The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1886-02-19
maonars ArrAcK.

relation to what Is known Aa Senate
Joint Memorial, No. 8, passed at the
special session Of the Legislature, ,aaking
Congress to annul certain portions OF
land grants made by Congress to aid in
certain military wagon
roads in this state. The point Of at
tack Is this. The RsVie,s sdisor says
when this memorial was introduced in |
the ssnale,it included amOag the other
roads mentioned the W. v. &C.M. w.
r. grant, and that the memorial as
passed by both houses contained a re-
cital Of the grant to this road. But
the memorial AZ printed in the laws OF
the special session contains No reference
to this grant at ell, and the certified
copies sent BY the Secretary Of State 70
both branches Of Congress contain no
reference TO this grant. We have sx.
aminsd the Journals Of both branches
of the legislature at the special session,
from which we gather The following
facts: The memorial was introduced
by Senator HAines, Of Baker, in the
Senate Nov. 20th, add was adopted at
once without amindment, II was seat
to the House on the same day, and, ,im-
mediately after being read, was
adopted without amendment and
ordered printed As IL passed the
House it contained the clause rsferring
to the w. v. & q. NJ. w. r., therefore
that clause must have been in the me-
mortal when il passed the Senate. After
it passed the House it was placed IN
the hands Of the enrolliag COMMITTEES,
and was reported as correctly enrolled
by Senator Voorhees,, Of Marion, Chair
man Of the enrolling committee. After
which it was signed by the PrssideRt Of
the Senate aud Speaker Of the House,
and then sent 10 the Secretary Of States
Office. The msmorisl a. printed IN tie
session laws does not contain any refer
ence TO the Albany and Lebanon read
The question is, where, whsn, how, and
by whom, was the clause stricken out
The clause was 10 :he memorial when
it passed the Senate, because it went tC
the House after il passed the Senate
and il is published 10 full in the House
Journal. {sse page 2l0,) and contains
the clause there. Now in whose hands
was this memorial from the time it waI
introduced until il reached the office ol
the Secretary OF State. Il was 10 tbs
hands Of the Chief cler ks Of the House
aud Senate, whils pending before th'
houses, in the hands Of pages and doo'
keepers ia the transmission from on'
House to the other, 10 the hands Of the
enrolling COMMITTEES and It's clerk durins
enrolment, in the hands Of che Presi
dent Of the Senate aad Speaker Of tb'
House for the purpose Ct being sigusC
by them, in tbs hands OF clerk, docs
keeper or page in passing from th'
President Of the Senate to the Sscre
Iary's Office.
\ Now by whom was this stricken out
The OregoniaB has an article in il
issue Of Feb. 18th which Appears as Al
editorial, but was evidently written BY
. person nearer to the State House thar
the OregoniaH Office, in which studies
attempt is made TO nystify and mislea'
the public about this matter. Th
writer in the 0rsgonian says, "lnotho
embarrassing result Of has:y legis;at iol
has come to light" Now there wa
nothing hasty about this matter 40 ia
} AZ the legislature is concerned. Bot
houses agreed in the passage Of th
. memorial, but the trouble is that som
one has tampered with the memoirs
after it's passage. Who the guilty part
) Is we have no means Of knowing. Th
, writer in the OreJoniGn says that th
RevissO editor, "tbough present wVe
; the memorial passed, is unfamiliar wit
the machinery Of legislation" "Ur
familiar" indeed Why should an hon
est man be suspected Of being familiar
with that species Of machinery Of lec
islasion J" which would mutilate, strik
} out, or steal bill or memorial afte. il
passage by both houses It is no credi
! to any one to be familiar with such
; system. The writer Of the 0reJonia,
says, "ths Secretary Of State can onI
, be governed in such matters by til
documents properly endorsed, aud ca
not be held responsible for the acts I
the Legislature" Very true, bnL as "
have shown from the journals the mt
. tilating and striking out part Of th
memorial was no part Of the act Of th
legislature, but mutt have been don
by some william who ought not to b
allowed to show his head anywher
about tke halls Of legislation. We writ
: not on account Of any particular inter
est in this road lard grant squabble, ,bu
because, from circumstances, we Al
led to believe that during the last req
ular and special session some thief ha
had full access officially OF otherwise :