Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-02-16
Proceedings of the House
and Senate.
RAILROAD LAND TAXATION
The House to Inquire into the Tel
ephone Patent Suits-A Let
ter From Lamar.



she raoeipt Of Senate resolution OF tn
k,h instant in words a. follows:
Resolpsd. That the Secretary of tn
Intsrior bs directed to communicate t.
tbs senate copies OF all papers whicl
havs been filed in the Interior Depart
ment and Of eli papers which have beer
presented to any officer Of that Depart
meut touching the official and persona
conduct Of Henry Ward, Indian In
spsctor, during his continuance in sale
Office"
/ transmit all Of the official papers OF
Ale in the Department which ! under
stand to be embraced by the resolution
The official reports made to this Depart
ment by Henry Ward as United Statei
Indian Inspector are voluminous, and a
the clerical force Of this Department Il
limited and otherwise fully employed.
have doomed it best to transmit the orig
insl reports, and as they are frequently
consulted in the transaction Of the bus.
mess Of the Department have the honor
to request that they be returned to the
file as soon as they are no longer re.
quired by the Senate. am directed by
the President to say that If the object
Of the resolution Is to inquire into the
reasons for the suspension Of Ward
those papers are not to be considered as
constituting all OF the evidence sub-
mitted to him in relation thereto. am
also directed BY the President to say
that he does not consider 1t consistent
with public intereat to transmit copies
OF unofficial papers from private citi-
zens held in my custody for him which
i IN he of
insumbents. / have the honor to be,
Very respectfully,
L. Q. g. LAMAR, Secretary.
There are 262 enclosures. The letter
and accompanying papers were referred
to the Committee ON Indian Affairs.
Mr.. Hawley presented q bill which
was referred 10 the Committee on Pub
lie Lands. relating TO the taxation Of
railroad lands and for other purposes.
Mr.. Hawley said that the bill related to
a very sore subject. An exceedingly
large quantity Of land, perhaps 60, 600
square miles, had been granted to the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company but
1t was provided by an anendatory act
Of Congress that no patents should issue
for the land until alter payment by the
company Of all fees relating to the sur
veys, etc. The fee was only about 3
cents an acre, and the railroad had paid
fees upon only about 30. 600 acres Of its
immense grant 1t had, nevertheless,
proceeded to give to settlers warranty
deeds for many millions upon millions
OF acres Of iand. The company had in.
gsniously got property enough 70 try to
locate villages and cities upon its own
selected sections. These lands that the
company conveyed by warranty
deed had been settled and
Improved, and In many cases thriv-
ing villages have grown up on them. II
turns out now that by recent decision
OF the Supreme Court Of the United
States none of these millions of acres
were taxable. The reasons given by that
Court were irrefrsgable, but Congress
should Immediately provide by law =
remedy for the difficulty involved. The
railroad had refused to pay three cents
On acre, aud the communities Interested
therein now find themselves without the
power Of taxation. Some of ths people.
however, had paid taxes, and these peo-
pie were without remedy. A few foreign
corporations being large holders, had
paid taxes under protest, and their rights
had thus been made by suggestion of the
railroad COMPANY. Counties and
communities therefore were liable to
large claims for taxes which had been
paid, besides which about nine-tenths Of
their tax lists had been destroyed aud
they were almost bankrupt. The people
interested had an exhaustive conversa-
tion with the railroad president and the
General Land Office Of the government.
The one declined to take remedial action
for one reason and the other for another
reason. and the only help for this very
serious matter lay with Congress.
Mr.. Teller said that the fault lay with
Congress. The Executive Departments
of the government had for years been
reporting to Congress the full measure
OF the evil referred to and had requested
legislation to enable the Executive to
protect the settlers. In three reports
made TO Congress by himself as Score
tary OF the Interior the subject had
been plainly set forth. 1t was crying
evil and should be remedied by Con-
gress.
Mr.. Plumb was glad to see 80 much
interest aroused on this subject. He
(Mr. Plumb had himself on two separ-
ate occasions introduced Into the senate
bills to provide for the taxation OF the
lands Of the Northern Pacific railroad.
Mr.. Conger. from the Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads reported
favorably bill granting Mrs. Julia d.
Grant frankiug privilege. Passed.
Oa motion OF Mr.. Dawes the Senate
took up and passed bill reported from
the Committee on Indian Affairs for the
relief Of the Mission Indians in Califor-
mia.
Mr.. Morgan took the floor aud re-
sumed his argument against the consti-
tutionality Of the pending education
bill. Mr.. Morgan said he had often
heard il remarked that the people Of the
Southern States were hoodwinked lot
of slaves who had been forced into re-
bellion and secession by their leaders.
This he emphatically denied. and as.
serted that on the contrary the leaders
had been forced into secession by the
people, and that many a cowardly heart
among the leaders would have failed and
tainted but for the fact that those lead
ers knew they did not dare to do so In
the presence Of the faith Of an enlight-
ened and splendid people. He oharac-
terized the bill under debate as q bribe 10
the South, but for his part be neither
grew blind nor shut his eyes in the pre-
ence Of any bribe, no matter how mag
niEcent. The bill would prove q PAN
dora's box, and would lead to what had
not inappropriately been termed the con-
dition Of an organized hell between the
States and the general government. He
prophesisd that under its baneful infiu-
ence we would sec the people Of the
North and South again frenEied with
excitement.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Morgan's re-
marks Mr.. jackson obtained the floor,
but yielded for an executive session.
after which the Senate adjourned.
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