Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1918-03-07

fc ;. not To any appropriation In
1. "a 20 eommittal that appro-
D. laticns Of forty-iive million dollars
would be made. in the then coming
Tve years of flood control.
The bill then went to the Sonata
There ii had the same trouble IL first
met with in the house. except more 90,
In the house il had been possible to
get vote on any bill IL the rules com
mittee would consent; or sometimes
without it. In the senate, In those
days, there was no ciorure rule. Any
senator could object to the considera-
ton of q bill, and IL that did not stay
its consideration he could talk il to
death. II required the incest diplomacy
and the most interchangeable energy.
therefore. to put that bill--commonly
known as the RsnsdsIl-Humphreys bill
through.
Senator RansdaII. Of Louisiana. after
the death Of Senator Clark, had the
bill in charge. He was strongly In "a
vor Of the measure. but the opposition
to II on the committee was aise
strong. Senator Ne~isnds, Of Nevada.
had a rivers and harbors bill he was
greatly concerned about. which no
body but the senator could pass: but
he thought 90 very hard and he had 20
be pIacsted. All the spring and sum-
rer Of 1916 Senator Ransdsii. toying
with Senator NewIancs, kept the bin
In committee. Nothing appeared 20 be
doing. But all that while. Senator Var
daman. - Mr.. Humphreys had done In
the house, was sowing good seed in
good ground: buttonhoIinp his friends
in the senate-snd he has q great
many Of ther-teIlina them all about
the Mississippi river. rn tributaries.
and the s~ffulness Of its floods: the de-
struction Of property and the loos Of
life every year. from these fioods- He
was getting them. ere BY one. 20 lock
with favor upon the measure. and 60
others no Was saying. -H you can't help
me. fer Gods sake stay OF % T. !
know. senator. what this bill means 10
millions CT people. and you don't
Don't object when we call fer . con-
siderstion Of u; ard - my friend and
. lover Of fair play. oon-t-please cont
talk u &C 6esth.-
When congress reconveneo In De-
esroer. 1875. Mr. Rsns6zIl ~as sick.
All that month re ~ss az home ssek.
Senator Nsrcs-sn hso ssIo % him
months before: Senator. you have besn
60 long associates ~fsn tnls bill. yaa
are So familiar ~i;n rivers ard harbors
legislation. arc ~ virtue % your posi-
ten you are entities 20 ieaoershlp. But
! an greatly interested IN tire passaee
Of the biI. sno 90 10; want % zee u
/ 90 tire Nay IS predecessors have gone.
ana ! want - insist that ~e Get .
E committee report On !, and bring .:
before TIE senate. and n Gle a must, ses
u de s-fishsias. All I ash 10 that yeu
make the fsh; ard lie, me scotch for
YOU Knowing the Importance Of the
/ bill &C my people. a. I 90. I want 20
make the hardest fight ! have ever
MADE. for It's passage. when we have
/ done our best II ~e rail-. we have
but failed Let's fight"
working for that bill all the spring and
summer Of 1916. When December came
and Senator RsnsdaIl was sick. Senator
vsrdamsn was given charge Of the bill.
How he managed IL. we will let thoss
who were on the ground and sac the
fight cay.
WHAT BEN HUMPHREYS SAYS.
Mr.. Humphreys ssic the day the
bill passed the senate, and he said To-
day 20 tire writer Of this article: "a
do not want 10 take any credit from
others; Senator Ransdsli did good
work, and Senator Shields, Of Tennes-
will say this. and yoo may quote me
a. saying Il: Senator vardaman not
only did everything he could, but he
did most valuable and effective work.;
without his timely efforts and his per.
sonaI influences, . do not believe the
bill would have passed. There are no
ifs and ands about that. and nobody
should try TO take the credit from him.
SENATOR SHIELDS TESTIMONY.
Senator Shields, Of Tennessee, q
member Of the committee, said . fs~
days ago to the writer Of this article:
~ have no hesitaney in saying tina,
but for vsrdaman, the bill would never
have gotten out of the committee room
do not mean to disparaae othsrs; bu,
II was his fighting spirit his efforts
and determination that forced the com
mittee TO report the bill. and II wss
due TO his management and through
his personal Influence that II passed
the senate"
Reed, of Missouri and Sherman, q
Illinois, who favored the bill and
know to whom credit is due. will say
az much as Mr.. Shields has said, and
II 10 freely and openly admitted by sen
ators who opposed the passage Of tho
biIl-Norris. of Nebraska; Kenyon, Of
Iowa, and others. that but for the per
sonal Influence and indefstleable Of
fort Of Senator vardaman, the bid
I kssntIH kaAm n1~s~A