El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-05

bill passed the house by a two-thirds
majority. Blaine gave me the chance
TO speak. 1t was o'clock in the afer-
noon on the day of the Nellie Grant
Sortoris wedding and Ithe house was
anxious TO get away and my friends
urged me not TO attempt TO speak. but
| sid the speaker had given me the
time and 1 would make the trial. It
is no easy thing to speak in that house
of representatives.
New Mexico Near Statehood.
But | was fun OF my subject and
L had good voice and was big enough
TO be seen. Well the bill passed. 1t
went over to the senate anJ passed
there, but there was an amendment
lacked to it which caused its being
lest in the house."
story of the defeat of the New Mexico
bill A combination had been arranged
by which both Colorado ard New Mex
leo should be admitted Then Julius
c. Burrows now senator but then rep
resentative from Michigan. delivered
an old-fashioned bloody. shirt speech
which aroused the southerners. Dele
gate EIkins afterward went to Bur
rows and shook hands with him. with
the result that Colorado then was ad-
mitted as a state, but New Mexico was
not
Remained in East.
You did not so back to New Mexico
after leaving congress-
No. replied Elkins, I remained
IN Washington for a couple of years.
There were so many big interests in
the west that required the service of
a lawyer who understood the west
that I found it paid me well TO stay in
Washington and attend to them I
rr-1 -aI =
mining and western lands. I had
looked into the questions of titles and
]. was thoroughly UP in the affairs Sof
New Mexico. The first year i stayed
here I made $50 600 from my law
business alone and the second year /
did equally well. I decided, however.
to leave Washington and go to New
York. Senators Thurman and Ed
munds and others of my friends urged
me to stay. but I told them that while
/ did not think I would ever degener-
ate into lobbyist if 1 remained in
Washington and while my practice be-
fore the supreme court. congresa snd
the departments was perfectly legiti-
mate and profitable. I did not care to
continue it here, and I believed there
was a better and more satisfactory
field for me in Jew York And so I
left. Well. in New York 1 found plenty
to do
I got into business in railroads and
otherwise and I have been there ever
since. OF late years, however. 1 have
been concentrating my energies in West
Virginia and senator Davis and myself
are doing all we can to develop that
state and its resources
Friend OF New Mexico.
Senator Elkins was a consistent adj
vocate of statehood for New Mexico
and nearly got statehood in 1876. It
is believed by his friends that ru-
mors regarding the marriage of his
daughter and the duke of Aoruzzi
was>a source of much embarrassment
TO him. although he never showed it
Much legislation was in his charge
and he served on many important com
mittees in the senate. He had charge
Of the Hepburn rate bill and admins
tration bill of 1910. He was on the first
committee to investigate the high cost
of living, and the .4rst that suggested
the use Of government engineers in
building the Panama canal Among the
bills. to his credit is the Elkins rate
bill and many railroad and tariff
amendments