enthusiasm And that's how tod
ng Secretary Lane has a man On
ire ioih OF Indian affairs fourteen hours
nd cay. and that's why a new era
m dawning in Oklahoma and the OIL
r, Indian states
r,.,..,z