The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-05-13
TEXAS FRoNTIRR INTERESTS

TEXAS FRONTIER INTERESTS.
On the twenty-ninth ultimo the Sem
ate, while considering tie Indian sp-
preparation bill, agreed upon the rep
resentations of our Senators to tae
clause adopted in the House, touching
specially the interests of our state.
The clause referred to reads:
That all officers and agents of the
army and Indian bureaus are prohibi-
ted, except in q case specially directed
by the President, from granting per-
mission in writing or otherwise to any
Indian or Indians on any reservation 10
go into the State of Texss under any
pretext whatever; and any officer or
agent of the army or Indian bureau
who shall violate this provision shall
be dismissed from the public service.
And the Secretary Of the Interior is
hereby directed and required to take at
once such other reasonable measures as
may be necessary in connection with
said prohibition to prevent said Indians
from entering said state.
1t was explained on the floor of the
Senate by Mr.. Coke that this provis-
ion was inserted at the request of the
entire Texas delegation in Congress !;
that 1t was made in obediense to the
repeated solicitations of Governor Rob-
erts that such law be passed. He ex-
planned that the necessity for such q
law arose IN the fact that Indians con-
stantly go into Texas from distant res
ervations on permits, and that while
such permits have been granted on the
plea of hunting, the Indians so enter
ing the state have deprecated on its
citizens, and that they have killed a
great many people on our frontier while
on these expeditions. The Governors
position in urging the right of the
state to such q law has been that the
United States government owns no
land in Texas, and that its agents,
therefore, have no right to give IL
dians permission to hunt upon grounds
belonging exclusively to the State OF
Texas. Senator Msxey said:
Governor Roberts officially sent to
me, as the senior member of the dele
cation, a complete statement of the
outrages which have been committed
upon the frontier people of Texas by
Indians coming on our territory. That
was an official paper of such grave i'm
portance that I called the delegation
together. We conferred about it, and
as to the proper course to pursue, and
it was agreed among ourselves that
our colleague in the House, MIR. Well
born, who belongs to the Committee
on Indian Affairs of the House, should
present something like what we have
now IN the House bill before US, and
my colleague here, Mr.. Coke, who is
chairman of the Committee on Indian
Affairs in the Senate, was charged by
the delegation with presenting such q
section here. Il is a matter to US oi
grave consequence. The charges made
by the Governor of Texas were sbund-
antly sustained by proof. We not
|
the Interior Department and the War
Department in regard to the matter,
and laid the subject before them.
Mr.. Maxey then explained the neces.
sity of some action, by which the peo
pie on the vast sparcely settled frontier
of Texas could be protected. He re.
flected upon the miserable dual system
of Indian government, by which Tex
as representative can find neither in
the Army or the Interior department
any responsibility for outrages com
mitted against the people of Texas
and this presented the necessity
that neither an army officer o.
an Indian agent shall hsYe pow
er to permit the treacheroui
wards of the nation to enter Texas ter
ritory, where the federal government
has no right to domain. The
clause was agreed to after some little
debate, and it will become law wher
the appropriation bill is submitted and
signed by the President. The result
of such legislation will have 6
most beneficial effect upon our
frontier interests, which have beer
sadly neglected by the federal govern.
ment and disregard of which has en-
tailed vast losses in life and property
upon our people. Texas is probably the
only state in the Union which has been
compelled to bear very heavy expense
in defense of her frontier, and it may
be hoped that an active effort on the
part of Governor Roberts to have the
state reimbursed In this behalf may be
as fruitful in results as his effort for
the legislation now secured has proven.
he has good supper. in our able delega-
tion in Congress, and the people should
be much gratified at what has been
effected.
Il