Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-03-25
WAS OWEN MERELY
WORKING FOR HIMSELF?
Or Was He Really in Love With Ar;-
zona, Its People and Its
Constitution?


Constitution?
Washington, March 25.-Was Rob
ert l.. Owen, Senator from Oklahoma,
really in love with the Arizona con
stitution, or was he merely trying to
escape the penalties of the suit
brought against him by the Depart
ment of Justice when, in the closing
hours of the last session, he sought to
defeat the sundry civil appropriation
bill? asks the New York Tribune.
This is the question which Senators
who have traced the history of a GER
tain amendment to that bill are earn
estly asking one another. That Sen
ator Owen fought to defeat a proVi-
sion in that bill appropriating $4,000
for the prosecution of cases whereby
it is sought to recover for the poor
Indians hundreds of thousands of
acres of valuable lands: that in re-
spect to large number of these con
veyances he is the defendant; that he
succeeded by what amounted to fill
clustering tactics in defeating the an
preparation in the Senate and having
it stricken from the BILL. that his eff
forts were defeated by the House con
ferrees; that he pursued the same tao
tics year ago; that he then succeed
ed in killing the provision in the
Senate, only to have it restored in
conference; that he made a violent
fight against the provision before the
conferrees a year ago; and that it
was only because the House confer
rees refused absolutely to listen to
him at this session that he failed to
do so again-all these things have
come to the knowledge of Senators
and Representatives since the ad-
journment of Congress and have led
them to wonder how far the Arizona
constitution was made a blind to con-
ceal the hostility of the Oklahoma
Senator to suits by which it is hoped
to recover from him those Indian
lands.
! HS bdSlS OF the SUITS.
The gravity of Senator owens sit
uation may be appreciated from the
fact that the attorney general, bring
ing suit to protect the Indians and null
lily the transfers, declared in the
statement filed in the United States
circuit court that the restrictions and
encumbrances on their sale had new
er been removed, and that the con-
dition of such lands with regard to
restrictions was not only known to
defendants from public records and
public statutes and treaties, and a
matter as to which such public acts
put them upon inquiry and notice, but
was notorious and familiar from con
stant public discussion in the news
papers and speeches, so that all per
sons other than Indians, and particu-
larly the defendants, knew the policy
OF the United States and the duty and
treaty obligations of the United
States forbade the procuring of deeds
and like instruments in violation of
such restrictions
Had Senator Owen succeeded in de-
feating the sundry civil bill at the ses.
sion just closed, the Department of
Justice would have been without
funds to prosecute these suits in
which he is the defendant A Repub-
llcan attorney general would then be
compelled to appeal to a Democratic
House to provide the funds for the
continuation Of the suits for the pro-
lection of the Indians and against the
would-be leader of the progressive
Democrats in the Senate. That made
it desperate situation for Senator
Owen A large part of his fortune is
tied up in these lands conveyed to
him by Indians, many of them
blanket Indians, who knew nothing OF
the status of their heritage, and
many of whom were Obliged to sign
the deeds and conveyances with their
marks.
Senator Owen said he was deter
mined to defeat the sundry civil bill
because the Senate would not approve
the Arizona constitution with it's pro-
vision for recall of judges. Perhaps
Senator Owen told the truth, but he
has no right to be surprised that Sen
ators should wonder and should smile
significantly when they discover that
the bill Mr.. Owen was seeking to de-
feat in the interest of Arizona" was
of far greater moment, of great finan-
cial interest, to Mr.. owen himself.