Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-07
FORT OMAHA'S SITE CHOSEN.
A Tract of Land About Eight Miles
From the City.
THE CHEROKEE COMMISSION.
IL is Selected at Last-Peters APP
pointed as Collector of Inter-
nal Revenue for the Ne
braska District.
WASHINGTON BUREAU, THE OMAHA BEE,
sig EnIrnrrrNrr Srnnrr
ol3 FoURrEENrH STREET,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., June @.

WASHINGTON, ~. ", June U.
The secretary Of war has decided to pur-
chase as new site for Fort Omaha tract
of $40 acres of land about eight miles from
Omaha, which can be had for about S67, 900.
['rhe above telegram was shown to Mr.. II.
II. Clarke this morning, and he was of the
opinion that the selection must be part of
his property.
"If this is about eight miles SOUTH" he
said, "it must be IA section OF the 1000 acres
l offered to sell.n
docs the price corresponds"
"Well, the appropriation only provided for
the expenditure of S20O,000, one-third of
which was to be used for the purchase of the
and the other two-thirds for the
buildings and improvements. That would
make S66,666, or about SCI, 600 for the pur.
chase of site. OF course, can not tell yet
whether or not that is my property, but, as l
say, the distance about corresponds, and if it
is south of the city, it is probably portion
OF the 1000 acres"
NEW OKLAHOMA.
The president has succeeded in completing
the commission which Is to negotiate with
the Cherokee and other Indian tribes To-
Gated in the Indian Territory for the cession
of their lands to the United States. 1t will
have to treat with every Indian tribe in the
territory and complete negotiations that will
require the entire time and attention of the
commissioners for the time being. They
will have to thoroughly understand the his
tory of the various tribes from the date they
took the lands they now own up to the pres
ent time; they will have to be conversant
with the title by which the Indians now
hold their lands, and be prepared to meet a
thousand and one other minute and intricate
points which will either arise during the
treaty with the Indians or the knowledge of
which will be necessary to secure result
that will not only be satisfactory one to the
United States government and the Indians,
Dut which will be binding upon the parties to
the contract, should the Indians decide to
sell the lands to the government President
Harrison recognizes the Importance of the
situation, and accordingly looked over the
country for man whom he thought could
satisfactorily fill the bill as chairman
of the commission. The position was
first offered Judge Robinson, of Massachu-
setts, a man of undoubted ability, who par
italy accepted, but upon inquiry into the
nature of the office and its requirements, he
was unwilling to sacrifice his business
interests, as he would have to if he accepted
the office, and he consequently declined the
appointment. Then another search was
begun, and Mr.. Baker of Indiana, was Sc
lected. He also declined to accept the po-
stion after he understood its requirements.
To-day the appointment OF John d. Miles, of
Lawrence, Kan, to be member of the
commission was announced, and he will be
chairman. The other two members of
this body are Mr.. Humphreys, of
Illinois, bright young lawyer, and Mr.. vii.
son, of Arkansas, well-known lawyer. The
latter gentleman, although appointed and
commissioned, may not be a member Of the
commission that will finally 90 into the In
dian territory. His resignation would not
be surprise to his friends in this city, who
say that he has about determined to with
draw from the commission, as he does not
consider either the glory of the Office or the
salary attached sufficient recompense to
warrant him in leaving the law practice.
The fact that the commissioners are re-
quired to so thorouhgly understand every
thing appertaining to the tribes they will
meet, which necessitates great study
and consequent delay, and the unor-
ganized condition of the commission, has
postponed the work of negotiation. 1t was
thought when the board was authorized that
it would have been on the grounds long ere
this, but now it will be ten days or two weeks
before the start is made. After the commits
sion begins its labors tEey will be engaged
anywhere from one to two years. The Chero-
kee tribe will probably be the first visited,
and then the others in turn. The government
if the commission is successful in its negotia-
tions, will acquire about twenty-five million
acres Of land, enough for new state. These
lands are very fertile and rich in minerals
ana settlers will pour into them when they
are opened more rapidly and in greater num-
bers than did the boomers into the territory
Of Oklahoma.
LITTLE RED TAPE ABOLISHED.
Soon after Mr.. Black assumed the position
as commissioner OF pensions, he issued an
order to examining surgeons, prohibiting
them from giving any statement on affidavit
to claim for pension, without first asking
permission from the pension bureau. This
order has been in operation for nearly four
years, and 1t is found that besides being use
less and without reason, it has acted as bar
to the business of the Office and has caused
much needless delay in the examination of
applications forpensions. Recognizing these
facts, Commissioner Tanner to-day issued
the necessary order to examining surgeons
to declare the ruling of Commissioner Black
void. The commissioner states in his cIrcu-
lar that he is unable to find any reason or
law to prevent man, simply because he ia
an examining surgeon OF the bureau, from
testifying as to any matter within his knowl-
edge, provided this information was not ac-
quired in his official capacity.
1T BRAPED LINCoLN's CAsKET.
AT the request of Secretary Proctor,
officially identified the large flag now on
exhibition in the secretary's office, as that
which draped the casket OF President Lin
coin.
PETERS APPOINTED.
The president to-day appointed John Pc
ters, of Nebraska, to be collector of internal
revenue for the district of Nebraska.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The secretary of agriculture has issued
what purporJs to be very learned treatise
on lard and lard adulteration. 1t is the
work Of II. w. Wiley, a chemist in the de-
partment, and forms number of the flood
and food adulterants" series. There are l54
printed pages devoted to the work, and as
stated in the preface, the object is to show
the character of true lard. How it is made
and how it may be distinguished from its
limitations and the substances used in adul-
terating lard, have been studied and their
properties described The character of the
mixed lards pointed out.
Congressman Dorsey, of Nebraska, has
formed campaigning party to spend few
weeks in Dakota, subsequent to the adjourn
ment of the constitutional convention to be
held this month. Among those who will
compose the party are Congressman McIiin-
ley, of Ohio, Burrows, of Michigan, and
Bayne, of Pennsylvania.
II. @. Nelson was to-day appointed post
master at Hazleton, Buchanan county la.
PERRY S. HEATH.
THE CHAMBER EXCITED.