The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-01-04

| law 70 protect the government ? itilSt "
est ~ forccl0slHGf. I1e tflenqs ot ~. tlle
roads realize fully that this y tne i@ast @
| Chance they Will nave 70 aceon,pllsii Alle
funding nj the debt Tor Whleh lney nave ~
sfrlyen for ten ysap5 and they VIII use
m thelr Influence IN its behalf But the
! biii hns also bitter eneniiea especially IN
I fhe wes. and on the Pacific cnasi- eir.
/ pawers. .-lf Vermont, chairman ot the
co,nniittne. Will be is principal cham
Mon on the floor. while bIr. Sulzer. Of
Nr1v York. nnd llr. Mcguire. Of Callt0r-
nia, Eili lead the opposition. Both SIDES
arc now figuring on a majority ana me
fate Of the bill IS IN grave Doubt. The
debate Is expected 20 be Of q very lively
nature and there may be some SENSATIONAL
Incidents.
Senate BorseaSt.
beyond the fact that the bill providing
for the free iiomesteads on former Indian
reservations on the calendar IS the un-
finished business" the senate has no
programme for tiiis week.
There ls liable 10 be Q sharp clash ot m
terests in the'effort 70 secure consldera-
tlon and a possibility that this clash may
develop an interesting SITUATION. Ine
friends OF the Pacific railroad retunding
bfli will make an effort 10 get that meas
rre up for consideration unless they con-
clude that In doing 80 they may Impair
ia chances 0f passage. Until the past
day or two II appeared certnip that the
Cuban resolutions would be sprung I'M
nedIntely after the beginning OF puai-
ness on TuesdRy.
n is now possible, even probable, that
both questions viii 50 over, q least Tor q
few days, II the movement g nave tile ne
committee on the foreign relations again
consider the question as 70 when II shAll
be taken up prevails, the question canllge
be raised until after the committee ineee- :
ing on Wednesday, ana me adYocates ot !
DELAY are becoming quite aanguine tnat
~ they succeed in preventing considera-
fisn until Wednesday they Will secure q
ytlii further postponement. 5enaIer
Gear chairman Of the Paclfic railrQaaA
committee IS doubtful OF the advisaplll-
~ ,of Dressing for the confederation OF
hls FUNDING Bill until after the action OF
thn houEe on the same measure ana may
walt ,tpon that body. IL he does not qe-
lay on this account he VIII make an el-
Tort 10 get the bill up on Tuesday or
Immediately after the Homestead plli
shall have been disposed Of
II either the Pacific bill or the ,Cnoan
resolution secures consideration tneLe
VIII Oe q SudEp S1aAEah AA4@
mated debate. ..,,,
bV Senator Platt and others, wnlle
senator Pettlgrew Will take the leaa
IN its advocacy.
sent the minority report OF the senate
COMMITTEES on Indian affairs IN opposl-
iion TO the free homestead" biii,whien
heads the senate calendar.
ON General Grounds
The report opposes the bill on the
general grounds OF the vast expense
its adoption would entail upon the
government. Commencing with the
year 1889, he says the government mas
purchased SS,S52,548 acres Of land from
Inc Indians agreeing TO pay $25,2Gl,9SI
FOR Il, besides $3.0O0,O00 set apart as Q
trust fund for the heueft OF The IN
dlans OF the great Sioux reservation.
iiIfp says the report, "all the lana
already opened to settlement upon In
dian reservations heretofore ceded
ghaIl be taken up. the sum to. be paid
therefor by the settlers Will be tS5,SbS,-
O0s 50, This bill proposes to release
the settlers from the payment OF this
The report calls attention. to the
fact that It was provided IN the aetB
bearing upon those settlements with
fhe different tribes OF Indians that set
tiers should pay sufficient for the lands
to reimburse the government tor the
money paid the Indians. Several million
acres OF land are embraced In these
pending agreements.
The bill, as It passed the house, ap-
piled only 10 lands In Oklahoma, but
By the amendments made by the
senate committee the provisions OF the
bill are extended to all ceded Indian
lands, the amount being more than
three times that contemplated In ehe
bill as II passed the house. All the lands
| on the Indian reservation thus opened
for settlement have been paid for by
the government before the opening OF
tho same. except in the case Of the
Cherokee outlet. where poymept was to
| be made In instalimentg, and the sum
OF H,9S0,00O still remains unpaid, and
| In the case OF the Great Sioux, Chip
| pewa and Colville reservations, where
the Indians are to be paid as the gov
ernment shall receive money from che
settlers upon disposal Of the lands.
Another amendment proposed to the
bill IN effect, requires that the gov
ernment shall, upon releasing the set
tiers from payment Of their obliga-
\ tlons, pay the Indians fos these lands
the sum per acre which by law ls now
10 be paid by the. settlers III" says
| the report, this amendment should be
| adopted and the bill pass, the govern
ment would be called upon to pay In
the future. including the amount not
yet due on the Cherokee outlet pur-
chase, sum approximatiug Sl5,OO0'-
0O0"
The report calls attention to the fact
that negotiations are in progtesS for
the acquisition OF other Indian lands
which are being conducted on the poll
Icy that the government shall be reim-
bursed for its outlays.