Glacier County chief., 1940-02-23
STUART HAZLETT
WRITES COLLIER

Below is being printed letter
which I have just forwarded to
John Collier, Commissioner of In
dian Affairs. The letter needs no
explanation as l argue as I always
have hat no government employee,
regardless of whomsoever he may
he should sit on the tribal council.
He or she cannot serve two masters
at the same time and do justice to
the tribe as such an employees
every action necessarily must meet
with the APPROVAL of his superior Of
ficers To be short, every action,
talk or vote made by that individual
is governed more or less by the re-
percussions from his superiors and
not made with free mind. Natur-
ally, such an individual is absolute
ly under the domination of official
Washington and to this I cannot
agree Mr.. Golfers reply will be
published Immediately upon re-
ceipt of it.
Mr.. John Collier,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
Washington, D.. c.
Dear Sir:
The Blackfeet Tribal Council
election is over-I fell by the way
side, or in other words was beaten
and I have no complaints or alibis
to offer but in the meantime. the
personal equation was brought for
ward especially during the even
ing before the election. I, PERSONAL
ly was charged with practically
every crime on the calendar with
the possible exceptions of assault,
rape or murder. was refused ac-
cess to the Mike" and but for one
reason, to-wit, Joe Brown, your
henchman dared not give me an OPP
portunity to reply to his accusa-
tionS.
l question Mr.. Browns right to
sit on the Blackfeet Tribal Council.
Being a regular employee of your
office with possibly civil service
status, how can he conscientiouSly
serve two masters at the same
time? The Blackfeet tribe accord
ing to our charter is body polite
and any time government en-
ployee sees fit to participate in tri-
bal elective affairs, that employee
not only breaks the spirit and in
tent of the so-called Hatch act,
paragraph 9a), but also our great
ly advertised tribal constitution as
well. 1t does not make sense as no
argument or persuasion can elimin-
ate the obvious dangers. apparently
= latent but in reality active in per-
hitting a regular employee of your
office to participate in tribal politi-
cal affairs and this has been done
with the apparent blessings of Off
cial Washington.
further question his right to sit
on our Council as he has broken
one of the most important laws and
civil service as well, that of accept
ing fees outside sources over and
above his regular government sala-
ry and this in direct violation of the
law.
Being a regular employee of your
office, am asking Mr.. Commission
v. why and under what authority
did Mr.. Brown charge and accept
from the Blackfeet tribe, compensa-
ton over and above his regular Sa-
larry while acting as Chairman of
- the Council two years back? Dur
ing the last six months of his term,
find that he has received and en-
dorsed the following checks that
had been paid him as councilmanic
fees or per diem:
July 2, 1887. check No. "a, per
diem, May and June, $500; Sept.
IA. 1887, check No. 81 per diem
July 10 and %; Aug. 9, Sept. 2,
$4,000; Nov. %, 1887, check No. l56,
per diem, Sept. 16, %. "a, IS, Oct.
7, Nov. 4, S, 6, $4,000; Dec. q, 1887,
check No. 1875, per diem, Dec. 2,
$500 Dec. q, 1887, 1856, per diem,
Dec. 9, $500; Jan. 10, 1898, check
10, No 2l0, per diem, Dec. %. 1887,
Jan. 6, 1898. $1,000: Jan. 10, 1898,
check No. 272 per diem. Jan. 6, II,
ID, $500; Jan. S, 1888. check No.
POI, misc, Expenses, Hotel-$l.2 Is,
Garage so, Meals-.7O. Total
SEAS.
You will note that there is an ap-
parent duplication for the Jan. 6,
1888, per diem payment but that is
immaterial. The January S, 1898
payment according to the stub of
the check book is for payment of
his expenses here in Browning
when he had and still has avail
able government house with lights
water, etc. He had government