Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-03-19
CLEVELANUS ATTITUDE.
A SUBJECT THAT HAS RECEIVED
THOROUGH OVERHAULlNG.
Senator wilson Alludes to the Admins
tration as "a Comedy of Errors "-Sus
pended OHicials Disgraced without
Kedress-The Indian Bill.

reported from the judiciary committee as
to the right of the Senate to papers on file.
Wilson addressed the Senate in support of
the resolutions reported by the majority
of the committee. He said for the first
time the executive power is now being
used as means of assault upon the char
acter and reputation of citizens. The first
Congress discovered serious defects III the
constitution in respect of the personal
and private rights of citizens of the Re
public and Of the States composing 1t.
This discovery induced the ten articles OF
amendment, and assured their ratllica-
ton. No one could read those several ar
ticles without being impressed by the
earnestness of the purpose which
framed them, to give exact aud am
pie protection to all citizens. But
it does not seem to have occurred to
the trainers of the original articles of the
constitution or of the amendments, that
it was then or ever could be necessary to
make definite provision to secure the char
acters and regulations of citizens, against
assaults by the executive power.
The speaker referred to the Democratic
platform of 1884 whose indehniteness was
expressed in the words 1--WE favor honest
have anticipated its evasion with result
so harmful to the character and reputa-
ton of citizen, as the practice of the
present national administration.
Mr. Cleveland's inaugural, Wilson con
tinued, marked the official and the high
est stage of political evolution whose sub
tlest forces had wrought wondrously well
in elevating him to the presidency of the
United States. But he was not content
with the announcement OF the 4th of
March, 1885, that the official and the high
est stage of political evolution had been
reached, for he renewed the declaration in
his first annual message to Congress, and
took care to give it great elaboration.
The people had given Cleveland gener-
Gus credit for sincerity, but they could not
reconcile his actions in suspending compe-
tent and faithful public officers, with his
repeated assurances that such things
would not be done. Whenever an officer
was suspended the people believed some
grave charge had been made against him.
Indeed every suspended officer, by the
presidents own declaration, stood before
the country as unworthy of trust and conf
dence. He had suspended 643 public of
ticers and marshalled them before the
country as persons unworthy of confidence.
Many of those persons had requested to
be informed of the charges made
against them, and this had been denied
to them. 1t was most extraordinary
manifestation of reform for the presi
dent to place himself as an accuser of 64a
public officers, whom he had suspended
at the same time denying to them, inform
alton as to the things of which they were
accused. The president now asked the
Senate to join him i'll his accusations, and
when the Senate requested to be informed
concerning the official conduct of the ac-
cused officers, it was fatty told that no i'll
formation would be given. This was not
the theory of the constitution, ard the adj
had been engaged in comedy of errors. >
Its position in the light of all that haC
been promised, was not a little discourag
ing.
Discussion of the Indian Appropriation
BiIl-Routine Business.
WAsmNGToN, March 1l.-When the
morning hour expired the House went
into committee of the whole on the In
dian appropriation bill. Weaver of Iowa
entered upon criticism of the present
Indian policy and addressed himself first
to the discussion of the educational brancl
of the question. He quoted from the re
port of the superintendent of Indian
schools, to show that the cattle men looseC
their herds on the Shilocco school farm
and defied any one who attempted to in
terfere with them. a race course haC
been laid out there and horse trottng ant
whiskey selling had been introduced.
was safe to say more drunkenness coulC
be seen at that school than at all tn,
agencies in the Indian territories. |
these things were true, Indian industrial
schools were a farce and a blot upon on
civilization. Weaver passed on to
review of what he condsideret
the most disgraceful chapter in thu
history of the Indian question. Thu
Cherkee Strip Live Stock association 1T
said had procured IA lease from thu
Cherokee nation of the entire Cherokee,
strip, for which it was paying annual,
$4,000 But the association had sub
leased the land to other cattle companie
and was receiving from those sub-lease
about $500, 600 year. The question wa
no longer whether the red man or tn,
white man already occupied it in vic
lation of the laws. The real battle wa
whether the citizen of this country
should have a right to go there and built
churches and school houses, or whethe
he should be excluded by rich foreign anC
domestic syndicates, that were there il
violation of the law
Long of Massachusetts, why does no
the administration enforce the law
Weaver-Why has your administration
allowed these cattle syndicates to occup!
TINS country ms was done Oy Chester
A. Arthur. This unlawful occupancy by
cattle syndicates was effected under Re
publican administration. Under Arthur
the poor people were driven out of Okla
homa. Cleveland came into power findial
this unlawful condition of affairs. He
has not done anything different from
what was done by Republican presidents
except as to the Cheyenne and Arrapahot
reservation, where he did order tn,
military 10 eject the cattle syndi
Gates. The secretary Of the interior
was in favor of the removal of the in
truders as soon as possible. Weaver then
advocated the passage of his Oklahom,
BILL one of the provisions of which au
thorizes the appointment of commission
to negotiate with the Cheyenne and Ara
pahoe Indians, for the settlement of thei
reservations Pending further discussion
the committee rose.
Resolutions were adopted authorizing
the printing of testimony taken by tn
Pan-electric investigating committee, an'
authorizing the appointment of seven, Il