Show uncompahgre LAND W B matthews esq of the washington D C ci bar now inow and for some years the attorney for the state board of land commissioners for the state of idaho idabo hat bas been in the city on pro fese fess ional business basi nees for the last month mr matthews was and to Is the attorney for the oriel original nal discoverers of some of the asphaltum lands in the extreme eastern portion ot of the uncompahgre indian reservation on the colorado line and in an interview gave the following facts these theme men after banking their discoveries supposing they were in the state of colorado the line between utah and colorado having become obliterated began their developments and got out a considerable portion of the deposits erected erects ed houses bouses etc when all of a sudden the representatives ot of the indian agent at appeared on the scene notified them they were on the indian reservation summarily destroyed their improvements prove ments anil and drove them off the ground these men then applied to the department of the interior at washington for redress but as those these lands were oot not open to location or settlement nothing was done then it was that mr matthews services were secured by the discoverers and be immediately set to work to secure relief through the congress of the united stater slate A bill was introduced simultaneously in both houses bouses of congress referred to the appropriate committee of each and in turn referred to secretary noble then secretary of the interior for report mr noble referred ferrea re the bill to the commissioner of indian affairs and the lat ter after a careful investigation of the character obar acter ol of the lano the status statue of the title of the usand the interests inter egts of the indians recommended that the lands emu embraced raced to in the reservation be at once bened under the mining homestead and other laws of the united states rho hie secretary concurred in the report of the indian commissioner and recommended to congress Congre aa that the lands be at once thrown open whereupon the bill was enacted into a law and all that was required before these theme lands became open to settlement was the signature of the president of the united states on the tenth day after the passage of the bill after 4 pm president harrison sent to congress his veto of the bill with his reasons for the ibe same this was his bis first veto and was a surprise to both houses of 0 congress but as there was serious tion ilon to the bill irom from asphaltum companies annew york and st bt louis louie it was impossible to pass the bill over the veto of the pr subsequent to this bis mr matthews in his investigation as to the cause of the veto discovered that the same bad been brought about by the st louis people who had bad been the chief and most open opponents of the bill they supposing that should these lands be opened it would seriously interfere with their business already established and which they are now conducting in utah subsequent to this mr matthews appealed to secretary as aa this reservation had been created by executive order to urge the president to rescind said order and to restore the lands toy by proclamation re as it was conceded he be the president dad the right to do senators teller shoup anti anil perkins chairman peel ol of the indian committee of the house and other lesser leaser lights concurred in the views entertained by mr Matt matthews bews and personally addressed the president urging the opening by proclamation secretary noble interviewed the be president and subsequently informed mr r matthews that president harrlson harrison recognized his bis power to declare the lands open expressed regret that chat he be had bad vetoed the bill but as he was about to be succeeded by mr cleveland he be thought it to in better taste to leave this matter to his successor particularly so since matters had become complicated by the unwarranted and unlawful acts of the indian agent at uintah in con aou benting to sod aad sis assisting in obtaining a lease ot of the mineral lands from the indians lu in favor of the american asphaltum company after secretary hoke smith came in a like appeal was made to him to have the lands declared open he objected to this method and mr matthews again resorted to congress co ogress introduced a new bill differing from the one vetoed by president harrison Harris only in this that the latter bill gave oo no preference right to the discoverers as did the first this bill was referred by congress to secretary smith for report the secretary was ot of opinion the uncompahgre indians owned their lands hence it would be unjust to open them to settlement without providing compensation for the tbt indians further that independent or of the question of title that inasmuch RD BB the liao mineral lauds lands in this reservation were immensely valuable they should be sold by the government at public or private sale and the fund placeda eitl the treasury of the united states desired to bear argument upon 1 13 question of title whereupon clift matthews and his amo associate te C A Kel keigwin gwin filed a printed and also argued the question or e subsequent to 10 this and after much uselessly lost by delays or of every and character a report was made congress and to in august I 1 if senator shoup succeeded in pis alao this bill as a rider upon the be SOB indian appropriation bill disk oalee having previously secured passage by the house and when odian indian bill was approved on the the same month it became an ael 04 but for the intervention and a cooperation of senator shoup 9 evi in the event that the bill bad houses it would no doubt bb been vetoed by the president owl to the known hostility ot the secretary secreta of the interior the bill as enao teh into a law authorize auth oriz d the Preal Preel dealL of the united states t tj appoint a mission of tb three ree persons W 1 duty was first to visit the lin comak lands and as soon 11 practicable thereafter to report to oll atel secretary of the interior what portion of said reservation are unsuited suited or wal not be required for allotments whew what upon such portions so 0 o reported shall b atef proclamation be ba res restored torea to the public I 1 domain and made subject to evy entry 4 5 etc under existing laws jaws after hoew SOB delay the commission mission was appoint ed and aed went over to fort ductless Duo neSB ja alter after mouths months of apparent idleness idle a was made th 1 i perfunctory report y character of which was wag not made known to the public it to is said that secretary smith although hostile to the law jaw promised several senators that a proclamation should follow taets port but as is well known no ewh kwh BOOB proclamation has been issued it te true however that commissioner lamoreaux prepared such lion together with instructions to the register at salt sait lake city but there the matter ended Tow towards arcis the of f december delegate DOW united states senator introduced into the ahouee a resolution calling for a det detailed detail alleJ ej statement of proceedings edinge and expenditures and the pro probable babie time when the reservation be opened up to this resolution it appears the secretary has h replied he states that there la Is nt not within the uncompahgre re reservation sufficient latent agricultural or grazing laud landa to provide these beso wards of the nation with allotments and if such lauds lands were there the indians will not agree to take allotments and pay perdom per acre the commissioner of indian affairs gave eave the cost of the commis commission elea at to date and states he be deems it inadvisable to express an any opinion as an to the probable time when 9 the lands will be opened up to settle settlement meaL rhese reports are far from satisfactory to the people and to congress Congre Con grese ae it to is a 9 matter of no to the people ot the united states how much agricultural or grazing land there Is in this reservation or whether the indians are an willing to pay for their allotments allotment at per acre or at any other price these indians are only tenants by sufferance lerance euf and have not the slightest shadow of title to any of these lands land they sold their lange lands in d colorado to the united states and were was placed or rather dumped A V VW ad a temporary reservation doted around them the govern gwim thi the right to remove them at aase ij and it if they desire to acquire 16 taber lands they must pay for odd id leads lands out of money already re elved from the united states from the bobof their former holdings in culo colo door any other monies they may W but bat apart from this this com clibbo sod the secretary have pracie odly mollified the set act of congress ot of 1894 above referred to in not open at once those lands awl ted or which will not be required quiren for allotment purposes Ram erous reports bave been made km time to time as to the of abe lands wih within inthe the un reservation and it 16 la Is as aa WM wall bbown today as it ever will be just jot what lands are unsuited or will s of be required for allotments allotment and etow to Is lands a do are those which it was the ot of congress to open up to souse ett atit without delay and without waiting be allotment in severalty severally to the AS indiana of the balance the lands ascribed scribed bed as aft unsuited and will not of be required for allotment pur jare no lands valuable chiefly lor tbell mineral deposits and it was for fm the purpose of opening these lands that abst this bill of aug 15 1894 was passed it to is not claimed by the pros pres scent the indian commissioner er or the she secretary of the interior teat these lands will ever be required for ra be indians why then are they not opened as provided for or by the act aforesaid if the I 1 indians are not to to be given this land and if it is not asked hed for allotment purposes what purpose me can be sub served by tie teg log them up roy any langei why do first ballot bot the he indians lands whit postponed in the bill till tid after the opening of the lands unsuited suited for allotment As far back as 1888 the depart department munt sent special agent gordon oat IM to this his reservation to examine and report the character of the land io in this le and his bis report was that thai all the he land lying east eastok of the green river except possibly same so me little bottom land lying along the white river was entirely eathil ly anait for agricultural purposes and mat neither man nor beast could find ana sustenance soste nance there other reports love since been made and all to the same effect yet this commission has teen been appointed st at the expense of over and practically nothing has bus been done except to carry out the ideas of at the ludian indian agent who states in a report to the indian office that the she cry ry that white home bome seekers are waiting in and sick asu the he opening of the surplus lands Is simply clatter that mat nas originated with the impatient greedy capitalists and their unprincipled em aloyse who have for years been bean waiting and watching for expected events that would give to them the opportunity anity to grab and gobble up the asphalt mineral deposits that are located on tends lands that will not be required in locating homesteads for 2 instead of doing what congress re first to be done this commission and the indian agent it appears from report have boon been digging ditches and canals embracing a system capable of irrigating all tue agricultural tural lands suitable for allot allotment meLt purposes la in this reservation laying jay lug out 1 homesteads on section lines enclosing them with cedar posts posta w with ith barbed wire erecting substantial log jog houses for or dw edinge with paneled doors double glass windows shingle roots roofs sod and brick and when every indian has thus been comfortably housed at the expense of the gov ern eminent ment then and not until toon will the poor honest settler who carries bis all on his bis back or at best beat in a wagon be permitted to enter upon this sacred land and take possession 01 01 what from the start was known to be unsuited forthe for the indians indiana and unfit for allotment to them and even then will be required to pay for the land accord ing to its character and at the government price dowlong howlong how long the beope e ol oi utah lab and ana of the country at large will consent to bethun dealt with remaina to be seen but it is to be devoutly hoped not very long nothing could so eo benefit this new stute state as the opening ol of this reservation it would add immediately thousands to its population ana adu in time millions to its wealth it would give Imme immediate diede employment to the unemployed not in this state but in the neighboring ones aud and bring about so an era of prosperity never before witnessed in ia this section of the great west |