The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-01
THE WESTERN CATTLEMEN.
Conflicting Statements as to Vacation
of the Indian Reservations.
Rumor that Gen. Butler Will Take Steps to
Contest the Matter in the COurts-Cattle-
men Said To Be Moving Their Herds.


to the Herald says: "The Herald published,
recently. a telegram announcing that General
Benjamin T. Butler had paid visit to Block
Island, about which there was more or less mys-
terry. Among the guests in Hildreth's West
End Hotel. last evening, is. Colonel George B.
Corkhill, formerly district attorney of the
District of Columbia. Colonel Corkhill is SON.
in-aw of Judge Miller, probably the highest
authority on constitutional law now on the bench
of the United States Supreme Court, and as
General Buffers call was on Judge Miller, who
passed the summer at Block Island. and as
Colonel Corkhil was present at the Block Island
interview. your correspondent asked him to
explain the object of Buffers call on Justice
Miller. Colonel Corkhill said: There was no
political significance in his coming, but great
deal of business, which will, in the
not remote future. make matters lively in the
White House and elsewhere. / don't think there
is any secrecy concerning it, nor any attempt to
conceal the real object The real cause OF the
visit was the order Of President Cleveland di-
recting the owners Of cattle in the Indian lands
in the West to vacate their grazing grounds.
General Butler is himself one Of the proprietors
of large ranch and his clients and personal
friends represent many millions OF dollars OF
capital thus invested. The order is, therefore,
of very great consequence and importance 10
them, and be was preparing to sue the PRESIDENT
Of the United States, and the object OF his VISIT
was to ask preliminary order restraining the
execution of the proclamation of the PRESIDENT
until the questions involved could De determined
by the courts. General Buffers object was 70
present the matter to Judge Miller, Judge blatcn-
ford being absent from his circuit and not easy
of access. General Butler. as l have said,
represents many millions of dollars invested by
his clients, ard presented some very cogent rea-
sons for some order that would protect them.
The desired order was not issued l did not
hear the conversation with Justice Miller about
it, and don't know what his views upon the
question are' Colonel Corkhill then said that
there had undoubtedly been great frauds com.
mitted yet many honest men had invested
money in the business, supposing everything to
be right, honest and legal. Now, the order of
President Cleveland is peremptory, summary
and dictatorial He says they must CO. and go
at once Now, about this order there will
surely be fight. The cattle will not be moved
You couldn't move a colored picnic, let alone
BOO 600 head of CATTLE by any proclamation, let 1t
issue from the President anyone else. Yes,
the fight will be made 1t involves important
questions, the rights OF property, the power or
the Indians to made contracts and the power and
authority of the government to interfere Of
one thing rest assured-the cattle will stay, and
the fight will 90 on. We have no autocrat in
5hie country. If a landlord wants to put you out
of house, he goes to the courts, not to the
President If a contract has been violated, we
GO to the courts, not to the executive. AS to
what Justice Miller decided, I do not know; he
did not grant the injunction No overt act had
been committed. The President had simply
Issued an order If nobody obeyed. that was
the end of it, unless he attempted to enforce it,
and then another question would arise"
A Washington telegram says: 1.-THE period of
forty days fixed by the President in his procla-
nation ordering the removal of cattle ranches
from the Cheyenne and Arapahoe agencies,
Indian Territory, expires to morrow. The
Secretary of the Interior has received advices
from the Territory indicating the purposes of
the ranchers to comply with the terms of the
proclamation to the best of their ability, and
thousands of head of cattle are now foot
en- route to other States and Territories. 1t is
not believed that the services of the military
forces will be required to complete the evacu-
alton of the Territory. An impression is said to
prevail among tho cattlemen that the order of
the President of Aug Ia, calling for the removal
of ali fences public lands, will not be en-
forced. 1t is stated at the department that this
order will be enforced to the letter, and with the
full force of the military, if necessary"