Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-29

| ment ought to be just what the lands were
| worth, as fixed by proper appraisement. He
did not think settlers ought to be forced to
| pay fancy prices for the lands, as they or
dinarily were put to considerable expense in
retaining the wild lands.
Mr.. Stewart. chairman Of the Indian COM
mittee, said If the government was to pur-
sue the policy of paying to the Indians fam
cy prices for their lands and then give them
away to settlers 1t would involve the gov
eminent in an expenditure not of SJO,OOO,-
0O0 as suggested by Mr. Platt, but Of $780,
100000.
Indians were the Indian Rights Associa-
ton. More Indians had died from disease,
he asserted-disease incurred from indo-
lence and because they had been pauper-
lied and demoralized-than had died by the
sword. In dealing with the Indians Con-
gress should try to detrmine what was best
for them and not try to pauperize them.
Mr.. Clapp (Minn.) urged that there was
no proposition in the pending bill to change
the general policy of the government as to
Indian lands. He believed 1t was neces-
sary in the opening of reservations that
each reservation should stand on it's own
merits. He held that if the land in res
ervation was valuable it was a mistake
to make it free
The Indian reservation bill was laid aside
at o'clock and the Philippine government
bill-the unfinished business-was presented
to the Senate
No Senator Ready to Speak.
Apparently no senator was prepared to
proceed with the discussion. Mr.. Lodge,
in charge of the bill. insisted that the de-
bate should proceed or that a reasonable
time be fixed for vote.
Mr.. Teller (Colo) inquired if the debate
on the republican side had ceased.
Mr.. Lodge replied that at this stage OF
the session he could not consent to put
aside the bill without debate or without the
vi nf a reaSO a
willing to make liberal an arrange
ment possible for a vote. He hoped to
speak briefly the measure himself, but
he would not allow his desire to speak on
the bill to interfere with vote.
Mr.. Teller declared that SO far as he was
concerned no time should be fixed for
vote until 1t was evident that different
course was to be pursued by the majority.
He said that unless he knew there was no
disposition the part of the majority to
take up the greater part of the time after
a time for a vote had been fixed there
would be no unanimous consent for vote.
He said it would not do for republican SEN
ators to say that they would not debate
the pending bill. In almost quarter Of a
century of experience in the Senate he
never had heard such an arraignment of
the policy of an administration as had been
made by Mr.. Rawlins of Utah The credit
and honor of the government were at stake
and senator's on the republican side ought,
if they could, to attempt to refute or dis
avow the utterances made.
Reproached by Mr.. Teller.
The failure of senators to listen to
speeches was the subject of a controversy
at times of sharp nature and again good
humored in the Senate. Mr. Teller, re-
spending to a suggestion on the part of
Senator Lodge that the Philippine bill
ought to be proceeded with, charged that
senators were withholding their speeches
from the Congressional Record and that
senator's found it impossible to read them,
and until they did SO they are unable to
reply to the arguments they contained. He
referred to the occasion yesterday when
Mr.. Simmons of North Carolina was speak
ing as an instance of the way in which
senators had abSented themselves.
He said he had no doubt that many sena-
tors had business which kept them from
the Senate chamber. but yesterday he look
ed over on the republican side and did not
single republican senator, although he
learned that there was one on a rear sofa.
There were only two republican senators
who sit on the democratic side. He insist
ed that senators should be able to give
little more attention to what was going on
in the Senate, and that speeches when once
made should be published in the Record
with little more promptness than has
been the case.
Senator Foraker said that in the case of
democratic speeches ne had had the same
difficulty. Not being able to hear every
thing that was said, he had looked in the
Record for the speeches and had been I'M
able to find them.
When Mr.. Teller was asserting that no
republicans were in the chamber on the
republican side Mr.. Spooner insisted that
he was there.
No. SIR retorted Mr.. Teller.
Il was certainly here" responded Mr..
Srooner, except ten minutes when 1 was
called out
That was the ten minutes I mean,' said
Mr.. Teller. The absence of every one on
the republican side c0nSncuOnS a
to cause a good deal of comment on this
side