Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-03-30
OPENING THE RESER
TION.
Congressman Stceet Thinks 1t
VIII be Done In august.

Congressman S,ceet Thinks 1t
VIZ be Done in august.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Mar. 16, '94.
Hon. A. F. PARKER,
Grangeville, Idaho.
FRIEND PARKER -
beg to acknowledge the receipt
of yours of the 9th inst. I also
received in the same mail, but un-
der separate cover, the article pub
lished in the FREE PRESS to which
you refer. That phase of the bill
which requires cash payment did
not escape our notice here: / have
com bated it before the sub-commit-
tee, and with members of the COM
mittee individually, to the utmost.
So far, however, my protests have
been of no avail. Mr.. Holman
(you have doubtless heard of him
before), is chairman of the commit
tee on Indian Affairs and really
dominates the committee upon
matters of this kind. He has in
sisted upon two features which l
have striven hard to overcome, but
cannot do it SO far as the commit
tee is concerned. These two feat
ures are respectively as follows:
l. The requirement of cash
payment at the time the settler
files upon his land.
2. Reducing the rate of interest
on the money left to the credit of
the Indians in the Treasury from
five to four per cent. thus requiring
ratification of the amended trea-
ty.
The bill must necessarily come
from the committee with these
two features as part of it,
no matter how Objectionable it may
be to us. Mr.. Pickler, of South
Dakota, is a member of the COM
mittee and has a treaty to be rati-
fed which in it's provisions is sub
stantially the same as ours. He is
a hard fighter, and has contended
against this proviso to the utmost.
However, Notwithstanding the fact
that he is a member of the commit
tee, he has been obliged to accept
the notifications above set forth.
Having learned that these mod
ifications were inevitable, l have
prepared new bill which meets
the requirements of the committee,
and it will be reported from the
subcommittee to the full commit
tee at its next meeting.
In view of the fact that Mr.. HOl-
man insists upon reducing the rate
of interest on the money left to
the credit of the Indians / shall IL
sist upon reducing the price of the
land per acre. sent you a copy
of the bill as originally introduced
and / supposed it would meet the
requirements of the committee, en-
able us to ratify the treaty at once,
and open the land to settlement
But it contains the Objectionable
interest feature, and l have been
obliged to draw a new measure. ]
will send you this bill as soon as il
is printed. Under it's provisions
we cannot hope to have the reser-
vation opened to settlers before the
first of August.
But / am not without hope o.
ultimate success in passing a bill
which shall not contain either O
the Objectionable features referred
to, nor yet delay the opening o
the reservation. The bill must e
from the House to the Senate
Senator Shoup, as you know, is i;
member of the Senate Committe,
on Indian Affairs. The Senat.
committee will not, in my judg
ment, bubble over the one cent re
duction in interest Especially a
the sale of this reservation will
easily reimburse the Governmen
at the price nameO and with tina
feature out of the way no ratifica
ton on the part of the Indians vii
be necessary, and thus, at leas
sixty days will be saved.
I Again, there is hope that tn
Senate committee will strike OH
} the cash payment feature, and in
. sist in conference that it be strick
en- from the bill. Now, this is
hope. Possibly we may be success
full in carrying out the program
have suggested. I can only say t
you: we will do the best we can.
Sincerely, yours,
: WILLIS SWEET.