The age-herald., 1900-02-26
LTTTLEFTELD IS
 THE COMING MAN His Wonderful Arguments Have Startled the Old Leaders MAJORITY BADLY ROUTED It is Doubtful if any Man on Republican Side is as Able to Sustain
 His Position as Lit
 tlefeld.
MAJORITY BADLY ROUTED

Washington, February 25.-(Specia1)- Though serving his first term in congress, Representative LittIefeld, of Maine, has al- ready gained a most enviable position as one of the strongest and most aggressive and most fearless men in congress. He thinks for himself and has the manliness to stand by his opinions regardless of the fact that he opposes the views of the majority of his party. He is republican, but not one that follows blindly the dictates of leaders who, though more experienced, are not as profound thinkers or as good law yers as he. It Is doubtful If any man on the republican side is as well prepared to sustain with logical argument the side he takes on any pending question. And he is not lacking in humor or in self-possession and readiness in debate. He studies a ques- tion carefully, makes up his mind as to what is the right of it and then without considering the result to himself or to his party proceeds to state his views and to defend them against all corners with signal ability. Such independence of action is naturally not pleasing to the strict parti- sans who follow party leadership blindly, but 1t gains their respect and admiration in spite of themselves, while the members of the democratic party welcome him ea- gerly as a new force. a potent quantity in legislative work. Such men as Iittlefeld may not satisfy the partisans of his own party, and they certainly do aggravats and disturb them, but they are helpful to good citizenship and must necessarily increase popular confidence in public men.
 Made His First Mark
 Thtlofio1d Arof rlr fp house by opposing the majority report on the Roberts case Accident gave him the opportunity. If Henderson. the speaker, had not named Littlefield for membership on the Roberts investigation committee he would had to have waited for the Porto Rican bill to show the stuff that is in him. After his great speech in favor of seating Roberts and then expelling him instead of excluding him, the men who disagreed with his views and the greater number who fear- ed to go counter to what they regarded as public opinion sought to ridicule Littlefeld, but they did not disturb him. Appeals were made to sentiment, but-no real answer was made to his arguments To be sure when the vote was taken on the Roberts case Lttlefeld had comparatively few followers, but that was largely because of the ten- dency of members to follow the leaders like sheep well as because they lacked in moral courage to vote as they believed.
 When the question of imposing duties on Porto Rican products came up MT. Little field studied 1t carefully and he concluded 1t was wrong. Then he fortified his position with legal arguments to show that the con- stitution of the United States covers all the Territories and not the organized states as held by the supporters of a protective tariff on Porto Rican products.
 His Chance Came Friday
 On Fhtday afternoon Lttlefield's oppor- tunity to speak on this side of the question came through the courtesy of the demo- cratic leader, MT. Richardson of Tennessee, who had himself when the debate opened made a very able and conclusive argument the same line that Ltttlefield took Dur ing the days preceding the debate, and dur. ing the debate itself, Littlefield has been ar guing the question with members and oth- ers and this with the reputa ton as a pro- found lawyer. an aggressive, ready and elo- quent speaker and fearless supporter of what he believed right, gave him an au- dience of unusually large size. Almost every member of the house was dn attend ance. and during the two hours in which he spoke he held the attention of his hearers closely They literally hung on his words. Those who opposed him were as close followers of his arguments as those who supported his views. MT. Littlefeld did not dim his repu- tation, as many public man has, by es- saying second speech. His first speech was good, really excellent, but his second speech delivered before he had served three months in congress, was better. The very fact of his newness caused considerable prejudice against him. Some members would call him