The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-24
The Proceedings.

Washington. April 23.-The desk of
Judge Holman today was covered with
black pail of mourning upon which
was strewn lilies of the valley and hya-
cinthes.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal Bland Dem. MOI offered a
resolution relative to the suits to fore
close the first mortgage on the Union
Pacific railway and calling on the at
torney- general for information as to
what steps had been taken 10 protect
the interests of the government. 1t
was so modified as 70 strike out the
clause directing the speaker to appoint
Immediately a committee on the Pa
cific railroads.
He presented the resolution for a
privileged question on the ground that
as there were no committees to which
the resolution could be referred. this
was the only way it could be brought
before the house.
The speaker ruled that it was not
privileged. whereuDon Mr.. Bland ap-
pealed and Mr.. Dingley promptly
moved to lay the appeal on the table
The chair ruled the motion was not
debatable but a brief debate. never
theless, was INDUCED in, MIR. Bland
saying:
HE WANTS TO KNOW.
1--WE want to know whether the liens
on the Union Pacific are to be liquidat-
ed as the law requires. that the gov
eminent may take possession of the
road. We desire to ascertain the pol
icy of the government"
Mr.. Dingley pointed out that all the
information which the attorney general
could furnish on the subject had al
ready been transmitted TO the senate.
The attorney general could. by law.
only give his legal opinion to the pres
i6ent.
Mr.. Bailey supported MIR. Bland. con-
tending that the attorney general
might go further than he did in re-
spending to the senate resolution
The debate was brought to an alb
rupt close bv the interposition of a
noint of order that the motion to lay
the appeal on the table was not de-
batable.
MI. Richardson (Dem. TexD, sharply
contended that an appeal was a-WaVS
debatahle and it would not be cut on
unless the floor was yielded Cor the mo-
ton to law it on the table. but the
speaker resolutely reaffirmed his de-
cision. The house could not, he de-
clared. be placed at the mercy of one
member. If there was a desire to hear
the appeal debated. the house had it in
its power to vote down the motion
The appeal was laid on The table
s. to. 75-22 present and not voting
On motion of Mr. Robinson. OF Indi-
ana. Mr.. Bland. of Missouri. was add
ed to the committee to attend the
Holman obsecuies.
THE INDIAN BILL.
The house then went into committee
of the whole and resumed the consid-
Grafton of the senate amendments to
fiOn hill The
pending amendment was that relating
to the opening of the UncOmDahgre
Mr.. Cooper (Reo. Wis.,.
commended that members of CONGRESS
sat here as trustees of the interests of
the government. and that they would
be derelict in their duty If they save
away these deposits, worth millions of
dollars for practically nothing Mr..
CooDer read a letter from an -ndlan
agent in Utah who said the governor
of Utah. the secretary of state, the
state treasurer. Senator Brown and
other public officials had, through the
state mining inspector, as agent. fled
claims on the reservation on March 4
when it was presumed the Indian az
bill had been signed by
President Cleveland. These spectators
were. Mr. Cooper said. all ready to
iump the moment the reservation was
oDened And vet. said he, gentlemen
talked about depriving the poor pros
pector of his opportunities
LACEY'S SUBSTITUTE.
Mr.. Lacey CRep. Ia). offered sem
ate substitute proposition to instruct
the conferees to insist upon provision
10 lease the gilsonite lands with such
limitations as would prevent its con-
-rol by combinations.
Mr. Shafroth (Sil- Rep. Colo-). pro-
tested against q change of policy to-
ward mineral lands, and said that the