Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-15

HOUSE
WASHINGTON, Jan. I4.-Mr. HancocI
introduced a bill removing the politica
disabilities of Jno. Nithers, Jas. F. Win
ter and VIM. Kearney, of Texas. Passed
The House then went into committee 0
the whole, Mr.. Poland in the chair, On tn
Indian appropriation bill.
Mr.. Shanks defended the Indian peac
policy, and asserted that as a result Of it
the Indians in this eouutry were in bette
condition now than they had ever been. s.
long as the peace policy punished bad In
dians and protected good ones, he was il
favor Of it,
Mr.. Beck paid 4 compliment TO Mr
Shanks for bis praiseworthy efforts to pro
tect the interests Of the Indians, and said
that he (Shanks) had originated and carried
through a measure a couple years ago pro
viding that not more than 30 per cent
should be paid on Indian contracts until all
accounts were inspected by the Board oi
Commissioners. That was a check upoI
fraud, but that check had been removed.
and the Commissioners had reported last
year that many accounts which they had
examined and objected to, had been paid in
spite of their protest to an Indian ring in.
eluding Dodge and Wilder and others Of
that sort, with whom contracts were made
in violation Of law. He believed all these
safeguards had been removed for the very
purposegOf letting these frauds 90 on.
A provision in regard 10 the Indian
Peace Commissioners having been reached,
Mr.. Randall stated that the chairman OF
the Board is Secretary and Treasurer Ofthe
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company,
and that certain Indian lands would 90 to
that company in certain events. His in
terests, therefore, were adverse to those of
the Indians and of the Government. He
referred to Clinton B. Fiske.
Mr. Parker, of Missouri. said he did not
know anything about the private affairs of
Gen. Fiske. The Commissioners were ap-
pointed on the recommendation Of various
churches in the country, and he was in
clined TO believe they weie good men.
Gen. Fiske stood high as a citizen of Mis-
souri,. All these men worked without
compensation. Il was purely a labor Of
love and charity on their part.
Mr.. Randall-ChUrches are not always
right in some Of their recommendations.
am inclined to think il is a bad year for
Christian ministers. TLaughter.l
A provision in regard to the Round Val
ley Indian reservation being under cOnsid-
Grafton. Mr.. Luttrell suggested that the
reservation should be rented to men who
would contract to feed and take care Of the
Indians.
Mr.. Parker, Of Missouri, remarked that
that would reduce the Indians to the con-
ditiOn Of the poems.
Mr.. Luttrell replied that they were now
treated worse than poems. He understood
that on the Round Valley reservation In
dians were often tied up and whipped like
dogs by orders Of the agent.
Mr.. Starkweather-What agent does
thls2
Mr. Luttrell-Rev. L. BOuchard.
Mr.. Siarkweather Is he agent now?
NJ. Luttrell-He is.
Mr.. kweather-Wheu was he 'ap-
PORTED?
Mr.. Luttrell-AbOut three years ago.
Mr.. Starkweather-Wh denomination
does he belong to?
SIR. Luttrell-He is a Methodist, and /
am sorry to state it. [Laughter.l He is a
Republican. More Laughter he was a
SecessioniSt, but at the close Of the war be
became a Republican, and that was bis re-
ward.
The Speaker here laid before the House
a communication from the Sergeant alarms
stating that he had been required by a writ
of ha0eas corpus, issued by Judge Near
thur, Of the Supreme Court Of the District
Of Columbia, to produce before him the
body % r. B. Irwin, the recusant witness
in the Pacific Mail investigation; that he
had attended with his counsel, and ne
spOnded that he had the prisoner in his
custody by order of the House Of Repre-
sentatives, and that Judge Macarthur had
decided that no return would be received
from him until he produced the prisoner in
court. Under these circumstances, the pro-
ductiOn Of Irwin would be TO release him
from his custody as an officer Of the House.
He asked for instructions.
Mr.. Dawes suggested that the question
be referred to the Judiciary Committee,
with instructions to report tomorrow. The
Supreme Court of the District had decided
that every court, including the Senate and
House Of Representatives, was the sole
judge Of its own contempt, and no other
court had jurisdiction to review its judg-
ments. Judge Macarthur, with the record
before him, should have decided he had ju-
risdiction.
A proposition was offered by Mr.. Haw-
ley, Of Connecticut, and amended, on mo-
ton of G. F. HOar, by striking out that
part which provided for producing the body
Of Irwin, was adopted without the yeas
and nays. The resolution now reads as
follows:
Resolved, that the Sergeant-at-Arms be
directed to make careful return to the
writ Of habeas corpus, that the prisoner is
duly held by authority Of the House Of
TO answer in proceedings
against him for contempt.
The House then adjourned.