The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-18
WILLIAMS TELLS
OF PARTY'S CHOICE
Democratic Leader in the House
Grows Satirical Over Repub-
Iican Faults and Fancies.

1.-THE notification speech of John
sharp williams was, in part, as fol-
lows:
Mr.. Davis.-Sir: I'VE have been ap-
pointed by most notable convention
as a committee to notify you of your
nomination by the Democracy as their
choice for Vice President of the United
States.
LAS soon as learned that was, by
resolution of the convention, to be the
mouthpiece of the committee for the
performance of this pleasant task, be-
gan to look about me in order to see
how the duty had been performed by
others. 1 found from recent perform
ances of a similar character in the Re-
publican camp that, for a notification
speech historical essay is altogether
the proper thing, absolutely necessary
for the emergency. We shall, there
fore, entitle our notification address:
A Brief Historical Disquisition Upon
Some of the Blunders of Our Ances-
tors as Viewed from the Standpoint of
the Wisdom of Republican Statesmen,
Who Have Embraced the Strenuous
Life"
Mr.. Williams then dealt satirically
with certain facts and epochs of the
country's history, touching upon the
treatment of the Indians, the Revolu-
ton and other matters.
The Indianola Case.
1--WE have, however, made the amende
honorable for this silly business. by
our governmental strenuosity at In
dianola, Miss. Not long since it was
alleged, although not proven, notwith-
standing
United States marshal to arrest, a
United States grand jury to indict and
a United States petit jury to convict
that certain people in the town of In
dianola, Miss, had conspired together
for the purpose of preventing an in
cumbent of a federal office from contin-
uing to hold that office True. there
is a plain statute of the United States. |
writ large on the pages of the Re
Yised Statutes, providing punishment
for those guilty of that identical crime.
II was, perhaps however, thought that
the alleged crime could not be proven
III a court of justice under the ordi-
nary forms of law; that the forces of
law. as in the precedent cited in Bos-
ton, were too weak or not to be al
together relied upon by those in au-
thority. The necessary and righteous
consequence was that recurring to the
precedent established by that miracle
OF wisdom George of Hanover and his ,
cabinet, we promptly and strenuously
deprived the little town of Indianola
of all mail facilities, proceeded to pIIn-
ish for the lawbreaking intent of a
few-if indeed such intent ever exist
ed-which I frankly admit is question
ed-all of the town, men and women
doctors, lawyers, merchants, black and
white, by cutting off their mail facil-
tiles; thus. by White House decree. |
communicating them from the intel |
lgence of the world. Our ancestors, /
incomprehensibly even after they had |
had the wisdom of the Boston port I'LL /,
fully explained, persisted in their mad |
ness and folly refusing to be enlight- |
ened, and still hung on with miracu- |
lous fanaticism to the belief, that only |
the guilty ought to be punished and |
even the guilty only after a fair trial. |
Not so with our wiser generation in |
the Indianola case. Again I wonder |
how we managed to prosper, as we |
have prospered so miraculously in all |
our history, in spite of a folly like this, |
unconfessed even, until a very recent |
date: but folly which we have now,
thank God, nobly shaken off.
The Old World Ways.
Sir, there is hope for the republic |
as long as it continues to move for |
ward in the tried ways of the Old |
World, divorcing itself from outgrown |
American landmarks. That we are |
moving and divorcing there is no doubt. |
Standing now in the dawn of the TWEEN
tieth century; having forbidden the |
reading of the Declaration of indie |
pendence in part of the country's do |
main; with courts ready to decide that |
the constitution is not a written letter !
to be read and obeyed, but dancing |
panorama, changing itself to suit |
changing hax
foot down. wisely and firmly, upon /
freedom of speech and freedom of as
sembly and freedom of the press in |
Colorado and those appurtenant-ap- |
pendages,' where freedom of speech, |
press and assembly might be awkward |
for us; having joined the holy alliance |
OF land grabbing nationalities; having |
discovered that Gods command against !
robbery and theft does not apply to
men in the aggregate, acting as nation
alities when robbing communities of
their independence or 'benevoently as
slmilating' their resources-amid all
these reversals of historical bunders
of our past, boldly aver that we need
not despair of the republic.
Executive and the Laws.
What a queer, old-time, childish
idea was that of our ancestors, that
the President of the United States is
simply chief executive and that his
duty consists in executing the laws as
they were written. 1 need now tell
you, sir, that if you should be elected
wee President it would be one of your
duties as sort of heir-apparent to. the
crown to train yourself and to in
nuence your chief-Judge Parker-in
the way of usurping the other depart
ments OF the government. Your op-
portunity will not be as great as that
or the President himself but, as Presi-
dent OF the Senate, you may have
some opportunity; the opportunity of
changing the Senate rules on your
own motion, or doing some other revo-
luuonary thing, which, as a play to
tne galleries, will make your good old
welsh name famous, as that of one
OF the most spectacular and strenuous
OF men. Men, sir. are not responsible
Ior the size of their opportunities. They
are responsible for taking advantage
OF them-sometimes for not making
tnen-as in re Panama Republic. for
instance
1t will be your duty as a part Of
me executive branch of the govern
Iheni TO look down with contempt up
on IRE legislative branch. Tou will |
con learn that The cattle, who in
splt the Senate chamber and the
= ner wing of the capitoi-the Lower
rouse (Which has been getting con-
stantly lower and lower every day for
iIfdhy years)-are but little, II any,
Detter than the other cattle who sent |