The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-06-19

VII rpittf- 81 AN-fhrar- US l1fA IEfH
r"li-asus. VIII explain ex-ctIv that
thrts- IL ~ p.ssfion which is Ia |
csin,. out al the treasury or the
United States, aud that therefore |
il j. not auIenable To the point ofl
order
Mr.. Phillips. No point of order
can lie against the bill, for instead
of taking money out of the treasury
it proposes to reimburse the gov
ernment for money already exBend-
ed. These lands are TO be sold mn
der an appraisement, aud the pro-
ceeds OF the sale will revert to the
government. There is no possible
appropriation INVOLVED from the
treasury The appropriation has
already been made. These lands
belong to the Kansas Indians.
a Member. Has not the govern
ment paid for them
Mr.. Phillips. II the government
had paid for these lands and they
belonged TO the government now.
then they would be open to pre-
emptiOn At one dollar aud a quarter
per acre. Ii they belonged 10 the
government of the United States
they would have been open for pre-
emptioH and homestead nurnoses
The government did not buy these
lands. The bill therefore is not
open to the point of order, because
this is not the property of the
I nlted States. but the property of
the Kansas Indians.
These lands have been appraised
at very high price. You can pur-
chase railroad lands, and L have
bought them myself within u wear,
for $3.50 per acre.
These lands were appraised by a
Quaker commission at a price so
high that no one could buy them.
The bill gives the commissioner
the right to sell them, but there is
also provision.by which if he thinks
it is more economical he NAV re-
duce the price % per cent. lie is
not obliged to do so.
Mr.. Willard, of Vermont. l ask
the gentleman from Kansas wheth-
er he will not consent TO strike ont
the third. fourth and fifth sections
OF his bill providing for reapprais-
ment? The other sections provide
this land may be sold on credit.
The third, fourth and fifth sections
authorize the secretary of the inter-
Tor to inquire iHto the correctness of
the appraisement already made,
aud II he is satisfied on that inquiry
lsit is too high, il then authorizes
him 10 make new appraisement.
Inquire of the gentlemen if he has
lsany objection TO that being stricken
-cuG2
Mr.. Phillips. Let me first ex-
plain. l presume the gentleman
will desire and the house will de-
sire that these lands should be dis
posed of as they should have been
disposed of some years ago. This
merely says:
That the secretary OF the interior shall in
| dutre INTO the correctness of the appraise-
Inent OF these lands; and if he he satisfied thai
| they nave been appraised at more than their
present cash value. he may appoint u new
the same.
This is put in merely to secure
the sale of the lands. The secreta.
ry may sell them at the present ap.
praisement, he may make a new ap.
praisement, or he may sell them al
% per cent. below the present ap-
praisement. This is to save ex.
pense. 1t gives the secretary of the
interior entire discretion in the
matter.
Mr.. Willard, of Vermont. Bat
the inquiry to be made by the sec.
rotary is this:
The secretary of the interior shall fnouir,
into the correctness of the superintendent o
these lands; and il he be satisfied that the,
have been appraised at more than their pres
| ent cash value, he may appoint Il new com
mission OF three persons to reapp.aiSe ia,
| same.
1t is only if he finds on examina.
ton that the lands have been APP
praised at more than their cash val
ne that he is TO order a new an,
praisement. If he finds that they
have been appraised at less, he is
not to appoint new appraisement
Mr.. Phillips. | am willing, in
order TO meet the gentIeman's view
to insert the words eff he finds the,
have been appraised incorrectly. ;
Mr.. Merriam. 1t appears to Inc
that there is machinery provided
here to eat up the value of the
lands. You are selling the land
upon credit, taking the notes and
collecting the interest, and it seem.
to me entirely unnecessary to bur.
den the property in this wav
And then you say in your bill thai
wherever there is timber on any OF
the lands, the purchasers shall en-.
ter into bond not to cut the timber
until the last payment is made
No man ever owned land in the
west under the conditions of hay.
ing the timber kept for him.
MIR. Cobb, of Kansas. Does the
gentleman from New York INF
Merriam not know that it is to the
disadvantage of the Indians who
own this land that the sale should
be defe. red from year to year. be.
cause settlers go in, and the result
Is that their lands are taken away
from them by trespassers. If the
land is to be sold, ought it not to be
sold now that it has been ap.
praised?
Mr.. Phillips. The fact is that
one twentieth of the land has no
timber on it at all. This merely
makes the purchasers give bonds
that they will commit no waste on
the timber until the last payment is
made.
MIR. Cotton. Has this bill the ap.
proval of the secretary of the in.
terror?
Mr.. Phillips. It has. re
Mr.. Cotton. And of the commits.
sioner of Indian affairs?
Mr.. Phillips. 1t has. There is g
letter here from the commissioner
of Indian affairs. which / ask the
clerk to read.
The clerk read as 70 lows:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OFFICE OF INDIAN Affairs
Washington, ID. e. March IL, 1SJ4O
SIR: ] have the honor to acknowledge the
| receipt Of n copy of the lraught of "A bill sub
| United to the honorable secretary of the in
terror by this office. under date Of November
| &c, 1873, 'proVidingHfor the sale of the Kansas
Indian lands i'll Kansas to actual settlers. ar d
/! for the disposition of the proceeds of sale and
TO which you propose certain additions and
/ In returning the same, have respectfully
| TO say, that inasmuch as the changes and adj
| Iect the general PROVISION of the bill recon
| mended by this offce under date above re-
ferred to; l shall urge no objection thereto
| Very respectfully.
| Your 0bedient servent
EDW. r. SMITH,
| ~ COMMISSIONER.
| House of Representative
Dir. Phillips. / know yield five
minutes TO my colleague from Kan
sas Mr.. Lowe.
Mr.. Lowe. Mr.. Speaker, l de-
sire TO say few words only upon
| this bill. If 1 thought the bill
would work any injury either to
the indians or the government, l
should be very far from giving it my
endorsement. The recent facts in ref
erence to this reservation and these
lands are these: This tract of land
was set apart by treaty with the
Kansas Indians and reserved for that
purpose. In the year 1872 bill pass
ed congress authorizing the removal
OF the Indians to the Indian territory
! and providing for the sale of these