The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-18
WHAT Mr.. POWER DID SAY
The Speech Of the Commodore
Which Has Created Such a Sem
sation In the East.
Senator Warren VIII Probably
AK Mi. Power for . Full
Explanation.

Explanation.
Justice Tisld il Very Angry and Denies
That Hs Has Tried to %Iaflusncs the
Appsintmsnt Of Judges.
When Commodore Power made his now
famous talk On the second day OF tho meet
Ing Of the state irrigation convention, out
side OF the members OF that body bnt little
attention Was paid to IL. The lNDKpKN-
DENT reporter who attended the session OF
the convention made y stenographic report
of the speech, and II was published in full.
II Was mot very generally or carefully read.
however, and but few Of the stats papers
hers zspublishsd IL. The speech was tele-
graphed EAST, however, on Sunday last.
and it has created more str in senatorial
and high judicial orioles than any utter
sncs Of : public man for years. Numerous
requests have come to The INDEPENDENT IN
the past few days to %republish tbs speech.
A. the matter has attained national i'm
r~ortance, and so that everyone may know
what all the excitement ID about, The IN
DEPENDENT complies. The speech, a. pub
lished, was:
"Mr. Chairman, I nm not going to take
mp your time BY making any remarks on
this section, bat on the subject from its be-
ginning, from its incipiency, to the present,
il that ID in order. You have heard the
resolution. sugar-ooated, or You can read IL
il the proceedings Of the irrigation congress
at Salt Lake, the capitalization Of their
action, which 10 to csde these lands to the
states absolutely. This action Of the Salt
Lake congress was preconceived and pre-
arranged before the congress met. The
delegates from this state, and | believe they
will no: deny my assertion, did not under
stand the situation. Gentlemen will ap-
pear before you to-day who will speak On
this proposition. This convention did not
understand that = deep and connected plan
had been laid. ! did not understand its
drift until told by some Of the senators, and
watched those senators. l wanted to know
Why, and saw afterwards that it was the
Capitalization OF power, the increasing OF
their holdings. | refer to the senators from
Wyoming. Al the organization of the SEN
ate I thought | saw this cropping out. l
asked to be put on the irrigation commit
tee. They said We will see. A committee
of seven was named. | found | was left
out. but prior to 1t I WAS asked how felt
about segregation. l said it was winter and
we might want to ask the old man for
something. was referring to approprla-
tions. The remark did not suit them. That
committee is formed of Senator Warren az
chairman. Tho others, outside OF the
chairman and members OF tho railroads
committee, ars lawyers. l tried to convince
that committee of seven that was inter
ested in irrigation; that | went to Dakota in
1860 when crops could not be raised, and
where they now raise millions of bushels.
I thought / understood the subject. No.
sir, there was no place for me-, because l
did not absolutely fall into this trap. Now,
follow up the work. GOV. Thomas issued
YOU will see later. Then came the direc-
tion Of the governor. Then the orRanizn-
ton of this convention. When We wanted
to get a chairman Mr.. Clark was spoken OF.
We wanted to make him chairman. but he
was committed to this question. we took
he is committed. Now, I say keep your
eyes open and look out. You will be asked
to remain here a week if this cannot DO ac-
complished. I say meet the issue; vote di-
rect whether you wan the lands ceded to
the state, and in that way oppose all appro-
priatlons from the government.
''There are perhaps 0 100000 acres of
arid lands. TIE Dakota congressman say
they will stand by the old man who holds
the purse. I would like to be SO instructed
BY this convention. California is u coun-
try owned absolutely BY, railroads. Every
That Influence controlled the Salt Lake
convention. I ask Mr.. Clark and Mr.. Greg
ory to deny it. There is, I dislike to say 1t,
q Judge on the supreme bench who is actu-
ally a lobbyist in getting judges named to-
day. This l have understood from my col
1rn-,,n -C~ 10 q IL rafar tn .InfuA
Field, who is going out of his road to ar
range that land grant roads shall get our
mineral lands. I dislike to mention thogc
things. but they arc facts. Who are the
men standing by the Salt Lake proposition,
men living on the plains? No, Sir. The
prime movers are from tho small mining
counties. I have said enough, gentlemen,
but I am ready to answer any questions. Ii
these lands are ceded to US, that will be an
end to appropriations. After getting 49,
600, 600 or $4,000, 900 acres of land VS. will
be asked to stand aside. How is tho situa-
ton? Wyoming has about two-thirds of
her lands surveyed. She has had Union
Pacific influence. Tbs Northern Pacific
does not care about having this lands sur
veyed. We have hardly one-hfth surveyed
in Montana. Those are facts and We want
to consider them and act immediately. !
would ask that some of the members who
were at the Salt Lake convention be heard
from"
It is reported that Senator Warren. of
Wyoming, will ask Mr.. Power for an ex-
PLANTATION when the latter arrives in the
national capital. The way Justice Field
feels in the matter ia shown in the follow
ing dispatch, published in the Chicago
Post of the 14tb:
sit ia a falsehood, STRIP and the veneer
able face OF Associate Justice Field, of the
United States supreme court, lost is kindly
expression. 1t was hard, stern and harsh.
His habitually pleasant eyes blazed with
indignation, his voice rang with anger and
his body trembled with the wrath of an
honest man stung by an infamous charge.
He referred to Senator Powers
charge that lie, Justice Field,
was lobbying to have appointed to
the bench mon who would be Of assistance
to western railroads. Surprise first cnmo
into his face as he read tho charge; but
surprise at once gave way to indignation,
and then it was, that III Il voice that woke
the echoes of hiB large library he exclaimed
1T ia a falsehood." Continuing, he said
II can't see What tho senator means by
uttering such an unt.uth. 1t is made from
r tissue of falsehoods. nothing more.
What / lobby to ask that certain men be
appointed to tbs bench I" rz
Tho justice paused; no heaitated to speak
Just then, but in a minute he continued: u
don't want to cntor into a controversy. My
associates on the bench would tell me not
TO notice the statement, but you may say