The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-24
SENATE AMENDMENTS TO INDIAN
BILL ACTED ON BY THE
HOUSE.
NO GILSONITE MONOPOLY.
GOVERNMENT WILL RETAIN CON-
TROL OF THE RICH DEPOS-
IT'S IN UTAH.
In All Only Eight of the Eighteen
Senate Amendments Accepted
by the House.

WASHINGTON, April 23.-The house
today completed the consideration Of
the senate amendment to the Indian
appropriation bill and sent the bill to
conference. The main contention, as
on yesterday, centered about the SEN
ate proposition to open the Uncom-
pahgre Indian reservation under the
mineral land laws. Finally an amend
ment was recommended to the effect
that no corporation should be allowed
to obtain possession of these gilsonite
deposits, but that the government
should lease the lands in limited areas
and for limited terms of years The
senate amendment striking from the
house bill the provision for the ratifica-
ton of the oil and gas leases made by
the council of the Seneca Indians last
December. after a sharp debate, was
disagreed to.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal, Mr.. Bland (Dem, MOI offered
| the resolution which he attempted to
offer last week, relative to the suits
to foreclose the first mortgage on the
| Union Pacific railway and calling on
the attorney general for information as
to what steps have been taken to pro-
! tect the interests of the government. so
modified as to strike out the clause di-
rectlng the speaker to appoint immedi-
ately the committee on Pacific railroads.
He presented the resolution as a priyi-
legged question on the ground that as
there was no committee to which the
he
the only way it could be brought he
Iore the mouse. The speaker ruled that
IL was not privileged, whereupon Mr..
Bland appealed, and Mr.. Dinglev
promptly moved to lay the appeal on
the table. The appeal was laid upon
the table, 81 to Is, % present and not
voting.
A resolution was adopted by which a
committee of twenty-five was appoint
ed to attend the dedication of the Grant
tomb in New York on Tuesday. and
the house agreed to programme of
three days adjournment Tor next week.
Ihe mouse then went into committee
OF the whole and resumed the consid-
! Grafton OF the senate amendments to
the Indian bill. The pending amend
ment was that relating TO the opening
Of the Uncompahgre reservation. Mr..
Cooper (Rep., Wis) contended that
members of congress sat here as trust
ees of the interests of the government
and they would be derelict to their
duty if they gave away these deposits
worth millions of dollars for practical
ly nothing.
Mr.. Lacey Rep., Iowa. offered as a
/ he ~
the conferees to insist upon pro-
vision to lease the gilsonite lands with
such limitations as would prevent it's
control by combinations.
Mr.. Shaffroth (Silver Rep, COLI pro-
! tested against a change of policy to-
ward mineral lands and said that the
value of the deposits was greatly ex-
aggregated. Mr. Mcclure Dem, CALI
opposed the amendment. The policy
pursued toward the national resources
of the country had resulted in their
monopoly.
Mr. Dingley said the question at is,
sue was as to whether, in this particu-
lar case, the laws applicable to mineral
lands should apply. This was the onlv
large gilsonite deposit in the country.
II the royalty obtained by Great Britain
from the asphaltum lands in Trinidad
were obtained, the government would
profit to the extent of $50, 900 000 If
these lands were thrown open to indi-
Vidual entry it would inevitably result
in the transference of individual rights
In the creation of a monopoly which
could put up the price.
+ Mr. Bailey offered an amendment
which was voted down, 40 to 20, to grant
the lands in the reservation to the state
of Utah for educational purposes. The
proposition of Mr.. Lacey then prevailed
| without division
| out the provision in the bill to ratifv
! the gas and Oil leases of the Seneca
! Indians was reached c.. w. Stone Rep..
! Pa moved to concur. He denounced
| IN unmeaSured terms the methods bv
which 1t is alleged the lease was OBJ,
| tanned from the Indians The motion
to concur was defeated, 40 to TO- This
! motion was equivalent to agreeing to
! a motion to non-concur. The amend
ment qualifying the right Of the chill
| dren OF an Indian mother and a
White man to inherit by requiring the
| consent of majority of the members
OF the tribe was also non concurred in.
In all, eight Of the eighteen amend
ments, were agreed to. When the COM
| mlttee Of the whole made its report to
| the house, under the threat of no
| quorum, the instructions to the con-
ferees relative to the Uncompahgre
reservation were not pressed, with the
understanding, however, that this aues-
| ton should come separately before the
house The bill was then sent to con-
ference and MesSrs Sherman IN. W.
! Curtis Ras), and Allen (Miss), were
appointed conferees.
| Under the resolution adopted earlier
IN the day the speaker appointed the
Following committee to attend the
Grant dedication exercises at New
York: The speaker, Messrs. Low, Cum
mings, Payne, Mcclellan. Dingley. Bal
4 ley. Hit, McMillin, Dalzell, Allen, Bur-
| ton Hartman, Mercer, Walker CVa.).
McCieary, Brewer, Overstreet, Fitz-
patrick, Sulloway, Dinsmore, Bartholdt.
Tate and Ridgely, of aKnsas At /
o'clock the house adjourned until Mon
| day.