422 MAJOR JOHN F. LACEY 



the states and territories and also of England and her 

 colonies, and then prepared a short but effective bill for 

 the territories. The bill was delayed in the House, but 

 finally was reported favorably and passed. In the Sen- 

 ate I followed it up and obtained a favorable report and 

 it was placed upon the calendar. I pressed it for action 

 there but could not get it up until the last day of the last 

 session of the Fifty-first Congress. As I had been de- 

 feated for the Fifty-second Congress this day was my 

 last opportunity. It must all be gone over again in an- 

 other Congress. I went to the Senate and it was called 

 up and unanimous consent asked to put it on its passage. 

 John Sherman objected. I went to Mr. Sherman and 

 proposed to explain the bill and he declined to hear me. 

 Said he, "This is the last day of the session and this is too 

 important a bill to go through without discussion by 

 unanimous consent." I conceded the force of his objec- 

 tion but said I could explain the necessity in a moment, 

 but he said he had no time and could not hear me and must 

 insist on his objection. I replied with much feeling and 

 earnestness, "Senator Sherman, the passage of this bill 

 is imperatively necessary. Hundreds of human lives are 

 at stake. If this bill passes it will be of no personal ad- 

 vantage to you, but if it fails on your objection you will 

 not soon hear the last of it. There are many thousand 

 of miners in Ohio. If the bill passes they will recognize 

 that Congress has not neglected their brethren in the ter- 

 ritories. But if the bill fails because of your objection, 

 you will probably soon hear of a fearful slaughter by a 

 gas explosion and everybody will then demand of you to 

 know why you killed this bill. ' ' 



I struck the senator in the weak point. The rule in 

 the Senate is said to be that "No one cares what happens, 

 so that it does not happen to him," and the senator at 

 once saw what might happen to him, and was also im- 



