Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-24
Do NOT LIKE POOR LO
Several Senators Paid Their Re-
spects to Him in
UNC0MPLIMENTSf TERMS
z
Mr. Vest Described tR' s9ia" Territory as
Pest Use.
3
HE INDIAN i5L FINALLY PASSED
But Five More Appropriation Bills Remain
to Be Acted Upon-Discussion of the
General Pension Bill Occupied
the Time of the House.

Washington, April 23.--Unanimous con-
sent was asked by Mr.. Call, In the sem
ate, to have the joint resolution hereto
fore offered by him. requesting the presi-
dent to send ships of war to Cuba for
the protection of American citizens.
taken up for consideration and action:
but on the appeal of Mr.. Platt, republi-
can, OF Connecticut, not to press the re-
quest at this time and not to interfere
with the Indian appropriation bill, Mf.
Call said he would withhold his request
Tor the present but he gave notice that
as soon as the Indian appropriation bill
snail be disposed OF he will move to have
his joint resolution taken up and acted
on.
The Indian appropriation bill was
taken up. The question was on an amend-
ment Of yesterday by Mr.. Platt, republi-
can, OF Connecticut, appropriating $50 900
for the Cherokee Uhe Dawes) commission,
and instructlng the commission with ref
erence to the breaking up of the tribal
relations OF the Indians and to the disi
tribution of their lands in severalty. A
point OF order against the amendment as
being general legislation on an appropria-
tion bill, was made and argued by Mr..
George.
After Mr.. George had spoken for an
hour on his point Of order his argument
was criticised by Mr. Vest who said thai
during his twenty years service in the
senate he must have heard 500 definitions
of general legislation, but he had only
known one of those definitions to be
crystallized In the practice of the senate,
and that one was that the senate always
finds what it does not do to be general
legislation" and vice versa as to what IL
does not want to do. Passing on to tha
main question Mr. Vest spoke of the
Indians being 'allowed to constitute
themselves national nuisance" and he
described the Indian territory as a pest
house, legally and morally, within the
public domain; as being a "harbor Of
refuge for criminals" and as having
caused a depreciation of property in the
adjoining states by one-thrd.
The debate was continued at much
length, Mr.. Jones of Arkansas denounct
ing the rule of crime and outrage In tha
Indian territory; Mr.. Bate of Tennessee
placing all the responsibility for that
state of things on the bummers, land
grabbers and thieves who seek to rob
the Indians" and Mr.. Platt of Connects
cut declaring that more brutal and saw
age conditions existed in the Indian terri
tory than in Russia, Armenia or Cuba.
Finally the whole question was disposed
of by the vice-president sustaining the
point of order and ruling Mr.. Platt's
amendment to be out of order. The bell
was then passed and a conference with
the house was ordered. The bill as
passed by the house carried appropria-
tions amounting to $S.420,44 AS report
ed by the senate committee on appropri-
ations this amount was reduced to ST.
413S06, the great item in this reduction
being one of 81, $3.50, 900 for payment on
the Cherokee outlet purchase" This
item however, was restored by the sem
ate. The three principal items of the in
crease were appropra tons of $22, 600 for
surveying lands in the Indian territory,
S250,OO0 for the support of day and indus
trial schools and $100,0 900 for school build
ings and school sites.
The appropria tions for the Indian SER
vice for the current fiscal year were
8,762 515. The bill for the next year as
1t passed the senate today appropriates
over So 900. 900.
sThe sundry civil appropriation bill was
taken up and went over until tomorrow.
Senate bills were passed as follows
Appropria ting 100000 for public
building at Nashua, N. H.. appropriating
100000 for a. public building at Salt Lake
City and $188,000 for one at Ogden, Utah,
and appropriating $150,0o0 for public
building at Portsmouth. Va.
After a short executive session the
senate at p. M adjourned until tomor-
row.
There are five other general appropria-
tion bills 20 be acted on by the senate
the naval, the river and harbor, the Dis
trct of Columbia, the fortlfications and
the deficiency.
The House.
Beyond passing few private bills the
house today transacted no business.
-Four hours were devoted TO the discuss
sion in committee of the whole Of the
general pension bill 1t was opposed as
a whole by Messrs. Mcclellan, democrat,
of New York, and Talbert, democrat, Of
South Carolina, and in part by Mr.. Wood,
republican, of Illinois, a member of the
committee on invalid pensions. Messrs.
Smith, republican, of Michigan, and
Kirkpatrick. republican. of Kansas, sup
ported the bill, but criticised the COM
mittee for not going further in the in
terest of the old soldiers Messrs. Ma
hany republican, of New York, Mahon,
republican, of Pennsylvania, and Stew
art, republican, of New Jersey, also
spoke In favor of the passage of the bill
On motion of Mr.. Talbert, democrat,
of South Carolina, a resolution was
agreed to calling on the secretary OF
state to transmit to the house any infor-
nation in the department respecting the
al rest Of the Rev. A. J. Diaz IN Cuba.
Veternus' business Mectiup