Omaha daily bee., 1897-04-24
FINISHES UP INDIAN BILL
House Completes Consideration and Sends
Measure to Conference.
DISCUSSION ON GLSoNlTE DEPOSITS
Agrees that Government Shall Lease
the Lands for Limited Terms of
Years-Committee for Hol-
man 0bsequies.

WASHINGTON, April 23.-The house today
completed the consideration OF the senate
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 Uncon-
pahgre indian reservation under the mineral
land avs. Finally an amendment was rec
commended to the effect that no corporation
should be allowed to obtain possession of
these gilsonite deposits, but that the govern
ment should lease the lands in limited terms
of years. The senate amendment striking
from the house bill the provision pro-
vlding for the ratification of the oil and gas
leases made by the council of the Seneca
Indians last December, after a sharp debate,
was disagreed to. Mr.. Bland of Missouri at
tempted early in the session to secure action
on the resolution relative to the Union Pa
cifc railroad mortgages, which he tried to
offer last week, but the speaker ruled that
the resolution was not privileged. A reso-
luton was adopted by which a committee
OF twenty-five was appointed to attend the
dedication of the Grant tomb on Tuesday, and
the house agreed to a program of three-day
adjournments for next week.
RESOLUTION BY BLAND.
Immediately after the reading of the jour
nal, Mr.. Bland, democrat of Missouri, brought
up 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 in
formation as to what steps had been taken
to protect the interests of the government,
so modified as to strike out the clause direct
ing the speaker to appoint Immediately the
the committee on Pacific railways.
Bland presented his resolution as a priv
LEGGED question, on the ground that as there
was no 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,
whereupon Mr.. Bland appealed and Mr. Ding
ley promptly moved to lay the appeal on
the table. The chair ruled the motion was
not debatable, but a brief debate neverthe-
less was INDUCED in, Mr.. Bland saying:
I'VE want to know whether the liens on
the Union Pacific are to be liquidated, as the
law requires that the government may take
possession of the road. We desire to ascer-
tain the policy of the government"
Mr.. Dingley pointed out that all the infor-
nation which the attorney general could fur
nish on the subject had already been trans
mitted to the senate. The attorney general
could by law only give his legal opinion to
tho president.
Mr.. Bailey supported Mr.. Bland, contend
ing 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 a point Of order that the motion to lay
the appeal on the table was not debatable.
Mr.. Richardson, democrat of Tennessee,
sharply commended that an. appeal was al
ways debatable and it would not be cut
off unless the floor was yielded for the
motion to lay it on the table, but the
speaker resoIutely reafirmed his decision.
The house could not, he said, be placed
at the mercy Of one member. If there
was a desire to hear the appeal debated
kLo Lo,,.. L-J 4 In . ,@,,,@. 20 ,Nt@ I~pyn
the motion. The appeal was laid on the
table, 81 to IS, twenty-five present and
not voting.
Mr.. Robinson of Indiana was added to
the committee to attend the Holman OBJ
sequies.
INDIAN BILL.
The house then went into committee of
the whole and resumed the consideration
of the senate amendments to the Indian
appropriation bill. The pending amend
ment was that relating to the opening of the
~Uncompahgre reservation. Mr.. Cooper, re-
publican Of Wisconsin,, commended that the
members of congress sat here as trustees
Of the interests Of the government, and
that they would be derelict in their duty
II they gave away these deposits, worth
millions of dollars, for practically nothing.
Mr.. Cooper read a letter from an Indian
agent in Utah, who said that the gov
| ernor of Utah, the secretary of state, the
otdto Nh''
public officials had, through the state min
ing inspector, as agent, filed claims on the
reservation March 4, when it was presumed
the Indian appropriation bill had been
| signed by President Cleveland. These spec
| ulators were, Mr.. Cooper said. all ready
to Jump in the moment the reservation
was opened. And yet, said he, gentlemen
| talked about depriving the poor prospector
of his opportunities.
Mr.. Lacey, republican Of Iowa, offered
as a substitute a proposition to instruct
| the conferees to insist upon a provision
to lease the gilsonite land with such lin
itations as would prevent its control by
| combinations.
Mr.. Shafroth, silver of Colorado, pro-
tested against a change of policy toward
| mineral lands and said that the value OF
| the deposits was greatly exaggerated.
Mr.. Mcguire. democrat OF California, OPP
| posed the amendment. The policy pursued
| toward the natural resources of the country
| had called in their monopoly. Mr.. Bartholdt,
| republican of Missouri, in supporting the
motion to concur in the senate amendment,