The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-30
Williams DenOunces Policy of
 the Republican Parl
DEPARTMENTS ARE ROTTEN
Says President Came to the White House as Trust Buster" But Now Apologies for Every
 Prosecution.

Washington, March 29.-For the want of speakers, general debate on the sundry civil appropriation bill in the house to- day was closed several hours before the time agreed on, and the bill was read for amendment. Seventy-five pages were dis posed of. the only important amendment adopted being one providing for an ini- tial appropriation of $50O,OOO for the com pleton of the capitol building, according
 to the original design.
 MT. Campbell of Kansas and MT. Will Hams of Illinois were the principal speak CTS today, the former deftnding the pro-
 tective tariff policy of the republican party, and the latter denouncng the re- publicans for failing to investigate the postoffice department MT. Williams said
 that the scandals in that departmtnt will
 become an important issue in the coming campaign. He arraigned President Roose- welt and Attorney General Knox regard ing the trusts.
 Before he came into offict, the Pres%
 ident, he said, was recognized trust
 buster" but since then all his indictments
 against the trusts were at once turned in
 to apologies. He said the President was a
 harmless agitator," and declared him to
 be an unsafe man.
 Criticises the Party. Mir Williams criticised the republican party for it's failure to fulfil its platform promises: gfheTissue- Of tariff reform, he maintained, was stronger now than in 1892.
 The President, he said. was too cowardly even to refer to the subject of the tariff in his last message and the floor leader
 of the republicans openly admitted in the house that the republican party dare not touch the tariff until after the presiden- tial election.
 MT Williams referred to the merger decision and said the President and att
 torney general had been exchanging con-
 gratulations upon the decision and the att torney general had rushed into print to
 assure the other trusts of the country
 that they need not be alarmed and were in no danger. "so long as they stood pat with the republicans As long as the
 republicans were earnest in prosecuting trusts, he said they should go on with
 them, while the court is with you and
 the people are with you, and if the law
 is not with you, amend the law before
 congress adjourns and a every democrat will remain here to vote for your amend
 ment. Under the puny prosecutions of trusts. he said, only s25.000 of the large
 amount appropriated had been expended. Launches Into Denunciation.
 He then launched into a bitter denuncia- tion of the republicans for failing to in- vestigate the postoffice department, which he said has made the public scandals of this administration very important
 issue in the next campaign. "No one" he said, "coud read the report of the robbery and larceny in the postoffice de- partment and the reckless and notorious
 methods with which they had been allow ed to continue without fixing some re-
 sponsibility on the head of that depart men:-
 Then" he said, i've see these serious
 charges against the postoffice department the general land office and the Indian bureau with the republican party on
 guard at every door that leads into these chambers of public plunder refusing ad-
 mittance to the peoples representatives.
 who want an Investigation
 What conclusion can the people come
 to except that you are afraid an investi- gation will uncover new crimes that will cast more reflection upon the admnistra- | ton.
 Roosevelt Is Harmless. ''The trusts long since. he declared amid democratic laughter, have learned | what a harmless agitator Roosevelt is" He said that one of the greatest jokes on
 the public was perpetrated when the an- | nouncement was made that Theodore | Roosevelt was to be the antitrust candi- l date in 1904. It was no longer a secret, | he asserted that the business interest of the country. including many who support ed Mckinley. did not regard President Roosevelt as a safe man.
 By many, he said, his administration
 was looked upon as a continuing ex- Driment entirely too theatrical for the business interests of the country without | sufficient time between acts to allow a breathing spell" He further attacked MT.
 Roosevelt, when he said there was many