The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-04-19

capitol; and very keen nOstril lie has.
Making due allowance for the inevitable
tendency to .oycr.cOlOr, We know that in
tic following there is too much truth. 1t
shows how the trcaty.making 'pOwer has
been added to the other methods Of bag.
ging tho public lands for private benefit:
a resolution passed the House creating
q Joint Committee on Indian Affairs. This
innovation on the old practice, under the
Constitution, Of keeping the two bodies,
Senate and House, separate ind indcpen-
dent, Is misChiCVOus, and In the present
instance indicates moro tim the usual
amount Of fraud. between the Indian
Bureau, and the mOnstrOus system Of
treaty making with the Indians by tue
Senate, In secret session, no end OrrasCality
Inns had and Is having birth. But these
treaties generally call for appropriations,
and the House lias thereby an opportunity
to overhaul and, to some extent, Vcnlil1iG
the abuse. TO remedy this and produce
harmonious action the joint committee Is
created. In the secret sessions Of this
lwly, of Il few men, the ring will have
libcrty,tO wOrk-and its conclusions, In the
crowded. condition Of business IN the
House, with the consequent confusion
that attends its system Of desk anil com.
miticc work, will stand fair chance Of
confirmation.
The Cherokee neutral lands Of Kansas,
conveyed 10 the Indians Of that name by
Government, ut an carly date, Hre now
very valuable, not only because Of the
white settlements crowded upon them, but
Tor that they have rich mineral deposits
md have IN excellent soil. These lands,
the wOrTi now knows, Senator Harlan,
then ut the head Of the Interior Depart
mcnt, attempted TO purchase for m emf.
grant company, and failing. the land was
subsequently sold to Mr.. Joy, Of Detroit,
nj one dollar per NCrC, when twice that
sum could have been obtained.
This selling the public domain through
treaty BY the Senate, is Of course an in
famous outrage, in violation Of the C0nSti-
tuition, and u positive theft III the home.
steals that have heretofore been the
source Of wealth and prosperity to the
country.
Nevertheless, this dirty transaction
would have passed unqucstiOned, but for
the fact that some two thousand actual
settlers md, under encouragement from
the Government, Squatlcd upon this land,
and were not disposed to yield quietly
their rights to sWindlCrS, even il some
were Senators and Cabinet Secretaries,
and others miIliOnaircs. a lobby turned
I'M in Washington in the shape Of Il thin,
angular, well brOnZet nun, dressed in
h0nc.spm. who made up in TGrtinacity
NIL tint he lacked in money. lie enlisted.
the sympatlIics of Clarke, Congressman
from Kansas, and the active interference
Of William Lawrence, who represents the
Mac.a.chcck District Of Ohio.
Lawrence vent Hated the affair in very
clear, lOrciblc manner, and called attCn.
ton to the astounding fuct that, through q
treaty, the Indian Bureau was attempting
to sell ont public lands dircCtly in the teeth
Of the Constitution aMd the Homestead
Law Of 1862. And it is now claimed upon
the part Of Joy that these lands were con.
vcyGd by treaty to the Cherokee lndians
in fee, and that these Indians have right
to sell out when md ut my price tlCymay
determine upon. And Joy now takes this
ground, and General Cox, Secretary Of the
Interior, and the Committee on Indian
Affairs, in the Senate, actually recognize
the validity Of this saC. | believe that
General Cox is IN honest gentleman, and
nm of tho opinion that he has not given
the r1lscally proceeding n fair examination.
As for the Committee in the Senate, q
majority Of It's members arc believed 10
have had their eyes opened in tic manner
eyes nrc usually opened in such cases.
The CcssiOn Of lands 10 MI Indian tribe
for purposes of reservation and through
treaty, conveys nothing more than the
right Of occupation. When that OCcupa.
ton ceases, the lands revert to tue United
States us u public domain, TO be disposed
OF BY law emanating from the Congress Of
tho United States and not the Senate.
Were II otherwise, the SENATE alone would
have power alone 10 dispose Of every foot
Of public land, without any concurrent AG-
ton Of the House. Nor will II do, rs this
| man Joy docs, TO cite the subsequent acts
of appropriation passed the House design.
cd to carry out the treaty. If Ill act Of
Congress could divest the House Of It's
lAw.maliing power in II single Case, itcould
so he done for I'LL in one general law. And
this certainly no sane man will assert.
The treaty making tho neutral Cherokee
lands If Kansas reservation gave no 9th
or right-lct tic wording be what Il may
than the constitutional right vested in
tho Senate and Executive for such pur.
ImSG. The Indians are aliens, alld us such
the Senate and Executive exhausted their
powers in their behalf when they gave to
The nation 80 treated with the rights ofOC.
CuMtiOn.
As between the Indians and the great
NilrOad land thief, the question could lie
soon settled II Is easy enough to manip
ulntc Mr.. lao, and the promise Of nearly q
million dollars In hand, Is more tempting
to him tliNn ten millions prOspeCtivCly.
As | said, the SwindlG, like many others,
would have passed unQucstiOned but for
the intervention Of the actual settlers. Mr..
joy has been trying in win TO drive these
oil Or force them TO recognize Ills title.
They nrG poor in money, these Sq1NttCrS,
hut they have vast possessions in the plat
form OfthG Republican party. Our organ
iHtiOn owes much Of It's success to the cry
in behalf Of tho pionccr-tlc actual settler
aud u homestead law Let this r1lSCali-
ty hC cOnsummatCtl, and another dead
weight will lie hung 10 orr already over.
hardened political back to break lis down
in tho coming contests. II is therefore in.
trrcSling 10 note the profound attention
nj TO0 Fypnao ncnnnfn11t, tl,f,pn