Year: 1875

WASHINGTON, September 15.-The
Red Cloud commission met again to-
day. Senator Howe was present, and
Mr.. Smith, commissioner OF Indian
affairs, read statement in reply to the
al1sgation OF Professor Marsh against


him. In his statement Commissioner
Smith says that about the twentieth OF


April Professor Marsh ca led at his office
bringing packages OF coffee, sugar, -four
and tobacco, which he had brought


from the Red Cloud agency, and thpt


he made no charge Of fraudulent trans.
actions on the part of Saville, except in
the name Of Red Cloud, whose state.


meGt he had not much confidence in.
The interview with Professor Marsh


wss pleasant one. The next morning


an account of the interview appeared in


New York paper, giving an incorrect


and unfair version OF 1t, and he conf
IDENTIFY expected that as a matter OF
courtesy and honor the professor
would at once correct it, but he did not
make any such correction. Shortly
afteTward Professor Marsh was invited


before the board of Indian commissioners
to whom he gave much more extend
ell account of his Red Cloud observa-
tiOns and inference, which resulted in
the appointm ent of ii c,Iumi- sion to in
qBire into the whole m t-f md report
the facts. In reference t. the allie alton
Of inferior supplies furnished the Red
Cloud agency the commissioner seYs the
Indian bureau took all reasonable and
necessary means to protect the govern
ment from imposition and to secure the
delivery of the proper articles for the use
Of the Indiana. The commissioner then
states at length the three charges OF
fraud and wrong, which Professor Marsh
endeavOrs to faslen upon the Indian Of
ticer-tirst, as to shielding the contractor
by false statements; second, that he has
been made acquainted with wrongs at
the Red Cloud agency, but had taken
no measures to prevent them; third,
Of fraud, or coDnivance with fraud, in
connection with the transportation ser
vice. To these charges the commission
er gives an emphatic denial, and shows
that they are not true. The commits
siOner says Professor Marsh is entirely
wrong when he imputes to him any un-
worthy motives for the part he has
taken. In relation to his complaints re-
specting Indian affairs, Professor
Marsh's statements and complaints
were so much after the old stereotyped
form, with which the commissioner had
become familiar and which every man
seems to learn by heart the first day out
OF Cheyenne, that he did not attach
much value to them; and it was, there
fore, not unlikely that he showed feel
ings which would be natural when he
suspected that Professor Marsh had
come as the bearer of Red Clouds COM
plants, because of his belief that
Red Cloud had been badly treat
ed, and that the Indians had gotten
the better of the professor. The COM
missioner says that he is not aware OF
any expression, by word or otherwise, on
his part, rom which Prof Marsh was
entitled to infer that he desired to pre-
vent he publicity or exposure of the
fraud. He had had but one desire and
ambition, as commissioner of Indian af-
fairs, and that was to do something to
lift two hundred and seventy thousand
people out of barbarous and semi. bar
barous condition into christianity, civil
lizstion and American citizenship. No
inducement could be offered to make
him desire to shield from exposure and
any man guilty Of defIaud-
ing ignorant, helpless and wretched
men. Prof. Marsh had, in fact, though
probably without intention, done eli
that he could to destroy the commits
good name, and take from him
the good opinion Of good men.