No. I.–Assembly Memorial and Joint Resolution, relative to the abandonment of a portion of the Walker River Indian Reservation.

[Passed February 9, 1897.]

      Whereas, The Walker River Indian Reservation comprises within its boundaries some valuable mineral lands, and which said mineral lands are entirely worthless to the Indians residing and being upon said reservation; and,

      Whereas, A large number of American citizens are desirous of entering upon said mineral lands for the purpose of prospecting and searching for valuable ores, gold, silver and other precious metals thereon; and,

      Whereas, That portion of said reservation on which the mineral land is located lies west of the lake, and west of the agricultural and grazing lands on said reservation.

      By commencing at a point on the Carson and Colorado railroad, where the said railroad track crosses the boundary line between Lyon and Esmeralda counties, and running in a southerly direction at the base of the mountains to the north end of Walker Lake, thence in a southerly direction along the west margin or bank of said Walker Lake to the south end thereof, thence due south to the southern boundary of said reservation; all east of said line would reserve to the Indians all agricultural and grazing lands and water privileges, while it would exclude from said reservation the mineral lands, which are of no benefit to the Indians, and under the present state of affairs, of no use or benefit to any one; therefore, be it

      Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That our Senators and Representative in Congress, be, and they are hereby requested to use all possible means to have that portion of said Walker River Reservation, lying west of the line hereinbefore designated, declared open to the citizens of the United States for prospecting and mining purposes.

      Resolved, That the Governor cause to be transmitted a copy of this memorial and resolution to each of our Representatives in Congress.

Lands worthless to Indians.

Boundaries of mineral lands.

Request to open land.

Duty of Governor.

No. II.–Assembly Joint Resolution, relative to establishing a mail route between Belmont, Nye county, and Wilson Creek, Nye county, in the State of Nevada.

[Passed February 20, 1897.]

To the Congress of the United States:

      Whereas, The people living between Belmont, Nye county, Nevada, and Wilson Creek, Nye county, Nevada, are now deprived of mail communications, greatly to their annoyance.

Establishment of mail route.

Nevada, and Wilson Creek, Nye county, Nevada, are now deprived of mail communications, greatly to their annoyance.

      Resolved, That your memorialist, the Legislature of the State of Nevada, would respectfully request that a mail route be established between Belmont, Nye county, Nevada, and Wilson Creek, Nye county, Nevada.

      Resolved, That the Governor be requested to furnish a copy of the foregoing resolution to our Senators and Representative in Congress.

Recognition of Cuba.

No. III.–Assembly Joint Resolution, relative to recognizing the belligerency and independence of Cuba.

[Passed February 20, 1897.]

To the President and Congress of the United States:

      We, your memorialists, the Legislature of the State of Nevada, most respectfully represent and assert, that

      Whereas, There is now going on in the Island of Cuba a most gallant and praiseworthy struggle for civil liberty and independence, which involves not only the happiness and prosperity of that oppressed people, but their very existence, and

      Whereas, This struggle was forced upon this unfortunate people by a most extortionate system of taxation and a most tyrannical form of government, and

      Whereas, This war is attended by the most wanton destruction of property, atrocious cruelties and cowardly outrages on the part of the Spanish soldiers, and

      Whereas, Such deeds as those, which are daily reported in our press, are an insult to our civilization and a gross reflection upon the valor of any nation which will permit such outrages at her very door, and

      Whereas, It is our belief that the Spanish are pursuing this war with no hope of every pacifying the Cubans, but solely with a malicious spirit of revenge, therefore be it

      Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That we most earnestly petition the President and Congress of the United States, not only acknowledge the Cuban patriots as belligerents, but to acknowledge their independence; and to extend to them all the aid possible consistent with the law of nations.

Exemption from the quarantine requested.

No. IV.–Senate Joint Resolution No. 3, relative to exempting a certain section from quarantine by Secretary of Agriculture.

[Passed March 6, 1897.]

To the Honorable, the Secretary of Agriculture: 

      The Legislature of the State of Nevada, respectfully requests you to exempt from the quarantine boundaries of California that section lying north of thirty-seven and east of the crest of the Sierra.

      There are no cattle diseases in said section and about seven thousand beeves are ready for market.

      The Governor is hereby instructed to telegraph this resolution that no time may be lost.

No. V.–Senate Joint Resolution, and Memorial to Congress, relative to immigration and protection.

[Passed March 11, 1897.]

      Whereas, The Committee of Ways and Means of the House of Representatives has under consideration the subject of the tariff with a view to farther legislation, emphasizing the principle of protection to American industries: and,

      Whereas, In all such legislation, during the past thirty-five years, the manufacturers have reaped the benefit to the detriment of the tradesman, artisan and laboring man, who have been afforded no protection against the disastrous competition of the undesirable, criminal and pauper classes of foreign countries, arriving on our shores at the rate of half a million annually, assisted hither, in many instances, by government, organized society, or private aid, thus benefiting the country left by relieving the labor market, and injuring this by increasing the number of unemployed, nearly every one reaching this country, during the past fifteen years, being a positive detriment to the people already here; and,

      Whereas, Millions of our people are suffering for want of employment, and the natural increase of our population will, for an indefinite future, fully supply every demand that any possible development of the country may make, it should be the policy of our Government to afford as full and complete protection to the mechanic, laborer, farmer, merchant, miner, employed and unemployed, as the manufacturer; therefore, be it

      Resolved by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, That the Congress of the United States be, and it is hereby memorialized to incorporate, in all tariff legislation, such provisions as will forever prohibit from landing on our shores the undesirable element of the old world by the levy of a tax of $100 per capita upon every immigrant to hereafter land, or such a tax as shall fully and effectively protect our people from foreign competition;

      Resolved, That our Senators in Congress be instructed, and our Representative be requested to use all honorable means to secure such legislation;

      Resolved, That the Governor be, and he is hereby requested to forward an engrossed copy of this memorial and resolution to each of our Senators and to our Representative in Congress.

Against foreign immigration.

Representatives instructed.

No. VI.–Senate Joint and Concurrent Resolution No. 8, relative to the rate of postage on fourth-class matter including merchandise, in the United States mails.

[Passed March 12, 1897.]

      Resolved by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, that our Senators in Congress be, and are hereby instructed, and our Representative in Congress be and hereby is, requested to introduce and support a bill in the Senate of the United States and at the same time a bill in the House of Representatives of the United States, and to use all honorable means to effect their passage, to reduce the rate of postage on fourth-class matter to eight cents per lb., or one cent for each two ounces.

Ratio of sixteen to one.

No. VII.–Senate Joint Resolution concerning the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the legal ratio of sixteen to one, regardless of the action of any foreign nation.

[Passed March 12, 1897.]

      Resolved by the Senate and Assembly conjointly: That gold and silver coins are the money of the Constitution of the United States of America, and that both metals should be equally entitled to coinage at the legal ratio of sixteen to one.

      Resolved, That gold in the money of less than twenty percent of the population of the earth, while silver is the money of more than eighty per cent of the people of the world.

      Resolved, That to strike down silver is an atrocious crime, a crime against honesty, liberty, civilization and humanity. It is the legalized robbery of the people by dishonest money changers-the robbery of more than one-half of the property of the country and of more than one-half of the wages of labor.

      Resolved, That it was the gold and silver of the Battle Born State of Nevada that saved the Republic during the late Civil War by sustaining its credit; for even then the danger was far less from rebel arms than from the sordid machinations of the remorseless money changers, those human vultures who fatten on the misery of the country, no whit better than their prototypes whom the Savior scourged from the Temple.

      Resolved, That the causes that led to the late Civil War were light and trivial in comparison with the dire results that must inevitably follow the suspension of silver coinage. The negro slaves laboring in the Territories of the United States could only degrade free labor to the level of slave labor in proportion to the number of slaves brought into our Territories; even if all the slaves had been brought into the free States it would have meant competition with not more than four millions of white free laborers for that was the total number of slaves in the United States; but the American and foreign money changers now attempt to drag down seventy millions of free Americans to the level of the “effete” East Indians, by contracting the circulating “media” to a single standard, thereby putting our seventy millions of free people in competition with four hundred millions of servile East Indian rice eaters who for many ages have been accustomed to subsist on a few cents per day.

tracting the circulating “media” to a single standard, thereby putting our seventy millions of free people in competition with four hundred millions of servile East Indian rice eaters who for many ages have been accustomed to subsist on a few cents per day. To strike down silver means cheap wheat, cheap cotton and cheap labor.

      Resolved, That it is the duty of the Government to supply a volume of money sufficient to do the business of the country. That according to statistics more than ninety-eight per cent of the business of the country is done with checks, and that of all the gold, silver and currency less than two per cent is used in the country’s business.

      Resolved, That to contract the volume of money circulation is a crime against honesty, justice, liberty, civilization and humanity. It is a practical confiscation of property because it lessens and almost destroys it value.

      Resolved, That we need a new Declaration of Independence which will free America from the financial thraldom of European nations and their Wall Street and National Bank allies.

      Resolved, That this Republic is strong enough to have a financial policy of its own, which would insure to the American people all the rights, privileges and blessings which are the natural heritage of every citizen of a republic.

      Resolved, That our only relief lies in the passage and enforcement of an Act for the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the present legal ratio of sixteen to one regardless of the action of any foreign nation.

      Resolved, That we most earnestly and respectfully request an American Congress to grant this measure of justice and relief to the distressed and plundered people of this Republic.

      Resolved, That the Governor be requested to transmit without delay, an engrossed copy of this resolution, under the Great Seal of the State to our United States Senators and to our Representative in Congress.

Ratio of sixteen to one.

No. VIII.–Assembly Joint Resolution No. 4, relative to election of United States Senators directly by the People.

[Passed March 10, 1897.]

      Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, that it is the sense of this Legislature that the Constitution of the United States should be amended that the United States Senators may be elected by direct vote of the people of each State; and further

      Resolved, That copies of this resolution be forwarded to each of our Senators in Congress with instructions, and to our Representative in Congress with the request, that they take action toward so amending the Constitution of the United States.

To amend Constitution.