Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-09-21
COLONEL JAMES HAMILTON LEWIS
ms Distinguished Was.a.agtan Orator
| spoke Here "Wednesday Night

wednesday evening the citizens If
kathdrum and vicinity gathered al
the court house TO listen To James
Hamilton Lewis of Washington state
on the issues Of the campaign from a
democratic standpoint. The court
room was crowded to its utmost capac-
1 ity with members Of beth political
parties The meeting vas presided
4 over by j. &. Gaia han. who introduced
Attorney Goodc Of spokane. and whu
in turn introduced Mr.. Lewis IN a
few brief remarks.
Mr.. Lewis was on his way east to
engage in campaign work, cunseuupnt-
~ his listeners were privileged TO hear
the speech James Hamilton has pre-
pared for the voters on The Atlantic
slope.
James Hamilton Lewis is an orator.
one who has an excellent command OF
the English language HIS delivery is
good. and his self confidence is su-
preme. Yet there is one essential
lacking in all his public uttelances-
good, sound logic. II is simply child
play for Mr.. Lewis to clothe a beauti-
lul sentiment in beautiful language,
or transport members Of his faith to
ethereal realms Of oratorical bliss, but
1t IS mental impOssibility for him to
/ marshal a force OF incoutroyeuible
facts that will carry dismay and con-
Sternation into the enemy's ranks, or
enlist new recruits beneath his ban
ner. 1t is no trouble for j. Ham TO
dllate upon the dire calamity that
awaits the common people as the re-
suit Of the baneful Influence Of the
trusts, but IL is beyond his scope 0f ia
genuity to devise a remedy for their
destruction or curtalment Of power.
Nebster's unabridged, coupled With
most any one to tell an audience that
10 United States senators are con-
trolied by the Standard Oil trust. but
it goes a very short distance in deter
mining their political status For al
j. Ham'S audience could determine
from his broad assertion. every one Of
those 10 senator's may be democrats.
Then how in the name OF common
Sense could the people expect any
remedial legislation through demOc-
racy? The chances are ten to one
that hoy tS FIl,a
are too great to risk the experiment,
Mr.. Lewis.
James Hamilton die not have mach
to say on the silver question. What a
golden opportunity he let slip to eX-
plain democracy's position on that
issue, and why their paramount issue
Of only four short years ago has been
relegated to the seventeenth place in
this years national platform.
But it was on the paramount issue
OF 1900 that James Hamilton opened
his fiood-gates of oratorical eloquance.
In glowing phrases he did picture
the terrible crime the American peu-
pie We're perpetrating by fastening the
yoke Of tyrannicdl oppression around
the necks of the struggling and patri-
otic Filipino. Srathingly did he re-
Duke the republican administration
for, as he said, entering into coyen-
ant with he'll To deprive the people of
the Philippines of those beae 6ts OF
life, liberty and the pursuit OF sap
piness. which our own people SO free
ly enjoy. But as usual J. Ham. did
not tell his aud fence how nor when
the democratic party proposed to be-
stow upon those people the right Of
government. But the truly ridic-
ulous part of Mr.. Lewis speech was
his attempt to prove Theodore Rose
welt one-time anti-eXpanSionist, be-
cause that gentleman in print opposed
Thomas Benton's policy Of anneXing
Texas by force Of arms, and also be-
cause Mr.. Roosevelt did not think we
would have been justified In acquiring
British Columbia at the time Of the
"tifty-four forty or fight agitation.
But did Mr.. Lewis tell on what
grounds Mr.. Roosevelt based his oppo-
stion? Did he point out how radical
ly different were the conditions gov
erning the acquisition Of Texas and
British Columbia on the one hand and
the Philippines on the other: Not
much. James Hamilton VII fad Il 4
stupendous task to convince the
people that Roosevelt is a man Of IN
consistency by his extrayaEant ora /
tory.