The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-28
THEIR PAY GOES ON.
The Rule to Dock Pay of
congressman,
Quickly Done Away With by
the House.
CONGRESS MAY LOAF
And Draw Pay at the Same
Time Now.


ervations of the Osages and Kaws shall be
cut off from Oklahoma and given to the
Indian Territory. This, it must be noted,
transfers the land, leaving the Indians as
4 large as they had and correspond
I ingly lessons that of Oklahoma. The
! Osages number about 1, 600 and the Kaws
not half so many, and their petition to the
committee is an interesting document as
showing how potent the Indian suspicion
of white settlers still is and how far the
tribes are from being ready for a state gov
eminent. They set forth that if not trans
ferred before Oklahoma becomes a state
they never can be, and that as soon as the
state is organized it will begin to legislate
SO as to destroy their tribal organizations
and get their land, and that the United
States will not defend them against a state.
This transfer completes the location of
about all the Indians in the United States,
and SO far be learned leaves them
nearly all well satisfied. In every case this
session where a tribe or band asked for
transfer and they have always asked for
such transfers as would place them with
their kindred tribes-it has been granted,
and generally 1t may be s0id that the com
mittee has favored the Indian view in ev-
cry case, except as to granting larger ap-
preparations, and it is suspected that those
are generally asked for by white men in
the tribe. Except the seeing of its appro-
priation bill through the house, the work
of this committee is practically finished.
1T Quickly Filled the Seats.
While the bill making appropriation for
the Legislative, judicial and executive
branches was droning its Ianguid way
through the house, with twO-thirds of the
seats empty, the question of members pay
was suddenly sprung, and it was laugha-
BILE to see how quickly the house walked
up and the seats were filed 1t will be
membered that law passed in August,
1885, deducting pay for every day a mem
Der was absent except for sickness and re-
curing him to state the time, was recent
ly revived, and many very queer looking
statements were fled with the sergeant
alarms. For instance, Breckenridge tes-
titled to only q few days absence for all
the weeks he was attending his trial. 1t
was obvious from the start that the Gus
tom could not last long, and many claim
ed the old law had been repealed by So bSe-
quent acts and the revision of 1874, the
same in which the silver dollar was drop
ped out. While this legislative bill was
up an amendment was offered declaring
the law of 1856 no longer in force, and in
two minutes the house was on the points
of it's hOOfs 1t was no small compliment
to Judge Culberson that when he rose to
speak all the members crowded to that
side, and there was deep silence. He main
tanned that the law still in force, but
wrong in principle Chairman Richard
son ruled that the amendment was not
germane, as it changed existing law. An
appeal was taken, and on rising vote he
was sustained, but tellers were demanded,
/ and there was great fun as the absentees
were beckOned down from the galleries
and called in from the committee rooms
the result being that the chairman was
overruled- Then came the vote ON the
amendment, which resulted-yeas, 11S;
nays, "a. So the act of 1856 was repealed,
and the cheering was tremendous.
A Spicy COlIOquy.
Another amendment was offered provid-
ing for the deduction of pay in certain
cases. and on that Mr.. Meyer OF Louisiana
made a very able speech, maintaining that
pay should be deducted only when a mem
Der was absent without leave of the house.
Mr.. Cox of Tennessee wanted a regular
Draconian law, and the colIoquy between
the two was extremely spicy, much to the
delight Of the members, who were now
satisfied that their pay was in no danger
The chairman ruled this amendment out
Of order and Mr.. Meyer was talking
with member behind him at the time.
The clerk had read the next paragraph of
the bill before he turned round, and thus
cut off his right to appeal from the deci-
sion of the chair. He frankly confessed
that he had been caught mapping and ask
ed unanimous consent to appeal, where
upon the house laughed, cOughed and OBJ
jected till there was fine uProar And
in this legislative act of high comedy the
attempt to make members pay depend on
their attendance ended.
More About Coxeyism.
If anybody iInagines that the retirement
of Coxey's army and his trial and cOnvic-
ton would end the racket his disappoint-
ment must be great, for the real bitterness
of the affair comes now when all is over
There is an intense feeling that Coxey,
Browne and Jones have been very hardly
dealt with in receiving sentence of 20 days
in Jail, and the fact that they had to ride
in the common prison van with common
Migrants and petty criminals and hand
cuffed besides was felt to be a needless out
rage on their feelings. This class OF rea-
soners maintain that nominal fine would
have been ample for the legal sanction and
for the first ofense, and that severe pun
ishment might have been dealt out to the
next offenders. On the other hand, Judge
Miller, who sentenced them, and those
who sustain him say that the three men
came here with expressed intent to violate
the law and incite others to do it, and that
their punishment was very light
AS to the coming armies the officials
now make & statement somewhat like that
of the old women in the very old story
about the borrowed kettle which was
broken. They say, first, that none of the
coming armies viii get here, and, second,
that if they do get here they viii be arrest
| ed en- masse under the vagrant law as soon
as they cross the District line, and, third,
| that they Will starve anyhow if allowed to
go into camp 1t is also given out that If
| Coxey's little squad at Highlands does not
! dissolve in few days they will be arrest
| ed under the Maryland law and sent to
! state prison the work house for q few
! months In short officials say that it
was all well enough to let the first band
march around just for the fun of it, but
the people are getting very tired of such
| foolishneSs and demand strong measures.