The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-19

referred to the Committee Of the Whole and then on
motion OF Mr.. Scales. the House went into COMMIT
laid aside all previous bills and took up the ute oi'
SPEECH or MIR. BELFoRD.
Mr. BELFoRD lrep) OF Col. stated that tine ote
reservation in Colorado consisted of OOO acres
about 1000 for every man. woman and child in
the Ute tribe. He was opposed TO the committee
amendments to the Senate BILL and he predicted
that If they were adopted next year would witness
renewal Of the conflict which had recently attracted
the attention of the country. He challenged the
gentleman from Michigan (ur. Conger) or any oihcer
of the Interior Department to point his finger to
complaint made by the Ute Indians against the
adopted. as certain as God reigned above,
next spring the teeming thousands which
would pour into Colorado would cross the
line OF that reservation and would prospect the
mountains for mineral wealth, and the government
would not have the power to arrest the progress of
the vast tribe. Men who had carved out the path of
empire would not halt at the reservation ana the
government desired to prevent war and protect the
people of Colorado it must provide some method
that State. In coming to Washington to take his
seat he had passed through five large States. every
acre IN Which had been sS9Isn from the srs ana
and plundered the Indians We want you to
belong to the goodygoody class of the people in the
West" (Laughterl He called the attention OF the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conger) to the fact
that the report of the Commissioner Of Indian Affairs
for 1878 showed that more frauds had been committed
against the Indians in Michigan than in any other
State or Territory Haughter) Tho House COM
mittee had said that 1t would not consent to re-
three-fourths Of the Indians consented to it.
MIR. SCALES inquired whether that was not in &C.
cordance with the treaty stipulations
Mr.. BELFoRD replied that it did not matter whether
it was not, because the Indians had violated the
treaty by leaving their reservations. During thelast
summer they had fred almost the entire State and
had murdered from thirty forty people, exclusive
OF the Meekers.
Mr.. CONGER of Michigan, asked what sort OF q bill
this was which required for its sanction and report
references to all the world renowned rascalities
practiced the Indians since the discovery of Amer
ica There were some things in the history of the
country and in the conduct of the American people
toward the Indians which. in the face OF the civil
lied world, Americans paliated best they could.
which they denied often as they might and which
they only required to with regret and shame. And
yet those things required to here to-day an
inducement and incentive to the preparation Of an
additional wrong to the Indian race.
GROUNDS OF OPPOSITION.
NJ. CONGER, in continuing his remarks, said IL
condemn the bill because Congress has no right to
resolve that agreement shall be made to break
because it is unjust to the Indians oppose it be-
cause its very advocates say that the Indians must
be removed because they are in the way of the white
man. Ioppose it because it provides that these Ind
ians shall be located in other part of Colorado
Where else In Colorado they be permitted to got
Is it to the agricultural Lander Clearly not. OPP
Of the United States. with the strong arm
Of its power. to protect the Indians
first time that q measure OF this kind has been
hurried through Congress at the instgation Of Sem
anu Defs nom state In Ofuof 10 satisfy
the greed of those who want Indian lands. Let this
matter remain over until we como together agap
and until it shall be known what is right and what
just. and how this government may honorAbly and
falrly fulfil its treaty stipulatiohs II we have nc
power to protect the Indians there let us increase
that power by increasing the army. We sent little
band of 140 among the deles of those mountains
without any object in view and with no prospect Of
avoiding collision, and left them there to be am
pushed and massacred. The only redeeming thine
about that Is the desperate and heroic
courage OF officers and men aud the glory which
they added arms. even in the far OF noun
tains where they fought and fell and that othel
additional thing that the survivors were rescued
from their peril by the gaantry of colored troops
The debate was continued at much length, AND
was further participated in by Mr.. Godschalk. o
Pennsylvania who commended William Penn's In
dian policy by Mr. HASKELL of Kansas. who ASSERTED
the right Of the President to proclaim the entir
abrogation of the Ute treaty; by Mr. Belford, o
Colorado. who reminded Mr.. Conger that the bill
denounced by him rs n fraud had beeA prepared b,
the Secretary Of the Interior; by Mr. Keller. Of Ohio
and others.
Finally the committee rose without action. an,
the House, at four o'clock p NJ, adjourned until to
morrow.