Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-03-10

oVio aihcybr OF the various res
oluti ms coming from this same source.
that have been directed 10 the exeou'
tive department Of this government
witnln the past THREE years. / waut
TO give notice here and to everyb body
tlat although the administrative has
passed into The hands Of another pol,,.
Teal party with which Ian not sfIil.
lated. yet, ~ Is sen tor having dine
respect for the executive department
oil the government, | never intend
without at least protest that that adj
mlnistration shall be treated by
this senator or any other by such
resolution as the late administration
has been treated to. Why, Mr. Presi-
dent, II you we're 10 believe what this
n norable senator has said to-day, YOU
would suppose thst in the issuinE OF
this patent certification to this land
earned by this company, there has
oeen done something that never had
been done before. Every secretary
that has sat In the chair OF the depart
ment OF the int rior for the last eight
years has done exactly what has been
done by the secretary who has
Just retired. During a good
port on of this time the honorable sem
ator has been member Of the house
ofthis body. He has been member
OF the committee on pubic lands, and
never, either on that committee or i'm
this body, has he Zen heard to say a
word or this subject. It is in the
press, IT Is where the senator can get
the credit Of being the champion
OF the 'troddeu and oppressed
snd opposed to CORPORATIONS that he IL
h ard When l.gisls' on could be had
or the interest of the government
could be protected il desirable to pro-
tect, be has been as silent az the grave.
There are on the records of the land
Office millions OF acres of lands Issued
under exactly the came situation a.
thai under which this land was is
sued.u.
Senator Teller summarized as fol.
lows: The action of the legislative
and executive branches of the govern
mept with relation TO this road. The
lands were withdrawn in 1871 and '73
The validity Of the grant and of the
assignment thereof was recognized by
the commissioner of the general land
offlcp, Ii d. A. J Williamson by his
letters IF Feb. ~ b. 81 It, and 18th 1881,
10y Secretary Kirk wood in the pro-
c. edings TO appoint q commission to
examine the roads, by the president In
appointing commission TO examine
the rood, the approval of the report
made by said commission, by the at
torney.genersl. to whom the question
Of ownership and the right OF the COM
pany to receive patents was submitted
Jan S, 1852, by Secretary Kirkwtod,
by the judiciary committee OF the
Forty-seventh congress In ITS refusal to
entertain resolution 10 forfeit said
grant, by the Judiciary committee OF
the house of representatives, May ~,
1884, by a vote OF Is to 9, having been
instructed by the house to inquire rs
to the validity OF the grant and the
right OF the New o leans & Pacific 10
said land, by the house of representa-.
tives on the 2Gth of June, 1884 when
the bill for the forfeiture OF the land
was defeated gu direct vote by y
majority of ~ by the house on the
following day. when 1t refused by an
increased majority to reconsider the
vote by which the forfeiture bill had
been defeated, by the senate
commission on railroads ia
its report of June 7lh, 1882 and by the
action of the senate Their, on, by the re-
fusal OF the senate, July 5, 1882, TO in
Teetigste the manner In which the
company had a 'quired lis rights to the
land claim. and, finally. by the report
of the senate committee on public
lands
Mr. Teller gave the history of the
road recited the conditions Of the
grant and its assignment, which he
declared legal and regular in every
particular.
"My predecessor said Mr.. Teller,
"had submitted TO the attorney-gen.
eral the question as to whether the
company had the legal right claimed
to this land Courtesy and cum
mon deceney demanded that when
the executive officer asked for
the attorney-generai's opinion on
point OF law, that he
should respect that opinion. If that
was not go, then all the departments
OF the 'vernment for eighty years
had been proceeding on false basis.
braska 10 say that when an officer
asked the attorney general for an
opinion ana. after rec living 1t, the Of
ficer making the request should turn
around and say to the attorney general
your law is bad. and shall decline to
be governed oy it, That had never
been the practice OF the government. F"
But Senator Teller did not desire TO
shield the Interior DEPARTMENT under
any such defense AZ that. He relied
on the law of the case.
Adjourned,
OUTRAGEOUS ASSAULT.