The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-02-14

he thereupon proceeded to visit upon
me the penalties for lese maJeste pH
having my name duly registered Tor
slaughter in the political asSaSsihali oii
department Of his newspaper tLaus II
teri Mr.. Speaker, / will now read the
article in question
[From the New York America1., Thurs
day, February 8. 1901
The ignorance of many member OF
the House on the subject of TINS leslsla-
ton is interesting study Mr. Lamar
referred To 1t yesterday and MIR. Shobef
today, both in doubt as to whether this
ignorance was due to congenital inca
pacity or Indifference to the people 8
rights.
KNEW NOTHING OF HEARING.
For oxumple, a bald, red-nosed young
man, whose name, it seems, is Sullivan,
interrupted Mr.. Lamar yesterday. He
was identified, after investigation. as be-
ing from Massachusetts. Mr.. Sullivan
revealed his hitherto unsuSpecting pres
ence in the House of Representatives. by
asking some questions which showed
that he knew nothing of the hearings
before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, the hearings before the House
Interstate and Foreign Commerce Com
mittee. and the Senate Interstate Com
merce Committee, the many volumes of
printed testimony taken at these hear
ings. or the character of the bills pend
ing.
The Boston fruit exchange"
This is for local color
which sent Mr.. Mead to Washington
TO declare against the private ear evil.
viii be edited to learn this
A Deliberate Insult.
Now, Mr. Speaker, this article does
not touch my character, but 1t does af-
feet me in my representative capacity
and Is a deliberate insult of one mem
Der Dy another, so | propose TO discuss
II and the motives beneath ii in such a
manner as to afford the gentleman from
New YORK a fair chance to reply, and
/ IL
himself of the privilege of this floor
after the fashion OF manly man. in
stead OF hiding under the cover of
Iufther cowardly newspaper attacks.
Political Birth.
Mr.. Speaker. I may say in passing
that 1 recognize my obligation to the
gentleman from New York for his dis
covery'' of the hitherto unknown mem
Der. One should be duly thankful for
political birth-eyen under the unhappy
circumstances OF being begotten in acri-
monious coloquy and delivered in the
! columns Of the yellow journal" Jap
The charges of being bald and red
nosed l neither affirm nor deny, but
leave the gentleman TO his proof
Laughter aLg and applanse.1 I am half in
cilned TO plead guilty to the former
charge. Yet as l look around l am
somewhat consoled by the reflection that
badness is relative term. after all,
House than l. tLaughter.I OF course /
am not blind To the impression sought 10
pc created by the use of the words bald
and red nosed. The writer made his
| point with more subtlety, If not quite SO
clearly, than If he had added the term
biear-eyed and had suggested .'un-
steady gait and thickness of speech .
Or course. the impression he desired to
create would be a false one, but 1 do
hot thlnk II worth while to waste any
| time on that point.
Incapaeity or Indifference.
| The writer raises the query whether
my ignorance (of pending measures)
was due to congenitaI incapacity or in
difference to the peoples rights" Con
genital tncapacity'' is a serious charge
! yet obviously one which q person ac-
eused would not care to discuss If the
charge IS true, he is not guilty, but sim
ply unfortunate, and it is surely a
| sfleVonS misfortune not to be able to
Appreciate the value of the legislative
: services OF the gentleman from New
ork. lLaughter-1 But 'tcongenital in
| capacity To understand is a term that
| covers a wide range of mental and
moral nas deficiencies. II covers the
lnsoientiy casts his lecherous eyes
/ upon the noblest Of women whose virtue
PAGES them beyond the contamination
| or his lust 1t covers the case of the
/ nnclean, unproductive, shiftless mem
/ Der Of society who stands before the
| jewelers. window condemning the eco
I
the beautiful gems beyond his reach.
AND 1t includes the man who, totally
pefeIt OF the sense of proportion, raises
ms Profaning eyes toward the splendid
| Temple of the peoples highest gift-the
presidency Of the United States-bliss-
| fuliy unconscious of the woeful con-
trast between the qualifications re-
| mient
Indifference to the peoples rights
| IS another charge that may be properly
discussed, IL / may be pardoned for the
| appearance of egotism / have beer
| elected TO public office as a Democrat in
| strong Republican districts four tines
! twice to the Massaehusettg senate ana
| twice to the National House OF ReDre-
| sentatives, If | had been Indifferent to
| the people s rights 1t does seem that an
alert opposition would have discovered
| that fact and made 1t known to the
| voters in time to prevent my election.
| IL the charge Of 'congenital incapacity
! and indifference to the peoples rights
| Is true. | should receive some praise
| from the gentleman from New York for
my adroltness in concealing these de-
fects from a keenly discerning constit-
uency without the assistance of q per
sonal newspaper organ. No member of
this House realizes more painfully than
| the gentleman from New York that even
with the assistance of such organs some
members have been unable to conceal
! their defects from even the casual scru-
! tiny of the American people
| Now, the last charge is that OF reveal
ing my unsuspecting presence in the
House" L take it that the writer meant
.'unsuspected. =" If SO. it is only just &c
remark that l have not been absent
/ from this House more than three or four
tunes In the three sessions Of the Fifty
eighth Congress. This is well known to
| the members, and it is equally well
| known that some gentlemen are the
| most notorious absentees in this body
that they do not attend one day in ten
! and have never been known TO remain
/ for an entire Legislative day even upon
/ those rare occasions when they conde-
scend TO grace Us with their presence
/ Time and time again, when their votes
on this floor were needed by that party
which they profess to love, have we
cooked In vain for them. for out of fifty
five roll calls in the first and second SEES
4 sions of the Fifty-eighth Congress they
answered only nine. And how about
their services? Has any member heard
their manly, sonorous voices once upon
this floor in the discussion of subject
in the asking of question. in the max
ing of an amendment Elm the offering oil
q motion? Not once! Silent, inarticu-
late wrapt in impenetrable gloom, these
Legislative SDhinXeS sit PnShFou6ed IT