Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1893-07-01
EXPLANATION.
Council Bill No. I22 for the Relief
of ella County.


| PHOENIX, Ariz., June II, 1898.
Editors Silver Belt:
On my return here, June 9Th, was
informed that an article had appeared
in the columns of your newspaper stat
ing that council bill No. 10. for the re-
lief of ella county, had died in my
hands as enrolling and engrossing clerk
of the council of the seventeenth legis-
lature. 1t was also stated that the Ari-
IONA CITIZEN had published similar
! statement reiterating these charges.
Being unable to find either OF the
me- arers in question. went to Tue
so. - given copy of the CITI-
r. Herbert Brown, who cour-
| { d that he would cheerfully
7 explanation / choose to in
&, way of clearing myself of
t. - charges and fixing the re-
sponsio..ty where 1t Justly belongs.
took with me to Tucson and showed
to Mr.. Brown an engrossed copy of the
bill in question, procured from Secre-
taIy Morford, also the record book kept
by Mr.. III. G. Boone, chief clerk, con-
tanning a full list and complete history
of every council bill introduced in the
council of the seventeenth legislature,
together with the two receipts herein
after mentioned.
On page IA of said book appears the
record, giving full history of the bill
in question. corresponding precisely
with the endorsements on the bill itself,
having the additional noJations after
the words, Returned from house, passed
and referred to committee on enrolled
and engrOssed bills for enrolment 412
1893" Returned 4-12 49," the latter
endorsement not appearing on the en-
crossed copy which / retained and de-
posted with the territorial secretary,
this in answer to the question asked by
the Sils er Belt IN its issue of May 9th
as to how the bill reached the secretsry's
ofhce) taking his receipt therefor, and
delivering the enrolled copy to Hon.
Chas. NJ. Shannon, at the same time
taking back my receipt given Mr.. Shan
non when / received said bill from him
for enrolment. Both receipts here
with enclose.
Finding that the CITIZEN had pub
lished the article, taken from the Sill
yer Belt, / decided to send to you this
communication for publication.
AS complets REPUTATION of the charge
that the bill died or my hands, the orig
inal journals OF the seventeenth legisla-
ture of Arizona, and the print ed copy
of the same on page 272, read as follows:
PHOENIX, Ariz., April IA, 1898.
Mr.. President:
Your COMMITTEES on enrolled and en-
crossed bills beg leave to report that
they have examined council bills Nos.
80 and SO and find them correctly en-
crossed; also council bills Nos. go, Sc,
125, I'D the one in question: n, IS and
ia, and council bill No. so, relating to
fees and salaries, and find the same cor
rectly enrolled and now n the hands of
the governor for his consideration.
G. NJ. SHANNON,
Chairman.
am fully able to comprehend the Just
indignation of the people of ella
county at the failure TO become a law
of bill duly passed by both houses,
the provisions of which were of such
vital importance to ella county; but it
seems TO me that the Silver Belt is over
Jealous and did not observe due dill
gence in it's Investigations and efforts to
fix the responsibility where it properly
belongs. The statement that / have
filled the positions of enrolling clerk
and epgrossiBg clerk for six consecutive
terms of the legislature is an error;
never filled that position before. l was
the journal clerk Of the twelfth and six
teenth and a committee clerk Of the
thirteenth Legislature. Reference to the
journals Will verify this statement.
Had those who investigated this mat
ter examined the original journals (al-
ways filed with the secretary of the ter
ritory) they would have discovered that
Mr.. Shannon had reported this bill
correctly enrolled and in the hands OK
the governor for his consideration.