Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-30
'E'we5aay-aiftil a'oasgrcss---9d sess.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Il

House 10 suhmIa resolution instruclng the Committee
on Private Lana Claims tn inquire whether any, or il
any, what Further provisions ought 10 be made by law
for the legal decision Of claims for land.
Objection being made, Mr.. J. moved q suspension OF
the rule, but the House refused
Mr. Hoffman moved suspension Of the rules for the
purpose Of calling The States for petitions and memorials;
but the House tetused-9O to 81 nnt two-lhlrds.
SEMINOLE INDIANS.
Ms Cambreleng, on leave, rrporIed bill making d
partial appropriation for the suppression Of Indian hos
tilllies for the year 1898.
The bill having hccn read twice. Mr.. G. scnt 10 the
Clerks table, 10 ne red letter frnn The Secretary OF
WAR End annierf: the Acting Quartermnster Gene.
rail- setting forth the absolute necessity for immediate
appropriation
Mr. G. then explained that he had been unanimously
instructed by The Committee of Ways and Means to re.
port this bill Of enc million Of dollars, The amount re-
qnirrd for The year being S2430,0GO When thai bill
should ccEr ~, there would undoubtedly, be gene
raj debate Eu in order that the operations ut the War
Department! night moi be- Stopped and Tia; The necessa
~ ruvnicnts night be made the c0mm,tf had directed
hlr: To report this bill, mud nsI the House, when II WIS
referred to the Committee Of The Whole on the stale Of
the Union, 10 go AT onse into committee upon H.
Mr. Downing expressed his hnPr HAT The molten Of
the genrIcnan irr,n New York would prevail, for it
indispensable that this tlI! should be passed without de-
Jay He was daily receiving the most pressing letters
on the subject setting forth that at this time, the troops
in the field we've absolutely suffering severely for want
of subsistence and that tho people, ERE long, would be
to feed upon horse flesh Two thousand Of the Florida
militia have been disbanded without having been paid.
If this course is followed up, AID moneys are not appro.
prated the result will be, that the people IN that Sec
ton Of country will lose confidence in the Government,
and will not be in lis power hereafter to enlist men into
service II was his opinion that this war wGn!d be
brought to speedy rrminalinn if the means were put
in the hands o the Government for carrying II on and
gentlemen need not he apprehenslve ut lis prolongann
The late efforts made there were decisive and he beev-
H., ba In nrlD
time.
The bill having been committed
Mr. Cambreeng moved suspension of The rules 10
enable him submit motion that The House gn ln'o
Committee Of the Whole on that, aud the bill Tor the
protection of the Northern frontier.
Mr. Wise inquired if the motion was debatable one
The Chair replied that it was not.
Mr. Wise said il i, had he should nave Offered some
objections To going into committee on this bill for he saw
no reason for taking up partial hill when there was
general bill already before the House.
Mr. CamheIeng might be permitted, alter The remark
Of the gentleman from Virginia, to repeat what he han
before said that when the other bill came up ne anti
cpa.ed general debate, but the necessity n he present
bill was shown from The fact that the War Department
had nothing 10 pay but drafts and they were returning
protested.
Mr. Wise If The appropriation is now made, there
will he nothing to debate about
MIR Bell had xamined well as he could, the grounds
upon which this partial appropriation made; and he
believed thai there necessity for some amount
how much il would be for the House 10 ascertain.
Mr. Cambreengs molion was agreed to--ayes l39
not counted
The House accordingly went into Committee Of the
Whole on the state Of the Union. MIR C"nnoT IN IT,"
chair and proceeded to the consideration oil the above
bill --,
As soon as i, had been read by the Clerk
Mf Wise inquired il Ills bill did not also contain APP
prnprstioIs for other branches OF the Indian service
MIR Cambrclrns said tins bill WAS like all appropta'
ton bills was for appropriations Tor the suppression
of Indian hustiil'Irs generally.
The bill was then read by The Clerk
Mr. Wise said This bill precisely of the character
which he expected before the House went into COM
m,rr Instead Of its being mere partial nPpropria-
lion Llil for the immediate eSgencics OF The service IN
Florida i; was general appropriation bill for all expen'
dtures in the Indian service. Ii was in this way that
ppropralions extracted from this House like lerlh
without the proper investigation and inquiry. Inc
officers of Cover nncnt waited until appropriations were
Immediately wanted and then they called upon The
House TO mass them, without investigation, without in
uujry and without discussion. In this manner nine.
tephs if not all OF the eight nine or ten millions ct
dollars which ind been appropriated tor inns ia'al DIS
as,rous Gisuractfu Seminole campaign had been oh
,aned ", have been told by The delegate from Florida
,ra the troops had been discharged without being paid
and the chairman Of The committee tells Us this money
is wanting without examination aud without debate
Was this the way appropriations we've 10 be "Iaur:-
WouId any corporation company take thirty millions
oS dollars 10 pa the expenditures Of this dsgrhceui In
dian war He for one, would take the responsibility Of
snvnp and acting out what he said, that lie would not
on,rua,e another dollar for this purpose until lie had
some inflammation rs the manner in which former ap
,-on,;a,ons had been expended and until e had CORRECT
dat, 40 T., the sums now needed lie wished To know
how much had been expended for steamboats, which had
nerGmrd no service 10 the Government, and the amounts
maid 10 hearrss contractors who rendered no equivalent
ir the money paid them. lie wished information, TOO,
IN rel,on 10 in. perdy which had been practised by
or the army towards these Indians, with all other
necessary ninrmslnn before he prepared TO vote tor
any other and further opProPratIons MS lie hreVcd thc
rrc,Icsi oulrurps had been committed Ipon them which
was ;hc only reason Of the war being kept up he trt
sufficiently humbed by this outrageous and dlsgroceful
war and he would rather vote TO those unfoTtu
ua,e Indians in their hamn"cks than from ti"m
MIR Downing said it with the deepest regret that
M, had listened to the remarks OF The gentleman from
VIRGINIA. He had in his possession information winch
would show the House the necessity Of making this np
preparation. :
TIE gentleman had charged that the was nqui
TINS in its inccUn base and infamous in lis uses, and
would be ridiculous in its conclusion But he wonld
cI that rcnteman and he deed contradiction. that the
war was based on solemn treaty with the Indians made
d,liberacl and with their full consent. Hitherto,
There had not been the slightest charge against its valdi.
tv not even whisper had been breathed about unfair
mess or fraud The treaty had been executed on the
part nf Government, not in hurried manner, but in
calm and deliberate way; the chiefs on The part Of the
the proposon. But it was with the SemlnoIes as IT
was with the Chcrokecs who after having received our
money beforehand for their lands when the time arrived
for .er evacuation, they then set up tecry of rau ct
unnirness, and Of the treaty having been made without
their consent etc This trait in the Indian character was
fully know to all CON vrrsant with them; and They might
resi- assured tina, in hs in every other case after
The money had been squandered and spent, the Indians
would refuse comply with their agreement, ard in
va:iably raised such groundess and idle objections
Lad 4 - ,,E,Y Sn
!, was The war had been prolonged beyond The cacu.
la,on Of any human being But whose fault was it that
i, had been so prolonged Was The fault of the troops
engaged in it, the militia raised for lis suppression
Mo- lis CATION had been caused by the gentleman.
aud The friends Of the gentleman. who now opposed the
appropriation. II was we'll known. and lie challenged
proof to the contrary thai every officer engaged in The
war had acted his par, zcaously and rrctuay but the
evil was that they had 10 check their efforts, becanse
they were compelled bend 10 that sympathy manifest