Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-07-15
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"a A13t ~ hAfS
lei. then with your 1877 votes and The
thirty votes from Pennsylvania. which
the territories are sure OF. WI can
pass The statehood bill. II we can get
recognition to pass II, In the house,
even in spite OF the opposition Of the
speaker and the leaders. Smith
thought for d moment. and said, .Ro.
Asy. that Is h first-class idea. ! will
do it."
ON the night OF the 9th Of January,
After supper. for fear that Smith
NO ID forgef II. | left the Savoy ho.
tel. where | was living, came down
three miles / q Smiths hotel, found
hlin absent. chased miles over the
city % every place where ! suspect.
ca he might be found, and at last
caught him In Barton's hotel. taking
lunch with some friends After con,
siderable persuasion ! induced him
Ia 10 with me, and watched until ]
saw him enter the minority room OK
the house, where bis partisans were.
then III session. ] waited outside nm
III / heard the sonor0us voice or the
delegate from Arizona laying down
the law for such d resolution, which
! had taEen the precantion 70 write
out aFid glye 10 him before he entered.
Then left and went back 10 the ho'
Eel, Next morning In the newspaper
report Of what occurred In that room.
i had tho satisfaction III seeing That
the democrats Or the house ~ repre-.
senttalves OF the b7th congress had
resolved 10 vote as i unit In favor OF
The admission OF Arizona. New Mex.
leo and Oklahoma TO the Union as
states. Flynn and mysrixa greeted
smith next morning wlkz 4 jey that
only q delegate can fedi inch m
occasion. From that moment on.
smith and Flynn were as earnest adj
yocates Of statehood as was the dole
gate from New Mexico, and they aid
splendid work.
Then we had our hearings before
stha committee on territories. Cjti
gems from the several territories
game and testified. We were getting
along splendidly, and In n way or.
another w had succeeded In getting
every vote. both democratic and re-
publican, OF the members Ok the COM
mittee for q favorable report. ave
that Of Chairman Knox OF Massa-
chusetts. He had yet not expressed
himself, and do what We would. we
could not secute IN expression Of
opinion from him. nor could We get
him to cali tho commlttee together
for a report. Weeks Of effort In this
regard failed. Finally. thssfriends OF
the statehood question got together.
and We induced q Harvard classmate
OF Knox to come from Chicago and
stay several weeks In Washington
working with his classmate, Knox.
trying 10 induce him TO make a fav.
orable report. Knox had not yet OK
pressed himself on one side or ~
other. 1 learned. much TO my chagfin.
shortly after the session convened.
that Speaker Henderson and the
chairman ~ about d dozen OF the
principal committee. which tho speak
ert was wont TO designate M his
Kitchen cabinet got together. eud
without calling Mr.. Knox into their
conference. had resolved that no
statehood bin should pass that con.
gresa. and that no report should BIO
made on such q bill, md sent their
mandate In That regard TO Mr.. Knox.
This yexed Knox. and. without our
knowing II, really inclined him 10.
wards us. After his clasesmate work.
ed with him, and We brought all the
persuasive power we possessed 20
bear upon him through other mem
bers OF the committee and friends &.
his. much 10 our oily, he declared him
self IN favor OF our till.
Tho first thing tho leaders on tho
floor OF the house know. a favorable
report was brought IN. They then
tried TO discipline Knox and tried 10
call him 10 account, but they struck
= tartar-a moro indignant man they
never had 10 deal with. lie told them
what he thought Of them In on IN.
Language.
During al these weeks Flynn and
myself were using every BIZ Of per.
suasion We possessed to make friends
for the bill o. the floor of the house.
and We were succeeding. Smith did
have 10 do anything, Ms he haJ
his whole party corrallcd by the reso.
luton which they passed. Finally enc
day Knox, Flynn and myself called
upon the speaker and asked him 20
fix d day for the consideration OF the
Iiif rro n,t E nfS Face. aay A. 1a,.