Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-05-06

EREIOfOhE III Cne6e letters
l have referred to the fact
that the two Kitchin broth
ers, William W. and Claude,
who are both representatives in con-
gress from North Carolina, are among
the ablest men in the house. They are
young, handsome, clean, strong, indus
trious and faithful to their duties, COM
manding the respect and admiration
of all who know them. Claude the
younger Of the twain, is now serving
his second term. While hitherto he has
participated somewhat in the running
fire debates, always in highly credit
able manner, he never until April %
delivered what is technically known as
set speech, but on that occasion he
spoke in q manner certain to attract
the attention of the whole country.
When he sat down he ranked among
the crack orators of the house. His
themes were Colonel Theodore Roose-
welt, General Charles Henry Grosvenor
Of Ohio and Colonel William Peters
Hepburn of Iowa, and he handled them
without gloves. His matter was excel
lent and his manner superb. In both
personal appearance and style of ut
terance he much resembles Senator Jo-
seph Weldon Bailey of Texas, and he
mauled the Republicans much in the
same manner as does the young Texan
He read amid uproarious applause Cen
eral Grosvenor's caustic remarks about
Colonel Roosevslt's capers ut the Phil
adelphia Republican national conyen-
ton Of 1900, when the general was act
ing rs correspondent Of Hearst's New
York American. No Democrat has
ever said as hard things about Colonel
Roosevelt as General Grosvenor wrote
about him in those letters. General
Grosvenor was mad enough to bite his
own tongue while Kitchin was reading
choice extracts from those abusive let
tiers, especially while he was contrast
ing them with General Grosvenor's re-
cent fulsome adulation Of the presi-
dent.
Then Kitchin took up the question of
lynching and, by reading extracts from
Colonel Roosevelt's books showed that
the latter had Endorsed lynching as a
remedy for horse stealing or, as the
young North Carolina orator put it,
"lynching for stealing ten dollar rat
tail pony"-thus carrying the remedy
by lynching much further than has
been dreamed of in the south, and
much more of the same sort.
Then, taking for his text Colonel
Roosevelt's declaration that "a streak
of coarse brutality runs through the
southern people," young Kitchin en-
tered upon splendid defense Of his
people, which not only ELECTED much
applause, but brought the moisture to
many eyes.
To the astopishment Of his hearers
he dug up a passage from one Of Colo
mel Rooseyelt's speeches while he was
governor Of New York, in which he
referred to congress as 'cattle," and in
which Colonel Roosevelt especially pill
loried General Grosvenor, Colonel Hep
burn and others as champions Of "fou
Il
Then he entered upon pretended de
Tense of those two old gentlemen
| as he truly termed them, which made
their blood boil Altogether it was
one of the richest oratorical perform
ances witnessed by this congress.
i When Kitchin had concluded, General
Grosvenor rose to reply, but was SC
angry and the facts were so strong
against him that he made sad mess
OF it and foundered dreadfully-a sure
sign that Kitchin's bullets had gone
to the mark.
Colonel Hepburn acted more wisely
slept over the matter and next morn
ing assaulted Kitchin in speech OF
great flerceness. He, too, made a poor
case. Kitchin got ten minutes and gave
both General Grosvenor and Colonel
Hepburn a roasting which set the
Democrats wild with delight and even
forced applause from the Republicans
Il "A New Fiaure Of Speech.