Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-27
A POLITICAL DEBATE
The Most Important One OF
the Session.
PRESIDENT EULOGIZED
REPRESENTATIVE BOUTELL
CHEERED BY THE REPUBLICANS.
Mr.. Williams, the Minority Leader,
Who Replies, Declares That Silver
Has Been RELOCATED to Rear.
PRESIDENT EULOGIZED

Has Been heleGaCeO TO Near.
The most important political debate OF
the session marked the closing hours CT
the congressional day in the House of Rep
resentatives yesterday afternoon. 1t was
a debate in which party principles were
stated, and in which utterances were raade
which will have telling influence upon the
forthcoming campaign. One OF the striking
incidents of the afternoon was the fervid dec
laration by John Sharp Williams, leader OF
the democrats in the House, that the Iues-
ton of free silver had been relegated to
the rear This utterance was met by
storm of applause on the democratic side
of the chamber.
Representative Boutell of Illinois, VINO
took the floor shortly before o'clock, spoke
for more than two hours. He delivered
an address whose essential points had been
prepared with great care. AS a campaign
document his speech will be of inestimaple
value to the republicans In it he reviewed
the prosperous conditions that are pre-
vailing in all the southern states Inc re-
publican party, he declared, needs no bet
ter platform than it's record of the past
two presidential terms.
Mr.. Boutell took occasion to pay hfgh
tribute to President Roosevelt, and, amid
the applause OIL MS pal ~ CoiicoSuSs 'ANAAAN
Mr.. Roosevelt as the next candidate OF
the party, adding that he would poll one
of the greatest votes ever given Presl-
dent
speaker and the republicans in the House,
that they had gone so far already they
could not help but stand pat on Mr.
Roosevelt. The democrats were only
afraid they might not do so. we are
shaking in our boots" said Mr.. Williams,
for fear you will nominate the other FOL
low"
Mr. Boutell made his reference to the
President near the end of his long address,
every word of which was followed with the
closest attention by the members In the
House. During the course of his remarks
the gentleman from Illinois drew fre from
nearly every member of the minority, for In
turn he referred to the prosperous condi-
.tions in their respective states. In many
cases he referred to the districts OF the
members and congratulated them PERSONAL
Iy on the prosperous times among their peo-
pie Mr. Boutell made no assertions him.
self. He simply read extracts from the
local papers referring to the record OF the
past year in the localities indicated. Mr..
Boutell said he was glad such bright story
had come from the south and he thanked
God daily that he had lived to see the time
when all sectional bitterness had been wiped
cut.
Prosperity of the South.
Referring again to the prosperous condi-
lions IN the SOUTHERN COuLtly, anu iSpiyiiiS
to the questions of various members as to
whether the speaker claimed that republic
canism was responsible for the high price Oh
cotton etc, Mr.. Boutell said:
II do not claim that this is all due to the
republican protective tariff; not at all Mr..
Chairman, no one who even tried to THINK
as a statesman would ever make any such
claim as that. The only claim make the
only claim the most ardent republican could
,t,a lxa ic and it cannot be denied, that the
principle of protection is an American prln-
cipe; that the principle of protection has
always been recognized on our statute
books that the Dingley revenue act is the
wisest and most beneficent tariff act for all
sections of the country that has ever been
placed on the statute book; and this story
and that which l have read tend strongly 10
prove this claim.
This story shows that the blight and
mildew which We're predicted as the certain
results of republican victory seven years
ago cannot be found in any part of the
country And so, as the campaign is COM
ing on, the platform of the republican party
need nothing but its record during the last
eight years. applause on the republican
Side.)
The President Eulogized.
and, Mr.. Chairman, there is no more
doubt about our leader than there is about
our platform. applause on the republican
side) l know that some gentlemen on the
President for being impetuous; but l want
to say Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen that
the people of the United States would
rather have a President who is impetuous
and frank than a President who would be
suave and subterranean. The people know
what Theodore Roosevelt stands for, and
he needs no defense in this House or before
the people. / want to tell you that We love
him and you fear him for the enemies he
has made. applause on the republican
tin
esteem because in season and out of season
he has been Jealous in enforcing the laws
against illegal combinations? Censure is
the tax that strong men pay for doing
right, and Roosevelt has always been
heavy taxpayer of this kind.
Has there been anything in his attitude
toward any, of the public questions of the
day in which he has not shown himself
equally strong, frank and manly in dealing
with them? Let me say to those on this
side of the chamber who read with mis-
giving that this man or that man or the
other man in our party is looking for an
other presidential candidate that such
statements are no new thing in our history.
Why, away back, even in the time of
George Washington and the early Presi-
dents, every President who was ever elected
to a second term had to meet at the close
of his first term the intrigues of personal
enemies and even the schemes of rivals
And so it has been all the way down through
our history.
Opposition to Lincoln.
81 want to call attention briefly to the
experience of Abraham Lincoln. In 1863,
when he was bearing the. great burdens
that were put upon his shoulders, he had
his Horace Greeley, who wanted to see
Rosecrans nomina ted in 1864. Greeley pro-
posed to force Abraham Lincoln to retire,
make Hamlin President and Rosecrans the
candidate in 1864. committee was sent
by Greeley to Missouri to ask Rosecrans If
he would come into the scheme. He gave
them the reply of a brave and devoted
soldier when he said:
My place is here My country gave me
my education and is entitled to my military
service
Then there was in Mr.. Lincolns cabinet
Mr. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury
who used his position in the treasury to
further his own candidacy for the presi-
dency.. President Lincoln treated him with
as much calmness and courtesy and affab.,-