The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-03

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 fshness in 1t to me, because there is a good fee if I can recover the price of that timber I don't sare who it goes to, whether it goes to sne state of Arkan- sas or the St. Francis levee board, but would rather 1t should so to the St. Francis levee board, because that is just and right
 Testimony Cores .u
 In correcting his testimony, Senator Davis struck out the words "because there is a good fee if I can recover the price of that timber" and subss ss-ted for them the following: Because / am the attorney for the St. Francis lev.e board for the recovery of this timber
 Senator Davis asserted before ene com mittee he had not usec the words at tributed to him, but several r,aen-bers of the committee disagreed witf A.El and declared that he did make the sts.as1ment
 Following the Senator's appearAsfce be- fore the committee today the members held an extended session and finally de- cided by practically unanimous vote that they would not allow Senator Davis to make the change desired. It was held that no one had right to change the records of the committee further than to make necessary changes in verbiage.
 Senator Clarke of Arkansas also ap- DeAreQ DeIO1e the COfnInlltS6 lOudy dHu declared that Senator Davis had misrep- resented him before the committee at the previous hearing, when he stated that he ,Clarke) was in favor of the bill. Sena- tor Clarke declared he was opposed to the bill.
 Representative Oldfeld said regarding the bill:
 q introduced the bill in question at the request of United States Senator Davis and had no interest whatsoever in the matter. I have not at any time stood sponsor for the measure"
 stafesment By Davis
 Senator Davis tonight gave out formal statement in which he denounced as "ab- solutely false and without foundation" the report that he was to get fee in the event of the passage of the bill. He de- clared that the bill was just and was in- tended merely to quiet the title to cer- tain lands bought by friends of his in Forrest City from the St. Francis board. the purchases having been made on the strength of opinions rendered by former Secretaries of the Interior Hoke Smith and Hitchcock.
 President Roosevelt, the statement con- tinues, agreed with the senator that the matter ought to be adjusted so that the government could not defraud innocent puTCndSciS ACCOluihSiy tiic Diil NpS iii- troduced, the statement proceeds. "by MT. Oldfeld, at the request of Senator Davis and this is all the interest that he (Oldfeld) has in iti
 The senator declared the bill is not in- tended to disturb the rights of any of the bona fide holders of property under the government, which property was acquired after a decision by Secretary Garfield that the title reposed rightfully in the | aA,zt tot 1nrrt ont
 Senator Davis stated to the committee that several years ago before he was elected to the Senate he was employed by the St. Francis levee board to assist their | attorney in collecting an amount due for timber de~edaC<ns upon these lands that the St. Francis levee board had sold | these lands to the Forrest City parties, giving only a quit claim deed, and was not interested in this bill to the extent of one farthing. When asked by the mem- bers of the committee whether or not this bill would help his suit for these timber depredations, the senator stated that he
 was not in position to state whether or not that would be the case, and this is all there is to the story. | Senator Davis concludes his statement | with the declarations that this is a sen-
 sational story gotten up by his Dayis) jealous political enemies to injure him at | uOlic, tildt tliCic ID IO tiuth III it Wiiot- ever and that he stands ready at all | times to defend his action in regard to the bill."
 Davis Questioned During Senator Davis appearance be- fore the committee today Representative Robinson of Arkansas, a member of the committee. inquired: "Is this a contin- gent fee?"
 "I have absolute as well as contin- gent fee," replied the senator. Representative Pickett: Does the con- | tingent fee involve favorable considera- ton by Congress?'
 Senator Davis "I can't say. If the title Is conferred upon the state of Arkansas it gives the levee board a much better standing
 It Is said that the St. Francis levee
 board is board appointed by the gov erner of the state of Arkansas. The
 board bases It's claim to the land on a grant from the state. which received it's title from the federal government under the swamp act of 1850.
 The interior department in December, 1908, made a ruling that the original sur veys of this land were incorrect, and that the title to the land had led the fed- eral government to accept compromise which practically was reverting to the United States government and the state of Arkansas in 1908.
 Following this decision large number of settlers moved in on the land.