National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-24
SENATE and House.
INDIAN LANDS AND A QUESTION OF PRE-.
CEDENT AND PRIVILEGE.
The Oklahoms Resolutions Rcforred-Mr.
Hurd's Inquiry About the Orislnation OF
Revenue Bills Tabled in the House After
Lively Decentralization Bills Passed.


surrender their remaining interests in the Ok.
lnhnmn lands wastaken up, Mr. Vest amended
the resolution so MS TO include the Cherokee
nation In the inquiry
Mr. sherman Thought this so important a
matter that the resolution ana all amend
ments that might be offered to II should go TO
the committee on Indian affairs for serious and
deliberate consideration.
Mr. Plumb offered substitute for Mr. vests
resolution. which amendment requests the
President to enter, rs speedily as possible, into
negotiation with such Indian tribes MS may be
in possession of more lands than enough to
give each head of a family 100 acres, with a
view of using such surplus lands for actual
settlers only. The substitute also requests the
President to act In the matter as speedily MS
possible, and to report to congress such propo-
siions as he may receive.
Mr. Conger opposed all resolutions on the
subject. They excited, ne SAID the euPluityoi
men whose Cupidity did not need stimulus,
II was but a crude way of inviting people 70
Join the army of Oklahoma boomers untll
there should be enough Of them TO swallow up
the little army of the United States, not TO
mention the Indians II was bold.iaced
scheme for robbng the Indians of the lands
that the American people had set apart ior
them, lie denounced the whole system OF DO
prving the Indians of their lands, whether TO
accommodate the Oklahoma boomers or the
pleuropneumntic cattle OF Texas
Mr. Ingalls, repealed the implications of Mr..
Conger's remarks. We are a rapacious race
Mr.. ingalls, said we have crossed whole
continent in two centuries, expelling or assln
reached the limit of the public domain, He
doubted whether outside the Indian territory
there were 25,O00OOO acres subject to nome,
stead and presumption entry, and those would
be absorbed within five years. The spirit
which Mr.. Conger had attributed to the move
ment now under MISUNDERSTANDING II
asa "bold.laced robbery" %e'Lwas, IN MI
scription of the movement. The American
policy Is continental policy; MI; ingalls,
did not know but that within the iitelime OF
Int hppnmp
a "hemisphericap policy No matter what
the name or shape it may assume, nothing
could stand before the irresistible march OF
the Anglo-SaNon race. And while he believed
that these Oklahoma settlers were trespassers
and invaders, and were on the land in viola
ton of law, yet many of them had been I'M
posed upon by sChcming leaders, and be-
ievcd themselves legally entitled to enter on
the lands. He would not have wrong done to
the Indians, and the proposed resolutions
were not in the direction of doing such wrong.
Mr., Plumb asserted that his resolution was
not intended TO wrong but TO do Justice 10 the
Mr.. Vest, replying to Mr. Conger, said cpl
thets were not argument, nor could abuse be
made logic. His TMr. Vests resolution was
intended for the good Of the Indians, and any
statement to the contrary could only arise
from gross ignorance in regard TO the wholc
matter. The delegate of the Creek Nation
now in Washington had this morning written
Mr. Vest thanking him for what he had said
in tho senate yesterday on the subject, and the
Representatives Of the Creeks and Seminoles
had filed in the interior department papers
requesting the action suggested by Mr.. Vest
Mr.. Conger said he feared the greeks even
when bringing gifts" and the Washington
representatives of the Indian tribes-eyen II
they did write Mr. Vest. The policy outlined
by the resolutions was, in Mr.. Conger's opinion,
the Rob Roy" policy.
Because the good old rule
SuhiCeth them. the simple plan
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can"
Replying to Mr.. Ingalls, remarks; Mr.. Conger
said the question was evidently to be regarded
as n matter of manifest destiny This was
treating It as Charles Lamb had treated the
subject of murder-as fine art"
Mr. Ingalls, raised laugh at Mr.. C0nger 3
expense by interposing with the remark that
he had been under the impression that 1t was
DE Quincy who had so treated murder.
Mr.. Conger acknowledging the correction,
complimented Mr.. ingalls, memory, and con.
tinued that that senator : remarks showed that
the question Of how TO get possession OF Indian
lands was now to be treateu MS a fine art"
After further debate the resolutions of Mr..
Vest and Mr. Plumb were referred 10 the COM
mittee on Indian affairs.
AZ :25, OIL motion OF Mr.. Miller, OF California,
the senate went into executive session, add at
5p M the doors were reopened, and the SEN
ate adjourned until to-day. -
In the house yesterday Mr. Hurd, of Ohio,
Ms privileged question, offered preamble
and resolution reCting that certain bills APP
propriating money from the treasury origl'
mating in the senate arc now on the speaker !
many others, and that II is asserted that these
bills are in violation of the privileges OF the
house to exclusively originate bills for raising
revenue, and directing tho Judiciary commit
tee TO inquire into the power of the senate &C
originate bills apprOpriatlng revenue, and re
port to the house at any time.
Mr.. Hammond, OF Georgia, inquired
whether, ii the resolution were adopted the
house could consider the Blair bill in its regu
lar order.
The speaker answered in the affirmative
rlg uf1 at mr. mn ynaF ha had
viewed with apprehension the increasing
number of appropriation bills originating il
the senate When confined TO matters of per
sonal and local interest he had not seen fit t
intcrpose an objection, but when the senate
originated u bill appropriating $1,000 OOJ
and affecting great public purpose, the tint
had arrived when the question should be de
termined whether the senate possessed thu
power which it claimed to exercise. Tn
question directly presented was whether bill
appropriating money from the treasury wer'
bills for raising revenue and he upheld the
affirmative OF the proposition. a bill for rails
ing revenue included Dill appropriatlnt
money, for until the appropriation had BEEF
made 1t was not revenue To the government
Since the beginning of this government tn
house had maintained its preTogative to orig
mate general appropriation bills, aud 1t ha'
not surrendered that prerogative by passn
senate bills appropriating money for specih
purposes.
Mr. Herbert, of Alabama, inquired where 4
the constitution any distinction could be fOun
between the power of the senate TO original
bills approprating Il specific sum for speciii
object md bills apprOpriating specific sun
for a general purpose, as IN the case oil tn
Mr. Hurd denied the power OF the senate t
originate either character OF bill, He believe
that the adoption of the doctrine contende
for by the senate would be utterly destructiY
of the object sought by the founders of tn
government, which object was 10 give to "a
representatives the power over the people
money. This power was the most potent Z
instruments against the entertainments Of eN
ecutiye power. Liberty could only DO pr
served BY preserving It's muniments, ana OF a
those he knew OF none greater than that OF tl
power over the peoples money by the people
representatives. lApplause
MI. Hammond, oi Georgia, called attentio
to the fact that in the iorty-siXth congress
similar point had been raised against the rigl
OF the senate to originate Il bill for .he pu
chase OF additional ground for the bureau {
engraving and printing, The question ha
been referred TO the Judiciary committee, an
OF the fifteen members OF that committee te
mad decided that the senate had Il rigl
80 originate that bill and all bills
Mr.. Reed, Of Maine, did not think the houi
should reach out for more business. II WI
.o-day SO clogged with the business whic
,egitlmAtely belongs 10 II that II can absolutel
do nothing, If II should undertake 10 shut o
he senate from what was plainly its constitl
tional right, he was afraid the house woui
exhibit TO the country Il still worse instance
do-nothing-ism than II did to-day. Applause
Messrs. Dibble, of South Carolina; Long,
Massachusetts; Herbert, Of Alabama j. s. Wis
OF Virginia, and Cox OF North Carolina, argue
In support OF the right Of the senate TO original
appropriation bills.
Mr., HlsCOck, OF New York, quoted from
debate which occurred in the senate in 1856
when such distinguished senators as Seward
of New York, and sumner Of Massachusetts
laid down the proposition that 1t was Il d
parturc from the spirit OF the constitution (
the senate 10 originate appropriation bill
He believed II entirely proper the questio
should be investigated by the Judiciary con
mittec, and not be brushed aside rs being
no importance,
Mr. Willis, OF Kentucky, regarded the res
luton US an unusual and extraordinary on
The aim II had In Wow was to call IN questO
the COnstitutiouallty OF the educational bill
The point would have been better mao
against some bill less worthy than this. Fro
10 h, ha hnp IND m, rot "a