Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-06-24
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondence of the COURIER.
Washington. June %.

would give them a few sketches OF
some of the public men of the
nation, whose names are seen in
print almost every day, and | will
begin by saying few words con.
corning the Hon. John Sharp
Williams, of Mississippi. Mr..
Williams will be the next floor
leader of the democratic party
I'm the national House of Repre-
sentatives, and it is well that the
democrats of the country should
know something of him.
Mr.. Williams has peen i'm
Congress for the past ten wears.
bnt not until the past four years
has he asserted himself and OBJ
tanned 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 a modest man.
had it not been for the extremely
poor leadership suffered by. the
democracy during that period. The
leader of the minority party in the
House Is always the man who re-
celves the caucus nomination for
Speaker by that party. That dis
tinctiOn, for the past four years.
has been enjoyed by the Hon. James
ID. Richardson, of Tennessee. Mr..
Richardson is a good man and one
of the very best parliamcntarians
in the House. but he is weak
leader. He lacks political courage.
When the republicans would hit the
democrats over the head with club.
instead of hurting back a brick and
scabbing some ones head. Mr.
Richardson invariably would apol-
ogize for being on the face of the
earth. This Disguised and dis
heartened the democrats. and we
invariably got the worst of it until
DE Almond, of Missouri. or John
Sharp Williams came to the rescue
and poured some hot shot into the
ranks of the enemy when they usu-
ally were willing enough to retire
from the field. Ii was just by such
spurtS aS this that John Sharp
Williams came To he known and
appreciated a. one of the ablcst men
on the floor of the House. loved and
admired by the democrats and
feared and respected by the repub-
Leans. TWAS, therefore, with great
pleasure that the majority of dem
OcratS greeted his announcement
last winter that he would be Il can
didate for the democratic caucus
nomination for Speaker when the
aSth Congress assembled. Ii did
not take long for enough members
% enroll themselves under the ban
ner to assure his nomination. and
thereby make him the titular floor
leader of the democrats during the
life of that Congress. His leader
ship will put snap and vim and 90
into the democrats from the very
outset. They will have confidence
i'm their leader who will always
confer with his colleagues. They
know that when he news out line
of policy that he seldom will make
mistake. They also know that
when he gets after the republicans
the latter will 5e very cbary in
their attacks on the democratic
Hqrty. They have tested the steel
ST Mr.. Williams more than once
and they have no appetite for it.:
When in debate with him they
know that theirstatements must no
photographic in their ACCURACY or
they will he badly tpipned before
he gets through with them.
In professional beauty contest
Mr.. Williams would be selling
platter. He would not he n good
hundred-tO-one shot. His personal
pulchritude is absolutely nil, but
there is no discount on the quality
of grey matter under his hat. He
has fine, well-shaped head, cover
ed with bushy curling brown hair,
fine eye and Il scraggy mustache,
RYt his body is small and as thin
as q stepchild's bread and butter.
Bnt where he defaults in eomliness
az person, he makes good Ia in-
tellectual brilllancy. One forgets
all about the fact that he is not u
physical giant when he is on his
feet. and you are listening to that
well-modulated and penetrating
voice and watching that long index
finger which he persistcntly throws
Mt the enemy From his month roll