Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-07-15
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondence of the covmKn.
Washington, July II.

in Congress, as delegations. are
the Iowa, the Missouri and the
Texas delegations. Nearly every
man from those three states is a
strong man and stands preeminent
for marked ability in some peculiar
line. In writing these sketches of
public men in future | will take
them up by state delegations. Many
members of Congress, in their re-
iation to the general public can be
disposed of in very few words. for
they have done very little to at
tract general attention, although
they are good men and good legis-
latOrs. Their work is done very
quietly and in committee rooms,
whore most of the effective work
of a member of Congress is per-
formed without the emission of hot
air, without fanfarronadea and blare
of trumpets.
Some people have an idea that
unless a man shows up every day
in the Congressional Record with
speech of some sort that he is no
good as a Congressman, when the
truth Is that just the opposite
makes him the good and effective
member. No matter how good a
speaker man may be or how we'll
qualified 10 speak on any given sub
Ject. he can not say a word unless
ne gets the permission of the spea-
kcr, and then he is allotted only a
certain number of minutes and
must limit his address. Very few
men can exhaust their subjects in
the time allotted to them; cannot
Go themselves Justice; and that is
why so few men make speeches.
The House of Representatives has
emasculated itself by the rules it
has adopted and is no longer a de-
Lucrative body. There are some
men, however, on both sides of the
House who by their intellectual
force have made themselves felt
and deserve recognition.
Take the Missouri delegation. for
instance. ! have already mention
ed the Hon. Champ Clark and the
Hon. David 4. DeArmond. There
are other strong men on that dele
CATION, and one of them is the Hon.
Charles Fremont Cochran, of st.
Joseph, Mo. Undoubtedly Mr..
Cochran Is the most versatile and
widely read member of the dele
cation. He is loaded for bear"
so To speak, on almost any
subject that comes up for debate
in the House, and when he gets
through with an opponent his an
tagoniSt looks like fodder stack
after a cyclone had toyed with it.
He never makes a speech without
adding to the sum of human infor-
nation. In his capacity of lawyer
and newspaper editor he has read
everything and he has memory
like tar bucket; everything that
gets i'm il sticks. His pet hobbies
in the past two Congresses have
been the war in the Philippines and
the BOer war in South Africa. On
those two subjects he has hit the
republicans more hard ticks than
any two men in Congress. Another
big man i'm the Missouri delegation
Is the Hon. William =. Cowherd,
of Kansas City. He not only is one
of the best debatOrs in the House.
but one of the best lawyers. His
cOgent reasoning and invincible
logic compel admiration and knock
down all barriers. There was an
attempt in the last Congress to put
through steal of about a half
million dollars, and it came from
the Committee on the District of
Columbia, of which Mr.. Cowherd
is member. With his trip ham
mer logic and pnansweaable arau-
mant Oowhard proceeded to hit it
IN the head, and whom he got
through talking it was as dead a.
Hector, the republicans even re-
fusing to vote forit. Mr.. Cowherd
has future. Look out for him.
The President of the United
States is just now coming in for
some severe criticism in the politi-
cal circles in the capital of the
nation which is causing democrats
to smile audibly and administration
republicans to vince perceptibly.
There are several reasons for this
criticism: One is the : gag rule"
applied 70 the tastafice Depart.
ment investigation promulgated by
him before no left for his summer