The Washington times., 1912-08-19

stance. the Government. We regarded
the Western Construction Company as
the Governments agents in this case.
I'm 1910 We noticed story in the pa
pcrs concerning the Shoshone dam, the
highest in the world" My brother
wrote a letter to the President stating
that it might be well to remember that
The highest dam in the world was built
with labor and materials paid for by
poor people. We received an answer
from Secretary Ballinger. He said there
was no law covering the subject and
our orly remedy was through an act
of Congress
I'VE took the matter up with attor-
neys in Washington and found they not
only wanted large sum in advance,
but also half of the claim recovered
We were the largest losers, and vol
unteered to come to Washington.
was here two years ago and again last
year. Senator Carter was aiding me,
but he died. Last August the bank
threatened to foreclose. ! wrote Senator
Dixon and he introduced the bill The
bank promised to walt before 1t took
our home.
Husband Gives UP Hope.
My husband abandoned hope when
the President vetoed the bill after it
finally passed this year. l have been
here since January. In the Senate the
bill passed over the Presidents veto.
hoped 1t would in the House. l trust
God will be more merciful to those men
who have fought the bill than they have
leen merciful to me.
Il have no hope of saving our busi-
ness or our home. The bank has been
waiting merely for this vote, after
threatening to foreClose. I have done
the bookkeeping at the store in order to
pay. the interest
Il must return there now and tell all
! these poor claimants that we have lost
that the lack of six votes in the House
has cost us our all. The Government
will recover from the bondsmen, but We
cannot.
Perhaps I shouldn't have broken
down right there in the House gallery.
| But I'm a woman. and I've been here
/ since January awaiting the final dispo-
| sition of this bill. 1t has been a long
| wait, when you consider that ! have
| three babies and sick husband back
| there in Butte.
Her Prayer Came True.
Just before l started East, my lit
tie girl, Dorothy. became desperately
ILL., We had five doctors with her One
night we thought she was dying. and
l prayed at her bedside. / told God
was willing to sacrifice everything we
had-if Dorothy were spared. 1t hasn't
anything to do with this, of course, but
| ! can't help but think how the prayer
| has come true. I'm going back to
Dorothy, but the savings of years are
| gone. and with 1t my home"
| That is the story of a woman who sat
unnoticed in the House gallery when an
| attempt was made to override the veto
of the President of the United States.
! On the floor below men talked of the
priority of claim against the bondsmen,
! of retroactive laws. of bad precedents,
and of the unwisdom of encouraging
! those Ignorant of the law to look to
| the Government for redress when the
| contractor on an irrigation project goes
bankrupt on a million-dolla contrace.
! CongrHssmen Smith of Texas, Hayden
| of Arizona, and Kinkead of New Jer-
sey, led the fight which resulted in tho
| failure to override the Presidents vet }
| Congressman Raker. of California, Laf-
ferty of Oregon, Mondeu of Wyoming
and Mann of Illinois, the latter thre&
Republicans, urged the House to over
! ride, BAT none of them told of tbs
woman in the gallery. Senators War
! rem, Dixon, and Myers Champion oned the
cause of the individual claimants in the
| Senate.
Did Little Lobbying.
| Mrs. Macdonald mas not lobbed in tbs