The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-31


he dashes into a new sentence almost
without stop. His voice is rather
harsh. but the distizrstness with which
he utters his words and the beautiful
diction he employees makes his deliv-
cry interesting, If not pleasant. He
has few gestures and his face is inn
mobile His face would be characterized
as hard were it not lighted up by a
pair of good humored gray eyes. He
has a square set jaw. firm chin, thin
lips and tightly closed mouth. His
features are as clean lined as though
carved from granite.
Good Fighter.
Congressman Littlefeld is just 81
years of age and bears the impress of
one who has fought through his half
century of existence. He is a fighter
by nature and training. 1t is this
strenuous element in his character
that has recommended him to Presi-
dent Roosevelt. 1t was not until Little
field dealt the administration a solar
plexus blow in the Cuban reciprocity
fight that the Presidents attention
was thoroughly riveted on the man
from Maine. 1t was then that Presi-
dent Roosevelt remarked to a friend:
THAT man Littleffeld, why, he is an
off OK, but an off OK that must be reck-
on with"
Up in the Second district of Maine
they tell you a good deal about Charles
E. Littlefield and the way he has
fought against adverse circumstances
and men until he has compelled sue
cess.
He was not born with a silver spoon
in his mouth, although the name Lit
tlefield is scattered all along the rock
bound coast of his native state. When
a young man, the future congress
man developed his muscle and COM
bativeness in the rugged struggle for
livelihood education and place. He
did not have time to go through col
lege, but, having obtained a common
school education, he took up the study
of law and was admitted to the bar
at the age of 25. He had a natural
love for politics and entered public
life as a member of the Maine Legis-
lature and was chosen speaker of the
House while serving his second term
in that body. At Attorney General
of Maine for four years, from 1889 to
1898, Mr.. Littfieled achieved his first
national reputation by fighting rail-
road corporations that are SO powerful
in his state. 1t was then that he de-
veloped a taste for octopus hunting"
that is now making him a national
figure. He compelled payment from
the railroads of large sums in
the way of taxes that had been
refused for years.
Not an Indiscrimfnate Fighter.
Mr.. Littleffelds record in Congress
shows that he is not an indscrimi-
nate fighter of trusts and does not
follow the Irish maximum of when
you see head, hit it," with regard
to these combinations. The second set
speech he made in the House of Rep
EaAs l. 49,
OF the restraint of combinations and
at that time he advocated an amend
ment to the constitution which would
confer greaer power on Congress to
deal with corporations.
The pertinacity which has brought
comfortable measure of success to
Mr. Littlefield in his public career
probably accounts for his continued
efforts against what he regards as in
furious combinations of capital. He
began in his first term of Congress
and although nothing was accomplish
cd, he showed up on the first day of
the first session of the present Con-
gress with two bills relating to this
subject. One was to amend the pres
ent inti-trust law declaring every
contract or combination in the form
of a trust, or otherwise Gin restraint
of trade" to be illegal and the other
requiring all corporations engaged in
interstate commerce to make reports
to the Secretary of the Treasury
showing their exact financial condition
This embodied President Roosevelt s
idea of publicity" Agan last March
he introduced another bill modifying
the one regarding publicity.
Owing to his recent admission to
the House Mr.. Littlefeld has had to
accept humble places on committees,
and. while his legal attachments fit
ted him peculiarly for membership on
the Committee on Judiciary he is
seventh in rank on that body. Being
away down at the foot of the class,
| however did not prevent this aggres-
sive down easter from worrying the
| chairman of the committee and his
! Republican associates on the trust
question. Day after day and week
| after week he prodded them. He told
| them that If they did not take up the
| question and make some sort of a re-
| port to the House he would go out
on the stump in his own district and
| state and tell the people of Maine just
how matters stood in Congress.
He did not succeed in convincing
| Chairman Ray and the controlling
| powers of the House that trust legis-
| lation should be considered, but he
| did manage to bring himself into the
| full glare of publicity, and this at
| tracted the attention of the President.
Does He Represent Roosevelt.
There is a divergence of opinion as
to whether Mr.. ! itt1efield actually has
| been asked by the President to enter
the arena against the trust as his spe-
| cial champion, but in any event it is
| safe to predict that the Maine con-
gresham will be in the forefront of
| the fight when Congress takes up the
| subject.
| Mr.. LittlefeId's advent In Congress
| made the cold shivers run down the
| backs of some of the old time mana
gers and the controlling powers of the
House. The first shock they received
| was in the Brigham Roberts case
when Littlefeld exhibited a spirit of
| independence that was not altogether
| pleasant to the sticklers for party dis
| cipline. 1t had been supposed that such
an admirer of Thomas B. Reed as Mr.
| Littlefield is known to be. would be
ready to submit to party dictation,
since Mr.. Reeds great triumph had
been achieved by the exercise of that
discipline. But Mr.. Littlefiesd declared
when appointed on the committee to
! investigate the Mormons right to a
seat that he would pay no attention
to politics in his examination of the
case. Against his Republican coll
leagues on the committee he took the
| ground that Roberts should first be
seated and then expelled. He was de-
feated in this. but his fight gave him
| a reputation and his speech in discus
sion of the constitutionality of the case
is still regarded as a model argument.
| Has nffarn asEGIax. 81