The SPEAKER. No amendment can be offered, as the [Crater Lake National Park] bill is not yet before the House. It is pending on a request for unanimous consent for its consideration. Is there objection?
Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I have hastily glanced at this bill, and I am not prepared to say that I would object to it if I had a little more time to examine it; but I will say to the gentleman that I notice that it prohibits settlement. I notice that it binds the United States to pay all cost and expense. I am not sure but what it binds the United States to extinguish title to any lands that may be owned. It puts a troop of soldiers in there–a superintendent, full fledged. I think that the bill ought to be considered in committee; and I suggest to the gentleman that he modify his request; that it be considered in the House as in Committee of the Whole. And it seems to me that if it could go over until Monday it would be better. I do not want to object.
Mr. BARTLETT. Let the gentleman withdraw his request.
Mr. LACEY. The suggestion that the gentleman from Illinois makes ought to be acceded to, and then these matters of detail could be speedily arranged. I do not think the bill would take very long in Committee of the Whole. It is not at all a complicated bill; and I would suggest to my friend from Illinois that this land is all from six to ten thousand feet above the sea. It is a very high altitude park.
Mr. CANNON. The Government owns all the land inside of it?
Mr. LACEY. The Government owns all the land.
Mr. CANNON. Every foot?
Mr. LACEY. I understand every foot of it. It is not a very difficult proposition. In Committee of the Whole these matters could be considered as separate propositions, and could be readily adjusted.
Mr. TONGUE. I make that request.
The SPEAKER. The gentleman modifies his request and asks unanimous consent that the bill be considered in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. CANNON. Just a word.
The SPEAKER. Is there objection?
Mr. CANNON. One word, Mr. Speaker. I suggest to the gentleman from Iowa that all after section 1 be stricken out. That reserves it as a national park and leaves to the future for Congress to say how it shall be made and policed. There it is; it is not suffering. I do not think this bill ought to pass in its present shape if it is desirable to make it a national park.
The SPEAKER. Objection is made.
Mr. LACEY. Does the gentleman object?
Mr. CANNON. Will the gentleman consent to strike out all after the first section?
Mr. TONGUE. I will not do that.
Mr. CANNON. I will have to object for the present. I do not want to be discourteous to the gentleman.
The SPEAKER. Objection is made.
The debate on the bill rested until April 21 when Tongue requested unanimous consent for reconsideration of the bill with amendments. Tongue agreed to a number of amendments: (1) the minimum penalty as stated in Section 3 was to be removed; (2) Sections 4, 5, and 6 were to be stricken from the bill; and (3) the restriction against mining in Section 3 was to be eliminated and a clause was to be inserted that the reservation would be open, under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, to “the location of mining claims and the working of the same.” After adopting these amendments the House passed the bill. [12]
