Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-06-16

present time. In reply 10 question as
to how much that would increase the
Indebtedness Of the government, said it
would not increase il one cent, but it
would settle claims unadiusted 10 the
amount OF six huncred thousand dollars.
Mr.. Dunnell suggested a proviso re-
pealing the eight-hOur law, but il was
ruled out on point of order.
MI. Cobb's amendment was rejected,
only twenty eight voting in the affirm
ative.
On the point Of order raised by Mr..
Hale Mainel, the second section, which
provides for paying to the Chickasaw
Indians the arrears of interest which
accrued during the rebellion and are still
unpaid, on Arkansas and Tennessee
State bonds, TO the amount of two hum
dred and fifty-one thousand nine hum
dred and ninety dollars, was stricken
out.
Mr.. Hale moved to strike out the
third section of the bill, which provides
for the paying of some two millions OF
dollars to the Choctaw and Chickasaw
Nations, In conformity with the awards
made by the senate in 1859, as price for
some ten million acres Of land in Miss
issippi, eeded by these Indians to the
United States in 1880.
Mr.. Garfield, chairman Of the COM
mittee on appropriations, sustained the
motion tostrike out the section on the
ground chiefly thai the appropriation
bills were not the place for allowan ce
of private claims, and thatit was unfair
to other claimants to select one particu-
lar claim and put it into an appropria-
ton bill. He reminded the committee
that this was the last of twelve regular
appropriation bills, and that he argued in
support of his motion TO strike out the
section, as when narrowed down IL was
an appropriation TO pay over two mill
liou three hundred thousand dollars to
two men, Peter P. Pitchlynn and Peter
Folsom, living in the City Of Washing
ton, and neither of whom, ne presumed,
had seen either of their tribes within the
last two years. His objection to ii was
two-fOld: First, that it was not certain
that the sum fixed was the proper sum
to be paid ;and second it was proposed to
pay into the hands of these men instead
Of directly to the ChOctaw and Chicka-
saw nations. / predict that if the ap-
propriation goes as provided in the sec
ton into the hands of these two men
there will be in less than two years a
great national scandal growing out of it.
1t will be found that the Indians have
not got one hundred thousand dollars Of
1t, or il that be not so there will be
around and about Washington, not in
the halls Of congress, l thank
God, the most hungry and disappointed
set Of ravenOus wolves that have ever
sought to impel a claim through con-
gress.
Mr.. Speer favored the motion to strike
fl,a Saotfnr, onA haf bau
some days ago, the house suspended the
rules, 80 as to make the section in order,
the halls were swarming with lobbyists.
There was not one of those men who
bear on their faces the marks OF paid
and corrupt lobbyists that was not on the
floor that day. He did not say that the
claim was dishonest, and pressed upon
the house by the most Infamous men
known to the history of legislative job
berry. He would never agree to pay this
amount 20 two irresponsible men, with
out security in negotiable securities, or
boUds of the United States. These
bonds would be handed around the
streets and in the corridors of the house.
He would comply with the treaty, and
set aside the balance due to the Indians
as q fund, the interest of which would
be paid to them, and such portion
Of principal as the secretary Of the,inte-
rioT might deem proper to pay them,
and then he would have the house vim
dicate itself and vindicate the honor of
congress by kicking out Of the house
this immense fraud.
Mr.. Kasson moved to strike out the
names PitchIynn and Folsom, and in
sert in their place secretary of the inte-
rior, for the benefit of the ChOctaw ma
ton. He said that it was a matter of
general rumor that there were pledges
of contingent allowances in the matter
to the amount of nine hundred thousand
dollars. The fact that such an opinion
prevailed was enough to make the house
guard the appropriation in such a way
that whatever was appropriated would
be sure to reach its proper destination.
In order to accomplish this purpose,
the first thing to be done in the interest
Of the Indians was to put these bonds in
the hands Of officers OF the government,
to be disposed Of according to the treaty.
Mr.. Comingo, a member of the COM
mlttee on Indian affais, said he had
been member of the sub. committee
which had considered the question, and
no lobbyist had certainly approached
him in the matter. But even IL there
was q lobby, he asked the gentleman
who made such hue and cry about it,
what had that to do with the validity
of the claim?
Mr.. Shanks related the history of the
claim and insisted upon its justice.
Mr.. Parker Me. opposed Mr.. Kas-
sons amendment, arguing that the ef-
feet of funding money in the interior
districts would be to keep Washington
attorneys lowering around in order to
get a slice OF it. Referring to Mr..
Speers's denunciation of lobbyists he
alluded to the old Greek provero that
"a man slwsys makes up his mind by
q comparison of what he would do un-
der like circumstances"