Mr. SHERMAN. I do not know. This letter continues: " I cannot therefore too strongly urge early action in this matter by Congress. When human creatures are starving I cannot hear their comlaints with indifference; and I feel strongly the embarrassiuent of being utterly unable to respond to their calls for assistance.” That is the condition of affairs. This officer undertook, anticipating an appropriation, to expend $500,000 when Congress was in session, and against the orders of his own supe rior, unless there is some discrepancy in the dates, and I give you the letter as it was furnished to us. 'Under these circumstances it seemed to as proper to stop these appropriations. There were a great many other things stated in regard to these Indian matters that I do not care about repeating now, because I never like to deal in matters of fact unless I have the proof before me, or some responsible party makes the allegations; but I ta c the statement furnished here that these Indians have absorbed more than $1,000,000, considerably more than the amount appropriated for them, and that now we are asked to appropriate 5500,000 more. I show you that the estimate inade for these expenditures u to the lst of July next is $777,000. I ask what assurance we have, if we should now appropriate this $500,000, that we should not have to make good a deficiency of another $500,000 here after. What restraint have we over the expenditure of this money? What right had Mr. Sells to go on and expend money in advance of an appropriation by Congress for an indefinite purpose of this kind especially when the allegation is made to us by persons interested in this fund an allegation that is not controverted or denied that contracts were made with afirm doing business in Arkansas and the Indian Territory for flour at 34 dollars a barrel and corn at 8 dollars a bushel? Under these circumstances I submit whether a provident care of the public money should not compel us to resort to some other management of Indian affairs. I do not complain of the action of the Senate in regard to the proposed transfer of this bureau to the War Dept, because I am not sure but what there would be the same comlaints arisin if this money were expended by the War dept; but it seems to me there ought to be some reforms, some control, some checks. Now Superintendent Sells in the disbursement of these large sums of money is as absolute as adictator. It eems from these letters that he must have violated the orders of his superior, because