The herald., 1897-01-13

/, l aOOul lnt ilttttIS tOutnCV ukJOH III TIC
. printed assault, because he wanted tho
'antidote to go with the poison" He
went on to denounce Mr.. Mcguire as
wanton and malicious in disregard of
the rights of members. He also referred
to the fact that a st. Louis correspond
ent had telegraphed to his paper that Mr..
Mcguire was going to expose the 'Skel-
etons in his closet to show that this
was no sudden burst of wrath on the
part of Mr.. Mcguire. He further said
that he had received q telegram saying
that Mr.. Hearsts paper in San Fran
cisco had already printed Mr.. Mcguire s
remarks and the charges made.
"It is" Mr.. johnson said, Just as well
for me to face this matter now as ater.
and meet the coWardly insinuations made
! against me at the dictation of William
r. Hearst. 1t is true that thirty years
| ago l was in trouble in New York; that
l was indicted; that went to California
to rear a new home and live down the
past; but it is untrue that l went under
an assumed nsme.'
| He went on to describe how he had
worked in Sacramento to make amends
for the past. His voice shook as he told
| how by the blessings of God and the
help of his good Wife" he had at last
! been able TO pay back every dollar of
what he owed. The house greeted him
with hearty applause.
Continuing he told how, ever since
1873 he had returned each year to Syra-
cuse and had been received there at the
scene of his youthful indiscretion. He
| told of the honors he had been accorded
/ in California, where the story was
/ known. but it remained for the man
! from the Fourth district of California
! (Maguire) to delve like ghoul into the
/ past in order to disgrace his Wife's fam
! ily"
Il tell this" he said. ito show that 1
am not ashamed of my life; that l have
not concealed this blot upon it. Can
every man in this house and this country
say as much? In Sacramento I have
built up name and family any man
might be proud Of"
Irl 1896. Mr. johnson continued, he had
been again nominated and although the
bitterest fight ever known had been
against him. he had carried every cleo
ton district in Sacramento and had car
ried the county by 1900 He had been
most viciously attacked by editorials
and caricatures by this person called
Hearst" The honored speaker of the
house and Mr.. Boutelle had been SINH
larly attacked while visiting California
last summer. but the attacks upon them
had been but the drippings of a brook
beside Niagara as compared with those
on him.
He said copies of the paper had been
sent to his (Johnson's) wife. while she
lay on q bed of sickness, in danger OF
death. and the caricatures and editorials
had been put in envelopes as correspond
ence, that she might not fail to get them.
He asked: rs it wonderful that
struck back when the opportunity came?
Is there any man WHO would do less. ex-
cept the gentleman from California,
James G.. Maguire?'
He knew that he would be attacked
but did not expect it to BE- in such an
infamous, underhand, cowardly manner
There was a race in Ireland called in
formers" There We're hired assassins
in Italy and paid spies in Russia. but
any one of them would have scorneS to
do what the gentleman from California
had done.
Referring to his attack on Mr.. Hearst, |
he said EVERY charge [ made is cap |
able of proof l do not shelter myself |
behind my constitutional privilege. |
Everything l say as a member of con- !
gress l am responsible for as a citizen |
personally and financially
IN dramatic way Mr.. Johnson ap |
pealeG to to the chivalry of the men,
bers from the south. whether their con- |
stituents would not tell them to repudi- |
ate such attacks on hwother member. |
Then in an equally dramatic manner.
he turned to the Republican side ana |
appealed to those from the north. He |
appealed to the patriarch of The house,
Mr.. Grow of Pennsylvania, to know
whether in all his experience he ha4 |
known a man to be attacked in such an
Indecent, unjust. unmanly way.
Mr. Cooper of Wisconsin had attacked |
him and accused him of being coward |
ly because he had assailed a man be
hind his back. Yet. Mr. Hearst, safely |
ensconceG in New York. sent orders to
California. $500 m lies away, to have him
caricatured and abused.
IF either the gentleman from Wis
consin (CoOper) or the gentleman from |
California (Maguire) think ! am cow
ard. let them repeat to me outside this
chamber the charges made inside and
their curiosity will be appeased."
In conclusion he said: There is
statute of limitation in every civilized
nation against crime. Is it right to 60
back thirty -four years and unlock the
secret chambers ana bring out the skal-
etons of my past and shake them be-
fore people; to forever throw at man
the follies and crimes of his youth?
Should there not be statute of limita-
tion against tnis? oh! may the day
come in this nation when men will be
judged solely by their acts in the pres
ent and no man, no newspaper. will
delve into his past and bring sorrow to
his wife, his children and to the gray
hairs ne has earned in building up =
good name"
There was deep silence when Mr.. Ma
suire rose TO reply. He began: - never
printed anything. / never asked any
man to print anything, | never said any
thing anywhere that | am not willing
TO repeat before any man myself Last
week one of the most remarkable, in
decent. malicious speeches ] ever heard
anywhere was made here against a man
absent from this place not even able
to lift up his voice to say nay in this
presence"
He related that he had prepared tn.
addition to his speech which Mr.. john
son objected TO, had endeavored to get
Friday and Saturday to de-
liver i. and on Monday had asked the
speaker if he could not deliver ii as i
matter of personal privilege. but had
been refused. He had not other way 20
make a defense Of the man who had
been SO unjustly attacked. The only
difference between the speech on the
floor and the one in the record was that
the latter was mild in comparison. In
the part or the speech to which Mr..
Johnson objected none could findi any
thing urparliamentary, but the descrip-
tion fitted Mir. Johnson as the man who
had SO coWardly attacked the boyhood
of another.
He Whines." Mr.. Mcguire continued
He thinks only of himself He does not
think of the grief and anguish until It
strikes himself. Why didnot he think of
these things when he made the attack
on another who was not present and was