Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-07-11
CAMERON REPLY
TO IRWIN PUTS
SERIES in DARK

Senator Ralph H. Cameron's spirited
lreply on the last day of congress to
the serial article attacks of VIII Ir-
win which appeared in recent editions
of the Los Angeles Times, forced far
tacular attempts of Irwin to throw
aspersions upon the activities of the
hardy senator in the Grand canyon OF
the Colorado during the pioneer days
of the great southwest.
| In his address the senator gave an
| account of his early life in Arizona,
which equals in courage and fortitude
the experiences of almost any of the
more heralded of American frontiers
men and attains the epic in many in
, stances He gives a history of his
work in the canyon and shows stephen
T. "Borax" Mather, director of ma
tional parks, and the "bejeweled ra-
! jah and oriental despot," Harry
Chandler, editor and publisher of the
Times. and landlord in the Mexican
state of Lower California, among the
sinister influences" behind the
Cameron and the Colorado" articles
Senator Camerons address follows
| "Mr President: / rise to point or
personal privilege to discuss a care
fully prepared attack against me
which is being conveniently released
through the columns of the notorious
Los Angeles Times Tie members of
this chamber, as well as other proml-
nent people throughout the United
I Ixy mil nh
with these so. called special articles
by one Will Irwin. At the outset,
! Mr. President, want to brand this
we'll devised, carefully written story
of my connection with the Colorado
river as the blackest, most damnable
| lie that ever came from the pen or
any writer / shall not burden the
senate with too much detail, but as
my personal integrity and that of my
many friends and associates has been
attacked by these sinister influences
/ through the well known pen of Bill
Irwin, 1 must recount the history OF
my connection with the Colorado
river, and after that shall draw back
| the curtain from the real stage ana
describe the actors who have perform
ed in perpetrating this blackmatl
scheme which, of course, will fail to
obtain the results desired by those
perpetrating it.
| Mr. President, I was born on the
rocky coast of Maine. 1 am sorry to
say that 1 never enjoyed the benefits
of a good education, but through the
! long years of my life I have, in
measure, graduated from the school OF
hard knocks. At an early age drifted
to sea as a fisher boy, where I spent
some five years in that hazardous vo-
cation.
One day while having hurried
| lunch at the Boston Common I was
reading "Powells Exploration of the
Colorado River" and in consequence.
after many ups and downs I found my
self slipping from freight train at
little flag station in the Territory
of Arizona now known as Flagstaff,
which, in the ensuing years, | helped
to build, improve and develop. Those
were the days of the real west with
it's broad open spaces. The inhabi-
| tants of Arizona were few and far
between with the exception of ln-l
dams, desperadoes, coyotes and wild
game Flagstaff is some 70 miles
| from the Grand canyon of the Colo
RADIO.
In the course of months I was Sc
lected as a scout for an exploration
party headed by the president of the
Lord and Aver Tie and Timber com
rany to scout the rim in the vicinity
Of the canyon with a view of locating
various timber belts. My first contact
with the canyon prior to that time was
in the company of a well known IN
dian scout. 1 scaled it's walls. cross
ed it's mighty canyons and ravines
ard, at first hand. gained VIDE
knowledge of what it really was.
From that day to the present time
that great chasm, which thus far is
unexplainable, has been a part OIL
my existence. I have lived in it, with
it, and for IT. during all these years.
Some 40 years ago I staked out GER
tain mining claims, worked them ana
held then, in good faith, and added
additional claims thereto in the course
of years. In those early days we pl"'
neers and prospectors gave but little
attention to the technicalities of titles
We had a code of honor among our
selves In fact, we were our own law.
1t is difficult for the caSual Ieduei |
10 appreciate 1T this time the stat"
Iof mind OF those God fearing men
ana women who endured the hazarts :
and harIshirs of frontier life. and,
Iconsequen.!y it is an easy matte: fer
S,n astute writer, after a span uf some
40 years, to take up the, threads Of va
rious events in the long life Of con-
structive, energetic, pioneering pros
pector aud weave a story t2 suit his
evil purpoe4 end get it over to the
gullible public. This. Bill Irwin has
done to perfection; it i'll becomes a
writer of his caiibre, heretofore known
as one of ethics, to prostitute his rep
utation as he has done in this instance.
ReferripgA back to my connection
with the canyon as the years passed
/ developedEcertain prospective Mines
some of which sold and others l
! Sixteen Years Ago II
lie FE-K h