Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-04

Washington, d. c., January 9.-Sen-
ator Plat will on Tuesday present the
minority report of the Senate Commit
tee on Indian Affairs in opposition to
the "Free Homestead" bill, which
heads the Senate calendar.
The report opposes the bill on the
general grounds of the vast expense
of its adoption would entail upon the
government Commencing with the
year 1889, he says the government has
purchased 1882, $40 acres of land from
the Indians, agreeing to pay $25,26 l.
937 for it, besides 100000 set apart
as a trust fund for the benefit OF the
Indians of the Great Sioux reserva-
ton.
If" says the report. "all the land
already opened to settlement upon In
dian reservations heretofore coded
shall be taken up, the sum to be paid
therefor by the settlers will be S35, $685.
006.86. This bill proposes to
RELEASE THE SETTLERS
from the payment Of this sum-"
The report calls attention to the
fact that it was provided in the acts
bearing upon those settlements with
the different tribes of Indians that set
tiers should pay sufficient for the lands
to reimburse the government for the
money paid the Indians. Several mill
lion acres of land are embraced in these
pending agreements.
The bill, as it passed the House,
applied only to lands in Oklahoma,
but by the amendment made by the
Senate Committee the provisions Of
the bill are extended to all coded In
dian lands, the amount being more than
three times that contemplated in the
bill as it passed the House. All the
lands on the Indian reservations thus
opened for settlement have been paid
for by the government before the open
ing of the same, except in the case
of the Cherokee outlet, where payment
was to. be made in installments, and
the sum of $4,9S0,CO0
STILL REMAINS UNPAID,
and in the case of the Great Sioux,
Chippewa and Colville reservations,
where the Indians are to be paid as
the government shall receive money
from the settlers upon disposal OF the
lands.
Another amendment proposed to the
bill in effect, requires that the gov
eminent shall upon releasing the set
tiers from payment of their obliga-
tons, pay the Indians for these lands
the sum per acre which by law is now
to be paid by the settlers. If says
the report, this amendment should be
adopted and the bill pass, the gov
eminent would be called upon to pay
in the future, including the amount
not vet due on the Cherokee outlet
purchase, a sum approximating Sl5,-
600. COO"
The report calls attention to the fact
that negotiations are in progress for
the acquisition Of other Indian lands
which are being conducted on the
policy that the government shall be
reimbursed for its OUTLAWS.
Referring to
THE ORIGIN OF THE BILL,
Senator Platt says in his report:
THE excitement which preceded the
opening of lands in Oklahoma will be
still remembered. as will the mad rush
scarcely controlled by government au-
thorities to secure these lands upon
the we'll understood condition of pay
ment for the same in addition to COM
pliancs with the provision of the home
stead laws. In every appeal made to
Congress for the opening Of the lands
Of these reservations the argument
that the government ought not to be
mt 10 the large expenditure required
in the payment of the Indians for the
relinouishment of their title was an
swered by those who were advocating
and insisting upon the passage OF bills
for that purpose by saying that 1t was
understood that the government should
be reimbursed by the settlers.
Continuing, he argues: 1T is pro-
badly not to much to say that not one
of the agreements made with the In
dams ceding their lands would nave
been satisfied. and not an act opening
them for settlement would have been
nassed. if it had net been thoroughly
understood and agreed that the set
tiers upon these lands should
REIMBURSE THE GOVERNMENT.
for the amount expended by it to obtain
them. The obligation of the settlers
to nav the government the price stip-
ulated is as definite, well understood
and binding as the obligation OF any
government debtor While we do not
question the policy of our homestead
laws. we insist that in relation to these
lands. purchased and opened upon the
demand of the settlers, it was right
that another policy should be adopted.
The attractive idea of free homes Tor
the people was all very well while the
government had lands acquired for po-
Iitical and territorial reasons which 1t
could donate to them. The purchase
of 1850 acres and the donation of the
same to a citizen is entirely another
thing. and can be justified in the opin-
ion of the undersigned, upon no con-
sideration of public policy or govern
mental duty. AS we'll might the gov
eminent be called upon to buy lands
from individual owners or syndlcates
and donate them as free homes to
settlers. as to be called upon to buy
L