The progress-advertiser. (Lexington, Miss.) 1902-1903, 1903-06-25
WASHINGTON
LETTER.

Special correspondence of the Pro-
gress-Advertiser. Washington, D. G.
Jnne "a, 1903. Some time ago
told the readers of this correspondence
that | would give them a few sketches
Of some of the public men of the ma
tion, whose names are seen in print
almost every day, and | win begin by
saying few words concerning the
Hon. John Sharp Williams, Of Miss
issippi. Mr.. Williams will be the
next floor leader Of the democratic
party in the national House of Rep
resentatives, and it is we'll that the
democrats of the country should
know something of him.
Mr.. Williams has been in Congress
for the past ten years. but not until
the past four years has he asserted
himself and obtained the standing in
that body that he deserves to occupy.
His brilliant intellect might not
then have flashed across the horizon
of the House, being modest man,
had it not been for the extremely
poor leadership suffered by the dem
ocracy during that period. The
leader Of the minority party in the
House is always the man who receives
the caucus nomination for Speaker
by that party. That distinction, for
the past four years, has been enjoyed
by the Hon. James D. Richardson, of
Tennessee. Mr.. Richardson is good
man and one Of the very best parlia-
mentarians in the House, but he is a
weak leader. He lacks political cour-
age. When the republican would hit
the democrats over the head with a
club, instead Of hurting back a brick
and scabbing some ones head. Mr..
Richardson invariably would apollo
gize for being on the face of earth.
This disgusted and disheartened the
democrats and we invariably got the
worst of II until De Almond of Mis-
souri,, or John Sharp Williams came
to the rescue and poured some hot
shot into the ranks of the enemy
when they usually were willing enough
to retire from the field. 1t was just
by such spurts as this that John Sharp
Williams came to be known and ap-
preciated as one of the ablest men on
the floor of the House, loved and ad-
mired by the democrats and feared
and respected by the republicans. 1t
was therefore, with great pleasure
that the majority Of the democrats
greeted his announcement last winter
that he would be candidate for the
democratic caucus nomination for
Speaker when the 58th Congress as
sembled. It did not take long for
enough members to enroll themselves
under his banner to assure his NOM
nation, and thereby make him the
titular floor leader of the democrats
during the life Of that Congress.
His leadership will put snap and vim
and 60 into the democrats from the
very outset. They will have conf
dence in their leader who will alway
confer with his colleagues. They
know that when he hews out a line Of
policy that he seldom will make a
mistake. They also know that when
he gets after the republicans the lat
ter will be very chary in their attacks
on the democratic party. They have
tested the steel of Mr.. Williams more
than once and they have no appetite
for it. When he debate with him
they know that their statements must
be Photographic in their accuracy or
they will be badly tripped before he
gets through with them.
In professional beauty contest
Mr.. Williams would be selling-plan-
ter. He would not be a good hum
dred-to-one shot. His personal pull
chritude is absolutely nil, but there is
no discount on the quality Of gray
matter under his hat. He has fine
well shaped head covered with bushy
curling brown hair, a fine eye and a
scraggY mustache. but his body is