The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-19
LITTLEFIELD TARGET.

Both Democrats and Republicans
seem to take pleasure in making Repre-
sentative Littlefield a target for their
wit and humor. The account in our
Washington dispatches yesterday Of the
controversy between him and Repre-
sentative Sulzer was a fair sample of
the treatment that he has been receiv-
ing since it became generally known
that his antitrust bill had failed to
receive the approval of the admnistra-
ton.
1t will be recalled that on last Fourth
of July the President made d speech
in which he stated that he intended to
move on the trusts. At the same time
it was announced that the President
has chosen Mr.. Littleield as the ad-
ministration's manager of antitrust
legislation in the House. Sometime
later Mr.. Lttlefeld made a speech in
his district in which he declared that
he would have an antitrust bill pass
ed that would bring the trusts to terms
or know the reason why.
This prominence of Mr.. Littlefield in
connection with antitrust legislation
aroused the jealousy of the real ma
jority leaders of the House-Cannon,
Grosvenor, Dalzell and some others.
They did not like him because he had
antagonized the Republican programme
for the settlement of Porto Rican and
Cuban questions, and had displayed
such conspicuous ability that he won
s.,1 ~. ,a1r S.,
Congress, but also in the esteem of the
country.
1t is said that the President resented
the prominence that was given to Mr..
Littlefeld in connection with the pro-
posed antitrust legislation. This
doubtless was due to the fact that the
trust papers attacked both the Presi-
dent and Mr.. Littlefield i'm a way calcu-
lated to make them appear ridiculous.
Anyway, when the President made his
tour of New England he kept away
from Mr.. Littlefield's district-a fact
which was much commented on at the
time.
AS soon as Congress assembled Mr..
Littleheld was made the chairman of
a subcommittee of the Judiciary Com
mittee with instructions to prepare an
antitrust bill. The bill was prepared
and was called the Littlefield bill. Mr..
Littlefeld seems to have been under
the impression all the time that his
bill was going to have the support of
the administra ton, and of his party in
Congress.
1t turned out, however, that, un-
known to Mr. Littlefield, the President
called together a few of the Republi-
can leaders and found out just what
antitrust legislation Congress would
pass. and then he gave his support
to that legislation, which turned out
to be the Nelson amendment to the
Department of Commerce bill and the
Elkins bill. Mr.. Littlefield could not
understand why his bill seemed to drag
along in such a listless sort of way and
1t was not until such Republican lead
ers as Cannon and DalzelI, began to
sneer at him and ridicule him that he
understood that he had been deserted
by the President and his following of
the House.
Mr.. Littlefield entered the House in
1899 and almost Immediately took "a
prominent position. His first speech
stamped him as man of ability, and
subsequent speeches confirmed the first
impression of him. 1t is seldom indeed
that man achieves distinction in the
House as rapidly as Mr.. Littlefield
achieved it, and it is equally as sell
dom that one who has achieved dis
tinction there loses it with the sud-
denness that he did.
Being man of uncommon ability he
doubtless will come to the front again,
but his rise to influence will
hardly be as rapid as it was on his
entrance into the House.