The record-union., 1896-10-13

umns Of his newspaper, that I feel it
but right to reply to it somewhat, even
at the risk of taking some of the time
of this House.
He says 1 have not favored or sought
to pass what is known as the mineral
land bilP'; that I have proved traitor
to the interests of my district and my
own State. He misrepreSents and mis-
states every action | have taken in ref
erence to the bill. He says that I was
forced to introduce the bill, which is
untrue. / introduced the bill exactly
as it was given to me by the California
State Miners Association when another
California member declined to introduce
it, and when they desired to amend it,
1 introduced the bill as amended. l
endeavored to secure it's passage, and
| may say without egotism, in answer
to this lying charge of this man Hearst,
that had it not been for my exertions
this bill would never have passed this
House; and / can refer to the gentle
man from Tennessee (Mr. McMillan),
&, who was opposed to the bill, in proof Of
| that assertion. He then says that the
bill went to the Senate and was amend
| ed, which is true.
4 Acio iloIiiilio lo W Will Lllt dIiltIlti-
| ment. 1 opposed the amendment Of the
bill. I stated that if it was amended
it would have difficulty in getting
through the House, because I realized
the ability Of the distinguished gentle
| man from Tennessee CMr. McMillan),
| and new that he would make strong op-
| position to it. But the bill was amend
! ed in the Senate Gt having applied only
tn California; by adding to it jurisdic-
| tiCn over the State of Oregon or a
! Fart of it, thus increasing the expense
and the amount appropriated. The bill
| then came back to the House, and this
liar, through the columns Of his paper.
says that it was amended in the Senate
and did not pass the House through my
fault, and mis- language is as follows:
IF Congressman Johnson had sin
cerely wished to pass that bill for the
| benefit of the miners of California his
course was clear. As the author of the
bill he should have gone to the Chair
man Of the committee from which the
bill came and asked him to move that
the House do not concur in the Senate
amendment. The Chairman surely
would have made the motion.
That would have sent the bill
into conference and given it right
Of way which Speaker Reed in his most
CZar-like mood could not deprive it of.
The conference could have reported in
favor of the amendment the bill would
have come up as soon as the appropria-
ton bills were out of the way, and it
might now have been a law.
but no: Congressman Grove L. John
son quietly let that bill go back to COM
nittee. TREY l.. Ford, the miners rep
resentative, was lulled into a sense of
security and came back to San Francis
co. Then Speaker Reed. acting, accord
Ing to Senator White, at the behest of
Coils =. Huntington, refused to let the
Eeasure come up for consideration. AS
johnson had let the bill go back to com
rnittee instead of sending it into confer
elce, 1t had no rights or privileges over
any other bill, and it was the easiest
thing in the world for Speaker Reed to
kill it off,
Now, / have to say In reference to
that, that every member Of this House
knows that when that bill was amend
ed in the Senate, increasing expenditure
creating new Offices, and putting upon
the bill something which was not ger
name TO the original, and when it re-
turned to this House it was absolutely
itSCcSSdiy under the rules thdt 1t should
go either to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union or to
the Public Lands Committee If it had
gone to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union. the
trumpet Of the Archangel Gabriel would
nave been needed to resurrect it on this
floor. [ went to the Chairman of the
Public Lands Committee and asked him
what was the best way. He said that
under the rules the bill with Senate
amendment could not be called up for
concurrence and could not be called up
for non-concurrence: that it either had
TO go to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and
there sleep the sleep that knows no
waking" or else go to the Public Lands
Committee, where it had a majority of
friends.
IT went there under the rules of the
House, and the Chairman Of the com
n'ittee, Mr.. Lacy OF Iowa. is present and
knows that / speak in that regard the
exact fact-it went to that committee
end they reported it favorably but
owing to the rules, the Speaker was
obliged to hold that it was not a privi-
legged matter. and therefore we had no
right to bring it before the House. The
Speaker of this House knows that l