The Alaska citizen., 1915-07-05


 for the adoption of such a plan in Alaska and thereafter worked earn estly for the passage of the bill. | He reported it with amendments to the full committee when it was | fully considered and MT. Lenroot instructed to report it favorably with the recommendation that it do pass. That report II. R. Report No. 12S0. was drawn by the delegate from Alaska, signed by Mir. Lenroot and printed January II, 1915. The bill came before the house of repre- sentatves for consideration on Feb ruary Is, on the unanimous consent calendar, but Representative Mann, of Illinois, objected to it's passage by unanimous consent, saying:
 "Of course. it is almost self-evi- dent, maybe not quite, that this bill will not become a law at this session of congress, owing to the situation in the senate, and it seems to me that a bill of this character. involving the question and, l might say almost d novel proposition, ought to be discussed somewhat in the house, and not passed by unanl- nous consent without any consider ation''-and he objected to con- sideration by unanimous consent and the bill was allowed to stand over for future action of the house It came before the house again week later but again ob- jection was made this time by Rep resentative Norton, of North Dakota.
 The 63rd congress was then draw. ing to close. and the situation in the two houses was such that only heroic remedy could save the bill from defeat. If it could be reported favorably in the senate and passed there. with it's favorable report in the house. it might be saved, so an effort was made to secure thar action.
 As boy in 1877 l entered an of flee in Springfield, Illinois, and took up the study of law. In an office nearby another young fellow named Tom Sterling was similarly engaged We studied together and passed through the same general course which led to admission to the bar upon a sue cessful examination before the su- preme court of the state After admission we went west to grow up with the country and it thus hap pened that when the opposition to my school bill seemed to doom it to defeat I turned to Hon. Thomas Sterling, |. s. senator from South Dakota for help. He was prom inent member of the Senate Con- mittee on Public Lands, and at my request he introduced the bill in the senate in the same form that it was recommended for passage in the house. When the senate committee met to consider the bill l was pres ent to explain it's provisions and to urge it's favorable report. Senator Shoot of Utah, a member of the committee, criticised me for taking up the time of the committee when, as he declared, every one knew there was no possible chance to get the bill passed by the senate, even if it were favorably reported, before the 63rd congress must adjourn on the 4th day of March. l plead with him and the members of the con- mittee to report it favorably anyway, since favorable report would be of great assistance before the next congress. even if We failed to pass it in this. Senator Shoot finally withdrew his objection and at 12 o'clock, noon, just as the senate was converting in regular session the committee voted to report it favorably and instructed Senator Sterling to make the report and take charge of the bill. Five min utes later Senator Sterling stood on the floor Of the senate with the very short but favorable report ;r, of at the machinery of legislation does of the morning hour and it so hap pened now Instantly Senator Ster- ling asked leave to report the bill and thereupon moved that the rules be suspended and the bill passed, and when Senator Shoot came in a moment later he was surprised to find what he had declared to be impossible in that congress was done-our bill had passed the senate and was on it's way to the house for passage But for the happy acci- dent and Senator Sterling's square chin the bill might not have passed before another congress.
 When the senate bill was received in the house it was referred to the committee OH 1uDllc LdluS dlu we secured immediate action there, for the senate bill was identical with the house bill formerly ap- proved and favorably reported, and on February 27 favorable report was ordered on the senate bill which was signed by MT. Lenroot and thus we had both bills in the same language, favorably reported and on the house calendar for passage. Our effort now, of course, was to pass the senate bill, but about this time real estate man from Seattle, who was interested in a townsite in Alaska, renewed his opposition to the bill because he wished us to strike out the clause locating the college at Fairbanks, to which l refused to consent. He secured the active assistance of Representative | Falconer of Washington State who l left nothing undone to defeat the
 passage of the bill And here Speak 1 CT Clark came to the rescue. Under
 the house rules the speaker may recognize any member during the l last six days of the session to move | to suspend the rules and pass a i bill then favorably reported and on i the waiting calendar l explained our situation to the speaker and asked him to assist me by such rec
 ognition and he promised to do so. During those last days of the 63rd congress l waited for my turn and
 as the hours passed and the last