The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-10
Especial to The HeraIdN


Washington, D. c., March 9.-The
matter of the opening of the Uncom-
pahgre reservation occupied consider
able time in the house this afternoon.
The Indian appropriation bill was I'M
der consideration As this bill came
from the senate. it contained an
amendment providing that the time
fixed by the last Indian appropriation
act for opening the Uncompahgre lands
for location and entry made the land
laws of the United States be extended
six months from the first day of April
next. The house Indian affairs COM
mittee reported this amendment favor
ably, but added to it the following Ian
guage: THE secretary of the interior
is authorized to lease the lands con-
tanning minerals. said leases to be
upon such royalty as the secretary
may determine to be reasonable, and
said leases to be for such periods, not
exceeding ten years, as he may deter
mine, and regulations and limitations
shall be provided by the secretary as
TO the amount of lands embraced in
each lease. or as to the assignments
of the leaser, so as to prevent any mo-
nopoly of said minerals, and the secre-
tary will make all such rules and reg
ulations as may be necessary for the
purpose of carrying out the objects of
this act
KINGS OBJECTION.
Congressman King promptly raised a
point of order. He said it was clear
that the amendment changed existing
law, in that it withdrew the Uncom-
pahgre mineral lands, which now be-
long to the government, from the
status which they occupy That is,
fhoyr paO1nf no entered 1rr6aT- nv low
or by any means. 1t places them in
the hands of the secretary of the inter-
ior. and commits to him the almost
untrammeled power to lease them ac-
cording to any plans he may evolve.
There are numerous adjudicatiOns or
precedents in the house that are de-
cisive of this question 1t cannot be
said that legislation in regard to min
eral lands is germane to legislation re-
speeding agricultural lands; they are
occupied in a different manner. Min
eral lands are entirely different from
the agricultural lands, and the law
under which the lands We're reserved
shows that the purpose of the govern
ment was to segregate the mineral
from the agricultural lands. and to de-
vote them to another entirely different
purpose.
SHAFROTHS ARGUMENT.
Representative Sn2IrOIn SalQ IldC IN
the act opening the Uncompahgre res
erVatiOn there were two distinct prop
ositions One departed from the gen
eral policy which had existed for years
in locating claims. 1t withdrew from
entry the gilsOnite lands. A second
was as TO the time of the
opening of the reservation. To say
that because a time is fixed in this
bill to permit the Indians to remove
from their reservation, giving them a
little additional time, that the house
has the right to change the entire pol
icy of the government in that reser-
walton with respect to it's mineral lands,
seemed to MIR. Shafroth clearly absurd.
There was a spirited discussion with
the chairman of the committee, Mr..
Sherman, but the presiding officer fin
ally ruled the amendment out CT order.
When the question required on the sem
ate amendment. extending the time, it
was nOn-cOncurred in. This, however,
is only formal. and there is no doubt
that the conference committee will
agree to it. There is, however, still
danger that an effort viii be made to
tack on the leasing proposition in con-
ference.
A WYOMING CADET.
CONGRESSMAN Osborne has been no
tilted that he has the appointment of a
cadet at Annapolis. He viii fill 1t by
examination. L. 5. Trap
of Rawlins. DR.. ]. n, Conway of Chey-
enne, H H Austin OF Big Horn, c. H
Prest of Evanston and Herbert l..
Breese of Laramie are named as
committee to hold the examination