Graham guardian., 1904-04-06

'orced party caucus, and the gag
! rie cutting off debate, which wa
,nally done. This being seen
iel; it my duty to bring about {
conference of the democrats of thu
louise and Senate, and therefore
went to John Sharpe Williams, the
minority leader of the House, and
asked him to secure u conference
through Senator German. the
minority leader of the Senate,
Remember this was in February
last. Williams addressed q letter
to Senator German asking for this
conference. The Senator replied
consenting and named the time for
the meeting in his committee room
over the senate chamber. The
steering committee of the two
Houses met and discussed the mat
ter and every democrat, except
Senator Clark of Arkansas, lined
up on the policy that the bill
should be defeated in the Senate.
On that an adjournment was had
to await developments. A week
passed and it was found to have
been determined by the majority
of the house committee that moth
ing but jointure should be report
ed; and that, unless they could OBJ
tain a caucus binding the majority
the bill would not be reported at
all. Thereupon the democratic
senators and the democratic mem
hers of the House met, believe
March I'd, was the date. and when
all this information was laid be-
fore the Senators, they then and
there agreed, all except Clark, of
Arkansas, that this bill should be
defeated in the senate if it came to
hearing there-that it should never
pass that body. So that it was at
this time tfat the democrats of the
senate were "lined up" for the de-
feat of the bill uniting Arizona and
New Mexico into one state. Since
that time | have seen personally
every democratic senator, and some
republicans as we'll. aud they have
individually assured me from Sen
ator Carmack, the youngest sena-
tor, to Senator Morgan, the oldest,
that they would leave nothing un-
done to defeat the bill, Not only
that, but l have been promised BY
Senators Bard, Smoot, and others
on that side that tho bill should
never pass. So, l say as fact,
that that was the time, and under
those circumstances, and at the
place named. the democratic seaa-
tors "lined up" for the defeat of
The bill
Well through the force of the
president and the party leaders on
the republican side of the Senate
and House caucus of the republi
can members was called for April
Is, to arrange for the forcing of
the joint bill, as prepared by the
majority of the committee,
through the House. A rule was
directed to be brought in with
the bill forbidding all amendments
and allowing but three-aud- one
balf hours, all told, for discussion.
In that discussion / was allowed |
nearly all the time given to our
side, and | forced the facts on them
as strong as l could mako them |
The vote was taken and, on the
call of the House every democrat,
without single exception, stood
by me and by our cause, and also
two republicans broke over the
bars and voted with us. All the
other republicans voted for the
iointure; thus violating the pledge
they made to the territories and to
the country in 1900. l fought this
battle terribly hard and when
saved every democratic vote, and
two republicans as we'll, feel that
no living party man could have
done more, under the oiroum
stances. The democrats, God
bless them, stood by me as nobly
md as Loyalty as did Napoleon's
Imperial Guard, in their day,
stand by the cause and tri-colors
IF France. Nevertheless the bill
passed the House and was sent to
he Senate and there referred to
he committee on territories. The
opposition expressed against it in
he Senate was powerful. The bill
lad no consideration in the senate
committee but was put safely to
Ileep in its little bed to be called
Up, possibly never, and possibly
lext session. / feel warranted,
,awever, in assuring the people of
Arizona that they are certain of
,eing saved from the great injury
threatened by the House, the joint
ire with New Mexico, by the next
ession.
This is all | have been able to
10, but that much l have done.
rod knows that / would have
lone more had it been possible.
This plain statement Of facts l
i've to the press of the territory
bat the people may understand
precisely what has been done in
his matter. How it has been