The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-21
COURT TO OPEN.
Judge Williams, One of the Old
Line Federal Judges,
Is In Town and Talks In Live
ly Manner
ABOUT WAR ISSUES.
Says United States Should
Hold On to Philippines.
Doesn't Appear to Remember
Prominent Kansas Officials.

John A. williams, the Arkansas
judge came to Topeka last night. He
is disposing of miscellaneous matters
IN the federal court today, and tomor-
row will hear the application Of the
Connecticut Fire Insurance company
for a temporary injunction restraining
Insurance Commissioner Webb BIcNau
from revo1ing its license to do business
in the state.
Judge williams is quite forgetful.
When reference was made to the hear
ing tomorrow he had to think several
minutes before he could remember that
he had granted a temporary restrain
ing order in the case in Colorado. In
surance Commissioner Webb McNall he
says he never heard of as far as he can
remember and knows nothing about.
He is almost as ignorant as regards
Governor Leedy, although he of course
knows he is the governor of the state
and has heard that he is the man who
refers to him as the "Arkansaw judge"
in his speeches.
but that doesn't concern me at all"
said Judge Williams today referring to
Governor Leedy's affectiOnate appeIIa-
lation. "All I have to do is to go on
attending to my personal duties, and 1T
doesn't concern me at all, not at all,
not at all. sir
Judge Williams is in one respect like
Buffalo Bill. It is not in appearance.
for Judge Williams is short and heavy
and has white hair and beard. It is in
the opinion he holds on the question of
territorial acquisition by the United
States Judge Williams uses the south
ern Sir in his conversation, and is a
good type Of the southern gentleman of
ante bellum days, very pronounced and
fOrceful in his views
Now there are just three things that
make a nation great, said he this |
morning They are agriculture man |
ufactures and commerce. We have |
gone about as far as we can with the |
first two, don't you see, sir, and now we !
must reach out for the third. Hang on |
to the Philippine islands and Porto I
Rico, let the Cubans govern themselves |
il they prove capable, which I very |
much doubt, sir, and if they can't gov
ern themselves, annex the island. That's /
what we want to do in my opinion, sir. |
Yes sir, that's it.
Some people talk of international |
trouble as a result he continued. |
That's all bosh,- sir, all bosh There !
will never be international trouble now I
in which the United States will be en- |
gagged We opened the eyes of the pow /
ers during the war with Spain, and now |
sir they're afraid of US, afraid of US, yes |
sir. And why shouldn't they be afraid |
of US I'd like to know, sir. Look at what !
we did. When war was declared we had |
a standing army of $4,000 men and in
side of so days this had been increased /
to 200 600 men armed and equipped
Think of that sir. How can they help |
but be afraid OF us, Ell sir? No other /
country in the world could have done |
the same thing. No international trou--
bic at all, sir, not at all.
Judge Williams was on a subject he i
liked to discuss and he went on.
when the American flag is once |
hoisted it should never be hauled down.
point in the whole business. We have |
hoisted it over the Philippines and Por-
to Rico, and it ought never to come
down. No sir, it ought not. We don't
want Cuba unless we have to take it; |
worthless set at the best are the Gu
bans, yes sir. We didn't send an ar
my over there with the purpose of ac-
curing the island, but I believe we'll |
eventually have to take it. Too bad
too. sir, yes sir. But those Cubans will |
never be able to maintain a govern
ment, and Wen be forced into annexa-
ton. That's about the size of it sir.
Shrewd work of President Mckinley in
Warding off a recognition of their indie /
pendence. indeed it was sir, for now we
would have had the entire debt to pay.
Mckinley is no fool not bit of it, sir.
''And then they talk about President
Mckinley and Secretary Alger being re
sponSible for the neglect to soldiers.
Simply ridiculous, sir, that's all. What
could they have done more than they
did2 Not a thing, no sir. not a thing.
troops who were at fault. That's it.
the men directly over the troops If
there was any neglect they are respOn-
sible. Yes sir that's my opinion"
Don't you think there has been much
unnecessary complaint from the sold
iers2" said one of the men in the room
who had been listening to Judge VIII
liams' expansion theories
'.Ah, that's where you hit, yes sir, hit
it straight" said the judge. It was
three years and a half in the war, and
we had no comforts at all. sir, none at
all We simply had to take things as
they came. We had nc time for com
planning. for we were fighting, that's
what We were doing. yes SIR
Judge Williams went out to Judge
Fosters home at noon today. He will |
endeavor to persuade Judge Foster to
go to some health resort and there re-
main until his health improves. He is
Foster win never be able to again take
up actively the work of the federal !
court.