The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-21
House Passes Bill Forbidding Sale
To AborigiRes.
HOW THE MEASURE CAME TO BE
PROPOSED.
Mary Good Thunder and Other Indian
Ladies' Petition for the Enacl ment-In-
terestipg "Reminiscences of Former
Maine Ran.
Especial to the Press. }

\Op6Olhl 10 VIC EfGSS.
Washington, Jan. 20-The prasen
House of Representatives is quite well
disposed towards legislation against the
liquor traffic. 1t has already passed and
sent to the Senate bill prob ibiting the
sale of intoxiosting liquors in thesCapitol
building On Monday i. passod[a bill es-
tablishing prohibition among those In
dams who have left the tribal relation
and settled upon lands of their own and
become citizens.
| The circumstances attending the pass
aga Of this bill are quite interesting. es-
pecially to these interested in the pro-
gress of the Indian. There has been for
% long time law on the statute book
| prohibiting the sale or giving of liquors
| to Indians that are on reservations in
charge of the agents. ssBut now Indians
are taking up allotments of land and
becoming citizens. The courts have
ruled that when these Indians move
on to their lands they cease to be wards
of the nation and that the law against
selling them liquors does not apply.
The result Of this decision has teen
that the rum traffic is threatening to
break up the efforts to ciyilize the red
men. They realize it themselves, and
some of the most intelligent OF them
have petitioned Congress for the passage
of tho bill. For instance, long list of
| women of the Santee Tribe of Sioux con-
siitute one petition. On the list are the
names Of Louisa Redwing. Mrs. Hake-
| woxto, (who makes her mark). Emma
Redowl, Mary Goodthunder, Mary light
ming, Lucy Feather, Ellen Kitto, and
Maggie Wicanapidutawin. Many Of the
husbands Of these women also sign an
independent petitionIfor- the same pnr-
pose.
Theybin which these Indinns asked for
and which the House passed has nuw
gone to the Senate fer action. Its text
is as follows:
Be it enacted. etc., That any person
who shall sell, give away, dispose OF, ex-
change, or barber any shialt, spirltuous,
or vinous liquor, including beer, ale. and
wine, tor any ardent or other intoxicating
| liquor of any kind whatsoever, or any
essence, extract. bitters, preparation,
| compound, composition, or any article
whatever, under any name, label, or
| brand, which produces intogie' IT. to
any III ian to whom allotMoBu ~ Asiid
has been made while the title to tbs same
shall he held in trust by the Government
or to any Indian award of the Govern
ment under charge of any Indian super
iutendent or agent, OF any Iudian, in
cIuoing mixed bloods, over whom the
Government through its department
exercises guardianship, and any person
who shall introduce OF attempt to intro.
ducs any malt, spirituous, or vinous
liquor, including beer, ale and wine, or
any ardent or intoxicating liquor of any
kind whatsoever into the Intiian coun-
try. which term shall include any Indian
allotment while the title to the Same
shall be held in trust by the Government,
OF while the same shall rennin inalien-
able by the allOttee without the consent
OF the United. States, shall be punished
by imprisonment for not less than sixty
days, and by fine of not less than one
hundred d llars for the first offense and
not less than two hundred dollars for
each offsnse thereafter: Provided, how
ever, That the person convicted shall be
committed until fine and costs are paid.
But it shall be a sufficient defense to any
charge of introducing or attempting to
induce ardent spirits, ale. beer, wine,
or Intoxicating liquors into the Indian
country. that the acts charged were done
under auth oritv, In writing, from the
War Department or any officer duly au-
thorized thereunto by 1.-THE War Depart
ment.
DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLT
The following bill has been reported
from the COMMITTEES on Public Buildings
and Grounds in the House:
Be it enacted, ETC.. That there Ebe set
apart for the permanent use OF the
National Society Of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, for the erection of
memorial building thereon, portion
| of the reservation or public ground
ownedshy! the United States, in the city
of Washington, District of Columbia,
| described as follows, namely: A plot
| two hundred feet square at the inter Sec
| tion OF Fourteenth street and street,
bounded on the north by B.street and on
the east BY Fourteenth street. Saia land
shallIbe used only for the purpose Of y
memorial building to commemorate the
services and perpetuate the memory of
the heroes If the Revolutionary war, to
| be erected nd owned by the National
Society of the Daughters OF the Ameri-
can Revolution, and when it ceases to he
used for that purpose it shall revert to
|
granted shall determine and cease. =
Monday afternoon Speaker Reed recog-
nized MIR. Morse, of Mfssach usetts, to
ask unanimous consent to bring the bill
I'D and pass it. MI. Morse explained
that the Daughters numbered IL, 600
mem hers, with 800 subordinate chapters
extending into.every State in the Union.
In carrying out the purposes Of their
organization sthey have determined to
erect in the city of Washington memo
rial Continental hall Tin honor of the
statesmen, soldiers, and spatriots. men
isud women, of the American Revolution
andsfor the preservation of Erslics of war,
peace. domestic life, and industry asso.
ciated with the period of the conflict for
American Independence. and have set
systematically Ssabout raising q building
fund for this purpose. The idea of such
memorial hall or 3me was first suggest
cd ty this late Mrs. Caroline Scott Harri-
son. wife of President Harrison, and the
| first acknowledgements of the society, and
has been approved by successive national
conaressps of tho society. and special
building committee has been appointed
| to carry into execution the PROJECT.
They purpose, as they declare, to make
this buiIdinR ''a verita BILE Temple of
Fame. not alone in honor of the wonder
I