The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-06
THE FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS
Unpleasant Passage-at-Arms Between
Senators Ingalls, and COckrell,
Growing Out Of Debate on Commissioner
Sparkss Recent 0rder-Crisp and Holman
Have an Angry Spat in the House.
THE SENATE.
An Exchange of Undignified Remarks be-
tween Senators Ingalls, and Cockreli

An Exchange of Undfgnified Remarks BE-
tween Senators Ingalls, and CockreN.
WASHINGTON, June 5.-Mr. Ingals's resoiu-
tion, offered yesterday, was laid before the Sem
ate calling on the Secretary of the Interior for
information as to the authority for the issuance
of the recent order of the Commissioner of the
General Land Office suspeuding the receipt OF
applications for public lands under the pre-emp.
ton, timberculture and desert-lani acts. The
resolution having been read, Mr. Walthall said
that the Secretary of the Interior, on the very
day of the issue of the order, had determined to
revoke it, as he had serious doubts as to its legal
ity. He had revoked the order
Mr.. ingalls, was glad the first order had been
revoked, but regretted the statement of the
grounds on which the revocation had been made
He fMr. Ingalls, affirmed that no precedent in
harmony with the order of June 2 would be
found in the Interior Department The revoca-
ton was right, but the reasons for the revocation
were not right The Constitution Of the
United States, Mr.. Ingalls, continued. re-
1ured the President of the United States
to take care that the laws are faithfully executed
The President was responsible for the acts OF
his executive officers. Mr.. ingalls, did not as
sumo that President Cleveland on the second
day of june or at any day since, had been In a
condition either to approve or disapprove the
acts of his subordinates, and while Mr. In
gals exonerated the Secretary OF the
Interior from any active Intervention
IN the matter, the radical difficulty lay in the
fact that the executive had placed vast national
Interests in the hands of subordinate officers
49, L. foif h
fully executed, but that valid and subsistng
laws of the United States were suspended over a
vast area of the public domain, and that many
thousands of citizens were deprived OF their
rights. The advent Of the present Com
missioner Of the General Land Office to
his position has been signallzed by an immediate
suspension of 1900 entries of public lands.
The Commissioner Of the General Land Office
assumed that every one of these claimants was
engaged in a fraudulent attempt to rob and
plumber the United States He suspended
every one of these entries, declaring
that patents should not issue, and sent
out vast corps of inquisitors and spies
instructed to support the suspensions OF 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 has been called upon
MIR. Ingalls, was proceeding to read letter ad-
dressed by the Commissioner of the General
Land Office to the Secretary of the Interior.
Hated May 6, 1885, when Mr.. Cockrell asked
what document Mr. Ingalls, was going to read
from.
Mr. Ingalls, replied, giving the date of the
letter and the statement that 1t was from the
Commissioner.
Mr. Cockrell inquired whether the Senator was
going to read from an official document or the
House or Senate.
Mr. Ingalls, replied that if the Senator denied
the authenticity of the letter. or insinuated that
be mr. Ingalls] would tamper with the contents
Of the letter. he AIR. .Cockrell] could send to the
document room and get the letter. So
Mr. Cockrell-Why could not the Senator
answer my polite question at oncel
Mr. Ingalls-The Senator from Missouri is in
capable of asking polite question of anybody.
That is the reason.
Mr. Cockrell-And the Senator from Kansas is
Incapable of answering gentleman.
Mr.. Ingalls, shall never have an opportunity
Of answ ering gentleman whenever the Senator
from Missouri interogates me-
The Chair urged the Senators to keep order.
Mr.. Edmunds (sotto vocel-That is unparlia-
mentary.
Mr. ingalls, (also soto voce)-You say it is.
After reading the letter, Mfr. ingalls, said his
mail was burdened with complaints of the action
of the Commissioner. He cited cases within his
knowledge of many hardships and injustces
caused by the course of the Land Office. In their
greater inyasions of public right, constitutional
law and the prerogatives of free men were ever
committed in any age or at any time.
than the order Of the Commissioner of
the General Land Office, dated June 2, 1886,
suspending the operation of valid, subsisting
laws of the United States 1t was an offense
that if committed by the Secretary of the In
terror and sanctioned by the President, would
Justify their impeachment and removal from
office. Mr. Ingalls, was very glad, indeed, that
the Secretary of the Interior and seen At, thus
early and promptly, to disavow the order.
Mr. Beck said the Secretary of the Interior
Department desired the passage of the resolu-
ton offered by the Senator from Kansas Mr.
Beck believed the order of June to have been
issued without authority OF law, and was glad
the Secretary of the Interior had revoked it so
promptly. Mr.. Beck hoped some action would
be taken to prevent repetition OF an assump-
ton of the authority claimed for its issuance, if
O practice in support of such orders had grown
up in the Office.
Mr. Teller asserted, with positiveness, that
there could be found precedent for the order
of June 2. He knew something Of the duties OF
the Interior Department, and knew something
of the disposition and temper of the present
Secretary of the Interior for whom Mr.. Teller
had the highest respect He Mr.. Tellerl knew
how Secretary of the Interior could be got
to sign an order such as that claimed
without special observation or thought on
the subject With the multiplicity of duties
placed on the Secretary of the Interior, it was
practically impossible that he should investigate
or study every order submitted to him for sigma
ture. Mr. Teller thought such an order, actu-
ally suspending three statutes for three months,
was such extraordinary proceeding that it
ought not to be overlooked by the legislative de-
partment Of the government
Mr. Cockrell said that when he came into the
Senate chamber he found the Senator from Kan
sas Mr. Ingallsl discussing some resolutions,
and had found them to be resolutions of
inquiry. When the Senator from Kansas was
reading from document which Mr.. Cockrell
supposed was an executive document, he asked
what document it was 1t was a very strange
speech which the Senator from Kansas had made
upon simple resolution asking for information.
1t was not usual that Senator should intro
duce a resolution calling for information from
an executive department and upon it make
speech denouncing the thing inquired about and
nrnclaimine that he could answer il.