The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-17
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
An Interesting Discussion on Senator Van
wyck's Resolution on the Backbone
Gift of Public Lands.

The investigation OF the dinerences between
capital and labor. He said the investigation
was practically concluded end an extension
was desired for the purpose OF making a re-
port.
Under objection OF Mr.. Cockrell its consid.
grafton was postponed until tomorrow.
Mr.. Van Wyck's Backbone resolution was
laid before the 5enste, and Eustis made q
speech upon 1t. He said a great wrong had
been done the people OF Louisiana, and he
wished to enter his protest against
its contamination. The title TO the
lands was illegal aud fraudulent, and
set up TO drefraud the settlers OF their
rights. This very title had been denounced
by the New Orleans and Pacific Company IN
documents which had been presented in
Congress aud the Interior Department as
utterly baseless and illegal. Everybody was
perfectly agreed that the Backbone Com
pany was nuisance and disgrace; IL never
lived for any corporate purpose whatever but
was mere skeleton OF a derelict association
ct. in 1851, by one OF the most extraordi-
nary proceedings on record, this defuRct
company made an assignment to the New
Orleans Pacific Company, and IL was upon
such title that the latter based its claims.
The transfer was radically vicious and ab.
solutey void. The consideration for ID was
the enormous sum OF a., One.third Of
the stockholders denounced the act before
the Interior Department as q shame and a
fraud. He WAS glad to know that the Secrs-
try OF the Interior was going TO investigate
this matter, and he hoped that in the future
there would be an administration which
would be In the interest OF the people. and
protect them from the rapacity OF rich rail-
road corporations.
Mr.. Teller defended his course, and said
net point had been made by the Senator
from Louisiana (Eustis) which had not been
passed upon by the Attorney General and
by the Judiciary Committee of the House.
it hao been the unbroken rule OF the de part
ment for sixteen years to issue these patents
whenever the parties had complied with The
conditions subsequent without reference
to time, and that had been done, in
nine cases out of ten, without anv
of the Interior he had issued papers in the
same identical manner, which was now
called in question, and that, too, without
having taken into consideration the opinions
of the committee of Congress or the opinion
of the House, when, by ma ority o. forty.
two, it bad declared THE grant should not be
VOID. Ii the administration is to commence
to undo what the late administration had
done, 1t should be done in accordance with
the forms OF law and in a manner comport-
ing with the dignity OF great administra-
tion presiding over the interests OF so 000, 900
Oh people. OOulO IL De uOQo Dy D RESOLUTION
of the Senate or speech addressed to the
public? Nay, 1t should be done by its court
Mr.. VanWyck, referring to Mr.. Teller's
speech of last week, said 1.-The Senator
from Colorado regretted that every person
who has spoken on this subject was not q
lawyer, meaning probably a lawyer of rail-
road proclivities. so that there might be q
full record of such lawyers as during most
of the last sixteen years had been at the
mead of the Departments of Justice and of
the Interior, making presidents which the
Secretary boosted be had followed. 1t was
settler as an interloper and speculator.
The ex Secretary. he said, had listened so
long to this dialect in the Department. that
ii was natural he should repeat it
in his speech, and sheer at such men. Al
most in the language of Tweed he asked
What are you going to do about it?'
Referring to Oklahoma, Mr.. Van Wyck said
the Federal bsyonets were pressed against
the breasts of hardy pioneers who were i'm
patient to enter the Indian Territory, but
there were no bsyonets to drive out the cat.
tie syndicates already in the Oklahomas or
fe destroy the fences illegally inclosing mil
lions of acres of public DOMAIN. Coming to
the subject of the present discussion, Mr..
Van Wyck asked why the late Secretary of
the Intericr was in such hot b ,ste to issue
these patents. Why was not the question
left to the delibeoation of his successor, who
properly belong to the road? Even on the
admiss -oIs last administration, the depart
ment had given the land to the Backbone
Company az if the entire me had been con-
structed after the assignment in 1881. The
late Secretary of the Interior, in the exuber-
apce of bis sympathy for Gould and Hunt
iDgton, urged or consented to a free gift OF
land for l60 miles of graded road. For a
faithful public servant it required no corpo.
ration lawyer, nor any other lawyer. to un-
derstand this performance. There was an.
other remarkable feature in the transaction
The ex Secretary, from many years practice
ss attorney for the Union Pacific Railroad
Company, and his long experience in the de
Vartment, knew that the railroads, to escape
State and local taxation, declined to
take patenu except as they marketed their
lands. Did not this action suggest q strong
suspicion that the motive must be fear OF
the next Congress, or that the incoming ad'
ministration might not be completely sub
Ject to railroad corporations control?
Mr.. Teller denied that any utterance OF
his justified the statement that he regarded
settlers as interlopers. Gould and Hunting
ton were great bugbeaIs. but if they had
made anything wrongfully out OF the public
by by conso idation. whose duty was it to
interfere? The dereliction lay at
the honorable Senator's own door.
The Senator had been q member of the Com
mittee on Public Lands four years: and had
never raised his hand to remedy the wrongs
of which he complained until the Texas
Pacific bill came over from the House-no
thanks to him.
Mr.. vanWyck defended himself against
the charge of inaction. When the Texas
Pacific bill was reported he had secured q
place for ii among the special orders, aud
twice had the Senate buried il in the body oil
the calendar.
After on executive session the Senate sd.
journed.
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