The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-03-15
WHEELER SAVES
INDIAN PROBE
Continued from first page)

made.
Finally, on February IS, Senator
Wheeler made a fiery speech in
which he bluntly exposed the eff
fort being made to strangle the bill
and declared that unless it were
speedily reported he would take
the floor and hold it as long as he
could stand on his feet for the
purpose of reading into the-Con-
gressional Record the reports of
the committees Investigators.
I'VE have uncovered facts which
show a shameful situation" SEN
ator Wheeler said, "and if this
investigation is stifed in commit
tee l propose to put all the facts
in the Record so that the Ameri-
can people may know the truth"
Wheeler's Threat Effective
Two days after Senator Wheeler
made this threat, the audit and
expenditures committee reported
the resolution, although the appro-
priation had been cut to SIS, 900.
When the resolution was brought
up in its regular turn on the cal
endar Senator Wheeler made an
other vigorous speech in its favor,
but one of the administration
senators objected and it began to
look as if the resolution would be
lost in the legislative jam which
always marks the close of a SEES
sion.
On Thursday, February rs. with
the end of the session only two
days distant, the appropriation
was again brought up by Senator
Frazier who begged his colleagues
to allow the investigation to con-
But some of the Indian
bureau officials had been lobbying
night and day against the measure
and twice more objections were
made when Senator Frazier asked
or a vote under the unanimous
consent rule. Indian bureau sup
were jubilant and the talk
n the senate cloak-rooms and
obbies was that the bill was
Tiled. I
Then Senator Wheeler jumped
.to the breach. Taking the floor, :
lie announced that he would read
nto the Record the reports of in
.estigators of the senate sub a
ommittee who investigated the h
Iontana reservations last sum J
and uncovered some startling c
whence of Indian bureau incom- S
and corruption. Senator
Wheeler began with the report on
ne Tongue river reservation o
-hich showed that over a period h
f Is years the deaths far exceed p
le births; that from 80 to 60 per II
emit of the Indians had tubercul- =
sis; and that estimates of the "
lumber afflicted with trachoma .
IN as high as 20 per cent. Des-
IlS IneSo appealing LaNNo' tASAC ~
as not a single field urse on the
,servation and only n doctor
care for 1850 Indians over a
rritory of 600 square miles. One
the investigators had character In
ed the situation as a BLACK blot A
/ the American flag" te
INsz-11,, --hAa NIThnolnr bod oil NJ
ost finished the health section of pi
e Tongue river report another
came to his side and ask
if he wouldn't stop. W
stop? | should say not! I've ds
st begun" Wheeler is reported II
have replied, pointing to a pile sa
reports on his desk. And Jr
me of them are worse than the ia
e I'm reading" he went on.
Wheeler Gets Action
The emissary hurried back to b.
e cloak-room conference and in d.
IS than two minutes hurried wi
ok to Senator Wheeler's side VIZ
d said that if he would stop Gu
aiding the reports into the Re- a
I'd, the Indian bureau crowd en-
,uld withdraw their objections Off
d allow the resolution to come dis
a vote. AS that was the sole in
rpose of Senator Wheeler's lone
buster he at once agreed, but Oh
t until after he made the as an
-tion, in language more vigorous ia
IN polite, that he would take an
: floor again and resume read
!, if any attempt was made to az
l|ble-cross hiE..
The resolution carrying the S15,-
} was Immediately brought up
1 passed with but few dissent
, votes. AS a result the Indian
airs committee will actively
ltinue it's Investigations of the wv
liam bureau. Hearings will be POI
d on the Montana reservations the
time this summer after the liqr
,cial session of congress, but of
re is not the slightest doubt Jo1
It the expose of the Indian leg
eau would have been quietly ]
owed to die without a vote if orr
lator Wheeler had not brought gat
administration forces to time the
h his single-handed filibuster. pa1
ply
one