National Republican., 1885-02-13


the special orders remained there until dis
posed Of lie did not speak COmpluiningly,
but he felt satisfied that II had not boon tine
purpose of the senate TO displace the forfeiture
Mr.. Van wycks request for unanimous con.
sent that the bill bo restored TO its plnce among
the special orders was acccded to.
Mr.. sherman asked that by unanimous CON
sent the house bills on the senate calendar be
taken up soratim aud considered under the
fye.minute rule, subject to the objection OF
one senator.
Mr. Wilson would not consent, nv this course
would interfere with the bill to quiet the titles
Of the DCs MOiues river settlers ,
After brief discussion the last named bill
was placed before the senate, and MIR. wilson
took Ghe floor and spoke at length upon H..
There were thousand families in the state OF
Iowa, he said, to which the passage OF this
bill meant more than he could tell. Their
heads were men in the winter of life after
spending many Of them a third or quarter
Of a century In the effort to establish home
for their families. No one could DO harmed
by the passage of the bill
Mr. Garland said nc sympathized with these
settlers, and would be willing 10 stretch the
legislative conscience OF congress in order 10
aid them. But the supreme court OF the
United States had settled the matter, and
there was nothing for congress to do. IL the
wrong done could be computed in money, MI
Garland would be willing TO do what could be
done for the relief of the settlers. But he
opposed this bill.
Mr. Harris offered resolution providing
that house bills not objected to should be
taken up In their order, aiter morning buhl'
ness, and be considered ill O'Clock each day
till all shall have been disposed Of.
An amendment Of Mr. Allison was added to
the resolution, providing that its operation
should not interfere with tho Des Moines river
! land titles bill now under consideration.
The resolution was then laid over till to-day.
The bill repeating the pre'emption and tim
| Der culture laws was taken up.
| Mr.. Vest read a letter from gentleman re-
siding In Michigan, whom, he said, he did not
| know, but whose rcspeotabllity had been
| youched for by senator irom Michigan. The
| letter stated that a bill introduced by Senator
| Palmer apparently for the benefit Of bona fde
purchasers Of public lands was not In reality
In their interest, but in the interest Of few
persons, who, through colluson with the gov
ernment land agents, had been enabled to buy
! great tracts of the public lands at private
| sale contrary 10 law-thus getting for Sl.6
an acre lands that We're worth S2j TO 500 an
| acre. The letter further stated that tho Wash.
| lugtOn correspondents of Michigan papers did
| not give the facts, but gave garbled state.
ments of these land matters. With tho letter
| were newspaper clippings stating that Barn
hart, Hill, mud Freeman, of Grand Rapids,
| Case aud Mckinney Of Marquette, and others
Rnow In Washington, owned 10000 acres of
these lands. "WhoCver heard" Mr.; Vest
| asked, "Of people buying 100000 ncros OF pub
lie land without knowing what they were
buying?' with no personal knowledge of the
facts Mr. Vest felt warranted In declaring
| that this had been q stupGndous speculation In
the public lands on tho part OF men who
hoped to come In and pose as "innocent pur-
chasers,' on the passage of bill like that now
before the senate.
Mr.. Palmer said that no doubt speculators
and lumbermen had invested In lands, but
those were not the men that Mr.. Palmer was
seeking to relieve. The men he wanted TO
help were the poor farmers who had put their
sweat and toll Into their lands. The amend
| ment Of Mr.. Palmer, now pending TO the bill,
would confirm and declare valid the titles Of
lands Withdrawn from sale by reason Of rail.
Nd lNnpg, lnt Ia had aaI
In price 10 81 % per acre and purchased In
good faith without the lands having been Of
iered at public auction. cloud had come
over the titles Of vast number of honest,
hard-Working land owners in the northern
half OF the lower peninsula of Michigan. They
had bought the lands honestly, and paid taxes
on them for twenty years, and were now liable
TO have their lands taken from them by bounty
Jumpers and iGckals ofevery kind, As 10 tho
letter read by Mr.. Vest, he (Mr. Palmor)
knew its writer to be u respectable man, but
he could not conceive what aulmus had
caused tho letter to be written unless II was
some private plque. lie (Mr Palmer) hoped
the thing would be thoroughly followed up;
and, If it were he had no doubt his view
ready TO answer every question relating to his
amendment without hesitation or delay.
| Messrs Vest and COnger continued the dis
CussiOu, after which Mr. PalmerH amendment
was agreedt TO.
Mr.. Morgan offered an amendment provld-
ing for the settlement of all questions Of CON
dieting claims by the department Of the in;o.
riOr, and giving bona iidc settlers under the
homestead and pre-emption laws preference
over previous entries made At sl25 an acre.
In the course OF some remarks on his amend
meut, Mr.. Morgan said he did not like tho
aspect of the bill In the senate. 1t looked to
him too much Us II some private enterprise
were being carried forward,
Pending debate on Mr.. Morgan nsamendment
the following iOint resolution was submitted by
Mr.. Van WyCk for reference 10 the committee
on public lands; THAT It shall be unlawful
for any railroad company claiming an interest
| IN any grant of land lrOm the United States or
for any person acting under its authority, to
sell, or ollur 10 sell or mortgage, or pledge any
OF such lands while bill for the forfeiture OF
the same Is pending in either house of con.
gress, or before d patent in conformity with
law shall have Issued for the same and any
person or persons selling or Offering TO sell, or
mortgage or pledge such lands shall be guilty
Of Il misdemeanOr, and on.conviction shall be
fined In u sum not exceeding $1,000 or impris
onmeut not more than one year" The Joint
resolution was referred US suggested BY Mr.
Van WyCk.
The army appropriation bill was taken up
and, after adopting all of the amendments
proposed by the senate committee, the bill wal
passed.
and Mr.. Morgun's amendment, somewhat
modified, was adopted.
An amendment offered by Mr. Sherman was
! agreed to, providing that no public lands moi
. heretofore offered ut public sale shall be sole
at public sale or be subjected to private sale
, except military reservation and mineral lands
The bill was then passed
7 The chair then laid before the senate the
bill to forfeit the Texas Pacific land grant
! Mr.. Blair attempted to bring up the anti
= foreign contract labor bill, but on learninI
? that this would displaco the forfeiture bill
= Mr.. Van WyCk declined to yield.
! on motion Of Mr., Harrison, the senate, a
! 5'2O, went into executive session, and hye min
o utCs later adjourned.
r The house proceeded to the consideration o
! business under the special rule, and seyera
\ measures received action during the hour.
Q ON motion of Mt willis, of Kentucky, II wa
Q ordered that at the close of yesterdays pro
= cGedings the house should take recess unit
:, | 10 o clock to-day the object, he stated was L
' take up the river and harb0r bill at that hour
The bill could be disposed Of In four hours
+. US he proposed 10 ask the house TO limit In,
a debate on the Rpproprlating portion of the bill
a to an hour and half
|, The house then, at l;50, went into commit
tee OF the whole on the postollice appropriation
bill.
A long debate ensued upon point of ordo
Il made against the paragraphs relating to III!
a change IN me method OF G0mpensaIing rail
u roads for mail transportation,
= The chair INF Sprlnger) said that he hal
|, no doubt that the legislation changed exist
Il ing law. In deciding whether II would resul
q in decreased expenditures, the chair mus
!, take into consideration not only the face Z
g the paragraphs, but tho existing law, and ais
i the official reports of the departments Of tn
BONtTulneut' Viewing lne question III III
Hight of these documents the chair Overrulel
l. the point Of order. The chair was not will
a out doubt as 70 the correctness Of the ruling
but he thought that the doubt should be r(
solved In such way as 10 allow the matter I
be ncted upon by the committee,
Mr., Blount appealed from the decision
II the chair.
~ The commlttoe-by vote by tellers 80 to o.
refused 70 sustain tho decision of the chat
p and the new legislation concerning railTOa
!. mail compensation was stricken from the bill
An amendment offered by Mr., HoIr WI
adopted, fixing tho appropriation for milan
Z mail transportation at Sl40l0OO0, and thl
/. Sl,765,OOJ be appropriated for railway pos
>, office car service.
" An amendment appropriOting S266, 7H 4
necessary and special facilities on trunk line
q, was adopted, ON motion Of Mr.. Nichols.
The appropriation for tho star route seryiC
= was Increased by 5000 600 upon motion Of "
IS llOrr, and also upon his motion the apprOpr
Il llOn for rAIlMnN nOsLOllnn cnrkA WINS lIlnrnnal