The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-09

Washington, Jan. S.--The second DAYS
debate on the Pacific railroad funding bill
ueVeloprd by far the most sensational in
cident of this session of Congress. Mr..
Johnson, the only member of the Califor-
mia delegation who fnvors the funding
nIll, In the course OF his remarks took
occasion to make IA remarkable v'tupern,
tive personal attack on Editor Hearst, of
the san Francisco Examiner. He de-
scribed Mr.. Hearst and Mayor Sutro as
men who We're tcrrorixing the Pacific
coast members and made n statement
concerning the former which led Mr..
Cooper, of Wisconsin. to characterize il
later rs the most disgraceful attack in
the legislative annals of the United
States > The members who had been lis
tening attcntivcly to NJ. .Iohnson's re-
marks, rs he is always one of the most
entertaining speakers in the House. were
thindcrstruck at the lengths to which he
went Mr.. Johnson in the course OF his
remarks said:
IF Mayor Sutro and that Hearst" to
whom he applied an opprobrous adiec-
tive. had built these roads, they would
not only have made money, but they
would have bnnkrupted the Government
lfseit. suppose the projectors did make
money, the question with us as members
IL
tcrcst is: How shall we get the Govern.
ment's money back st
Mr. Johnson is alwaysa vigorous talllcr
and man who uses strong diction, but
The members who sat listening to him were
not prepared for the philippe which he
launched. He detailed Mr.. Hcarst's con
nectiun with the san Francisco Examiner
and how lie had bnilt up TINT paper, and
SAID that the people of California admired
it. He said that they were suspicious AT
first and knew that MIR. Hearst was err,
ratio in his conduct. lie then made in
sinllatlons and allegations against Mr.
lleitrst's personal habits, but added that
the people believed he was honest
This WAS followed by the more sensn-
tionalcharges and vituprrativc language.
And that is the man, he added "thut
has created al this furore in California. y
lie said that Hearst had inundated
the people and created terrorism among
them with his paper. The paper had ma.
llgned ami caricaturcd people in the
louise, the committee, Mr.. Powers and
the honored speaker. Il will not speak
for myself, he said, because can get
reasonably even with any nan before
get through him"
When Mr.. Johnson concluded his
speech there WAS an ominous silence ON
the floor Mr.. Arnold, of PENNSYLVANIA.
made II brief speech for the measure, but
the House was still buzZing with the sen.
Sation created by the California member
When Mr. Arnold finished, Mr. Cooper.
OF wisconsin, one CT the strongest foes OF
the Pacific railroad biz, now as in the
past, took the floor. About the first
words that fell from his leps intensified
the situation
In view of what has been said by the
gentleman of California, y he said, ''about
the gentleman from Wisconsin, in
view of the exhibition hch we saw here
i think one of the most disgraceful in
the annals of the Legislative history of the
United Stntes--the attacking OF man
absent from his place in n manner known
only to towards, blacklisting his name
running it, if it were in the power of'the
gentleman from California to ruin any.
body who has ever had any reputation al;
all, to the best of his ability, I feel il
proper for me to say ut least Il few
words. =
Mr.. Cooper then paid high tribute 10
Mr.. Hearst and the hard work he has
done to build up his papers and declared
that he did not think that ANYTHING he
hnd done entitled member To attack
him, as the gentleman from California
had done
Mr.. Johnson made no attempt to reply
To Mr.. Cooper. This incident completely
ovcrshadOwei the interest in the debate
on the funding bill and therefore il pro-
cecdcd quietly TO the hour wien the re-
cess was taken. The general debate closed
the day.