The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-25
VESTS SPICED VINEGAR.
HOkE SMITH AND CLEVELAND HUI.
VIGOROUSLY ROASTED.

The SecreInry's fallure to ODey q Law
Opening n Reservation in Utah, and
c,exeland,s Home Mission Speech. the
Subjects.
WASHINGTON, March 1S.-The feat
ure of today's proceedings in the SEN
ate was short debate upon joint
resolution directing the secretary OF
the interior to execute the law for
opening to settlement some 1000, 1000
acres of land in the eastern part OF
Utah, which have been part of the
Uncompahgre Indian reservation.
Severe structures upon the secretary OF
the interior for his attempt to nullify
the act of congress were made by Sen
ators Cannon, Wolcott and Vest. The
latter inveighed with much vehem'
ence, against the secretary declaring
that the time had been when the head
of department would have to answer
to the bar of the senate for such an at
tempt to trample upon the legislative
branch of the government. Mr.. Vest
also caused much amusement by his
witty and caustic criticism of President
Cleveland's recent speech before the
Home Missionary society in New
York.
Mr.. Vest began with the remark
that there was a time when cabinet
officer, who deliberately failed to exc
cute an act of congress, would be
brought before the bar of the senate
because he had trampled upon the leg
islative department of the government
and had violated his oath of office.
He happened to know all the facts in
regard to the matter.
He said that some years ago com
pany had been organized In st. Louis
| for the purpose of opening up certain
asphalt deposits in the Uncompaghre
reservation in the eastern part OF
Utah and had invested a large amount
of money.
The ST. Louis company had not
gone into the reservation. 1t had
bought land outside and wagoned the
product down to the Union Pacific
railway by which it was sent to the
different cities. The company did not
want the lands because the asphalt ex-
listed IN such enormous quantities that
there could be no monopoly in it.
There was also, Mr.. Vest said, New
York corporation which came on the
scene last summer and which made
some adjustment with the st. Louis
company. The question was whether
congress knew what it was doing
when it passed the act to open up those
LANDS. Congress did know it and
knew very well that there were great
aspoalt deposits there.
What sort of right, Mr.. Vest de:
manded angrily, had the secretary OF
the interior to nullify that act of con-
gress. That practice had grown up
until it demanded reprehensloon OF
congress and at once. The action OF
the secretary of agriculture on the
seed question was another instance OF
the same kind.
"And now" said he, "comes the
secretary of the interior and says that
congress did not know anything about
these enormous deposits; and he takes
the responsibility of saying to the
President of the United States that the
proclamation opening these lands to
settlement shall not be issued. Here
| is positive statute nullifed by the
head of department. with no other
excuse except the paltry one that ne
assumed that congress had not the in
formation which it has had for the last
seven years.
"There seems" Mr.. Vest continued,
"to be disposition on the part of the
administration to treat the Western
people as if they were in a condition
| of pupilage, as if they do not know
their own rights or their own interests,
and as if they must be informed ex
cathedra, from the east in reference to
what is best for them and what should
be done for them. Even the President
of the United States, lately on mis-.
sionary occasion Qaughter) spoke OF
the west as land of immortality and
crime. He stood with the light-the
ghastly light-of the hell.holes and
rum cellars of New York blazing
upon him, and cantingly, said that
home missions must be used to civilize
to Christianize the men who have left
their homes in the civilized east and
gone out among the mountains and
valley of the wild and woody west.
loud and general laughter.)
"Our President stood with DR.. Tai
mage on one side and the Rev. Shell
don Jackson on the other and gave us
a new version of that beloved old
missionary hymn:
From Montana's sinful mountains,
From Utah's wicked plains.
They call us to deliver.
Their land from errors chains"
Continued laughter.
1--WE are told upon high ecclesiasti.
cal authority that his excellency has
lately laid down his honors at the feet
of Jesus. I am glad to know it. 1t
has been the general impression of
democrats that Mugwumps and in
cense burners had got those honors
and intended to keep them. have
great respect for the Christian religion
and for missions at home and abroad,
but this was SANDER upon the men
who, with rifle in one hand and axe
in the other, have gone out and blazed
that pathway of civilization in the
western wilds. I went to Missouri
when it was frontier State, roamed
by the Indian and buffalo. ! have
lived with those people nearly 80
years, and I say to our president now
that if he will pretermit hunting ducks
in North Carolina and silver Demo