[Footnote 489:—­Ibid., vol. ii, 452, 457, 480; vol. v, 514, 523, 561.]

[Footnote 490:  Davis had thrown the responsibility of the whole matter upon Congress, when he insisted that the “delegate” clauses in the treaties should (cont.)]

While Congress was debating the question of Indian delegate credentials and their acceptance, a tragedy took place in Indian Territory that more than confirmed General Pike’s worst prognostications and proved his main contention that Indian affairs should be considered primarily upon their own merits, as an end in themselves, and dealt with accordingly.  Had the Arkansas and Red River Superintendency been regularly established, the tragedy referred to might never have occurred; but it was not yet established and for many reasons, one of them being that, although Douglas H. Cooper’s appointment had been resolved upon, he had not yet been invested with the office of superintendent.[491] His commission was being withheld because charges of incapacity and drunkenness had been preferred against him.[492]

General Pike’s disclosures had aroused suspicion and grave apprehension in Richmond, so much so, indeed, that the War Department, convinced that conditions in Indian Territory were very far from being what they should be, decided to undertake an investigation of its own through its Indian bureau.  Promptly, therefore, S.S.  Scott, acting commissioner, departed for the West.  General Pike was in Texas.

Now one of the contingencies that Pike had most constantly dreaded was tribal disorder on the Leased

[Footnote 490:  (cont.) be so modified as to make the admission of the Indians dependent, not upon the treaty-making power, but upon the legislative.  See his message of December 12, 1861, Richardson, vol. i, 149-151.]

[Footnote 491:  Elias Rector, who had been retained as superintendent under the Confederate government, seems never to have exercised the functions of the office subsequent to the assumption by Pike of his duties as commander of the Department of Indian Territory.  He was probably envious of Pike and resigned rather than serve in a subordinate capacity.  He seems to have made some troube for Pike [Official Records, vol. xiii, 964, 976].]

[Footnote 492:—­Ibid., 906, 908, 910-911, 927-928.]

District,[493] a disorder that might at any moment extend itself to Texas and to other parts of the Indian Territory, imperiling the whole Confederate alliance.  So long as there was a strong force at Fort McCulloch and at the frontier posts of longer establishment, particularly at Fort Cobb, the Reserve Indians could be held in check with comparative ease.  Hindman, ignorant of or indifferent to the situation, no matter how serious it might be for others, had ordered the force to be scattered and most of it withdrawn from the Red River Valley.