The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-03-26

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Democratic watchword as far as he
could make it, and he determined that
the party must support the bill
The unspeakable dismay which his
determination evoked among the Dem
ocratic senator's is still remembered in
Washington. His position was not
known until his fight was begun and
under way. There were hard words,
but Williams, gently and affably, and
treading on no ones corns, conducted
his gum-shoe campaign until, for the
first time in years, the Democratic
minority was presenting a united front.
After that he had no more fights to
wage. The Democrats only needed the
hand of true leader to guide them.
His Panama policy differed from that
of many senators, but the House minor
ity swung into line for it like regulars.
They We're all split up about it when
they came to Washington, and half of
them We're loaded to the muzzle with
speeches which will never be delivered.
On the tariff his belief is that the
Republicans have injured themselves,
especially in the West, by their open
and cynical abandonment of the poll
cies of Blaine and Mckinley. He is de-
termined to move the Democratic army
up into that abandoned citadel He
deprecates free-trade talk; there is no
horizontal reduction in his programme;
moderate tariff revision, the abandoned
reciprocity treaties, and the flagrancy
of the Dingley rates are the burden Of
his song.
These principles are hammered home
at every opportunity, and he makes op-
portunities. In one form or another
bus and resolutions are continually be-
calling on the President to get the High
Joint Commission together, now a bill
for drawback for the benefit of suf-
ferers by the Baltimore fire. At every
point the Republicans have to meet
him, and the resulting campaign ma
terial is sown broadcast in the West.
A year ago the Democrats were as
wildly irreconcilable on the tariff as on
anything else. They are a unit now,
and every speech sounds as if Williams
had delivered it. John Lind, his ablest
lieutenant on tariff matters, is setting
the Northwest afiame.
And all this time German, the much.
heralded Moses, has, by common con
sent, failed dismally to unite the Demo
cratic senators on either Cuban reci
procity, the tariff, the Panama issue, OF
anything else. True, he had hard
situation to meet, but SO had Williams
A year ago the House minority was
more of mob than the Senate minor
ity.
Before Congress met there was lo
of talk about raising the race issue
, about bills to repeal the war amend
ments, and about throwing down tn,
gauntlet to the North. Williams hal
suppressed them. He is Southerne,
and sympathizes with his section, bu
he does not see any good in irritatin,
/ the North. He took that stand whel
German was making his campaign OF
3 the race issue and disfranchisement il
? Maryland.
Williams's methods are an interest
= ing study. He is persuasive, not dom
t ineering. He has a winning manner
e and he seems to be seeking help an
! light from you at the very time he /
? bringing you around to his views
y Congressman who go into his littl
!. room in the library wing determine
e to let Williams understand that the
a will put up with no nonsense, go ou
II pleased and fattered and inclined
t help him out. On the rare occasion
where it is necessary for him to sho,
e his authority the iron hand comes ou
o of the velvet glove, and the insurgen
n knows what has happened withou
n having any one tell him.
8 He is not an impressive man to loo
t at; in fact, he is homely in face an
p careless in dress. A tangled mass q
: matted hair grows down to a poin