Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-07-14

to the tsCamerOn and the Colo
RADIO. articles of Will Irwin, to
stephen t. "BOrax" Mather, di-
rectiOn of the national parks,
and to 'sRajah" Harry Chandler,
editor and published of the Los
Angeles Times, in which news
paper the Irwin articles recent
IL appeared).
In the opening part of his address,
Senator Cameron told of his arrival
more than 40 years ago at the town
of Flagstaff, of the hardships of his
lie as a scout and a prospector in
the wild Grand Canyon country, OF
the stalking out of his mining claims
there, of the building of the first
shack on the rim of the great chasn,
of the building of the first wagon
road from. the Santa Fe railroad to
the canyon, of how Bucky ONeil,
the great pioneer, soldier and patriot,
and he constructed the first railroad
from Williams to the Grand canyon,
and how the powerful Santa Fe
railroad company entered the field,
determined to crush the pioneers in
, order to obtain control of the new
railroad and the surrounding coun-
try.
The address of Senator Cameron
continues:
They say l had no mining claims.
Mr.. President, my associates and 1
owned and operated mines in the
canyon for more than 13 years. We
realized only a fair profit because,
OF the crude transportation facilities
and hazards in getting ore out Of
the canyon. Consequently, built
the Bright Angel trail at an ex-
pense of something like $10O,O00
for the one purpose of furnishing the
needed burro transportation for the
ores from the mines below. AS the
builder Of the Bright Angel trail
from the rim to the bottom of the
canyon, naturally 1 have consider
able pride. The history of the fight
that followed between myself and
the Santa Fe Railroad company over
this trail is well known to every
Arizonan. am not unmindful of
the confidence and justice reposed
in me by that we'll known territorial
legislature when my titles were ap-
in the operation of the trail, which
1 later turned over to the county of
Coeonino, now enjoying revenues
therefrom. The congress is fam
iliar with the fights 1 have made
on this floor in which I sought to
protect Coconino county and my
friends from the damnable oppres-
sion Of these sinister corporations
who have grown fat from their
monopolies, who have their ten
taeles fastened around the canyon
itself, defying any or all who come
unless they bow to their will Yes,
Mr.. President, I who have dared to
expose them and their methods have
made it so hot that this new line of
attack on me is but a smoke screen
to cover their own rotten thievery
and plunder. The work of these
same sinister influences who sought
to take away from the county of
Coconino it's title to this trail, and
the attacks flowing from the Los
Angeles Times, are just another step
in their program of hammering away,
regardless of the time element, until
their every desire is satisfied.
At this point / desire to recall for
the benefit of the record that in 1906
this railroad corporation, with it's
copper-heads in the departments, in
Guiding the commissioners of the gen
eral land office himself, declared in
formal opinion that / had no rights
or titles to the Bright Angel trail.
l learned of this, borrowed money,
and came to Washington. After l
had repeatedly been refused any con-
sideration whatever on the part of
the interior department / personally
appealed to that great American,
President Theodore Roosevelt, who
listened intently to my side Of the
story. True to his well known char
acter, President Roosevelt ordered
that the secretary of the interior re-
call the decision Of the commissioner
Of the general land office and hear
in person evidence on the rights
and titles of the Bright Angel trail.
This was the elimination of the first
great struggle that 1 had over my
holdings in the Grand canyon. The
decision of the secretary of the in
terror is well known. 1t was a COM
plete vindication of my rights and
titles, and l was restored to the full
benefit thereof. 1t is easy to see,
Mr.. President the rub of this fight,
because the trail was being used by
tourists and the revenues therefrom
were known and were highly de-
sirable to the Santa Fe Railroad
company 1t is an easy matter for a
clever writer like Irwin to pick the
high spots and twist the facts, give
unfair differences and innuendoes
with the avowed purpose of mislead-
ing the public, but it is another
thing to have the real facts, which
| am now seeking to give, and is
quite another thing to resolve itself
into such decision that was handed
down as heretofore mentioned.
In these years of fight, any of
you can picture what 1 was up
against, as l had no money. / had
plenty of friends, but they were
without funds. These great giant
corporations had millions, which were
spent like water BY this continual