The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-31

Washington, Aug. Especial Now
that Congress has adjourned the people
of Utah cannot help but feel elated
that they have gained SO much during
the part of the present Congress that
has gone
Mr. Rawlins has made proud rec
ord, and few of the members can boast
that they have accomplished as much
as he has in the short term of his SER
vice. A delegate, on general principles,
is a very small man in Congress. Hav
ing no vote, nothing, in fact, but his
own personality, he is even smaller
than a western congressman, and of
those men Mr.. Herman, of Oregon,
says:
western congressman come here
with only one or two from their own
state, and when they ask for anything
they are only backed up by their dele
cation, and, therefore, can be sEghted
with great deal of impunity; while
the delegations from New York and the
other large states make each man SO
powerful because of the combined in
fuence that few can afford to slight
any of them"
The Record He Made.
Consequently, the record of pushing
six bills through Congress during the
two sessions that have taken place dur
ing the last year, is one of which the
territory and it's representative should
be justly proud.
The record Of the Utah legislation, of
course, should be headed by the state
hood bill, which was worked through
Congress with so much labor and
against such heavy odds. From first
to last the opposition of the cranky re-
ligionists was met with and every ar
gument they made had to be discount
ed in order to hold the members in line.
Then there was, also, up to the night
before the statehood bill passed the
House, the Republican element to fight.
They wanted to defeat the bill on gen.
eral principles. and were raking up the
old religious question and were about
to make fanatical arguments against
the bill, but were deferred by Rawlins'
bold reply to Morse and sudden instruc-
tons that came from somewhere.
The turning of sentiment sufficiently
to pass the statehood bill was in itself
an herculean task. But there was al
most as hard fight on the bill to open
the Indian reservations in Utah, which,
next to the statehood bill, was the most
important of the Utah measures that
There was an element in this fight
that was peculiar, to say the least.
Parties interested in the reservations
and the asphaltum beds and others in
tereSted in the railroad schemes that
were dependent upon the opening, took
the usual course, and employed a set
of lobbyists to look after their inter
for the purpose of aiding him, it could
be seen from the first by those on the
inside that they were not having the
best effect on the measure.
Afraid of u "DeaI."
AS a consequence of their presence,
congressman who would have been will
ing that Mr.. Rawlins should be taken
as authority on the matter and would
have confided in his Judgment, began
to supeot a ''deaF'-and If there is any
thing that will inf1ame the ordinary
congressman and make him get out on
the warpath it is deal" Conse-
with an alarming frequency and at times
the bill was endangered because of the
of the congressman who had
the fate of the bill in their keeping
However, it was finally worked
through the House with a great
deal Of explaining that was wearisome,
to say the least, and went into the
opposition of Senator Morgan,
who cooled down considerably, how
ever, when it was explained to him that
any attempt on his part to block the
paSSag e of the measure would result in
the telling of the whole story as to how
the opposition had arisen and the pow
ers that were operating behind it.
Villas had threatened to prove very
in the matter, but as he
cd
Of others on both sides that cropped in
an opposition and would have made it
interesting for the measure had they
proved obstinate. It's final incorporation
in the appropriation and successful pas
sage were due to the good management
of the delegate, who conciliated the
leaders and had things go the way he
would desire.
Other Bills.
The bill restoring the personal prop
erty of the Mormon church was put
through against an opposition that was
melted only by the most indefatigable
exertion and use of an influence that
had been gained by the good impression
made by the delegate
The quick passage of the bill allow
ing Salt Lake to increase the bonded
has hardly been excelled
for a great many years. Many of the
Old parliamentarians were surprised at
the speed with which the thing was
done, and did not hesitate to become
complimentary in the matter
To give the University of Utah a site
on the Fort Douglas reservation, over
looking the beautiful city, with plenty
of room for growth and for athletics.
and identifying purposes. was another
graceful act that was secured by the
use of well-earned influence
There was one act passed by the eff
fort of Mr.. Notwithstanding been in
troduced and pushed theoretically by
him-that will not benefit Utah alone.
but will do good throughout the whole
western prairie country. That was the
bill extending the time one year for the
making of payments on all government
lands that have been taken up either
under the homestead, desert or pre-
emption acts.
The people of Utah, in the Language
of a distinguished member of Congress.
have much for which to thank the
Democratic party aid their delegate.