The herald., 1897-01-04
THE WORK OF THE CONGRESS
Both Houses Will RecOnvene on
Tuesday Next
THE RECOGNITION OF CUBA
Is Not Likely to Receive Immediate
Consideration
HE RECOGNITION OF CUBA
LIQUIDS Postal Bill and the Pacific Rail
road Refunding Scheme VIII Be
Debated in the House.

|
Associated Press Special Wire
! WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.-Beyond the
fact that the bill providing for free
homesteads on former Indian reserva-
tions on the calendar IL the unfinished
business" the senate has no program for
this week
There is liable to BE- a sharp clash
Of interests in the effort to secure con-
| sideration and a possibility that this
clash may develop an interesting situa.
ton. The friends of the Pacific fund
| ing bill will make an effort to get that
measure up for consideration unless
they conclude that in doing SO they may
| impair it's chances of passage. Until
the past day or two it appeared certain
| that the Cuban resolutions would be
| sprung Immediately after the beginning
Of business on Tuesday. 1t is possible,
even probable that both questions will
| go over, at least for a few days. II the
| movement to have the committee on for
eign relations again consider the ques-
| tino as to when 1t shall be taken up. pre-
walls, the question cannot be raised until
after the committee meeting on Wednes-
day, and the advocates of delay are be-
coming quite sanguine that IL they suc
ceed in preventing consideration until
Wednesday, they will secure a still
further postponement.
Senator Gear, chairman Of the Pacific
railroads committee, ID doubtful of the
advisability of pressing for the con-
sideration of his funding bill until after
the action Of the house on the same
measure and may wait upon that body.
If he does not delay on this account. he
will make am effort to get the bill up on
Tuesday or Immediately after the home
stead act shall be disposed Of.
If either the Pacific bill or the Cuban
resolution secures consideration, there
will be a sharp contest and much ami
mated debate.
The homestead bill will be opposed by
Senator Platt and others. while Senator
Pettigrew will take the lead in its advo-
cacy.
Senator Platt will on Tuesday present
the minority report Of the senate COM
mittee on Indian affairs in opposition to
the free homestead" bill, which heads
the senate calendar.
The report opposes the bill on the gen.
eral ground of the vast expense its
adoption would entail upon the govern
ment Commencing with the year 1889,
he says the government has purchased
43, 252 $40 acres of land from the Indians,
agreeing to pay $25 261, ,937 for it, besides
s3,000.000 set apart as trust fund for
the benefits of the Indians of the great
Sioux reservation.
If" says the report. "all the land al
ready opened to settlement upon In
dian reservations heretofore ceded shall
be taken up, the sum to be paid therefor
by the settlers will be $35. 1858, ,006. SO.
This bill proposes to release the settlers
from the payment OF this sum.
The report calls attention to the fact
that 1t was provided In the acts bearing
upon thses settlements with the differ
ent tribes Of Indians that settlers should
pay sufficient for the lands to reimburse
the government for the money paid the
Indians.
Several million acres Of land are en-
braced in these pending agreements.
The bill, as 1t passed the house, ap-
piled only to lands in Oklahoma, but
In the amendments made by the senate
committee, the provisions of the bill are
extended to all ceded Indian lands, the
that contemplated in the bill as it passed
amount being more than three times
the house. All the lands on the Indian
reservations thus opened for settlement
have been paid for by the government
before the opening Of the same, except
in the case of the Cherokee outlet, where
payment was to be made In INSTALL
ments and the sum Of $4,9S0,000 still re-
mains unpaid, and In the case of the
great Sioux, Chippewa and Colville res
ervations, where the Indians are to be
paid as the government shall receive
money from the settlers upon disposal
of the lands. Another amendment pro-
posed to the bill in effect requires that
the government shall, upon releasing the
Sntt1prQ from r<f hot aI,J
tions. pay the Indians for their lands
the sum per acre which by law is to be
paid by the settlers
If" says the report, "this amendment
should be adopted and the bill passes,
the government would be called upon to
pay in the future, including the amount
now due on the Cherokee outlet pur-
chase, a sum approximating $4,000, 900.
The report calls attention to the fact
that negotiations are in progress for
the acquisition of other Indian lands,
which are being conducted upon the pol
icy that the government shall be REIN
bursed for its outlays.
Referring to the origin Of the bill,
Senator Platt says in his report: "The
excitement which preceded the opening
of the lands in Oklahoma will be still
remembered. as well as the mad rush,
scarcely controlled by government au-
thorities, to secure these lands upon the
we'll understood condition of payment
for the same in addition to compliance
with the provisions of the homestead
laws. In every appeal made to congress
for the opening of the lands of the res
ervations the argument that the gov
ernment ought not to be put to the large
expenditures required In the payment of
the Indians for the REIMBURSEMENT of
their title was answered by those who
were advocating and insisting upon the
passage OF the bills for that purpose by
saying that it was understood the gov
ernment should be reimbursed by the
settlers
Continuing, he argues: "It is proba-
bly, not too much to say that not one of
the agreements with the Indians ced-
ing their lands would have been ratified
and not an act opening them for settle
ment would have been passed if it had
not been thoroughly understood and
agreed that the settlers upon these lands
should reimburse the government for the
amount expended by it to obtain it. The
obligation of the settler to pay the gov
ernment the price stipulated is as def
mite, we'll understood and binding as
the obligation of any government debt
or. While we do not Question the policy
of our homestead laws, we insist that
in rela ton to thse lands, purchased and
opened upon the demand Of the settlers.
1t was right that anothsr policy should