Morning journal and courier., 1885-01-23
18th COngress---SecOnd Session.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 2

l SENATE-Petitions were presented against ! the ratification of the Spanish treaty | The bill for the relief of Mrs. w. H. Hunt,
 widow of ex-Secretary w. H. Hunt, was in definitely postponed with the view of intro | duclng an appropriation for her benefit in l the consular and diplomatic bill.
 The chair laid before the Senate the reso- | lution offered yesterday by MT. Plumb call | ing upon the President for the status of the | Greek and Seminole Indian land question in
 Indian Territory as viewed by the executive; | the action taken, if any, to expel persons 1 seeking to settle thereon and the reasons | therefor. He also directed the reading of | Senator Vests amendment to the resolution, | which directs the Secretary of the Interior ] to ascertain upon what terms the Creeks and | Seminoles will relinquish all claims and con vey to the United States all rights, title and | interest in the country.
 MT. Vest upon reflection did not desire his
 amendment to conflict with MT. Plumb's and l thought that, in view of existing circum | stances, both resolutions might properly be | adopted. He understood from press dis ! patches published this morning that the l leader of Oklahoma Indians was a desperate l character and rather courted attack. There was but one course for the President l to pursue and that had been adopted. No l intelligent person could say that the territory l was open to settlement by white persons al | this time. But notwithstanding this, | there were two hundred and fifty | armed men encamped near the Saltwater prepared to resist United States officers. | Continuing, MT. Vest said that great misap prehension existed as to what Oklahoma was. Recent debates in another part of the Capitol indicated a belief that the President was violating law and precedent in prevent ing white men from settling in this territory He asserted that the President could not do otherwise than he had done without violat- ing his oath The original territory of Okla homa consisted of five thousand square miles i'll the most central part of Indian Territory. The whole difficulty from misunder- standing of the third section of the treaty of 1866 with the Creeks, which ceded to the United States, te be used for homes for freedmen and civilized Indians the west half of their entire claim. He did not question
 that the intention of Congress in making that
 treaty was to include all the freedmen of the
 United States and to coloniZe the lately
 emancipated race there. MT. Schurz erroni-
 ously, as he (Mr. Vest) believed, held that
 it's provisions only applied to the negroes
 formerly held in slavery by the
 Creeks themselves. However this might
 be, there could be no question that
 white man had any right in that territory
 and he (air. Vest was astonished to hear and
 could hardly believe that judge in Kansas
 had declared the territory open to settle
 ment. These lands had been obtained from
 the Indians at an absurdly insufficient price.
 Human tongues could not describe the
 wrongs inflicted on these Indians This
 question must be settled by law or it would
 be settled in blood.
 MT. Dawes said if the Senate bill, passed three or four years ago, to punish the leaders in this Oklahoma invasion had been adopted by the House much suffering would have been saved to the innocent but deluded fol lowers of these men. The responsibility did not rest at the door of the Senate. The re- solution of the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Vacf ha nf 11It Ia disposition of these lands, a question so i'm portant that he (Mr. Dawes) hoped it would occupy the attention of the Senate until it was disposed of. Here million and half acres of fertile land, larger than the State of Massachusetts without 8 dwelling of an Indian or white man on them except a few cowboys herding the cattle under a single l9ase-a territory of no use for the purpose for which it had been obtained Vast tracts ! in other portions of the Indian Territory are in the same condition. The time must soon l come when all these lands must be opened | to the white man for settlement. He was in favor of the proposition advocated by | MT. Vest to negotiate with the Creeks and l Seminoles for possession of their lands, but | he desired the resolutions broadened so as to l apply not onlyto lands of Oklahoma but all | the Indian lands.
 MT. Hawley inquired whether there was | any authority for calling any part of this ter ritory Oklahoma-what was the origin of the l name? |
 MT. Vest replied that the name was con ferred upon the territory by Colonel Boudi- | not, a Cherokee, and meant in the Cherokee l language ''the home of the red man." There ! was no law for the name.
 Mr Harrison believed that some authentic l yea and nay declaration by the Senate that ! these lands were not open to settlement | might avert threatened bloodshed. |
 Mr. Maxey advocated vigorous measures to | put down these organized lawless invasions | of territory not open to settlement.
 MT. Plumb of the opinion that some ! of those now in Oklahoma honestly believed 1 that they had a right to be there. He diff l fered with the Senators from Missouri and l Massachusetts and believed all these lands in | the Indian Territory which were in excess of | the needs of the Indians could be opened to | settlement without the consent of the Indians | and he favored a law directing the President | to take steps for this purpose. The Indians themselves he thought could be persuaded to agree to this.
 MT. Plumb's resolution calling on the Pres ident for information was adopted.
 MT. Vest amended his resolution so as to include all the Indian Territory and gave notice that he would call it up a separate joint resolution tomorrow.
 At. 2:S0 p. m., on motion of MT. Miller of California, the Senate went into executive session on the Nicaragua treaty, which was discussed until 4:20, and then without reach l ing vote the Senate adjourned.
 The Jenate besides discussing for some time l the treaty confirmed among others of minor importance the following nominations: Car roll D. Wright, of Boston, to be commissioner of labor, and William E. Emmett, of New York; to be secretary of legation at Constan- tinopel.
 HoUSE.-On motion of MT. Lanham, of Texas, the House concurred inc the Senate amendment to the bill establishing com mission to run the boundary line between | the Indian territory and the State of Texas.
 MT. Cobb, of Indiana, from the conference committee on the Oregon Central land grant forfeiture bill, submitted a report recon concurrence in the Senate amend ment: adopted.
 the Whole on the Indian appropriation bill. The bill was read through without material amendment. MT. Ryan, of Kansas, offered an additional section authorizing the Presi- dent to open negotiations with the Creeks, 5eminoles and Chickasaws for the cession of the unassigned lands under the treaties Of 1866; adopted.
 Mr. Cutcheon, of Michigan, offered an amendment providing for the rate of punish nent by the federal courts of Indians for crimes of the graver sort committed upon other Indians upon any reservation; adopted.
 The committee then rose and reported the pill to the House. The bill was then passed, yeas 243, nays :, and at 5:05 the House ad- burned.
 Anarchists PIaced On Trial.