252
WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1831-1832
me, and I'll scratch you." Nor was Mr. Kerr ignorant of the fact that while Blake was engaged as agent, that every specie of fraud and villany was perpetrated upon the Indians; and that, so far as a creature like him could, he had contributed to pecu- late upon the Government. A knowledge of these facts, and repeated complaints made t') me by the Indians, and a special request of theirs, were the cause which induced me to make a proposition to Major Eaton to fur- nish rations; and no man of common sense can doubt, for one moment, but what niy vroposition induced the saving of hun- dreds of thousands of dollars to the Treasury of the United States. Previous to that time, no contract had ever been made by the Department to furnish Indian rations, but the business was confided to the Indian Agents of the respective tribes, and the Government paid the Agents for each ration furnished by them in this way, at the rate of from TWENTY to twenty-five cents per ration, besides the expense of issues, the storage, and transportation, which contingencies were paid by the Govern- ment, and were additional to the price of the ration above stated. Besides this heavy cost to the Government, I was satisfied that the Agents, in some instances, and Blake more particularly than others, were interested in the contracts let out by them to in- dividuals, and the manner in which Indians were furnished by him, can be accounted for upon no other principle ·within the range of common sense, or common honesty!- Apprised of the injustice and inhumanity which was exercised to the Indians, I did determine I would not leave the city until some change was made in the business, believing, that by some means, he would induce the Secretary of War to continue on this branch of his (Mr. l\kKenney's) darling system, of corruvtion, and sponging upon the Treasury! When the notice was issued by the Depart- ment, I left the City, and put in no bicl; I never used any exer- tion to obtain an interest in any bid, nor to have any thing to do with the matter until the 4th of April, some fourteen days after the bids were opened, and after I had left the city for the West by way of Baltimore. Then, at the instance of Mr. Rose, I addressed a letter to Gen. Van Fossen! Previous to my de- parture from this city, at his instance, I had a conversation with Blake on the subject as my letter will show. It cannot be true that Major Eaton, or the President, did ever tell Duff Green that I had gone to New York for a rich partner, and that I had
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