Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-05-25
One OF the Best Known.

pays the following tribute to the i,opu-
lar member from the third district.
One of the best known men in the
present Congress is Hon. Geo. C. Halle
ton. He has the natural gifts that give
a man prominence in such body as The
Lower House of Congress. He is ready
OF speech and repartee. His knowledge
is at mental command, he has the fac
ulty OF keeping close to the issue amid
the clatter of a running debate and of
taking advantage of every weak or un-
guarded position his adversary NAV take.
Fluent and easy of speech, he talks only
when he has something to say, and then
from his mind. not from manuscript.
and he knows when 10 stop. Hence he
commands the attention Of house chat
pays heed only to good talking.
In committee work he has shouldered
heavy load. As chairman of the COM
mittee on Pacific railroads nearly all
matters pertaining to these monster
corporations with myriads of interests
interlocked and interviewer with the sub
ject of the public lands, commerce, in
terstate commerce and their relations to
the government growing out of the sub
sides and aid bestowed, all require a
careful and laborious attention.
Important bills are before the COM
mittee respecting the taxation of the
lands granted to the Pacific railroad
companie LaboriOus and elaborate
argum ents by lawyers and others have
been heard on the taxability of these
lands. In the very indulgent legislation
under which the Kansas Pacific Railway
Company got the better of Congress,
some unobserved provisions crept into
it which enabled that corporation 10 snap
its fingers at the taX-gatherer The al
ternate sections Of land were granted to
the company, and having earned them
1t was left at the option of the company
when they should be surveyed and pat
ents given, and when unsuryeyed and
unpatented they are not subject TO tax
alton. Such is the ground held by the
company, and q rich belt twenty miles
wide running through Kansas is kept
from taxation at the good pleasure of
the company and to the constant wrath
Of the Kansas tax payers. The consid-
aration Of these questions throws upon
the Pac tic railroads committee Il very
respon> bic labor and duty In addition
to this work the committee is maturing
a bill for line of railroads from San
Francisco to New Orleans. and framing
its charter so as to secure the benefit of
legislative control, to prevent consolida-
ton, discrimination or cXtorti0nate ex-
action and preserve cheap mail carriage.
Mr.. Hazclton is one of the working
ti.a. 70.
land claims, to which goes host Of bills
relative TO titles under the Mexican
grants in California, New Mexico and
Arizona. The consideration Of these
claims involves a painstaking examina-
ton OF briefs, a study of the Mexican
laws in force when the grants were made
and careful weighing of disputed facts
and points.
The famous McGalraghan claim,
which has pestered Congress for years,
is before this committee and finds in Mr.
HazeltJn n sturdy opponent, On the
laws, treaties and legislation affecting
these grants Mr.. Hazelton has bestowed
much attention and study. These pri-
yate land claims are legion. They in
volve tracts and mines of immcnce val
ues, are persistently urged, and need a
very careful and thorough investigation
Of long and complicated Issue of fact
On the committee on elections Mr.
Hazelton stands second. This committee
has work enough before it this session to
make respectable court calcpGer. Ha-
zelton heads the subcommittee which
has IN charge the contested cases of
Stroback against Herbert, Lowe against
Wheeler and other cases. The pages of
printed testimony in each of these cases
runs up into the thousands, and their
decision is the House will call out the
hottest partizan fights of the session.