The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-01-26


State Editor Landis' Strong Plea
for ssPurity of Home Vermont
and Tennessee Congressman Give
Some ''Dry as Dust Arguments
Senator Quay, of Pennsylvania,
Again-Democrats Afflicted With
BOer Patriotism.
Washington Jan. 90 5-The Roberts
case has been the star attraction in
Congress this week 1t has drawn
great crowds, mostly women, to the
galleries at the south end Of the Capt.
tol. Its consideration was begun on
Monday and closed today. 1t is a
case the like of which never before
happened in our legislative history
and the like of which will in all hu-
man probability never again happen
The debate was opened by Mr.. Taylor,
of Ohio, chairman, of the special COM
mittee appointed at the beginning of
the session to investigate and report
on the right of Roberts to he sworn
in and if sworn in to hold his seat.
The committee agreed as to the facts
in the case, that is that Roberts is
polygamist, and that as such he could
not be permitted to sit as member
of the House, but they divided as to
the legal and proper course to pursue.
The majority reported that he should
not be permitted to take the oath of
Office at all, but that being ineligible
he should be excluded The minority
reported that he was clearly entitled
under the Constitution to take the
oath, but that he should be expelled
afterward because he is a polygamist.
The debate was opened by Mr.. Tay-
lor in a speech of two hours in favor
Of the majority report. He is man
of ability, learned in the law, and
made an able and ingenious argument
in favor of his own report. He was
followed by Mr.. Littlefield, of Maine,
the successor of the late Nelson Ding
ley. Mr.. Littlefield supported the
minority report, made by himself and
Mr.. DeArmond, of Missouri, the first
a Republican, the second a Democrat
It was Mr. Littlefield's maiden speech
in the House. 1t has sent him at once
to the front ranks of the men of
ability in Congress. Everybody who
heard him remarked that the State of
Maine had in him man who would
uphold the reputation given her by
the long line of eminent men she has
sent to Conrgess, of whom this genera
tion has knowledge of, Blaine, Frye,
Dingley and Reed.
Mr.. Littlefields speech was a legal
argument. 1t was the effort of great
lawyer before court of last resort.
He is tall lean man with a powerful
voice, distinct and pleasant to listen
to and certainly the most rapid talker
now in Congress Mr.. Littlefield's S
argument was not of the dry-as- dust
order. On the contrary he interspersed
his argument with biting wit and
humor tina illuminated his argument
like lightning flashed ON dark night.
Although he had the unpopular side
of the case he carried his audience
with him in spite of their prede-
termined opinions 1t was another
instance of men convinced against
their will remaining of the same
opinion still. No man that ever spoke
in the American House of Representa-
tives no matter what the occasion
nor how sympathetic his audience
ever held the attention of his auditors
more closely than did he, and he did
it because he compelled their atten-
tion. There was not in his entire two
hours speech single appeal to mere
prejudice. He addressed himself
wholly to the reason of his hearers,
though he did occasionally puncture
a fallacy of his opponents with shaft
of wit. His effort was one long ap-
peal for regular, orderly, legal and
constitutional procedure ON the part
of the House, and it is one that will
live in the history and traditions of
the House as long as it shall endure.
Next to Mr., Littlefeld, the best
speech i'll this unique case against
Roberts was that of Representative
Lands, of Indiana. Mr. Landis is
not lawyer. He is the editor of a
weekly paper at Delphi, Indiana.
"Purity of the home' was the key
note of his speech. He announced at
the outset that he spoke as layman,
not as lawyer. He cut straight
through the mesh of technicalities in
which the lawyers houndered and
differed. He sought to present what
he regarded as the essential facts that
convinced him that Roberts should
be kept out altogether, not admitted
and then expelled He took the floor
at an early hour yesterday afternoon
after the House had been made list
less by two dry dust legal argu-
ments by Mr.. Powers, of Vermont,
and Mr.. Snodgrass, of Tennessee, the
first fayoring the majority and the