The Washington herald., 1910-03-03

The incident caused a big sensation in
the Senate, and it was practically the
corridors and committee rooms on the
House side. II was made the subject of
Informal conferences by Senators who
seemed to take the affair with a good
deal OF seriousness. Senator Davis him.
self showed considerable concern over
the developments. In the evening he
issued formal statement. chaPacterizing
the affair as a sensational story by
jealous political enemies to Injure me at
home"
The refusal of the House committee to
accept Senator Davis revision was by no
means the only interesting incident at the
hearing OF the committee. When Senator
Davis appeared before the committee the
first time in support OF the sunk lands
bill he testified that his colleague in the
Senate, Mr.. Clarke was heartily in favor
Of the bill This was apparently an after
thought on the part of Senator Davis
for the official record OF the committee
runs as follows:
'Sust after ] left the room It occurred
20 me that might have left q little bit
OF doubt In your minds about one state
ment / said Senator Clarke and I had
always disagreed as 20 whether or not
the State had title to these lands. but
Senator Clarke is highly in favor of this
legislation. l did not want that left in
doubt"
Yesterday Senator Clarke appeared be-
fore the committee in person and de-
clared he did not favor the bill.
Introduced by OIdneId.
The bill was introduced In the House by
Representative Old1eld. of Arkansas. II
was taken to Mr.. OldfieId by Senator Da-
Wis. who asked him to introduce H. Ac-
eording to testimony given before the
committee, Senator Davis represented to
them that he was acting also upon Sen
ator Clarkes request. Recently, Mr.. Old
held apparently has tried 20 rid himself
Of the bill, for 1t is known that he has
made unsuccessful efforts to have it with
drawn. Senator Clarke has testified that
he approved the bill at no time. and Sen
stor Davis explained this mix-up yester-
day by saying that ne had relied upon
the statement of Eugene Williams. one
OF the men interested In the passage of
the bill
Representative OIdheld last night issued
this statement:
Il introduced the bill in question at the
request of United States Senator JEFF
Davis. and had no interest whatever in
the matter. / have not at any time stood
sponsor for the measure 1t was sug-
gested after the committee had begun
hearings that I withdraw the bill. but
as / had no interest in the matter and
there were several persons here TO appear |
before the committee for and against the |
bin IL was decided by some OF those on |
both sides OF the proposition 10 thrash the |
thing out before the Committee on Public
lands
The history Of the sunk lands and
Senator Davis's relation to them was out |
lined before the committee by Senator !
Davis. He contends that under the land
grant OF 1850 title TO thousands of acres
Of the swamp lands In Arkansas passed /
10 the State for the purpose Of building
a levee. The State board controlling these !
lands was known as the ST Francis 4
Levee Board.
The question OF the States title 20 the /
lands was passed on by Hoke Smith /
when he was Secretary OF the Interior, !
and later by Secretary Hitchcock. OF the |
same department. and IN both cases Il |
was held that the lands belonged 20 the /
State OF Arkansas. The levee board |
finally sold a large quantity of this land, +
about 5000 acres. at $50 an acre Some
OF Mr.. Davis friends were among the 1
purchasers. In the meantime. however. |
according TO Senator Davis, many peo- /
pie had begun TO denude the land of /
timber unlaWfully-
Employed by BOard.
The St Francis Ievee board" said 1
the Senator. employed me 10 assist the
regularly employed attorney, Mr.. Robe I
son. to bring suit against the timber /
thieves for the value of this timber We /
brought these suits in Poinsett and Mis-
sissippi counties. and perhaps in one or
two other counties"
Senator Davis said that the timber grab
bers challenged them to prove their title
to the land, and they had been unable to
do that, inasmuch as James Rudolph /
Garfield, when he was Secretary. in 1905.
held that the lands belonged to the Fed
eral government. Davis said that he had |
gone with Eugene williams one of his
friends, who had invested in the lands, to
President Roosevelt Mr.. Roosevelt, so Z
the Senator said. agreed that Garheld's /
decision was wrong and gave Garfield a
severe lecture. Nevertheless the status
of litigation was not changed
This is the situation that confronted |
the Senator when House bin No 1887
was introduced at his request By Mr.. Old |.
field to quiet the title 10 these lands.
There was another change which the 4
Senator insisted In making In the testi- L
mony that he delivered at his first ap- 4
pearance before the committee. He said 4
at that time;