Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-07-08
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondence Of the coumrn.
Washington, July Z.

d. cratic leaders and one of the ablest
men in the House of Representa-
tives is the Hon. David A. DE
Almond, of Missouri. Judge De
Almond has been in Congress
since 1890, having been first elect
ed to the Fifty-second Congress
and reelected to each succeeding
Congress. He is one of the abIest
lawyers in the Congress and a
member of the Committee ON Judi
ciary. He was tie choice of the
Missouri delegation for the caucus
nomination for speaker in the Fifty
eight Congress when it convenes,
but he refused to- stand for the nom
nation, and the choise then fell to
Hon. Champ Clark. IL the demo-
Gratis had carried the House Inc un-
doubtedly would have been a
candidate for Speaker, but he did
not care to undertake to harmonic
the factions in the party i'm the
House as the floor leader. The
Judge realizes his shortcomings as
a good mixer with men. He has
none of the bon homme, camara-
derie characteristics i'm his mental
makeup. He is short on cheap talk
and long on thinking. He is essen
TALLY thinker and q student. and
never loses any time indulging in
cloak-room stories. He does not
inspire affection, but compels adj
miration from his democratic col
leagues. and is feared and disliked
by the republicans. He is the
greatest verbal eviscerator in the
House, and can perform the neatest
job of skinning and cutting an OPP
ponent of any man in the Congress.
He is human wasp. and his stin-
ger is always ready for business.
He is not an orator, i'm the true
sense of the word. for he has a
mOnotOnous and metallic voice that
is not pleasant. and he rarely ges-
ticulateS. His diction however. is
almost perfect, and he is one of the
few men i'm Congress who never
correct the reporters notes for in
Sertion in the Record. When he
gets through his speech is finished
production. As Il sample of his
deXtcrity with scalpel and rapier.
he once said of an opponent, who
had penchant for splitting large
gobs of printers ink and volumi-
nouSly vociferating To the repor-
tiers. He is, Mr.. Chairman, the
most remarkable man lever knew.
When he is not writing he is talk
ing, and when he is not talking he
is writing, and he does both with
out thinking"
Judge DE Almond is an amiable
and kindly gentleman, ripe
scholar, an able lawyer, and a
splendid legislator. His retirement
from Congress would Ice a distinct
loss to the democratic party and to
the nation.
Ii Is the general consensus Of
opinion here that the decision of
Federal Judge i.acombe. of New
York. In the case against the anthra-
cite cOaI-carrying roads brought NY
Mr.. William II. Hearst, To the eff
cot that they cannot he compelled
by tbs Interstate Commerce Com
mission To produce their contracts
with the mining companies is Un-
mitigated stuff. " The Commits
ion represents the Government,
which has constitutional right tC
regulate commerce between the
different states. This being admit.
ted. why shouldn't the Commission
have the right to demand the pro
duction of papers bearing upon tn,
regulation of interstate commerce.
Judge Lacombe may be learned
Judge, but he does not seem to b,
equipped with burdensome guam
tity of common sense. His ruling
will be appealed to the United State:
Supreme Court, where it will un
dOubtedly be swept aside Will
scant courtesy. If there is an an
thracite coal trust in existence (anC
everybody knows there isl. then i
is the duty of the courts to facilitat,
and not to obstruct the Govern
ment's efforts to investigate ans
to suppress it. There is nothing
unreasonable in asking CORPORA
tions to produce papers in eridene'
which alone will enable the Inter
state Commerce Commission t,
Judge whether the laws of the Ian,
arc heing violated or not. If tn
Goal TruSt thinks that William