The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-11
POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT

I :. 3 b.
the canal have been both flexible and
| fuctuating
When he got down to Washington at
the beginning Of the last congress, the
Walker commission had reported the Mic
araguan route practicable. A bill was In
| troduced in accordance with the report,
! providing for the construction of the canal
| by the Nicaraguan route Judging by
| what Mr.. Fletcher said the year before,
one would reasonably expect his enthusi-.
! astic support Of this report and bill.
Only two members of the house of rep.
resentatives voted against this bill in
! troduced in accordance with the recon-
mendation of this commission, and one
of those members was Loren Fletcher. and
! he gave as his reason at that time that he
!, thought the Ps,eama route was the better
| route. The bill went through the house
and into the senate. When 1t got into the
| senate it remained there for while. The
| Panama company, seeing that it's. only
chance to sell out it's plant was to sell it to
our government, made a proposition to
sell to the government at a much lower
figure than that named in it's proposition
| to the commission You would naturally
expect that Fletcher would be in favor of
| this change. He could now get his ia
Vorite route and at knock down price,
| The house bill was amended in the sem
ate by the substitution of the Panama
route for the Nfcaraguan and the accept
dIlCe VI tIlS FSl IlDcIdl OllcI VI tllc
ma company. When the senate amend
ment came up in the house for concur
renee Mr.. Fletcher said Con page 1850 of
the record):- Q ''i'
Mr.. Speaker, it is we'll known to the
members of the committee on interstate
and foreign commerce that I have at no
time agreed with them on the project of
the Nicaragua canal; but to my mind the
solution of this question must now be
acted upon. I wish they had taken a little
more pains in looking over what is known
as the Darien route. What I contend Is
that a sea-level canal is more to be sought,
if we are to have canal, than any other"
Is it not plain to you from these various
attitudes of Mr.. Fletcher on the canal
proposition that he did not want any canal
that he was bent on delaying and filibust-
ering as long as he could to prevent it's
construction, and if the majority of the
members Of the house had been of the
same mind as Mr.. Fletcher, they would be
Investigating routes for the next hundred
years to come. After he returned from
Washington this fall as a candidate for
office, and saw that some of us We're call
ing attention to this canal question, he
made a, statement to the Journal, in which
he again boldly proclaimed loyalty to an
isthmian canal and added:
Il think I may justly claim that my
, course on this subject has been enviable
and one Of which I have reason to be
proud
do not know why Mr.. Fletcher opposed
that canal. He must have known that
, the people wanted it. He must also have
known that the great railroad corporation
did not want it. Whether he was influ-
! enced by the railroad lobby, I do not
know. You can Judge Of that just as we'll
as I can, but one thing is certain and that
l Is, that he did not want the canal. want
to say right here before proceed further,
that if you send me to congress I prom
/ Use to you that will stand by Roosevelt
, on this canal proposition until it is con-
} structed. I want to say further that If you
l send me to congress I will also stand with
President Roosevelt on the Cuban propo-
sition. Another thing I wish to say: If
I go down there and I find that my vote
} is Incorrectly reported in any of the pa
pers of this city, shall take pains to cor
rect it just as soon as I learn of it.
In the two sessions that I was a member
f of the legislature I never lodged vote.
5 You can ascertain that by looking at the
journal. and I never shall if I become a
t member Of any other legislative body.
think you will always know on which side
r of question am.
MR.. FLETCHER AND The LUMBER.
r. 49,. MEN. fl5oE ~E5I.l'* .,
: There is another matter I want to call
your attention to in Mr.. Fleteher's record
= that may be interesting. seJ2 - asot
l ~
state what is known as the Chippewa
= Indian reservation. Bills have been pend
5 ing In congress for years providing that
v this reservation should be opened for set
4 Element, and that the pine land should
e be sold by the United States government
= for the benefit of the Indians. There is
G about 100000, 900 feet of pine to be solo
. by the government for the benefit of the
/ Indians Mr.. Morris Of Duluth, introduced
y bill in congress at the last session pro.
s viding for the opening Of the reservation
and for the sale by the government o.
= the pine. While that bill was in commit.
Ell tee the secretary of the interior went before
n the committee and told them that there
a had been a great deal Of scandal con
IL nected with the sale Of the government
pine in this state. Now this Is how
n that scandal has arisen. It has been tn,
custom to sell the pine at public auction
h Half dozen lumbermen would go up t,
: the sale and each one would pick out tn
" tracts Of pine he wanted. They woult
t then agree among themselves that the.
n would not bid against each other. For in
# stance, A would bid in 100000 or 20,
y, ~ 100000 at his price, B would take as rnucl
S more at figures that suited hin
- and so would c, D and E. All was har
r. monious and lovely. They would conse
d quently get this pine at their own figure
= and the government would have no re
a dress. The sale was in form public-th,
s bidding private.
II The secretary wanted the timber solt
-, under sealed bids, so that one would no
90 know what the other was bidding B,
- this method collusion could be prevented
- In accordance with the recommendation!
>. of the secretary, it was provided tina
- the pine should be sold under sealed bids
- When the bill came into the house Con
- gresham Eddy Of this state offered al
=, amendment which provided that fnsteae
J Of selling the pine under sealed bids i
should be sold in the old way. Which side
!; was Fletcher on? I want to read you
u little speech that he made in congress or
. this question, because I think it is O.
II interest to YOU 1t is on page 7545 of thu
Il Record: - ~
= I'm my judgment and understanding
"a it would be much better for and more t,
y the interest of the people connected witt
~ the lumber business and more satisfac
. tory to me and, believe, to every nembe
- Of the delegation in both branches O
y congress-, and If it we're left alone to thei
- own judgment, as they were in the com
~ mencement of this bill, they would favo
- the public SALE" .ru -. n = -
+, But the members of the house did no
T propose to let Mr.. Fletcher have his way
-, and Mr.. Fitzgerald of Massachusetts an
~ swered him in this short speech. Afte
~ quoting the secretary of the interior h
- said:; 80 O.. |..% 49, D-'.4E 49, .--.,a
40 y"If the timber of the Chippewas is t