The Irish standard., 1904-04-30

proved to be. About the first thinp ho
d'u III the ways and means committoo
N''s 10 vote against substituting the
WOOL schedules of the Wilson bill for
'he wool schedules of the pronosod
lDlngley bill The great leaders Of tho
Democratic party who had 81 morv
years conducted campaigns of educa.
tion to the decisive consummation NJ
lo'2 mad all taught that the duty on
wool was the keystone of the protective
arcE' and that it was both profound
s'ateslnanship and skillful politics to
put this necessary of life ON the froe
llst. But the young leader ignored this
ana proclaimed new evangel that ~
long rs there was the slightest protec-
tioh 1or the loom there should be eoual
protection for the fleece. There is Soma
clivalry in that, if there he such q
QUALITY in economies; but it is politics
SO transcendental as to be absolute fol.
~. 1t was no wonder that such leodor.
snip as that threw the Democratic mar.
~ into chaos, and the leader of the
democratic side would rs we'll have
attempted to hem u flock of sparrows
ntfe open common as to mobilizo hia
squad III the house of representatives,
1t was every man for himself and
devil take the hndmost.
MI. Bailey lacked parliamentary OK.
fn..f
tolerance. He was too sensitive, and
lie was not very gOOd-lumored man,
lie had some of the elements of rreot-
ness, though. He had strong conyic.
'lohs that were somewhat clouded by
strong prejudices. He had indepen.
dence Of thought and sclf-reliance Of
intellect, but he would not allow for
the weaknesses and the prejudices,
and, above all, for the necessities of his
followers, some of whom were as color
less as water and as insipid as medi-
ocrity. Small wonder. then. that every
Monday Of that congress was blue
Nlonday-for the Democratic side-and
every day washday. Bailey was no
denagogue. In matters of principle he
was intrepid, and at Chicago in 1896 lie
showed that he had some of the stuff
in him Of which martyrs are made; but
1t was unfortunate that he was called
to lead a minority that Henry Clay,
Ihaddeus Stevens and Thomas b. Reed
combined could not have led Bailey
would he an admirable captain of q
company, every private of which
was lie premier grcnader de Ia France
La Tour dAuvcrgne; but he would
be lamentable failure as head of the
squad Falstanf refused to march
through Coventry.
And so Bailey abdicated in disgust,
and the minority chose for q leader a
most excellent gentleman, James D.
Richardson, an accomplished parlia-
mentarian, a man Of admirable tact,
of unfailing good humor and of the
broadest tolerance. He was what Bal
ley was not-a very popular member;
but he failed, not for lack Of capacity
for leadership, but for the same reason
that Bailey failed-the minority re-
fused to be led.
Last December, in moment of in
spiration, the minority chose John
Sharp Williams for leader. He has
ability, scholarship and learning. In
debate he can deliver as strong a blow
as Bailey, and in his associations with
men he practices all the tact of Rich
ardson. He is entirely democratic in
his de'neaEor, and has complete control
Of his temper. He is well grounded in
tie history and the politics of the coun-
try, and at moments notice can show
the most pertinent and the happiest
illustration from the story of other peo-
pies and other ages, ancient and mod
ern, and few men in congress have
profted as much from the wisdom of
other generations. He is not de-
clafmer, but ready speaker and a
strong reasoner. He never says
foolish thing and never occupies the
dead level Of mediocrity. He is a full
man in the sense of Bacon's famous
passage. In the "Old South" as they