Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-27
Determined Struggle for the Mic.
aragua Canal Bill.
Mr.. CUMMINGS TELLS OF IT,
Ups and Downs OF Legislation In Congress
Illustrated In the Long drawn-out Bat
s. tic for the Proposed Big Ditch--An An
ecdoto of the Iowan's Youth Recalled
Tits with Chairman Cannon, and Mem
orable Debates in Which Members Par
tioipated.

Copyright. 1900, by Amos ]. Cummings
Washington, d. c., May 26.-His
name was James Harlan. He was the
superintendent of public instruction in
Iowa, and afterward United States
Senator. Seated in Il buggy, driving
along a country road, he saw u farm
er's boy some distance ahead tramping
through the dust. Suddenly the boy
stopped, pulled off his trousers and a
hickory shirt, rolled them In u bundle,
and began to ford river. Mr.. Harlan
drove through the water and overhaul
ed him on the other side of the stream.
The youth had donned his garb anew,
and was Looping toward the west at a
swinging gait, with one hand In his
pocket. Harlan hailed him, and asked
him II he wouldn't ride. The boy got
into the buggy without taking his hand
from his pocket. and Harlan heard the
jingle of silver coin as he sat down.
The lad thanked him for his courtesy,
and told him who he was and from
whence he had come. He had worked
a fortnight in clearing up some land,
and WAS on his way home with his
wages in his pocket. He was as happy
as lark, and in superfine spirits. He
proudly jingled the coin, and finally
drew 1t out and began to count it,
There was half-dollar, supplemented
by two pistareens, levy, and three
sixpences. then known as picayunes
The STRIPPING gazed at them in evident
rapture. They represented two weeks
work. Harlan was amused. 1t was the
first money the boy had ever earned.
Take a good look at It," the superln-
tendent remarked You may live to
be eighty years old. but you will never
hereafter earn money that will give you
the pleasure this does"
THRILLED HIM WITH PLEASURE.
This lad was William u. Hepburn,
now Representative in Congress from
Clarinda. Iowa. Fifty years afterward
he experienced the same thrill of pleas
ure felt when he gazed at the half
lar the two pistarens the levy, and the
three sixpenccs. Itawas Mt the moment
when Speaker David b. Henderson an
pounced the vote on the Nicaragua
canal bill. The bill Was the work of his
own hands and brain, and It's passage
was due to his persistent pluck and I'M
deviating' energy For five years had
he made the fight, never losing conf
dence In his ability TO force it to vote
despite difficulties and Vaccinations
n
Baron Trenck. For five years had he
been chairman of the Committee on In
terstate and Foreign Commerce., charg-
ed with the preparation OF a bill having
this object in view. All the party con-
ventions had passed resolutions enthu-
siastically ndorsing the measure. and
the newspapers with one acclaim were
rending the skies in an effort to get
Congress to take prompt action. Hep
n n n in,
trying TO solve the question. He was
surrounded by the legionS of greed, who
were assaulting every gateway of the
treasury in an effort TO secure corpor-
ate plunder. He familiariZed him
self with the devious WAYS of that
labyrinth Of Diplomacy known as the
Clayton Bulwer treaty. and digested
huge chunks OF Wharton's Information
al Law He worked harder than he had
ever worked in clearing uD new land
and got less for it,
But the ruling powers or the House
were against him. Both sessions of the
Fifty-fourth Congress closed without
action. a new Congress was born, with
the same power in control of the House
Meantime the man from Iowa had not
been idle. Diplomacy was spreading
new nets and adding to the difficulties
of the situation. And corporate greed
was still gathering away at the doors of
the treasury f1tDDuTn applied the
spurs to his committee, and forced his
bill upon the calendar OF the House
Once there. however, 1t was like Ma
hornets coffin. suspended between
heaven and earth. Under the Reed
rules there was no way in which IL
could be reached eXcept by special
order from tho Committee on Rules.
HIS FIGHT AGAINST REED RULES.
1t was probably the knowledge of this
fact that made Hepburn make his Bit
ter fight on the rules at the beginning
of the first session of the Fifty-ffth
Congress. This House adopted the
rules of the last House under an i'm
piled promise that it should have an
opportunity to revise them. The prom
ise was never kept, and Hepburn found
himself in the doldrums of legislation
In vain did he imoortune the Commit
tee on Rules for relief. In view of the
extraordinary expenses of the govern
ment. caused by the Spanish war. il
was refused Reed stood as firm as n
rock against the consideration of the
BILL although n large majority of the,
members of the House had affixed their
signatures to n petition asking that n
special order for its consideration be
made. 1t was plain that if this was
done. the bill would be passed, hands
down. Put to his trumns, the Hawk
eye Congressman planned a coup de
main. He determined to offer the bill
as an amendment to the sundry civil
bill. OF course he knew that the chair
man of the Committee of the Whole.
would rule against it: but on an appeal
from his decision the feeling of the
House was such that it was possible the
decision might be overturned. At all
events 1t was chance worth trying.
Wary Joseph G. Cannon was in
charge of the Sundry Civil bill. He
had many a tilt with Hepburn, and
knew exactly what to expect. AS the