Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-28
Burton L. French Hits Back
AN OPEN LETTER.

Si1uS VI LiG GullOES I'll lllS El6lC hP0h
this question. but they represent q
feeling that is undoubtedly widespread.
from the letters that am receiving,
and ! am utterly unable to express my
gratitude to those who believe In the
square deal and fair play.
False Statement No. 8.
Trench has done nothing in Con-
gress."
Tho Truth.
It Is hardly worth while to answer
SO palpable falsehood as the forego-
ing. My work in behalf of every Sec
ton OF the state will bring prompt
denial from every honest citizen Of
Idaho. The work of Congress is large
work. Each member performs part.
No one man does 1t ALL" in spite of
claims of ambitious friends.
In the gid Congress. list Session, but
IS public bills were passed; just one
| for every eleven members of senate and
house; In the I'd session. only 296 bills,
or one bill for about every two mem
| bers; in the entire Congress 45I, bills,
or less than one for every member. Yet
passed two bills, had two others in
cluded as amendments to committee
bill, and passed bill that came from
the senate in lieu of still another, be-
sides helping to shape many other bills
that bore the names of other members.
In the Goth Congress, only $50 public
bills were passed, or less than one for
every member of house and senate
| Yet, I passed three, not including the
Carey Act Resolution, nor including
two other bills included in commit
tee BILL and many bills of private char
acter.
Many members have passed not a
single public bill in years, yet they are
among the hardest workers in Congress.
1t happens that numerous bills that
have drafted have become law, yet /
cannot even claim all credit for this,
for the senators have done their part
and in the present Congress an addi-
| tional member (Mr. SMITH, has CO.
operated with every energy in his
power.
| So with matters that bear the names
of senators and representatives from
states other than Idaho. Take our
/ fight for an appropriation to be used in
| fighting hog cholera In Idaho and other
| parts of the country and in interesting
the Agricultural Department in the
/ need of Idaho. Notwithstanding the
/ joke in Congress that every Agricul-
1 tural State Will have at least one sena-
4 tor or representative who will claim
/ that she did it ALL" the name of Sena-
tor Pomerene will receive most men
/ ton with the work. Senator Pomerene
/ introduced the bill appropriating $780,
! 600 to fight hog cholera, on November
! 18th, 1918. The bill passed the senate
on February 9Th, 1914, and passed the
house with an amendment adding $780,
4 600 to fight dourine, and this amend
ment was promptly concurred in by
the senate and the bill was signed by
the President on February Esd, 1914.
/ have devoted vast amount of time
| to this subject, and I wish could claim
credit for the entire work accomplished,
/ but / cannot. This would be false to
/ Senator Pomerene, the author of the
4 bill, and would be unfair to Senators
/ Borah and Brady, and Representative
! Smith. who did as earnest work as l.
! The fact is, WE ALL did our part. and
there is glory enough for all"
Take the Marble Creek homestead
matter. have faithfully presented the
rights of the settlers before the de-
partment on numerous occasions. Yet
the decision did not turn on me, but
was a departmental one and was de-
/ termined judicially. would wrong
7 the other members of the delegation to
ascribe too much praise to myself or
permit my friends to do SO, and /
would wrong the department to give
the impression that decisions on legal
matters are the result of political pull.
i The fact Is, we all tried to present the
settlers claims as best we could, just
/ as we are trying to protect the states
right of selection of lieu lands in forest
/ reserves to save the state from loss
and to save the rights of the settlers
on school land in the Occur d Alene
reservation.
/ could continue this indefinitely. In
truth, / am very proud of my work and
| am proud of the approval of the peo-
pie of Idaho when I have been can
didate before them.
i Some friends write me that do not
advertise enough, and this is probably
I true. am more interested In my
work than in exploiting 1t, and no pub
lie office ever appealed to me as worth
the price of false claims upon my part
any more than the property of my
neighbor seemed desirable enough for
me to obtain 1t under false pretenses.
4 Elsewhere / append an outline OF
some of my work for the convenience
of my friends,
False Statement No. 4.
Il French opposed reducing mileage OF
senators and representatives from 20
cents per mile to actual travelling ex-
4 penses."
i The Truth,
THE farepoipp Sfafapnapt In r0po
plete falsehood, and, think, deliber-
|, ately so, AS to the Mexican Resolu-
ton, there was room for honest mis-
take. AS to this statement, there is not