The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-06-02
POOR BILLY M'GARRAHAN
For Thirty Years TIo Has Vainly
Pleaded for Justice. ""''
Swindlcd Out of All His Property by q
Wealthy Mining Company What Com
Eress Has Failed to Do-A Peculiar
Phase of lie gisla tive Wrongdom,:.
.. Especial Westminster f.ettcrl. .:

-~---- 10y p
Especial Westminster Letter ,ni
How would you like to be a million
aire for thirty five, years and at the
same time be moncy!less MANI Maybe
you think that such paradox cannot
exist, but it can and does know the
man who is a millionaire, and has been
since 1857; yet, he hasn't had a cent Of
his wealth at his own command Pos
sibly You never heard Of him. but all
old residents of Washington knowS1,illy
Mc(iarrahan, He is the lawful owner
of some of the richest mines on the Pa
cltic coast: mines which are believed by
many to be the veritable land Of Ophir,
to which solomon looked for the gold
which was used in the celebratetf' jew
sh temple at Jerusalem. But, the
Rancho Panoche Grahde mines are in
the posscssionof an reorganization known
as the New Idria Mining Company. and
McGarrahan has thus far been una bic
to regain possession. lie las, been be-
fore congress every year for thirty:four
years, seeking Legislation Whleh. will
enable him to have and. bold his. own;
but, Ike all Others who seek justice at
the hands Of the con gress of this 'rcpub-
lie, he has been again and again 5clisap-
pointed. Billy Mttiarrah han has grown
old in Washington, seeking Justice,
while the wealth Of his mines
has been constantly taken away;
and yet the mines seem inexhaustible
He has a'bill pending in the present
congress. and all he asks is, that his
claim may be referred to the court of
private land claans. 4 He does not ask
congress to adjudieate the matter, or
appropriate a dollar for him. rlle"aslls
for simple justice. You will wonder
why congress will not grant that re-
quest; but it is very simple. The other
fellows hold the property, and they can
afford to pay attorneys here TO defeat
the old man, as they have done year af-
ter year. One good attorney in the
lobby can generally defeat any bill by
causing it to be retained in some com
mittee room and never reported to the
house, or by killing time on it with par
liamentary distractions if it ever CONES
before the house. There are hundreds
of ways of defeating justice before Any
Legislative body,
McGarrahan some of them providing for
the reference Of the subject to the couxt
Of claims. and others. for the absolute
confirmation Of title in Mr.. Al;cGarrar
han without further, litigation. have
been made both to the. senate and the
house Of representatives, apd such bills
have passed three different times in the
house. The bins in each case have bro
vided for Mr.. Veterinarians indem hif,
cation. re-.
Although nomin;aany carr ied on be.
tween William McGarrafian' on the one
side and the United States on the other,
the real contestant Of McGarrahan's
title has been the New, ftlria Mining
Company. That company got pos,
session of the New Idria 'quicksilvct
mine about the time MtGarSahan pur,
chased the tract Of land. and has held
possession ever since. The main qucsl
ton to be decided is whether Vincent
t. Gomez. under whom McGarraha1
claims, had such a title to the land aS
was protected by treaty with Mexico;
commonly known as. the treaty OF
Guadalupe Ilidalgo, If he did, then
the faith of the government is pledged
to its protection.
The claim first came before congress
during the first session Of the Fortictlt,
congress, and was referred by the house
Of representatives to the committee on
the judiciary MIR James +. Wilson's.
now a senator. from. Iowa, was thens
chairman of the house committee of tha
judiciary, and he favorably reportc$
bill. 1t has been before
congress ever since. From Mr. Wilson js