Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-04-21

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The judiciary committee came
next and its handsome chairman.
General Henderson of Iowa, car
ried several measures through the
gauntlet of the house, and one
step nearer their coveted destiny
the statue books.
The coinage, weights and meas
ures committee came next. Chair
man Stone of that committee is
now a candidate for the governor
ship of Pennsylvania, and he had
evidently been giving close atten-
ton to political matters, for he
offered no bills, and surrendered
the place of his committee.
The clerk read: The commit
tee Indian affairs" A"
Ch irman Sherman, the rosy
checked, round faced, good temp
cred New York Yankee, took the
floor and called up the Curtis
bill" In doing so he suggested
the reading of it be dispensed with
and the report of the committee
be read for the information of the
house. To this Mr.. Dockery. of
Missouri, objected and demand
ed that the bill be read. The
clerk droned through its twenty
seven sections in about forty min
utes. Chairman Sherman again
took the floor and explained briefly
the progress of the bill through
the various committees and sub
committees to the calendar of the
house.
When he had concluded, on every
side were cries of "vote." The
house voted and the bill passed.
On Thursday the house passed
Judge Little's bill declaring the
federal Jail at Fort Smith, Arkan-
sas, a national prison. The sub
stance of the bill is as follows:
"That the federal Jail at Fort
Smith, Arkansas, is hereby de
clared to be a national prison for
the confinement of persons con-
victed of crimes and misdemeanor-
In the U. S. and commission
ers' courts in the Indian Territory,
in cases where the term of impris
onment does no exceed one year"
The report accompanying the
bill contains the following:
"The federal Jail referred 10 in
the bill has a capacity for the safe
keeping of more than 500 prison
ers, and the great lack of prison
accommodation in the Indian Ter
ritory renders the use of this Jail
as a prison for short term convicts
expedient and economical" !"
The passage of the bill approach
es the solution of a question that
has been before congress and the
department of justice for some
time.
Judge Little's first effort to have
the Jail declared national prison
by direct action of the department,
but not being certain of their pow
er to do this, they suggested the
of this bill, and when
it was referred to them, they |
strongly recommended its passage.
Judge Little has also been press
ing the department to surround
the Jail with ali iron fence and
otherwise improve the premises.
He this week secured a promise
from the attorney general, to rec
ommend an appropriation for this
work, not to exceed $1,000.
Desiring to send prompt and re-
liable information to those of the
Indian Territory who just now
Feel that swelling of the heart.
You er can feel again"
for land and country and nat onal
honor, | have made every effort to
get some indication from Mr..
Brownlow, of Tennessee, as to just |
how and when and to what extent
he expects to press his recently |
bill for the organization
of Indian Territory militia.
Mr.. Brownlow stated that he
had introduced the bill at the in
stance of some one whom he did
not now remember, and that he
had assurance of its favorable con-
sideration, and that he would press |
it to passage as soon as the actual
necessity arose.
Ny idea of the military status of
the territory, if fixed at all, will |
not depend on legislation, but de-
partmental action. In that case
every state and territory will be
called on for regiment. as now
estimated.
Friday evening Frisco freight |
train, in charge of c. E. Whitlock, |
arrived at Springfield with two