The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-18


the hopes and dwarf the ambitions of the
individual members of this body and at
the same time TO vest more power in the
hands of one or two men than was ever
enjoyed by Oriental despot or ten-button
mandarin. i say to you, my friends, that
the system is rotten at both ends. 1t is
rotten at one end because il robs the in
dividual member of this House of the power
that the Constitution of the United States
and his credentials as a member on this
floor entitle him to; it is rotten at the other
END because 1t vests power in men that
nave no right TO IL, and ofttimes places on
them duties that they have no capacity to
fulfill. Applause and laughter.l
WOULD THROTTLE THEM.
Mr.. Chairman, let no man charge me
now with trying to tear down the Repub-
lican party. L am not trying to tear down
the Republican party. but 1 confess that 1
sometimes feel that 1 would like to put my
hand upon the throat of one or two men
who conceive that they are the Republican
party. Applause and laughter.l 1 am a
believer in the Republican party. The true
friend of his party is the man who does
not sit idly by and watch his party drift
into disrepute and toward destruction, but
the man who rises UP and calls attention
to the evils that exist. Nero sat on the
hilltops and fiddled while the Eternal City
rose in smoke and sank in ashes. and we
are sitting here idly and unconcerned while
the great power of this ancient House is
being eVaded. belittled. debauched and de-
stroyed. lApplause.l There are people in
Washington city to-day who are going
down TO a theater and paying out 80 cents
each in order to see a performance of lili-
putians. What n sinful waste of money
when they can com up here and watch this
House perform six days in the week for
nothing. ILaughter.l
Now, Mr.. Chairman, a member of this
House said TO me the other day, 'Cushman,
what makes you so thin?' i will tell you
what makes me so thin. L have half a
million earnest, patriotic. intelligent con-
stituents behind me demanding that / Sc
cure certain needed and righteous legisla-
ton in their interest. That is the pressure
on me from the rear. When try TO secure
recognition and an opportunity TO bring up
that legislation for consideration | go up
against the stone wall that surrounds the
speaker of the House and the committee
on rules. That is the pressure on me from
in front. and between the pressure from the
rear and the pressure from in front 1 have
been hattened out like a Cancelled postage
STAMP. LLaughter.l
Now, in the three years that l have been
a member of this body l have always APP
prOached that little machine with the def
erence due TO its age and its station. but /
hope you will excuse my frankness when 1
tell you that from this time on l will devote
a little OF my time and a 1.-THE OF my energy
TO putting a few spokes in the wheel of that
machine that the designers Of the vehicle
never ordered. ILaughter.l Now, l will
leave the consideration OF this subject with
the final observation that some time be-
tween now and the close of this session l
will get a little time. at a suitable Opportu-
nifty. and I will make a speech on the sub
Ject Of the rules OF this House, and / prom
Use you that that speech will be so hot that
il will have to be printed on asbestos paper
and tied to a hand grenade for distribu-
ton"
HIS KIND OF RECIPROCITY.
Mr.. Cushman then turned his attention
to the pending measure and its sponsors.
After reading the utterances Of Harrison.
Blaine and Mckinley on the subject Of reci-
procity to show that they did not advocate
such reciprocity as was contained in the
pending bill. Mr.. Cushman said: Il appeal
from the reciprocity of John Dalzell 10 the
reciprocity Of Benjamin Harrison. 1 appeal
from the reciprocity of Congressman eros
venor to the reciprocity OF William McKin-
ley. / appeal from the reciprocity OF Serene
Payne to the reciprocity OF Jas. G.. Blaine.
l have been interested as well as enter
tanned" he continued, by some peculiar
statements that have been made on this
floor in support OF the measure.
THE gentleman from New York Mr..
Payne) on this side OF the chamber pro-
claimed that this measure was the height
of Republican protection, and then within
an hour. before the sand I'm the glass had
run once. Mr.. Mcclellan arose on the other