St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-21
It's Absence Causes the EX-
peeted Delay in Action on
the Measure.
Pope's Railroad Bill Killed,
With Only Four Votes
Against It's Death.
Senator HiXSon Lets His Bile
Flow Upon John S. Pills
bury.

friends of the Duluth & Winnipeg rail
road were unhappy yesterday morning.
In the great game of destroying or saw
ing the swamp land grant of their road
they appeared to have lost a great point
The bill from the senate to forfeit the
grant of their road had been sent to the
house on Thursday and confided to Mr..
Crossfeld. He placed it III his desk, he
says. On Friday he looked for 1t and 1t
was gone. He did not report this fact
to the house; nor when, on Friday after
noon. Mr.. Searle accused the public
lands committee of an intention to
smother the bill, did Mr.. CrosSfeld state
to the house that the bill had been
stolen. This fact leaked out, though. and
yesterday morning Mr. Searle had
resolution passed calling upon the COM
mittee to report the bill back to the
house at once. a meeting of the public
lands committee was called at once.
MIR. Crossfield reported the loss of the
bill but could give no explanation as to
how it was taken from his desk. A
member of the committee said in the
lobby:
1.-The Duluth & Winnipeg people on
the committee say the bill was stolen
and then wink
The excitement in the house ran high.
There were ugly rumOrS atioat. 1t was
said that the bill was taken because the
Duluth IL Winnipeg'S friends had aScer-
tanned that it would pass the house if
allowed to come up. On the other hand,
the Duluth d Winnipeg advocates as
serted that the Manitoba roads lobby in
thn hpISa ho6 tal-an tho hill for tho
purpose of prejudicing the cause of the
opposition, and to make it appear that
they had done the deed. Mr.. Crosstield
himself was ratified. He could not give
any satisfactory explanation. He felt
his position keenly, and the suspicion
that rested upon him. BY noon there
were few members of the house who
| believed that the bill had been stolen, or
even taken. 1t was aScertained that at
| O'Clock on Friday afternoon the bill
was in the possession of member OF
! the house. The hypothesis that it had
| been stolen faded away as suspicious
circumstances came to light. 1t came
to be settled opinion that the bill had
| been merely ''pOcketed" as clever at
| tempt to head it off, and that the attempt
| has been successful. Three members
of the public lands committee were in
| favor of the biIl-MeSsrs. Heidemann,
j. n. Johnson and HOlmstrom. Mr..
| Heldemann, when he found that Mr..
| CrOSSfield could or would not account
for the bill, went to A. H. Bertram, of
| the senate, and secured a certified en-
! crossed copy of the bill. This taken to
Attorney General Clapp who was asked
! if it could be legally passed as substi-
tute for the bill lost. He replied that it
could. 1t was then placed before the
! public lands committee. and Gordon Z.
| Cole and Warner argued against its pas
sage. The committee could come to no
! unanimous agreement at noon. The
| Duluth d Winni peg portion of it would
agree 10 only one of two thingS-tO rec
ommend the bill for indefinite postpone
ment or to add to it clause repeating
| the 1885 grant to the Brainerd q North
western road. The minority desired to
report the bill favorably.
Mr.. Heidmann-If you Duluth 81 Win
nipeg people desire to give the land now
| to the school fund, why weren't you
early in the session?
! No reply was made 10 this, and a
wrangling fight followed until after 3
| o'clock. Attorney General Clapp'S serv-
! ices were then again called into play.
| He drafted new clause for the bill
forfeiting the grant Of the Brainerd 81
| Northwestern of 1855, thus making the
bill take the land away from all the
railroads claiming it and reverting it to
the state. This clause was adopted by
| the committee by vote of Is to 2,
| MeSSrs. J. Y. Johnson and HolmStrom
voting against it. The report of the
committee will not reach the house be-
fore Monday. Gov. Merriam and Mr..
Clapp assured the committee that the
bill as amended would certainly cause
the land to pass into the control of the
state. If the house passes the bill III
this form, it is questioned if the senate
will concur in the amendment, in which
case the grant will be left in the cod
| dition that it was at the opening of the
session. The friends of the Duluth &
| Winnipeg say:
If the senators who opposed us on
the original bill to waive the forfeiture
act were honest in their declarations
that they did so because they thought
| these lands should revert to the state,
they will have 10 heSitancy in voting
for the forfeiture bill as we have
amended it. If they were not honest in
their declarations we shall know then
what influence has been opposing us"
The final fight would certainly have
come last night had not the fire depart
ment accident in front of the capitol
precipitated hasty adjournment to
Monday. Mr.. CroSsfield said to the
| GLOBE:
Il think the friends of the Duluth IL
Winnipeg have allowed me TO be placed
in a very unpleasant position, and
shall demand that they clear me from
these imputationS.
1t is said that Mr.. Fisher. of the
Duluth Il Winnipeg, will make an eX-
PLANTATION Oh Monday to the house that
will eXonerate Mr.. CroSSheld.