AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN F. LACEY 423 



pressed by my earnestness and be promised to examine 

 the bill. 



He did so and it was called up again. Senator Sher- 

 man arose and said that "This was the same bill that he 

 had objected to, but that he had taken pains to carefully 

 examine it and withdrew all objections and hoped the bill 

 would pass." This statement prevented any further 

 objection and the bill passed. It was then after eleven 

 o'clock and the Congress adjourned sine die at twelve. I 

 hurried back to the House, Mr. Reed put me on the com- 

 mittee on enrolled bills as a temporary additional member 

 to hasten the enrollment of some delayed bills, and I took 

 pains to get this bill in the hands of President Harrison 

 just in time for him to sign it, four minutes before twelve, 

 it being the last bill signed in the Fifty-first Congress. 

 But it was too late for an appropriation in that session 

 and before the next session a great explosion occurred in 

 Indian Territory mines by which sixty-seven men were 

 killed or badly wounded. 



At the next session President Harrison sent a special 

 message to the Congress asking an immediate appropria- 

 tion to put the law in operation, and it has since been in 

 successful operation without amendment and has proved 

 a great blessing to the miners there. 



Though many of the miners of Iowa have always a 

 strong tendency to populism and visionary monetary 

 schemes, yet they have treated me with kind consideration 

 because of this bill. Though it is not likely that it gained 

 me any votes among them, it disarmed active hostility 

 and no doubt has been of personal advantage to me. 



