The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-10-14


the valuable tim Der land on this
reservation had been patented,
and also the lands 81 d part OF
the Settlers had already been
patented. There were. however.
8 la.ge number Of settlers whose
entries had been suspended, and
while they had made valuable
improvements, they had no title.I
and things were IN q very unsat
isfactory conditio n. Congress
man Morris made careful study
Of the case and became convinc
ed that under the decisions Of
the land office a large number Of
these settlers were entitled to
patent. He prepared a brief and
appeared before the attorney
general for the interior depart
ment and submitted it, together
with his views on the subject.
asking that a case which was
then pending be taken up i'm
mediately so that the whole mat,
ter might be definitely decided
ore way or the other, for good.
The attorney general complied
with the request and rendered a
decision in accordance with the
views held by Mr.. Morris. This
disposed Of the entries of a large
number: of settlers, but there
were still q number of cases
which required a joint resolution
decreeing these lands open to
settlement under the homestead
laws. Morris secured the pas
sage of this resolution in the.
house, and it was put through
the senate, and is now a law.
This matter had been pending
for a long time, and the settle
ment of tits a great relief to the
settlers On the reservation.
In the indian appropriation
bill, Morris secured appropria :
tions for schools at the Red Lake
and Leech Lake agencies, and
these schools will be erected as.
soon as the department can take
hold of the matter. Judge Nor.
ris prides himself upon the fact,
that he has been just as fair
to the Indian as to the settler.
When the Indian appropriation
bill went to the senate, an amend
ment was put on granting to the
settler on the Chippewa reserva
ton their homesteads free, pro
Iyiding that the government
should pay the Indians 1926 per
acre. which is o required to be
paid by settlers. When this
amendment came back to the
house, Judge Morris did his best
to have it adopted there and
made upon it the only speech Of
his first term. * ~
Mr.. ToWne, in his open letter
to Morris, tries to make a point
because no river and harbor bill
was reported by the last session.
He well knows that this bill was
held back until the next session
by general consent of.the Repub-
licans leaders, on account of the
unsettled state of the country
consequent upon the war, and
because interest in war matters
had temporarily caused all ::other
questions Of legislation to be lost
sight Of. Had Towne been in
congress in the place of Morris,
he dare not say that under SINH
lar conditions he would not have
agreed to such q postponement.
Indeed, he would have beer pow
erless to :prevent it. But not
withstanding the river and har
Dor bill was necessarily laid over
one session, Judge Morris feels
that he took care, of the Sixth
district properly in the sundry
civil and deficiency appropria
ton bills. If any interest was
erlooked, he does not now call
it to mind. Perhaps Mr.. Towne
can point them out, if there has
been COMMISSIONS of this sort.
In pension matters, Judge
Morris has been as successful as
any congressman. No soldier
has ever written to him about q
pension and failed to receive a
prompt and courteous reply,
with a promise that the matter
would be looked up at once.
Morris pension book shows
something like 400 cases Of which
fully one third have. been allow.
ed, which isa large percentage
and shows that ID this direction
he has not been idle. He has
made it q point never to ask
about q claimants politics. All
letters are answered and all re-
quests complied with, without