The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-03-18
NtWSy Letter From Records
Washington Correspondent

~~AS'nNoS, tHal tHt SeHeIdl
knowledge that he was to be the
leXt speaker, that he was greeted
by spontaneous outburst of applause
on the minority side. The hand clap
ping was taken up by the republi-
cans and It quickly swept through
the galleries.
Mr.. Clark was totally unconscious
1t first that he was the cause of
the demonstration, but when he
'eached his seat and became aware
chat it was tribute to him he
looked both surprised and abashed.
The secret Of this somewhat spec
tacular reception was very simple.
Wallace Bassford, who has been pri-
'ate secretary to Mr.. Clark for
some II years. and whose one rul-
ing passion is to see him elected pres
dent of the United States ''even IL
he should drop dead himself the next
minute" as he confided one day to
IN intimate friend, arranged the lit
lie scene. 1t was very simple too.
Just as Mr.. Clark was about to enter
he hall of representatives at the
stroke of IL, when congress convenes,
iassford plucked him by the sleeve
md told him that a constituent of
lis who had come from Missouri to
Stake his hand, was awaiting for the
'onor of word with him. Always
;onsiderate, Mr.. Clark stopped to
exchange pleasant word or two Will
us Missouri admirer, and while he
vas doing so the clock struck IL
and the doors were closed until af-
ter prayer. And that is how the
next speaker got his ovation"
THE WATER GAVE OUT
IT is more difficult now than it
Used to be to secure piece of gov
rnment land. AS the pubic domain
las been shrinking in area the govern
nent has grown more vigilant in
compelling observance of the law re
iatlng 10 the manner in which such
and may be secured. There was a
dme, however, when it was compare
lively easy for land grabbers TO
| get title to as much iand as they
wanted with the aid of few accom-
modating witnesses.
| Fred Dennett, commissioner of the
general land office, tells a story IL
Illustrating how this was sometimes
done, and showing incidentally that
there are men who have fine sense
OF the techniealaties of the law.
Under the desert land act it is
necessary, in order to prove upon a
claim, to produce evidence that the
claimant has taken water onto ey-
cry legal subdivision of his entry A
! certain claimant, says the commission
er, took q party of witnesses in
blackboard TO drive over his claim so
that they would be able to testify re-
sarding his compliance with the re-
quirements of the law. He was a con-
scientious man and wanted no one
to swear to anything but the actual
truth. He accordingly tied bottle
OF water behind the blackboard and
then he punctiliously drove over the
and and every legal subdivision
thereof. This being accomplished, the
witnesses were given blank forms to
fill out and they were about to make
affidavit to the allegations therein
set forth when one Of them stop
ped and pointing to the bottle, show
ed his comrades that the cork had
come out of 1t and all the water had
escaped
| Gentlemen" he said, i can't sign
this affidavit. How do you know that
there was any water in that bottle
when we drove over the claim?"
DEPEW AND THE OCCULIST
One Monday moring recently just
before the close of congress, Sena-
tor Depew stepped into the place
; of business of an optician, whom he
} had never before visited, to have a
broken lens in his eye glasses re-
placed. The optician took the glasses
between his thumb and forefinger
and musingly remarked:
"Ah, broken glasses. We have
many similar cases ON Monday morn
ings."