The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-27
HIS POSITION.
Strange Misrepresentation of
Congressman Miller.
Charged With Being Unfriendly
to a Railroad Man.
QUITE THE CONTRARY
Was the Special Champion of
the Same
And Received His Cordial
Thanks for Efforts.
QUITE THE CONTRARY

To the Editor of the State Journal:
As your paper has a large cir
culation in the Fourth congressional
district. which 1 have the honor to
represent, I will be pleased to have
you give place in your columns to the
following statement in reference to
some charges now being circulated
among the railroad men of my district
by one, II. r. Fuller. who represents
himself to be the national legislative
representative of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers. F'iremen and
Railway Trainmen. Mr.. Fuller claims
that I was unfriendly 70 any legisla-
ton looking to the relief of one, Penn
broke Il. Banton, of Waterloo, Iowa,
who was injured while in the employ
Of the government on the Panama
canal.
The Facts i'm Case.
The facts in the case are as fol-
lows: Judge Birdsall or Iowa, who
represents the district where Mr.. Ban
ton lives, introduced a bill to pay the
said Banton the sum of $4,000 for
said Injuries This bill was referred
TO the committee on claims of the
house Of representatives. of which I
was chairman, and received the con-
Eideration of the committee in connec-
ton with probably one hundred other
bills of like character, that is, for
IfA5OAAdA injuries Inc OH
claims for the past four years has not
favorably reported any bills of this
character. and has declined to do so
for the reason that congress had not
by any general legislation assum ed
responsibility in such cases. Myself,
as we'll as nearly every other member
of the committee favored general
legislation of this kind. and l voted
during the last days of the last session
of congress for general bill provid-
ing for this class of cases. which bill
passed both houses of congress- was
signed by the president, and is now a
law.
Strongly Favorable to Banton Case.
When the Banton case was before
the committee 1 was so strongly i'm
pressed with its merits that 1 deter
mined, notwithstanding the attitude of
the committee in reference to cases of
this character to do what l could to
secure justice to this young railroad
man. who was injured for life and had
q wife and children dependent upon
him for support. Being interested in
the case as I was. 1 had a conference
with Judge Birdsall, who introduced
the bill. and Hon. Walter 1. Smith, an
other member of congress from Iowa
who was deeply interested in the mat
ter. and told them if they would get
Senator Allison of their state to have
included in the sundry civil bill the
item for $1,000 for the relief of Ban
ton. and I would see Hon ]. A.
Tawney, chairman of the committee
on appropriations of the house and
get him to agree, if I could. to have
this item retained in the bill in con-
ference. as 1 knew that Tawney and
Judge Smith would be two of the
conferees on the part of the house.
Afterwards I had a conference with
Mr.. Tawney, at which time Judge
Smith was present, and they both
agreed with me that they would per-
init the item to remain in the bill
when it came to the house. In this
way Mr.. Banton secured the appro-
priation of $4,000 which he has since