The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-02-07
CONGRESSIONAL CHATTER i.
The Oklahoma Bill Referred 70 The Senate Cor
rntttaa IN TerrikaPies

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-The house
bill for the establishment OF terrific
rial government in Oklahoma having
been presented, PIatt moved its refer
ence to the committee on territories.
and Dawes moved its reference to the
committee on Indian affairs. In sup
port of his motion Dawes said that the
real substance of the bill and every
thing pertaining to it. was the treat
ment Of the Indians in that region and
their relations to the general govern
ment. These relations had been diff
fcult question for great many years
and haA invariably been referred TO the
committee on Indian affairs. With the
exception of the little strip called Mo
Man's-Land," Thirty miles wide and
200 long, the whole Of the proposed ter
ritory was now held%ey the Indians
under different titles. The committee
on Indian affairs had had The subject
before it ever since the idea of esGab-
! fishing territorial government there
had taken form. If the Indian ques-
ton were eliminated from the bill there
would be NO difficulty in the matter
and that was why the committee on
Indian affairs should consider il.
| II
Massachusetts had Overstated the
fact when he said the overruling ques-
ton in the bill was how it would eff
| feet the rights of the Indians. The
| great OUT stion to be determined was
whether territorial government
should be established in what Was
known as Oklahoma. It was Ques-
ton affecting the white people Of The
| United States, particularly those con-
! n Missouri RI
sas and Kansas. AS a friend of the
bill, he had been assured yesterday by
the chairman of the two committees,
| (Platt and Dawes1, that if the bill
were sent to either of those commit
tees, there would be immediate con-
sideratiOn of it, and that it would be
reported back Immediately for the
action of the senate.
Cockrell thought there might be a
very reasonable doubt as to which COM
mittee the bill should go and that it
might appropriately be referred to
either, bnt he hoped that which ever
committee took charge of it, it would
take early action in reporting back to
the senate.
Chace said that it was well settled
principle that no territorial govern
ment should be set up unless there
were white people settled within its
boundries. The evidence was patent
that this bill was we'll laid scheme to
encrOach upon Indian rights and to
raise the Indians and it seemed to him
that the question which should rule the
reference of the bill was whether the
rights of the Indian were to be effected
by it. The idea of raising No Mans
Land to the dignity of a territory was
1t was a little strip of land.
Cockrell-It is larger than the state
of Rhode Island.
Chace-It is not larger in the num-
Der of its Inhabitants or in the interests
involved. The state of Rhode Island
had right to statehood under a COM
pact with the United States before the
state of Missouri was dreamed of and
all the elements of civilization, of in
telligencss. of enterprise and of every
, thing which goes to make great COM
monwealth, she stands today far in
advance of that benighted state.
HOar suggested that as the question
presented in the bill was purely an
Indian question the bill should there
fore be first submitted to the commit
tee on Indian affairs. After that COM
mittee reported the bill it might then
be referred to the committee on terri
tories.
Cullom thought that Hoar had put
the case wrong, and that the bill should
first 90 to the committee on territories
then if it affected the rights of the In
dams it should go to the committe OF
Indian affairs.
Butler as member of the committee
on territories, said that if the bill went
before that committee the rights of the
Indians would be safely guarded He
would never consent to imposing a ter
ritOrial government over the Indian
Territory without their full and free
| consent.
Cockrell took up Chace's uncompli
mentary allusion TO the state of Mis-
souri, and said that every foot Of Ri Jde
Island had been recklessly and murder
ously wrested from the Indians. He
would not pretend to compare Missouri
with Rhode Island. He would bt
ashamed to represent state and q
people whom he would place on al
, equality with Rhode Island and bel
| people. The remark as to 'beuighteC
Missouri" was no slur considering the
source from which it came.
Chace defended the state of Rhode
Island, from COckrell's charge of hav.
ing murdered and robbed the Indians
and said that she had acquired heI
title TO the Indian lands by purchase
and had paid the purchase money
: three times over. After further de-
bate participated in by Senators Nor
gan. Coke, Platt. Dawes and Blair, the
bill was referred 10 the committee or
territories, yeas SO, nays u.
Hawley offered an amendment to thu
sundry civil appropriation (which wa
, referred to the committee on military
affairs) for the payment to the widow
of General Sheridan of $50, 900 in crate
full recognition of his extraordinary
service to his country.
The house joint resolution for TIT
payment of $500, 900 to the representa-
3 tives of the late James B. Eads wa
5 taken up and passed.
The legislative, executive and judi
cial appropriation was taken up, Fry
. remarking that he did not feel at Lib
r erty to antagoniZe is with the UniOl
Of Pacific funding bill, and Mitchell re
: marking that he would have time be
5 fore the 4th of March, to conclude tn
!. remarks begun by him yesterday. Tn
: amendment to the bills that were re
e ported from the committee on appro
e priations were agreed to without ques
L ton. They were few and unimportant
: the only noticeable one being that in
D creasIng the salary Of the president
e private secretary from So, 250 to S., O0C
l. An amendment offered by Hawle
: to increase the clerical force of tn
e civil services commission, provoked
IS discussion on the question of civil ser
3 tlCc IcAOIuu' hdHIcy, having Occ
= asked by Plumb to discuss that ques
n ton. declined to do so farther than
y say that the civil service commissio
n had done vast deal of good and wa
l. to be maintained, perfected and er
larged. He did not admit that the LAY
had been enforced in good faith, bs
cause he knew that there had bee
/ lamentable, outrageous evasiOns of il
J. Plumb said he did not subscribe {
that doctrine of civil service reforT
which was borrowed from the BIRTHS
Re system. He had hoped that the demo
n cratic administration when it cam
II into power would remove large nun
= Der of incompetent persons in Office VIII
u had come down from a former geners
l. ton. He referred to the recent e1
E tension of civil service rules to post;
y employees as an attempt to embarra'
D. the incoming administration and sal