Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-06
cam FROM HON. W. A. JONES.
Tie Replies 10 Recent Statements Oh
Congressman Lamb.
warsaw, va. September I. 1899.


doy an interview by the Hon. John Lamb.
On which he SAYS thar 1 had 'unnten
tionallv done Senator Martin Injustice
! in what / said In my speech In Man
| chester concerning the appropriation ioi
the James river In the local COLUMNS
OF the Dispatch Of yesterday the state
| nent attributed to me was correcleu Ior'
Immediately upon reading on the follow,
ing morning the reports OF my speech,
| called the attention Of "A representative
| OF tbo DIspatch 10 the fact that ! had
not said. as was reported, that senator
Martin had done nothing towards Sc
| curing the appropriation for the James
| river. -
If therefore, Captain Lamb had seen
| this correction before giving out his In
terview, | am sure he would have con-
| cluded there was no occasion Tor H.
| He saws when he discovered that the ap-
preparation had been reduced in the SEN
| ate from $4,000 20 10000, he went 70
Senator Martin. asked him TO see the
| Committee on Conference appointed py
| the Senate ard lie saw them at once Oh
| the subject" As my remarks were con-
fined entirely TO the history Of the river
| and harbor bill in the Senate. and not 70
what may or may not have occurred
| after Captain Lamb went 10 sehdlvi
Martin and informed him OF the Iate III
| the Senate Of his appropriation TOT tne
| lanes river, Il must now be apparent 10
nv good friend that what he regarded as
an injustice TO senator Ndiuh was ~
| Injustice at all
What / actually said IS supported by
the written record, and will not be de-
MED, I take it, by anybody. When the
river and harbor bill passed the House
it contained an appropriation OF $l5OVO
for the Improvement of the James river
1t also contained .one OF $1,000 for the
Improvement of the Rappahannock river,
and one Of $4,000 for the Improvement OF
Nomini creek. When the bill came up
for consideration In the Senate the APP
preparation for the James was reduced
to 10000, that for the RappahannocB
to $1,000. and that for Nomini TO 5000
I made this statement In my Manchester
speech and commented upon II. j saio
that Senator Martins friends claimed
that he had a record for securing appro-
priations for his State, but that he had
permitted these reductions without once
raising his voice in protest.
APPROPRIATIONS REDUCED.
said that in many instances senators
representing other States had secured
large increases. and that II was incom-
prchcnsible TO me how Senator Martin,
If he had the influence In the Senate
claimed for him. could have permitted
the Virginia appropriations 10 be so re
duced. The bill was enormously increase
i'm the Senate one single amendment
added i'm that body carrying the gigantic
sum Of $ll5.O0O00. and yet the appr0pria-
ton for the James river was reduced one
bird, and even so small sum as SJ'Wy
taken from the Rappahannock appro-
priation Every amendment made TO the
bin was read in open Senate and there
voted upon. II Is well known that the
river and harbOr bill Is a most important
one to Virginia, and yet Senator MARTIN
| aid not know. until informed by mem
| Der OF the House. that three OF the prln-
clpal items for his state had been mate
rally reduced by the body OF when ne
| is a member The bill was under dls-
cussion in the Senate for two days, ana
attracted widespread attention, since
nearly every district in the Union was IN
| terested i'm IT, When ] learned that three
| of the waterways Of Virginia had Jared 50
| l3dly at the hands Of the Senate con,
| fess I was greatly surprised. / discovered
| that Senator Martin had made no eilort 10
prevent the reductions when the amend
ments making them were voted upon put
/ had not supposed, until reading Cap.3,,,m IN
| Lambs interview, that he was actuhliy
| unaware until informed by captain
| Lamb that they had been made. Inc
| record shows that Senator Martin was
| present and voted for the bill upon Us
| massage, Notwithstanding the great r.
1 gUCtlgn made IN lilt tPiiNH itiN4N-' 80
| lanes river Captain Lamb says mat
| after the bill had passed the Senate sen
| ator Martin did what ne could 10 get tne
| cOnferrees on the dlsagreelng votes Oh lhe
| two houses 10 put the James-river ap-
| propriation back mt what II was Wheu u
| passed the House. l have never neafu
| that he did even that much for the rep
| pahannock river and Nomin creek. ihey
| are in the First District and as captain
| Lamb did not inform him how they We're
| treated i'm the Senate il is highly pr0ba-
| be that ne is still ignorant upon tnat
| subject. / don't think he will claim that
| he had any part In the restoration OF the
| appropriations for those two highly-im-
| pOrtant projects.
| il is due to Senator Daniel that l should
| cav that he was absent when the river
! and harbor bill was passed in the Senate,
! that he was paired. and that bis pair was
| publicly announced.
PINE LUMBER.
Captain Lamb endorses the action OF
| Senator Martin in voting for the pres
| emit duty on pine lumber" as well as as
| ssting I'm securing an Increase Of duty on
! paper boxes ! want to DO Captain Lamp
the Justice TO say that do not think he
| understands precisely what the votes or
! Senator Martin upon lumber were which
! have been criticised as undemocratic. IL
| he did. feel sure he would neither en-
dorse nor attempt to defend them. What
| ever may be his views as to the deslra-
| bility of a tariff upon pine lumber L
| cannot believe he favors tariff on
white pine lumber" There IS vast diff
| ference between the two propositions,
| even If viewed solely from the standpoint
OF Virgnia's interest. I doubt II there is
any white pine lumber in the Third Con-
| gressional District. On the contrary, mil
lions OF feet are purchased annually in
that district by Captain Lambs constitu-
ents. and / am not prepared 10 believe,
knowing how zealously my colleague IS
wont TO guard their interests, that he
would vote for a tariff duty Of either 81
or s. on white pine lumber. To do so
would be 10 add at least that much TO the
| cost OF every thousand feet OF white pine
lumber used by his constituents, and
| cannot imagine how IL would benefit one
Of them a single dollar.
| l assume, therefore. that when Captain
Lamb says he Is prepared to defend Sem
| atOr Martins lumber votes he is under
the impression that those votes related
TO all kinds Of pine lumber grown and
manufactured in Virginia, and not mere
! " TO white pine lumber. That there may
| be no possible misunderstanding on this
! subject, / viii state just what Senator
Martins votes were. The Dingley bill, as
| reported TO the Senate, provided for a
! tarif tax Of s. per thousand feet on
! sawed lumber. Senator Vest moved 10
| amend this paragraph by adding the
words Except white pine" There was a
yea-and-nay vote, and Senator Martin
| voted with the Republicans in the mega
tive. Some weeks later the subject came
| up again on a square proposition 10 re-
duce the tariff tax from s. 10 81 pei
| thousand feet on white pine lumber. SEN
ator Martin voted no. only two Demo
! Gratis voting with him. Senator Mantle
| with whom Senator Martin has a general
pair, was about the only Republican
| voting with the Democrats. He said. in
| explanation OF his vote, Il am protec-
| zionist. / believe very firmly in prOtcc-
ton for this country, and II the Senator