The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-21
Taft'S Pet Measure Is sPu|led and Hauled and Final-
 Iy Goes Through
BILL 50 CHANGED THAT
 T IS UNREcOGN!zABLE
Crnfg of Alabama md Ferris of Okla homa Lead the Opposition to Vic- tory Over the Objectionable
 Parts of This Bill
BY wArrEpsoN srEALEy

BY WATTERsON STEALEY
 Washington, April 2O.-(Special.) )-The .eactionaries and enemies of conservation in control of the House committee or public lands. headed by Representative Mondell of Wyoming, poured into the House today stuff mislabeled ''conserva, tion,'' which finally came through the fire of public debate. a very acceptable conservation measure. Nothing in the recent history of the House of Repre- sentatives has more clearly demonstrated the power of an aroused public interest than the action of that body that as time and again 1t defeated MondelI and his reectionary coterie, until the chairman oi the public lands committee was so dis credited that toward the end less than 20 men stood up with him in his bold attempts to slip into the bill a new joker every time an old one was ripped out by the democrats and portion of the republicans. Though Speaker Joseph G Cannon, on the vote on one particularly vicious committee amendment, walked between the tellers in favor Of the amend ment, the House voted the Mondell forces down just the same.
 The battle in the House ragged all day over this and the first of the Taft con servation measures. The bill authorized the President to withdraw from entry public lands containing valuable natural resources, such as coal, keeping them withdrawn until Congress shall order their restoration. The bill was finally adopted, but not as the administration through Secretary Ballinger. offered 1t tc Congress, nor as the public lands com mittee, under the guidance of Represen- tatiye Mondell, shaped it.
 To two democrats, Representative W B. Craig of Alabama and Representative Scott Ferris of Oklahoma, belongs the credit for the victory which the public won. They so graphically presented the iniquities of the committee bill that 6 large element on tae republican side o1 the chamber dared not. even if they were go inclined, to vote for the committed measure.
 AS part of President Tafts legislative programme Secretary Ballinger drew UT nine bills. The first of these related tc the withdrawal of public lands containing valuable resources. This bill provided for the withdrawal of these lands by Congress, but on consideration of the bill by the Senate committee on public lands former Secretary of the Interior Garfield pointed out that If the initiative action were left to Congress there would be nc conservation and the Senate committed accordingly rewrote the administration bill so as to authorize the President tc withdraw the lands and leave 1t to Con- gress to order their restoration.
 When the bill got before Mondell's com mittee in the House Mondella friends wanted to report favorably the original administration bill as drafted by Secre- tary Ballinger, but a threatened coalition of democrats and insurgents on the com mittee forced him to agree to accept the revised Senate bill with certain amend ments- Representatives Ferris and Craig charged during todsy's debate that one of these amendments would tend imme- diately to clear-listing the Cunningham and all other irregular Alaskan claims which are now under fire in the depart ment of interior, and in the Ballinger Investigation.
 Democrats Are Jubilant
 Washington. April 2o.-Not since the present Congress began have the dem ocratic members been in such a jubilant mood as they were today over the result of the New York election. The repub- lican leaders declined to attach any par ticular significance to the defeat.
 "It was a skirmish. it does not mean anything" said Representative BouteIle of Illinois. Among the ''insurgent" re- publicans there was greater variety of views.
 Representative Francis Burton liar rison, democrat, of New York believed that the election marked the overthrow of regime nationwide in extent "It is the beginning of new epoch,' he said. q don't believe that a single re- publican congressman from New York is safe from defeat under the conditions we have there The retirement of Senators Aldrich and Hale and the result of the elections in Massachusetts and New York mean the passing of an older order and the establishment of a new and better one. It Is the dawning of a new day"
 Representative Underwood, the dem- 0cratic whip" declared that it was a distinct repudiation of the Payne-Aldrich tarin law and the administration.
 Representative Ollie James said the democrats would have a majority in the next Congress.
 Representative Lawrence of Massachu- setts, republican member of the new rules committee, said: Tt is not up to the Massachusetts members to explain
 
 braska, one of the 'insurgent' leaders remarked: Tt is simply an uprising oi the people against machine rule and means that the people will stand for fl no longer. It is local matter in New York. but similar conditions prevail through the country and similar results will ensue."
 ''What does 1t mean to this House?' MT Norris was asked
 'It means that the members who ar, here because of machine politics, boti republicans and democrats, should be abl, to see the end they are coming to. The, won't be here much longer''
 Representative Hamilton of New York insurgent, thought Aldridge's defeat ir Rochester was largely due to the can didate's personality.
 "Cannonism was also an issue,' he said "Aldridge was asked whether he stoot for Cannon or not and he declined t. answer. The people answered for him.
 Tn the senate MT. Gallinger of New Hampshire, while discussing the pogsibl, political proclivities of the agents whom it was proposed to designate to get foot cost statistics contendad that many O. them would de democrats as well as re publicans, and added: 'If you had gon to the printing office before the electiol Ayesterday think you would have though that majority of the employees wer' Aemoorats." ll
 The observation caused general laugh