Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/26

 18 T. W. DAVENPORT. compulsory with them as it had been with the white man, and they should know and feel it. A person coming newly into the office of Indian agent would need no other proof of the general rascality of agents than the governmental regulations to be observed by them in purchas- ing supplies. All sorts of lets and hindrances to dishonesty have been adopted, publications, contracts, certificates, vouch- ers, oaths before judicial officers ; but they have been of slight avail in preventing frauds. As Judge M. P. Deady once re- marked to me, "It is villainy made easy." The department regulations require an agent to advertise in a newspaper, in- viting bids, and thus through competition to get goods at a reasonable rate, or in case it is not practicable to resort to such kind of publication, require him to obtain competitive bids by personal presentation. Adopting the latter mode as being best suited to the circumstances, I went among the merchants of Portland, soliciting them to mark the price at which they were willing to furnish the goods, and the first one I met was a well-known Jew by the name of Baurn. And this is the way be received me. With a sarcastic grin he said : "Now, Davenport, no more of this d d nonsense; go on and buy those goods where you intend to buy them, and don't waste any time in humbugging. All of us understand you agents, and this thing is getting old/' Receiving about the same compliment from half a dozen others, I abandoned the regulation mode, which had become distasteful through fraud continually perpetrated, and bought such things as I wanted at market rates. Along with the certified contract, I enclosed newspaper clippings showing the state of the market in Portland at the time of making the purchase, and the Indian Department making no objection, I continued it to the end of the term. As Judge Deady said, it is very easy to conform to the reg- ulations of the department and at the same time practice bare- faced frauds, and while the merchants know well how it is done, they cannot prevent it except by turning informers, which they have no time or inclination to do. If advertising