The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-09-22
e,onvressrnan Morris, Record.

i ~eS
Nol tn Star politics, which nay always,
be relied upon SO far as questions of
fact are concerned, and in matters of
opinion as honest and reliable, has
this to say of our congressman:
The record of Congressman Morris
of the sixth Minnesota district is one
| of which he and the district may we'll
be proud. AS first termer he has
| left the impress of his character upon
national legislation and risen to a
| high place in the estimation OF his
colleagues. North Star Politics"
| desires at this time-the active work Of
the campaign being about to commence
| to refer briefly to some OF the things
he has done in Washington during
the past two years. The record itself
Will show more forcibly and eloquent
ly than can be shown in any other way
the extent of the new congressman
operations: the obligation under which
he had placed his constituency apd the
soundness of his request for re-elec-
ton.
Mr.. Morris began his work early.
In the latter part of December, '96, after
election, but be before took his seat
he was informed that the house CON-
mittee on ways and means would have
under consideration in few days the
lumber schedule of the Dingley tariff
bill He went to Washington and ap-
peared before the committee, together
with delegation of lumbermen ask
ing that the tariff be placed at 50 per
thousand feet. When the bill was
subsequently reported in the house of
which Mr.. Morris was a member, this
81 rate was granted, and the bill was
passed. After the bill had reached
the senate the charge is made by COM
petent witnesses that G.. A. TOwne per-
suaded his free silver friends, Sena-
tors Teller, Mantle and others, to fight
for reduction Of this duty from So to
the free list. or to 81 or $3.50 a thou
sand. They finally succeeded in get
ting it reduced to 81, and the bill so
passed the senate and went to the ref
erence committee. Judge Morris
friends on the conference committee
stood barvely by him and finally
prevailed, the committee reporting in
favor of the 50 tariff.
This is the best thing Judge Norris
accomplished during his first term.
The work was done in the face of the
opposition of Mr.. Towne, his pre-
decessor, who heretofore had always
posed as a high protectionist. and in
deed was elected to congress on the
issue. Men who are in position to
speak with authority on this matter
are not slow to charge that Mr.. Towne
was paid retaining fee by men who
were owners of Canadian stumpage,
and who where in Washington lobby
ing against the lumber schedule.
When Judge Morris entered congress
he found the Mile Laos Indian matters
in very bad shape. The secretaries of
the interior for years had been render
ing contradictory opinions with re-
gard to the status of those lands.
First one would decide that they were
open to settlement under the public
land laws of the United States, and
then another would decide that they
were not, those hanging up entries that
had already been made, excepting, of
course. such lands as had passed to
patent in the interim.
1t so happened that most of the val
liable timber land on this reservation
had been patented, and also the lands
of a part of the settlers had already
been patented. There were. however,
a large number of settlers whose en-
tries had been suspended, and while
they had made valuable improvements.
they had no title. and things were in
very unsatisfactory condition. Con-
gresham Morris made careful study
of the case and became convinced that
under the decisions of the land office a
large number OF these settlers were en-
titled to patent. He prepared a brief
and appeared before the attorney gen.
eral for the interior department. and
submitted it, together with his views
on the subject, asking that a case
which was then pending be taken up
Immediately so that the whole matter
might be definitely decided one way or
Their other, for good The attorney
general complied with the request and
rendered a decision in accordance with
the views held by Mr.. Morris. This
disposed Of the entries Of the entries of
a large number of settlers, but there
were still a number of cases which re-
quired a joint res solution decreeing
these lands open to settlement under
the homestead laws. Morris secured
the passage of the resolution in the
house, and it was put through the SEN
ate. and is now a law. This matter
had been pending for long time. and
the settlement of it is great relief to
the settlers on the reservation.
In the Indian appropriation bill.
Morris secured appropriations for
schools at the Red Lake and Leach
Lake agencies, and these schools will
be erected as soon AS the department
can take hold of the matter. Judge
Morris prides himself upon the fact
that he has been just as fair to the In
dian as to the settler. When the In
dian appropriation bill went to the
senate, an amendment was put on
granting to the settlers on the Chippewa
reservation their homesteads free, pro-
viding that the government should pay
the Indians 81. 25 per acre, which is
now required by settlers. When this
amendment came back to the house,
Judge Morris did his best to have it
adopted there and made upon it the
only speech of his first term.
Mr.. Towne in his open letter to Nor
ris, tries to make a point because no
river and harbor bill was reported by
the last session. He we'll knows that
this bill was held back until the next
session by general consent of the re-
publican leaders, on account of the nm