The record-union., 1896-10-13

have bothered him in season and out OF
season about this bill. l have been to
him at the Speakers desk, have been
to him in his private room, have met
him in the corridors, and have asked
and begged and implored him to allow
the bill to come up, but he could not see
his way to let it come up except in the
regular maner under the rules.
When that bill came back from the
Senate the gentleman from Nebraska
(Mr. kem) had already engaged in that
warfare which has dominated him the
Assistant Speaker of this House
Qaughter) and was making objection
to the consideration OF all bills by unan
lmous consent. / knew no way to 81
lence Mr.. KEN except to kill him, but
| had not money enough to pay the fine
II L did that, though perhaps I would
nave been justified in doing it under
the circumstances. daughterD / could
not bring up the bill by unanimous con-
sent. and the lying author of this arti-
Gle IN this lying, blackmail newspaper
Knew that as well as | do, yet he at
tempts to say that / have not been in
1aVor OF the bill, when every member
OF the Public Lands Committee knows
that L have made myself a perfect nui-
sance to that committee in asking and
urging them to take it up and
pass it through the House; and / am
sure that all the members of that COM
mlttee would sign a letter to that eff
feet
But this slanderer, not content with
that, goes further and attempts to say
that 1 interfered with this bill before 1
was a member of this House. Not con-
tent with having attacked our honored
Speaker, whose life, whose record, and
whose character as a man and the work
he has done for the American nation are
a sufficient answer to the slanderous at
tack of this blackmailing newspaper
not content with attacking him and my
self, this slanderer goes on to say in
connection with a matter that took
place at the last session of this Congress
and in connection with another mem
Der, what l am now about to read:
Two years ago, when an effort was
being made by Caminetti and other Cal
1tornia congressman to have California
included in the Idaho Montana Act, and
when things reached pass where unan-
lmouS consent was required to get the
matter up, Hepburn OF Iowa objected
and objected again. He could not be
argued, cajoled or browbeaten out of his
position. 1t was deemed strange that
man from Iowa should be SO set in his
opposition to a measure which partic-
ularly concerned California.
But who sat with Hepburn as his
guest? Who lunched and dined and
rode with him. Who was his particular
friend at that critical juncture? Who
was seemingly his advisor?
"Grove L. Johnson"
Now, at the last session of Congress,
when that bill came up, | was not a
member. I did not know Mr.. Hepburn
of Iowa. / never lunched with him; |
never rode with him; 1 never wined him
q am a teetotaler and could nOt; |
never dined with him; I was not his
guest; he was not my guest. He never
objected to the consideration of the bill,
as 1 am informed. This is simply a
bald naked lie, worthy of the man who
edits and publishes that paper, and ut
tered with the intention Of injuring me,
when 1 never laid a straw In his way;
and the only wicked thing l know Of
| in my life that l could be called to ac-
count for with reference to him was that
/ was at one time his attorney and saved
him from damages in court Of justice.
| Uaughter)
So far as the bill of last session was
concerned, the whole trouble connected
with that bill was as I am informed by
the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Hart
NAM, the author of the bill, because my
| predecessor did not keep his bargain
| with him in reference to the bill. L was
not member. / Influenced nobody. l
| could not / did not know anybody
scarcely, much less Mr.. Hepburn, whom
| I am now proud to claim as my friend.
l beg pardon Of the House for having
taken 50 much time upon this matter
But the miners of my district are num-
erous I may be charged with having
done this or that in my life, but no NOR
tai man ever truly accused me OF break
ing my word to any human being, living
or dead. / always keep my promises,
whether made before or after election.
And in this matter / have been true to
nv promises true to the interests OF my
constituents, true to the interests OF the
miners. And the liar who published that
article knew it when he wrote it and
published it. (Applause)
Mr.. Maguire-I do not want to inter-
fere with the gentleman's statement at
all. but as he has mentioned Mr.. Hearst
by name and denounced him in very Sc
we're terms, I want to know whether ne
is not aware that Mr.. Hearst is residing
in New York, and probably never knew
ANYTHING about this article?
Johnson of California-Mr. Speaker,
the rule of law, as the gentleman knows
is that if a man publishes newspaper,
if he calls himself the editor and pub
Usher Of it, he is responsible for every
thing that appears in the paper.
Magure-I am not raising the ques-
ton of his legal responsibility.
Johnson of California-He is respon-
sible for everything that appears IN the
newspaper This paper is published by
w. r. Hearst; and if the coward desires
to take advantage of the fact that he
does not live in San Francisco, but in
New York, let him do so. / hope the
gentleman from San Francisco tMa-
guire) does not propose to indorse any OF
the statements contained in that letter
Maguire-I am not discussing those
statements, Mr.. Johnson.
Johnson of Californian am speaking
of that man in that way for this reason:
1t is the most wicked thing on earth for
q man who publishes a newspaper to at
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS