The record-union., 1896-06-15
TIE MINERAL LANDS BILL.
Full Text Of Congressman JohnSon'S
Remarks.
He Denounces the Examiner and
Declares It's Statements to be
False and Malicious.

>@>e~>>~>"~-~'
Following is the full text of the re-
marks of Hon Grove l.. Johnson IN the
House Of Representative on a queS-
tion of privilege, as printed IN the Con-
gressional Record:
Mr. Johnson of California-Mr. Speak
er, 1 rise to a question of personal
privilege.
The Speaker pro tempore-The gen.
tleman will state it.
MIR. Johnson of California-Mr. Speak
er. in an issue of the San Francisco
Examiner a newspaper published in
San Francisco, on the 1st day of June,
1896, and only received by me last even
ing, occurs a most malicious, false, and
slanderous Misrepresentation of my
action as a member of this House with
reference to what is known as the
California mineral land bill. 1t has
not been my custom during life to re-
ply in any manner to attacks made
upon me by newspapers, but this so
fragrant a violation of the decencfes
that should govern between men, and
the publication is so destitute of truth,
as is well known to the man who wrote
it, and the man who published it, one
William r. Hearst, who would not dare
as an individual TO say to me on the
streets what he cowardly says through
the columns of his newspaper, that l
feel it but right to reply to it some
what, even at the risk of taking some
of the time of this House.
He says L have not favored or sought
TO pass what is known as the mineral
land bill'; that / have proved traitor
TO the interests of my district and my
own State. He misrepresents and mis-
states every action 1 have taken in
reference to the bill He says that /
was forced to introduce the bill, which
is untrue. 1 introduced the bill exactly
as it was given to me by the California
State Miners Association when anoth-
er California member declined to intro
duce it; and when they desired to
amend it, 1 introduced the bill as
amended. I endeavored to secure its
passage, and I may say without ego
tism, in answer to this lying charge
Of this man Hearst, that had it not
been for my exertions this bill never
would have passed this House, and /
can refer to the gentleman from Ten
nessee (Mr. McMillin), who was op-
posed the bill, in proof of that asser-
tion. He then says that the bill went
to the Senate and was amended, which
is true.
I had nothing to do with the amend
ment. I 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 that distinguished gen
tieman from Texas CMcMillin) and
knew that he would make strong oppo-
sition to it. But the bill was amended
in the Senate Gt having applied only to
California; by adding to it Jurisdiction
over the State of Oregon, or part 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 his 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
bin 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 confer
ence and given it a right of way which
Speaker Reed in his most Czar-like
mood could not deprive it of. The con-
ference could have reported in favor of
the amendment, the bill would have
come up as soon as the appropriation
biils We're out of the way, and it might
now have been a law
But no; Congressman Grove 7.
Johnson quietly let the bill go back to
committee. TREY L. Ford, the miners
representative, was 1ulled into a sense
of security and came back to San Fran
cisco. Then Speaker Reed, acting. ac-
cording to Senator White at the behest
of Coils P. Huntington, refused TO let
the measure come up for consideration
AS Johnson had let the bill go back to
committee instead of sending it into
conference, it had no rights or privi-
leges over any other bill, and it was the
easiest thing in the world for Speaker
Reed to kill it off,
Now, Ihave tosay in reference to that
that every member of this House knows
that when that bill was amended ir
the Senate, increasing the expenditure
creating new offices, and putting upor
the bin something which was not ger
mane to the original, and when it re-
turned to this House it was absolutely
necessary under the rules that it should
go either to the Committee of the Whole
House on 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 have
been needed to resurrect it on this floor
/ went to the Chairman of the Publ,
Lands Committee and asked him wha-