The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-24
SELLS To STOP
EXPLOITATION
Of THE INDIANS
Commissioner Working Out
Plans as the Result of In
vestigations Which Have
Been Conducted.
ESTATES OF MINORS
PREY OF GUARDIANS
Men Appointed Frequently
Abscond; Bondsmen Found
Bankrupt; Remedy of All
Abuses Is Promised.
BY international News Service.


WASHINGTON, Dee. 2S.-Exploita.
ton of the American Indians and their
5000, 900 of property is about to bo
checked through series Of plans now
being worked ont by Commissioner Of
Indian Affairs Cato Sells. Investiga.
tion Of the various Indian tribes and
reservations has been quietly going on
for several months, with the result that
in addition TO the commonly known
forms of abuse, many other schemes Of
exploitation are being uncovered,
Included within the $900,000,000 Of
property owned by the Indians are q
100000 acres Of producing oil lands,
$10o,0o0,00o of stumpage and timber
lands, $25,000,000 worth of livestock
and the greatest area of coal lands in
the United States. This enormous
property has been for years the lode
stone of the defrauder and exploiter
LOOting of Estates.
One OF the first evils at which Com
missioner Sells will strike is the loot
ing of the estates Of Indian minors in
eastern Oklahoma. Under the govern
ment grants to the FIVE tribes these In
dian children are the wealthiest in the
protection.
Investigations conducted by the In
dian bureau have disclosed that there
have been from eight to fifteen hundred
guardianship estates in each of the
forty counties Of eastern Oklahoma, s5
per cent of these estates being those
Of Indian minors. While the average
cost of administering the estates of
white minors has been three per cent
of the total values of the property, the
average cost to Indian children has
been 90 per cent Of the estates.
Reckless Appointments.
This condition, the investigation dis
closes, has been brought about through
the appointment of guardians without
regard for their qualifications and the
acceptance of bondsmen without invcs-
tigatiou of their solvency In some
eases it has been found that lands of
the minors have been sold on APP
praisements made by appraisers named
by the purchasers.
The records of the estates show that
annual reports OF the guardians are sell
dom made and the final reports frequent
ly show that large estates have been
dissipated in whole or In great part
Guardians have frequently absconded,
leaving the minor Indians to seek relief
from insolvent bondsmen. Large fees to
guardians and attorneys help TO dwindle
the estates.
According TO Commissioner Sells, the
county judges are not wholly responsible
for the scandalous conditions. Some OF
them, he declares. have been more or
less passive under the abuses. while 9TH
ers have been guilty Of active co-opera =
ton with those who looted under gmso
of the law.
During the first week OF January Com
missioner Sells will hold conference al
MusIogee. Okla, with the county judges,
tribal attorneys field clerks and a dozen
4
under the recent act OF congress and. who
will devote their entire time to the safe
qua riding of the estates OF the Indians
1t is expected that the conference will
result in the working out OF a system
through which the estates OF Indian MI
nors will be treated as economically as
| those of whites. The cooperation of the
county judges will be asked and plans
| Will be laid TO deal summarily with those
| who do not fall In with the square deal
| plans for the Indians.
Prior TO going TO Muskogee. Commits
sioner Sells will hold conference al
| Denver on December 30-3l with about
| thirty special officers engaged in sup
pressing the liquor traffic with the In
dams. 1t is realized that this traffic Is
| at the root OF many other abuses and q
| determined effort il to be made to stamI
| 1t out. A fund OF 100000 is avaiia BILE
for this purpose.
Superintendent Discharged.
| Drastic punishment has just been
| meted out TO II. II. Johnson, for many
years superintendent OF the Cushma r
| Indian school of Tacoma, Wash. John.
| son was accused OF undue familiarity
with female Indian pupils. After an in
| vestigation II was found that he was not
| guilty OF any criminal olfense. but that
| his conduct was indefeusible from a mora
| standpoint and he was promptly dis
| missed from the service Abuses In
| wrestling oil. timber and other rights from
| the Indians are under iuvestiga tion and
| action TO correct the exploiting will be