The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-04-24
INDIAN BILL AMENDMENTS.
Eight of the Amendments Were Com
Cured Ia by the House.
TROUBLE OVER RESERVATION OPENING
A Compromise Was Finally Agreed
Upon, Preventing Corporatidhs
Obtaining Gilsonite Deposits.

Washington, April 23.-The house today
amendments to the Indian appropriation
bill and sent the bill to conference. The
main contention. as on yesterday. centered
about the senate proposition to open the
uncompahgre Indian reservation under the
mineral land laws
Finally an amendment was recommended
to the effect that no corporation should be
allowed to obtain possession OF these gill
sonite deposits. but that the government
should lease the lands in limited areas and
for limited terms Of years
Mr.. Bland of Missouri attempted, early
IN the session. to secure action on the res
olution relative TO the Union Pacific mort
cages. which he tried to offer last week.
but the speaker ruled that tho resolution
was not privileged.
The house agreed TO a programme OF
three days adjournment next week.
Washington. April 23.--The desk of the
late Judge Holman today was covered with
black pail Of mourning, upon which were
slrewn lilies of the valley and hyacinths.
The blind chaplain, in his prayer, referred
feelingly to the loss the house and the
country has sustained in his death. I'm
mediately after the reading of the Journal
Mr. Bland of Missouri offered the resolu-
tion which he attempted to offer last week
relative To the suita to foreclose the first
mortgage ON the Union Pacific railroad and
GAZING on the attorney general for in
| formation as TO what steps had been taken
| to protect the interests of the government,
tod .l..,g..
LEGGED question, on the ground that as there
was no committee TO which the resolution
could be referred this was the only way
in which II could be brought before the
house The speaker ruled that 1t was not
| privileged whereupon Mr. Bland appealed
and Mr.. Dingley promptly moved TO lay
the appeal on the table The chair ruled
the motion was not debatable. but brief
debate nevertheless was INDUCED in. Mr.
| Bland saying: I'VE want to know whether
| the liens on the Union Pacific are to be
| iauidated, as the law requires that the
government may take possession of the
| road We desire to ascertain the policy of
| the government"
| Mr. Dingley pointed out that all the in
| formation which the attorney general could
furnish on the subject had already been
| transferred to the senate. The attorney
| general could. by law, only give his legal
| opinion TO the president
| Mr.. Bailey supported Mr.. Bland. con-
| tending that the attorney general might
go further than he did in responding to the
senate resolution. The debate was brought
| to an abrupt close by the interposition of
Il point of order that the motion to lay the
| appeal on the table was not debatable.
| MIR, Richardson tDemJ of Tennessee,
sharply contended that an appeal was al
| ways debatable and that it could not be
| cut off unless the floor was yielded for the
| motion Law N the fabla hiIt the
| speaker resolutely reafhrmed his decision.
| The house could not, he declared be
| placed AT the mercy of one member. II
| there was desire to hear the appeal de-
bated the house had 1t in its power to vote
| down the motion. The appeal was laid
tytwo present and not voting.
The house then went into committee OF
the whole and resumed the consideration OF
the senate amendments to the Indian ap-
preparation bill. The pending amendment
was that relating to the opening Of the
| Uncompahgre Indian reservation.
Mr.. Lacey tRep) OF Iowa offered as a
substitute a proposition to instruct the con-
| ferees to insist upon n provision TO lease
the glsonite lands with such limitations
as would prevent their control by combina
| tons.
After considerable debate this proposition
| prevailed without division.
NlleU inc studN' ~ osiiNN
out the provision in the bill to ratlfy the
gas and oil leases OF the Seneca Indians
was reached Mr.. c. w. Stone (Rep) OF
| PENNSYLVANIA moved TO concur. He de
| nounced in unmeasured terms the methods
! by which. IL is alleged the lease was OBJ
| tained from the Indians. The motion to
| concur was defeated-i0 to TO- This mo-
| lion was equivalent TO agreeing to motion
| TO non concur.
| In all. eight of the eighteen amendments
were agreed to.
| When the committee OF the whole made
its report 10 the house. under the threat OF
M quorum, the instructions to the con-
forees relative to the uncompahgre reserva-
lion were not pressed, with the under
standing however that TINS question
should come separately before the house.
The bill was then sent 10 CONFER hce
md Messrs. sherman of New York. Curtis
| Of Kansas and Allen of MISSISSIPPI were
| appointed confcrees, l..
Under the resolution adopted earlier IN
the day the speaker appointed the follow
;ng committee to attend the Grant tomb
aa5,cation exercises at New York: The
.nosker Messrs. Lowe. Cummings. Payne,
Mcclellan, Dingley, Bailey, Hit, McMiiiln,
| naIypll. Allen. Burton, Hartman. Mercer.
walker (Virgipia). McCleary. Brewer
nverstreet. Fitzpatrick. Sulloway, Dins-
| more, Bartholdt. Tate and Ridsley OF Nan
| sas. ,.o,-raa unit,
Monday.