Thomas County cat., 1890-02-20
FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS.

The senate ratified the Samoan treaty
with but twelve dissenting votes.
| DEPRESSED AGRICULTURE.
Among new senate bills is one by Senator
Pierce to create an agricultural cOmmis-
sion to investigate the present depressed
condition of the agricultural interests OF
| the country.
INDIAN LANDS.
Further discussion of the bill to provide
temporary government for the territory OF
| Oklahoma was had. Senator Plumb
amendment to include No Mans Land
within the limits of the lew territory beng
the question up: 1t was supported by Sena.
tor Vest and opposed by Senator Platt.
| In opposing the amendment Senator
Dawes censured the Cherokee commission
| for holding threat over the Cherokees to
take tire outlet by force if they refused to
! sell for a S1.25 an acre.
| Senator Plat remarked that when it be-
came evident that the Cherokee nation was
determined not to cede the land, but to hold
it, because tEey were backed up by cattle
| men or others, he did not believe that there
was a member of the senate or of the house
who would not be ready to say that if that
| were the position which the Cherokee ma
tion occupy. the United States would be
| justified in aSrogating the provisions of the
| treaty and taking the land.
! Senator Teller said that the Cherokees
could not be divested of fee title by legis-
iative action. He was astonished by the
suggestion of Mr.. Plat. He realized that
the lands held by the Cherokee Indians
would have to become the homes of
have to be paid what the lands were
worth. Tne lands in the Cherokee outlet
could be sold tomorrow in bulk at S5 an
acre: and what right, he asked, had the
United States to say that the Indians should
part with them at price less than their
value. If tie government could not afford
to pay fair price and give away the land.
it should buy it from the Indians and sell it
to the settlers.
Senator ingalls, said that the Cherokees
ought not to be subject to menaces, and
| they ought to be made to understand land
they should understand so far as his voice
could make them do SOY that they had a
title to their land and they were not COM
PEELED to sell at S1.25 an acre when it was
worth $40.
! The RULES.
The house still spending all its time upon
| discussing the report of the committee on
| rules; but an agreement was reached upon
| close of this debate at 5 p. N. of Janu-
ary Ii.
| BRAZIL CONGRATULATED.
| The joint resolution congratulating the
Teopte of Brazil on their adoption of re-
| publican fo!m of government was passed
unanimously by the senate.
! RAwAIIASs INVITED.
| concurrent resolution was passed bv
the senate requesting the president to invite
the king of the Hawaiian Islands, with del
| egates, to the Pan-Amerlcan congress.
| COMMISSIONER MORGAN CONFIRMED.
The senate, in executive session, finally
| disposed of the nomination of Thomas }.
| Morgan, to become commissioner of Indian
affairs. The case was discussed for nearly
| five hours more. Senators Spooner and
Manderson took up especially the charges
affecting General No gan 5 military career
and answered them at length. Senator
Jones' of Arkansas. who had led the oppo-
stIon to the confirmation on the floor of
the senate, closed the debate, summarizing
the charges that were present u to the COM
mittee on Indian aria rs. The roll call
showed twenty-eight votes in the affirma-
tive and sixteen in the negative. Morgan
was confirmed, two republicans-Senator
ingalls,, of Kansas, and Pierce, of North
Dakota-vOtlng against confirmation.
Messrs. Plumb, of Kansas, and Davis, of
Mn nesota, we're not present, but were
paired against confirmation. Five demo-
Gratis voted for confirmation.
ANDERSON on THE RULES.
In the house debate upon the new rules
Mr.. Anderson, of Kansas. while supporting
the proposed code, acknowledged that he
buster against the consideration of the
Union Pacific funding bill. He was not
ashamed of his action. because he believed
that bill to be gigantic fraud. But he
thought the time had come when tilibuster-
Ing should be eradicated.
OKLAHOMA PASSED.
Senator Piumb's amendment to include
No Man s-Land in the territory of Okla
homa was passed by the senate.
Senator Plumb's amendment to attach
the Cherokee outlet to Oklahoma for Judi
Cial purposes was rejected.
Senate Vests amendment to prohibit
the issne OF any bonds to railroads by the
territory or by municipalities therein was
agreed to.
The bill 70 or anize Oklahoma territory
then passed the senate.
MORE HoMEsTEADs.
The senate PASSED the bill to provide for
the disposal of the For. Sedgwick mil .tary
reservation, in the states of Colorado and
Nebraska, to actual settlers under the pro-
visions Of the homestead laws.
THE RULES ADOPTED.
After much further discussion over the
house rules and voting down many amend
ments. the hour was reached which had
been fixed for voting upon their adoption
and 1t stood, yeas 161; nays, 145.
PENSION BILLS.
Two pension bills OF importance passed
the senate. The first repeals the sections
of the revised statutes which require that
the claim for pension by a state militia
man FOR disability incurred while Temporal
rily on duty, must he filed before July, 1874.
The other provides that the oath required
In pension or bounty cases may be taken
before any officer authorized to administer
oaths for general purposes.
PRESIDENTS RESIDENCE.
Representative Anderson, of Kansas. in
troduced bill in the house appropriatng
$3.50, 600 for the purchase of a resi- 1ence in,
OF near Washingt n for the PRESIDENT of the
United States.
MORTGAGE INDEBTEDNESS.
The senate bill providing for the ascer-
tainment of the mortgage Indebtedness of
the country was taken up in the house and
amended SO as to provide pain and penal
ties for any person or corporation who re-
fused to answer any question propounded.
The bill as amended was passed.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Senator Blair spoke again. this time three