Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-31
Stealing an Empire.
Is What Hooker Calls the Okla.
homa Bill.
A DEBATE ON SOLDIERS RIGHTS.

Their Homestead Privileges Extended
by the House Over the Lands Involved
Senators Handle the Samoan Matter
without Gloves-British Extradition
Treaty Again Talked Over-A Weak
Lock on a Silver vauit-A Lost Electoral
Vote.
WASHINGTON CITY, Jan. 3l.-The amend
ment upon which the debate on the Oklahoma
bill opened in the house yesterday was Pay
sons, and provides that the rights of honora-
bly, discharged Union soldiers and sailors of
the late civil war TO make homes in the public
lands under the existing homestead law shall
not in any degree be impaired by the passage
of this bill, but that such rights shall extend
to any and all lands which shall be open to
any settlement under the provisions of this
bill" The discussion was lively Symes of
Colorado said the government could not make
an exception in favor of the G. A. r.
because the government did not ac-
quire the title to the land, and did not
become the owner of the proceeds of the sale
of it. The money passed from the settler to
the Indian in pursuance of negotiations in
which the United States simply acted a.
trustee. He would not presume to speak for
the G.. A. R., but be had the right to speak as
one of its members. He had the right to say
that the members of the G. A R. were not
beggars They did not come before the
house asking that 200 or 800 of them, who
might he able to go with the boomers into
Oklahoma, should have a present of $500 to
$500 each, while thousands who were unable
to go there and who were in want would re-
ceive nothing at all
Grosvenor of Ohio said that he did not ad-
dress the committee as representing the G..
A. R. He denied that any man had the right
to come here and attempt to represent that
organization as favoring or opposing any
amendment of this character. He was here
as representative, trying to do what was
right and just to the country and all the in
terests involved. For the first time an op-
portunity was presented to the representa-
tives of the people to make good some of their
profuse and oft-repeated pledges to the sol
diers Of the country
Peters of Kansas characterized the amend
ment as ingenious, but as absolutely lacking
in righteousness 1t proposed to take from
the treasury about 100000 apparently in
the interest of ex-soldiers of the country The
record will disclose that the men who opposed
the Oklahoma bill and prevented legislation
are the very men who are ardently support
ing the amendment. In view of veto messages.
every man knew that with the amendment on
the bin the measure would not stand the
shadow of chance of becoming a law
Hooker of Mississippi declared that his OBJ
lection to the bill was fundamental He be
lieved that the United States was endeavor-
ing by this bill to take possession of land to
which it had no right. He asserted that to
the Cherokee outlet the Cherokee Indians had
perfect title, but this bill proposed to take
it. If the bin passed it would not he petty
larceny, it would be grand larceny. 1t was "a
proposition to steal an empire
Warner of Missouri said that would sound
better if the talk about stealing land came in
the interest of actual settlers and not in the
interest of gigantic monopolies