Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-06
MAKING THE SPARKS FLY
THE LAND COMMISSIONERS Or
DER UNDER FIRE.

Senators Ingalls, and COckrsIi Il Ach Pro-
claim the Other is No GeOtieman-The
Senate Fiualiy Decides to Investigate
the Matter as Requested by the Gen
tieman FROM Kansas.
WASHINGTON. June 5.-Mr. Ingalls,
resolution, offered yesterday, was laid be-
fore the Senate to-day. 1t calls on the
Secretary Of the Interior for Information
as to authority for the issuance OF the re-
centoider Ofthe Commissioner fthe Gene
raj Land O1ice, suspending the receipt of
applications for public lands under the
pre-emptiOn, timber culture and desert
land acts. The resolution having been
read, MIR. Walthall said that very soon
after the issue of the order complained OF
the Secretary of the Interior came to doubt
seriously as to the legal authority for that
order, without reference to matters of the
Presidents, and that he had determined to
revoke it yesterday.
THE REVOCATION.
Mr.. Walthall continued that an hour or
more before the Senate met and two or
three hours before the Offering OF Mr.. In
gals resolution he Mr.. Walth9ll saw
and read the original draft of the order re-
vokng it and had IA conversation with the
Secretary of the Interior on the subject.
He (Walthall) had learned from the sec
retary that he had very grave dOub5 rs to
the legality of the order and had deter
mined on the very day of its issue to re-
woke it, Whatever the precedents might
be.
Mr.. Walthall sent to the desk and had
the clerk read copy of the order of revo-
cation.
INGALLS, NOT SATISFIED.
MIR. Ingalls, was glad the first order had
been revoked, but regretted the statement
of the grounds on which the revocation
had been made. He Mr.. Ingalls) af-
tirmed that DO precedent in harmony with
the order Of June would be found In the
Interior Department. The revocation
was right but the reasons gwen for the
revocation were not right. The constitu-
tion OF the United States, Mr.. ingalls, con-
tinued, required the President of the
United States to take care the laws were
faithfully executed. The President was
responsible for the acts of his executive
officers.
RAP AT THE PRESIDENT.
Mr.. Ingalls, did not assume that Presi-
dent Cleveland on June , or at any day
since had been in condition either to APP
prove or dsapproVe acts of his subordi-
mates, and while Mr.. Ingalls, eXonerated
the Secretary of the Interior from anV
active Intervention in this matter, the
radical difficulty lay in the fact that the
executive had placed vast national inter-
ests in the hands of subordinate officers,
who assumed not to see that the laws
were faithfully executed, but that the
valid and subsisting laws Of the United
States were suspended over vast area of
public domain, and that many thousands
of citizens were denied their rights under
the laws.
SUSPENSION OF ENTRIES.
The advent of the present Commits
sioner of the General Land Office to his
position had been signalIzed by an imme-
diate suspension of 1876, 900 entries of
public lands. The Commissioner of the
General Land Office assumed that every
one of those claimants was engaged in a
fraudulent attempt 10 rob and plunder
the United States. He suspended every
one Of those entries, directed that patents
should not issue, and sent out
q vast corps of inquisitOrs and spies iD-
structed to find evidence to support the
suspicious or the Commissioner Of the
General Land Office. That policy had been
pursued up to this time. So great had been
the hardship and Injustice and oppression
OF the Commissioners course that the
Secretary of the Interior had been called
upon to revoke prior orders of the Com
missioner.
NETTLED BY COCKRELL.
Mr.. ingalls, was proceeding to read a
letter addressedsby the Commissioner of
the General Land Office to the Secretary
of the Interior, dated May 6. 1885, when
Mr.. CockreIl asked what document Mr..
Ingalls, was going to read from.
Mr.. Ingalls, repeated the date OF the let
ter and a statement that it was from the
Commissioners.
Mr.. COckrell inquired whether the Sen
atOr was going to read from an official
document of the House or the Senate.
Mr.. ingalls, replied that if the Senator
denied authenticity or suspected that he
(Mr. lngalls) would tamper with the text
OF the letter he Mr.. Cockrell) could send
to the document room and got report.
Mr.. ingalls, then stated the number Of
the document.
HOT sPARRING.
Mr.. Cockrell-WhY could not the Sena-
tor answer polite question at Onccl
Mr.. Ingalls-The Senator from Missouri
is incapable Of asking polite question OF
anybody, that's the reason.
Mr.. Cockrell-And the Senator from
Kansas is incapable Of answering q gem
tleman.
Nr. Ingalls, shall never have an op-
pOrtunity Of answering gentleman
whenever the Senator OF Missouri inter-
The chair urged the Senators to keep
order.
Mr.. Edmunds (sotto voce THAT is un-
parliamentary.
MIR. ingalls, also sotto voce You say
it Is.
PRArING or IMPEACHMENT.
Mr.. ingalls, said further that he was
glad the order bad been revoked It's
Issuance was an Offense that, II committed
by the Secretary OF the Interior and sane
toned by the President, would justify
their impeachment and removal from
Office.
"Mr. Beck said the Secretary OF the Inte-
rior desired tue adoption OF the resolution
offered by the Senator from Kansns. 50
that the Senate could 10 informed OF the
causes that bad led TO the Issue OF the
order. The precedents for the issue Of the
order would then be seen.
Mr. Teller asserted positively that no
precedent for the order could be found in
the records OF the department.
LAMAR EXCUsABLE.
He defended Mr.. Lamar, however, and
said be could easily understand how he
came 70 sign the order OF June >. He said
II was practically impossible Tor the head
OF a department 70 read all the documents
presented during the day for his sigma.
ture. He was compelled TO RELY upon his
eubordinates, or the Commissioner OF Pat
ents as 10 matters affecting patents, the
Commissioner Of the Land Office as 20