Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-04-26
VOORHEES, VIEWS.
The Tall Sycamore favors Early
Closure on Wilson Bill.
Thinks a Great Revival Of Business Will Fol-.
low It's Pa!ssgs.

slams, the fr1enGS or the Wilson bill are
once more full Of hope that it will pass the
senate, and tina. ut a tolerably early day.
The word early FAUST he construed accord
ing to !clatorial custom and may mean
any time in June or July. Senator Voor-
hoes declines to make guess at the day,
but talks with good deal Of freedom
shout the improved chances Of the bill
There is, " said nc, "a great deal of impa
thence among the people In fact, reform
ers are always an impatient SET, especially
young ones. Here il letter l just re-
ceivcd from youGg Democratic editor il.
our statc-a kindly letter, but showing
great impaticncc. 1t is Il specimen Of many.
] had 10 write n letter to some Of those
gentlemen not long ago i'll which pointed
out to them that the world was not made
in day, although there was no lack Of
reliable majority. 1t is a habit of reform
crs, and cspt cially American reforners, t.
want everything Gone right away. They
do not stop 70 consider that IL this congress
SO much as makes IL good start in tariff re
form, no matter how small the reduction,
IL viii be wonderful gain on tho situa-
ton few years ago, when it was almost
treason TO say that the tariff should be re-
formed at all except upward.
5. nator voorhees, Upon Reforms.
You remember all about that great
Temperance excitement that swept over
the west In the carly fiftics, when they had
temperance camp meetings and gatherings
of ! don't know how many thousands Of
people in various towns and you remem-
Der how tic speakers nearly all predicted
that this movement would sweep all be-
fore it and abolish the traffic Plenty of
konsiblc men stakcd their reputation on
predictions that in 10 years there would
not DC ii whisky shop In the state. Wen,
four times 10 years have past, and it is a
matter of dispute whether there are not as
many saloons in Indiana in proportion to
the people ~ there were when the Sons of
Temperance and their allies were making
such a racket.
" 1t has been the same way with every r.,
form, but there is no need Of our going so
slow with this bill Every body can see
that the Republicans are just talking to
postpone action as long as possible, Elu
they may make IA mistake about that. The
longer this bill Is delayed, if it finally be
comes n law, the more sudden and stupen
dous will be the revival of business which
follows Consumptive demand will force
it, as the shelves of the merchants are
pretty near bare, and it is to be hoped that
the farmers have about worn out their old
clothes. In fact, if we have good crops
and get any kind of prices for them, there
will be II great revival. BE that as it may
however | am for bringing this debate to
Il close when reasonable time has been
given. l would vote for a stringent clio
sure rule. A."
A Complicated Problem.
The senate committee on public lands Is
struggling with complicated problem,
which is legacy of the old timber culture
act and incidentally involves some tolcr-
ably prominent men, including such ex-
trcmcs in the political world as Colonel
Phil Thompson and "Forcrunncr" Red
stone. 1t will be remembered that before
the limits of fertile and arid land were SO
well defined as now congress passed a gen
eral act granting pretty large areas to all
who would plant part in timber and cult
waite for u term of years. The act was 50
loosely worlod that great abuses arose I'M
der it, ms the methods of proof provided for
were very detective and if construed litcr-
ally thcrc was scarcely a limit to the
amount one man could hold.
On the last day of the Fifty FIRST congress-
pcalinG the timber culture act, bat it soon
appeared that this timber repeal bill was in
some respects MS loosely wordcd rs the 9TH
en- it being detective in providing for dis
puted claims. 1t soon appeared that an
immense number of contestants would APP
peal to the land deparimen and that sew
cral of these contests involved the titles to
important town sites, us a very large part
pf thp her cIiItu vns ptt1pI ,.-itl,
great rapidity. Secretary Noble decided
that the rcpesl of the law put al, end to all
contests under it; that the contestants had
nostanding and the men in possession must
hold. Thi, gave occasion for a Ao,.I of re
lief bills, and at this session Senator Black
burn introduced a bill to So far amend the
repeal act as TO give tie contestants an
inchoate right and n standing in court.
It Made Him Crank.
The vigorous opposition which sprang
up and the way in which the bill was ad
vucatcd soon showed that there was some
kind of II combination in its favor 1t Is
alleged that Colonel Phil Thompson and
certain Mr.. Butz. formerly congressman
from the south, have organized n lobby for
the bill and the savage opponents OF it do
not neglect to call attention to the fact
tnat WnCSaS MT. ftitk was u CarpCtD2{,
congressman in the darkest days of recon
struction he is now n frantic Democrat in
the northwest and Is posing rs such before
the committees" Colouc. Redstone only
comes in incidentally. bnt having very lit
tie confidence in the Butt combine he has
had bill of his own introduced. lie was
settler on the border of the Se9uoia park
in California and when the r'ss rvation
was made IL took in his land. a. claims
that the land WAS legally open to settle
mcnt when he took it, that tire troops
drove him of with circumstances of ag
gravation, and that his implements of i'm
provemeit were total loss.
Since these facts have transpircd some
people think that was the main cause of
his becoming n crank. 1t is chiefly of in
teNst now because everything relating to
Coxcy and his licutenants is eagerly read.
The committee is at present disposed to
favor the hill securing right of contest,
but the hattie of the opposing interests con
tinues in the intervals of the tariff debate
Senators Kyle and Pettigrew have intro
duccd bills fer sending out an agent or
commission to decide each case on its mer-
its.
Another bill before this committee pro-
vides for selling all the desert lands, and
still another proposes government aid to