The Alaska citizen., 1910-07-23
Wickersham' s Reply

Wickersham s Reply
 On rising to reply Delegate Wick, ersham was greeted with tremend. ous enthusiasm. He stood for a mo. ment and then said: Well, what of it? Did you ever see such a bot tie of the milk of human kindness be- fore"' Uaughter).
 Commencing his speech Mir. Wick ersham declared himself to be a Roosevelt Insurgent Republican, and said that he was voting before L. P. Shackleford was out of long clothes, and didn't owe any allegiance to the interests represented by Mir Shackle- ford He was elected by the peo- pie and went to Washington to do his duty by them. When he got there he found Hoggatt had preced- ed him and had already got in the | first knock, by saying that he was using the government lines for po- litical purposes. When he saw the secretary regarding the charges against him he was shown a tele- gram which he had sent to Washing ton, signed by 16 newspapers of the territory, asking for an elective ter ritorial legislature; and that was the sum and substance of his sin.
 Well-Pad Lobbyists.
 Hoggatt, Abe Spring and others were at that time staying at the Willard hotel at s20 a day, and all of them began to knock and attempt to stop him in the performance of his duty as delegate (cheers). They also sent for Governor Clark, who deserted his post to go to Washington and fight him. Malice and spleen were evident in all directions, and motives were imputed to him which had never even occurred to him. Fink was also there talking around the corridors and seeking to prevent the passing of his bill for miners lien. The delegate said that the bill would never have passed had it not been for the influence which Senator Jones of Washington and Senator Frazier of Tennessee brought to bear upon the colleague of Senator Guggenheim, of Colorado, who had been selected to down the bill in the senate.
 | The Lien Law.
 The bill was sent to the attorney general in June, 1909, and went through with the amendments he had made therein. Marshal Love had been asked for his opinion at the delegates special request. The dele gate had prepared the mining law himself. He said that he stood alone against the lobby who were opposing the bill. Hoggatt and dozen oth- CTS were there, and last, but not least, Abe Spring, mayor of the city of Fairbanks" added the delegate. And now they say he is an arch ene- my of Alaska because he fights, be- cause of his strife. What did he go to Washington for if not to fight, or Abe Spring, or any of those who went to Washington and stayed at the best hotels at a great expense. He said that if they went back again to Washington and interfered with his business there would be another fight. Send Orr--h. won't fight. Ed would do just what he was told. The interests that Orr would represent would be cared for and there would be no fighting. But he, Wickersham, would fight them as long as they were wrong. He had been greatly honored at Washington. Even the president of the greatest country of the world had sent letters to Gov. Clark in an attempt to prevent his reelection as delegate. He told the audience how, when he first went to Washington the delegate from Alaska came last in the pro cession, after the representatives from Porto Rico and Hawaii. But that was all changed now Joe Can non was not in it now with the del , egate from Alaska. He felt honor , ed by opposition. He knew the pres ident.
 : The Beveridge Bill.
 , The president had been listening