The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-11

RABLINS REVIEWS
WORK OF CONGRESS
Western Measures Were Killed
by the House.
NO HELP FORIRRIGATION
UTAH's SENATOR RETURNS
FROM WASHINGTON.
No HELP FORIRRIGATION

Senator Joseph L. Rawlins arrived
home from Washington, d. c., yester-
day morning and will be in the city
Tor some time. looking after his pri-
Vate business. In speaking of the work
OF the session Of congress just closed
and OF its effect on the internsountain
day:
All legislation along the line of ir-
fiSat1on for the arid lands of the west
was killed in the house, that antag-
ohlzed II on the ground that it would
open the way for the expenditure Of
hundreds of millions of dollars. An ap-
preparation for irrigation was put in
the indian appropriation bill by the
senate and was cut out by the house
IL Ias put in the agricultural appro-
priation bill and again cut out by the
mouse. 1t was put in the river and
narbor bill and again cut out by the
mouse. All the work that has been done
along this line has been wasted and
VIII All have to be done over again
Federal Building Bill.
The appropriation for the Salt Lake
federal building would have been de-
teated by the house if it had not been
Tor tue committee OH buildings and
grounds Of the senate, OF which l was
member. The measure appropriating
SoOO.OOO for Salt Lake passed the senate
as separate hill. A number Of others
passed at the SINE time. In the house
they were all Jumped together in what
was known as the Omnibus bill This
was side-tracked in the house and
would have failed of passage, but my
committee in the senate, TOOK the matter
up again, amended the house bill and
reported in favor OF lacking it on the
Eundry civil bill. When the house dis
covered that it would pass in this way
and that the congressman would be
shut out from all credit. it passed it
with the seAlate amendments This
action was concUrTed i'm by the senate
ana the bill went to the president last
Saturday"
Senator Rawlins also blames the
house for the defeat of the apprOpria-
tion of S25.OGO for a fish hatchery in
Utah. This passed the senate as a
separate BILL, said the senator but
when 1t was discovered that the house
would not pass it. it was made an
amendment to the sundry civil bill.
The house failed to concur in this
amendment and the item was dropped
This was done in the interest of econ
only, after millions had been thrown
around in all directions"
Opening of Reservation.
Nothing was done by congress that
viii effect the Uintah Indian reserva-
ton, and the laws effecting that are
just as they We're before. There were
measures up TO give the secretary of the
interior the right to lease the mineral
and grazing lands of the Indian reser-
NatiOns in different parts of the west,
but these were all defeated on the
ground that il would give that depart
ment a mouopOly IN this field and give
the administration just that many more
opportunities for taking care Of it's IA
vOrites- The department of the interior
now has the authority to appoint COM
missioners to treat with the Indians
for the land not actually needed by
the tribes, and to open the tracts thus
secured TO entry the same as other pub
lie lands"
Senator Rawlins said thu Utah. like
the other states IL this ticn Of the
country. was cared fo' . the regular
appropriation bills in : way Of money
for surveys. for agricultural schools.
experiment stations and such like. The
allowance for the surveyor generals of
flee in Utah was increased from $4,000
TO $4,000. the addition being for clerk
hire in the Office.
Senator Rawlins declined to discuss
the political outlook. The senate. ne
said. had lost a number of good Dem
OcTatS by the changes of the winter
but it had also gained a number of
good men and the party he thought
would be stronger in that body in the
next congress than IL was in the last
one