The Florence tribune., 1901-03-09
LYING MlcHIeANpzRs.

As a sample oE the argument" u sed ID the House to def.at the San Carlos amendment to the Indian appropria- ion bill, the following advanced by nullet-head named John E. Corliss, who nisrepresents a Michigan district, is given. According to Corliss' statement, made in Congress on the 23d of Febru- Ary, he never saw the land to be irri- gated, was never on the Sacaton reser- vation, but instead had ridden over the Globe railroad, above the proposed dam, and stood ready to condemn the proposition on what he considered q personal examination" The fact that the House listened to the scoundrel's lies and voted with him shows that there is considerable eduea- tional work to be done yet. It seems strange that reports of men of standing like r. Il. Newell, A. P. Davis and J. B. Lippineott, of the U. $. Geological Survey, are to be turned down on the misrepresentation of such miserable scalawags as Corliss. Following is verbatim report taken from the Con gressional Re cord:
 Mir. Speaker, have been interested in this debate, especially in the remarks of the gentlemen discussing the mea- sure who frankly admitted that they know nothing about the project from personal observation or examination. 1 desire to discuss this question briefly because have personally been upon the ground, have examined the project at the request of the local people, have seen the Indians gathered there, have observed the soldiers at the post, ex- amined the river, the railroad, and the land surrounding, and conferred with the Indian agent. My examination was accidental, given upon the solicitation of men who desired this dam, who hap pened to learn of my presence there and sought my examination with the hope that they would obtain my sup port for this proposition which they hoped to bring before Congress.
 After personal examination, soli- cited in that manner, 1 frankly say that this amendment ought not to be adopted. First, because 1t W ill not ben- eft the Indians in the slightest degree. They will not receive any benefit fro ID it. Secondly, it will destroy the Gcv- ernment property, the schoolhouSes erected for teaching the Indian child ren. It will destroy the best part of the farming land which the Indians now have in that valley. They now irrigate on both sides of that river back one quarter of a mile with the use of little canals that have been built, and this dam will drive the In- dians out of that valley and turn it over tO tbe white man and his schemes. It will not benefit the Indians in the slightest degree. Now, when my friend says the white man has irrigated the lands outside of the Indian reser- sation and got good farming lands, that is true, but the Indians were never ihere by right-that is, outside the iu- dian reservation, and the Indians today are being benefited in like manner by the digging of ditehes by the Govern ment along that river, which will give them the same advantages that the white man has there outside of the reservation.
 Mir. Mondell. The gentleman pre- snme recog nizes the fact that in the arid regions the value is in the water, not in the land, and that if the water is diverted at a point above the user and conveyed to other lands, the value of the lands from which the water is diverted is absolutely destroyed.
 Mir. Corliss. The reservoir you pro- pose to build there will accumulate the water, but it will not add to the value of the surrounding property one-fourth of the cost of the dam,
 Mir. Curtis. The proposed dam is S5 miles above tue Indiau reservation.
 Mir. Corliss. Certainly and it will not benefit the Indians in the slightest de- gree; on the contrary it will do them damage.
 Mir. Mondell. That is a matter of judgment.
 Mir. Corliss. This Is not the scheme of the Indians, 1t ie white mans scheme, and it is wrong. This House ought not to appropriate one dollar for tliis purpose. Any man who will go upon the land and examine 1t will concur in my judgment. l have no interest whatever in this question. Happening to be tLePe l was requested to examine it by men who desire to enter upon project of this kind for their own purposes. They are not h. diaus. They are not working for the benefit of the Indians. They are work ing for the benefit of the white men who are located in that valley. The scheme is wrong, and the House ought to condemn this amendment.