Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-29
FLYNN AND STEPHENS ON THE
FIGHT.
OYER INDIAN MINERAL LANDS
rLYNN WAS THE CHAMPION OF
THE RIGHTS OF THE NOBLE
RED MAN.
Had Let His Friends in on a Choice
Scoop on valuable Mineral
Lands.

Washington. Jan. 29.-When the house
net today, Mr.. Stephens CTexas). arose
to question of privilege in connection
with the exchange which took place be-
tween himself and Mr.. Flynn, the dele
gate from Oklahoma Just prior to
adjournment yesterday, when the direct
lie was almost passed. Mr.. Stephens
II ad the language used by Mr.. Flynn
in which the latter charged that Mr..
Stephens had surreptitiously inserted in
the bill to ratify an agreement with the
klowa and Comanche Indians which
became a law June 6, 1900, clause Civ
ing white settlers the right to take up
such of these Indian lands as contained
minerals.
Mr.. Stephens said it was unfortunate
fol Mr.. Flynn that he himself has in
trrduced bill in January, 1900, which
contained the identical language which
he now charges was surreptitiously in
serted in the bill. He Indignantly re-
PEELED the nsinuaton to which Mr.. Flynn
had given utterance.
Mr.. Flynn arose and declared even in
more specific language than he used yes
tc1day that when the bill passed no one
Oh the floor except Mr.. Stephens knew
the section was in the bill
Would we have allowed a section to
go in?" he asked. (which permitted
whites to take without compensation
lands we were allotting to the Indians!"
Didn't you introduce a bill contains
Ing similar language" asked MI
Stephens, who now confronted the irate
Oklahoma delegate across the ais.e.
II had sufficient confidence in the gem
tleman at that time," retorted Mr.
Flynn.
What led to the Investigation which
unearthed the fact he continued. was
that ;he moment the bill passed. the gem
tleman from Texas telesraphed his
friends to go into the lands and locate
claims"
Did you not telegraph your friends?"
interposed Mr.. Stephens.
Yes. that the bill had passed: but T
insist that the investigation developed
the fact that the gentleman from Texas
as the member of either house who
knew the mining clause was in the bin"
THAT statement cried Mr.. Stephens
raising his arm threateninsly, lis utter
lN unfounded. and | believe ii is know
ingly and maiicously ma le."
THAT is strong language" retorted
MI. Flynn. who preserved his eQuan-
unity. II received my information upon
my visit to the reservation
The members of the house at this point
expected a sensational explosion. bu; the
incident fiattened out. Mr. Steph ms
called upon Mr.. Curtis (kansas) of the
committee on Indian affairs and Mr. Lit
tie ArkansaW) who, he said, knew the
section was in the bill to bear testimony
to that effect. Neither of the gentlemen
appealed to arose. After a pause the
speaker observed dryly: THE gentle
men do not seem to be rising.
This produced burst of laughter. in
tn midst of which Mr.. Little arose and
said hesupposed the house knew all about
the section: he did, and was in favor
of it.
Did you know that it proposed to take
the land of the Indians without conpen-
satiOn?" asked Mr.. Flynn.
Mr. Little replied that he knew the sec
tion was in the bill. The incident Was
cut short at this point by the ruling of
the speaker that the matter Was getting
beyond the limits of the question of per-
sOnal privilege. Mir. Hull. Iowa) called
Il conference report upon the army re-
organization bill and moved that the bill
be sent back to conference. Tne parlia-
mentary tangle resulting from the errors
discovered in the original conference re-
port was mad the occasion of some sar-
castle comment by Mr.. Richar ison. the
minority leader, but after a Draf Wran-
gle the motion to send the oil back to
conference was agreed to.
The house then went into committee of
the whole and took UP the agricultural
bill.
Mr.. Wadsworth of the agricultural
committee said that the salient features
of the bill carried $4.173O00 being an in
crease of 1851 500 over the amount of the
current year.