The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-03-06
PROGRESSIVE SENATORS HOLD UP
RAID ON NATIONAL RESOURCES
GREAT EFFORTS TO PUSH SPECIAL THROUGH
LIBERALS MAY BE ABLE TO DELAY UNTIL, ADJOURN
MENT-GRoNNA MAKES PLEA FOR PEOPLE

MENT-GRONNA MAKE
With little more than week to run
before the present congress expires,
there is every prospect that. the great
Power Push" to. force the mineral
lands sale and leasing bill through
the senate will fail. "A dozen high
priced lawyers are rushing about the
capitol corridors, dashing in and out
Of senator's offices, and sending long
kilograms to the oil and coal mag
mates who stand to win scores of mill
ions if the deal goes through. But
there are half a dozen senators watch
ing the game, and every time that
Pittman Of. Nevada tries to slip the
conference report through he discov-
|ers that La Toilette, or Norris, or
Kenyon, or some other enemy of the
special interests in on his feet, ready
to- talk the bill to standstill for that
day. @ ...
A curious development of this fight
is the opposition Of Smoot to the con-
ference measure. Smoot is the arch
enemy Of conversation. He hates the
very mention Of public ownership or
public development of oil or coal
lands, or phosphate deposits, or water
power. For 10 years he has been
working away, in the public lands
committee, to pry loose the riches of
the public domain for strictly private
benefit. And although he was salts
fled with the fake leasing clause in
passed a year ago by the senate, he
has come out at the last moment and
refused to sign this conference report
on the ground that it includes 1eas-
ing clause that might possibly be put
into effect. More than that, the sale
clause provides for bidding on the
value of the coal or other minerals
involved, so that a secretary Of the
interior who was sincerely anxious to
give the public a square deal nright
charge something near fair price
for the, land. That, in Smoot's view,
is anarchy. ]
Progressives Stop Action !
~ La FGs. Sc and < ehyon, hoWeSs Il 4
! did not leave matters TO Sn'oot. 7 hey
knew him to we'll. They stay on the
floor at all times when it might be
possible for Pittman to get leave to
take a snap vote on his bill. And mo-
body is quite sure as to Shoots real
motive. It seems likely that he knows
that the progressives will not permit
the measure to pass, and he wants to
take credit in the coming congress
for getting through bill that will be
far more generous to his friends IN
Wall Street. He will be chairman Of
the public lands. committee, and al
the corporation lobbyists will have to
come and ask him for whatever they
want. Smoot is fond of holding au-
thority in his own hands. s..
But meantime the people of this
country are being saved, by small
group Of progressives in the senate,
from the most fragrant case Of throw
ing away public property which has
threatened them since the days Of
the western railroad land grants, the
days when millions were spent in the
national capitol by Stanford, Croker
and Huntington and their agents.
This rotten bill was passed by the
house, after sharp debate, February
rs, by vote Of 232 to 100. Scarcely
La Democrat voted against it while
the Republicans were divided. Among
those voting with the Democrats on
this issue were Fess, Fordney, Foss,
Johnson Of Washington, Miller Of
Washington, La Toilette Of Washing
ton, al the California delegation, hte
Oregon delegation, the Idaho dele
cation, Mondell of Wyoming, and Re
publicans from Colorado and Ne
braska. Among those who voted in
the negative were Baer and Young Of
North Dakota, Miss Rankin Of Mon
tana, Anderson, Lundeen and Davis
Of Minnesota.
Gronna Speaks Against Bill &
! When Pittman brought the measure
10 III the senate for the second time,
Senator Gronna took the floor.
81 am NOT IN physical condition" he
said, & to occupy the time of the sen
ate ia opposition of the measure. I
simply wish sto state briefly that am
VERY much opposed 70 that adoption of
Ithe conference report, and I shall also
have read "a my time q letter from
Mr. Clifford Pinchot.
aMr. President, we are now nea1
] the end Of this session. We have be-