Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-01-31

ing er.parto noury, and nsttutng an inoui-
siuon into the conduct Of agcn, of TIE Govern
ment without any specific charge having bcca brought
against any Of them, without giving them notice
OF the trial or investigation, they about undergo
Would ndt such be unjust towards those indivi
duas who had been inrusted with great public duty TO
BRING their conduct before committee for investigation
wl'ot any specific charge without giving
those individuals any notice thereof lie did not xpcca
single member ofthat House in his place and saw
that he had well founded suspicion against either the OF
hcc any individual employed in As far as regarded
the State of which Mr. c. had the honor be rcprcsen
tatve, not even rumor had whispered at any fraudulent
transactions had taeu place there and why should the
persons engaged there be brought erpaYe nqu
siticn rreparNbc and rrecyabe injury might be done
toindivduas in this branch OF the by proposed
measure. Ii the committee any gentleman of the |
ttoese We're IN possession OF wcllgrounded charge
oil fraud, designate the party, and if they did Mr. c.
would be the last to vote against having copy of every
record OF every description whether IL respected the
President or any ohor unctonary of the Government
that could bear the case; but do upon ono
branch OF the Treasury Department for labor which is
impractcablc Go perform unless more duties
are neglcctedduties which it is already incompetent 20
inih-or the purpose OF bringing trial without pre-
vious notice 1t seemed to hun that these few objections
were unanswerable he might urge more but he did not
wish I, take up the time of the House in heightened
discussion, the less he hoped the House would not
ADOPT 1t without some modification, taking time
to examine its details.
Mr. Plumner said having first made war on the rcso-
luton. originally introduced by the gentleman from
Indiana (lr McCarty for which he then stated
u the housc, and the original resolution having been
amended To meet his views, he withdrew all opposition
and would vote for its adoption in its modified form IL
true that he thought an unnecessary cons,pi;o
Of time to require the Clerks in tile General Land Office
who had not aid enough to keep the business
OF the Office, TO make out pla of the lands on which
the Indian reservations were located lie could not con-
ceive OF any benefit the maps would be the House or
The country That objection, however, was too unim
portnnt to induce him 10 against the whole of the
resolution, or IcoPardize its adoption by submitting
amendment He favor of the call; it was due TO
the country and the officers of the Government that all
OF the documents IN relation to lands held under the In
dian reaues should be published to the world There
s mar
IN S2O held by purchasers under regulations of the War
Department the titles TO which w,r, moi snc,I, mn
derStood by those vino had right to know by what
tenure and nature of titles all lands within the limits of
Mississippi are held. The State has the right TO la
those lads as well as lands the title which were ac
qured directly by purchase from the Government after
the expiration olive years from the time they became
private property. IN some cases of reservations it was
unknown whether the iS;iS reserved from sale for ind
viduas of the Choctaw tribe where private property or
whether they had reverted the General
h.5 5esi reservatSns were private property, the State
Government they ought TO be into market and
offered for sale other public lands There were no re-
cords IN the State showing these facts. regards the
matter OF expense he said that of little importance
compared with the importance of investigating the
frauds frauds charged by the gentleman from Kentucky
(Alr. LoveD who is, this occasion, the organ of
the Committee Indian Affairs. The objections
which he urged and enlarged upon the other day. in re-
atlon to the expense of furnishing and printing the in
formation proposed to be obtained he repeated had been
obvated by the adoption the amendment which he then
offered aud became incorporated into the body of The r
solution lie rcpeed the idea that the of expense
would induce HIM any occasion screen a public
officer, charged with improper conduct from an invest
gato nor deprive the people, their representatives
OF useful information He only objected useless and
unnecessary expenditure of the peoples money for the
publication OF new editions of documents and papers
winch would never be read He did understand the
gentleman from KY, any one who preferred the
charge OF fraud against the Agents the government as
ocating the charge IN Mississippi The gentleman (Mr
Love- says that he did Mr. p said that he also
understood the gentleman from North Carolina mir
barrngerD who touched this subject the other day.
10 NT,ess IL
therefore did not feel called either defend or eulo
glze his constituents Their conduct would bear the
most scrutnzing investigation, far his Ir 81
knowledge extended and he probably knew that
subject than any gentleman the floor. Nor was it
right that gentlemen on this floor should be allowed to
require the charge to 1tcd in any PARTICULAR
- fne country, sinceI had come from a standfnp COM
mttee OF The House Aisclanier as TO each Of those
states IN which the not intended She sail
would necessarily locate the charge of fraud i'm some
particular section of the country, which would do no
good at this time proposition call for information
and might calculated to do evil and
prevent an impartial investigation of the subject The
ohcnles and the extraordinary state of affairs growing
out oil the investigation of the alleged frauds in relation
TO land matters which had taken place within the past
year, M his State, sufficient commentary on
doing things in an improper manner. Gentlemen were
however mistaken in supPosing that this a rcsou
ton cf inquiry proposed investigate the altered
frauds II only called for the record for documents FOR
tacts which would enable this House ny individual
IN the community to lay their finger on the particular m
servaton in rehton 70 which fraud k.. commit
ted the identical officer be guilty The rem
lucky was mistaken said Rir p go far
MS knowledge extended in relation TO the manner Of
raserrng and approval Of those transfers by the Pre-
sident, OF Indian reservations.
Mr. +. would not, however, enlarge on the subject
herc was no secret transactions in relation TO the sale
or transfer o which tho President or
any OF the Heads OF Departments, anxious to con-
ceal from the members ofth House. or any individual
IN the community. He had been permitted 10 examine
any Porton of these papers and documents in relation
10 Wich MS constituents desired information and other
gentlemen would he allowed the same privilege on opn
cation Nor would any objection be made bv them 10
spread the whole of the documents before the pcoe of
INC hon, who havca right to know aud inquire into
Tic acngs and doings of their agents lie concluded h
expressing desire that the discussion mi ph be BROUGHT
To close, and the resolution amended be adopied
without opposition. ~
Mr. Love addressed the House a few minutes in ~
Piihdon, ia reply to the gentleman from Alabama Nr
NiayD an relation tothis resolution. Ii was not an in
FeSu9otioI Inc committee had not implicated any par
ucular individual That subject was left for the action
OF the House With regard that class of indvdna
known as spectators in Indian Reservations he confess
"a ne mad little faith confidence in them as n class
hcy had not only been in the habit of not only cheat
my inc Indians but the government also; and many of
ucm had realized fortunes by such means There mio
%, 9hu uouOtess was, many honorable among them
put ne repeated as class they had not HE confidence
Another FemaFk-Alany Of these Indian claims ,,ero
transferred There were hundreds within the State
#hich the government did know whether il had tho
power Oh taxing or not. The information therefore con
ShlPatcu by TIC resolution, would be Of immense, i'm
p4rahce to the STATE by enabling a. lcvy the taxes of
winch IT had heretofore been deprived
Hr. mckinley said nc believed the resolution n,;oL4
DC so modified as to meet the views ofall 1.-THE gentle
man would aRow it 10 lay few days upon the table
such amendments would doubtless be made One sur
gcstl0n ne would make alteration was desirable
III RELATION 70 the maps, designed to accompany the cor