The progress-advertiser. (Lexington, Miss.) 1902-1903, 1903-03-12
Washington Letter.
Special correspondence:

, Special correspondence:
, Washington, d. G., March 10, 'O3
Sow the wind and reap the whirl
; wind" That's what the republicans
of the House and Senate of the 57tl
Congress have done and are doing il
the closing hours of this Congress
They have ridden rough shod ovel
the minority and now they are re-
penting in sack cloth and ashes.
The filibuster in the House and the
Senate during the last week of this
Congress has been productive OF
much good, not alone to the people
and their pocket-books by the decap-
itation of numerous bills that were
steals pure and simple, but it has
been salutary lesson to the arro-
giant majority. They have been re-
turned so often to power by the
votes of the people in the last ten
years that they have come to look
upon the perquisities Of office as Pc
culiarly their own, and that they
could do as they pleased and the
democrats would sit down meekly and
calmly and suck their thumbs as they
have been doing too long already
because they have been cursed with
a suplne and colorless leadership.
But, the worm will turn at last, and
sometimes a man refuses to turn the
other cheek after being smitten on
one. You can kick tramp outdoors
when he is plumb busted and he will
MOI resent it; but put twenty dollar
bill in his pocket and then kick him
and he will knock you down. The
democrats have been bouyed up late
ly by the mistakes of the republicans,
and the twenty dollar bill of almost
assured success in the next campaign,
and they have come to the conclu-
sion that it is high time to assert
their rights and compel the republi-
cans to recognize them, and they are
doing so with vengeance that has
made the republicans grasp for
breath.
The whole rumpus started when
the republicans committed The great
esl outrage that ever was committed
in the history of National legislation,
in this government, that is, when
they kicked out the Hon. James J.
Butler, of the 2lst district of Mis-
souri,, from his seat in this congress,
twice without yme or reason. 1t
was the most indecent and indefen-
sible piece of partnership ever per-
petrated on the face of the earth.
Mr.. Butler was elected to the 57th
and his seat was conteste d
by man named Horton. Horizons
record was so rotten that the repub-
licans could not afford to give him
the seat, but such was their partisan
ship that they would not give it to
Butler, whose father had been so
prominent in democratic circles in
the city of st. Louis for years, SO
they declared the seat vacant, and
that no election had occurred. That
on the 28th of last June.
Last fall Mr.. Butler ran not only for
the vacancy, but for the long term
in the next, or 58th, congress. He
was elected to both seats by major
ity of over 5000 votes. The man
who contested his seat for the short
term, Mr.. Wagner, made his con-
test on the ground of fraud in the
district. There was over $500 pages
Of testimony in the case, on both
sides of which the committee on
elections read not one page, and SUBJ
mitted nothing to the House. The
simply called up the case
and the partisan majority fired out
Mr.. Butler on the exparte statement
Of the republican chairman of the
committee that he was elected by
fraud. They not only paid that, but
lid it without quorum present, as
demanded by the Constitution OF the
They had the power and they us d
hat power like giant. 1t was sim
by a case Of might, and not the
'emblance Of justice or of
lecency connected Herewith. The /