The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-12-22
LAnAR'S BAD BREAK.

According to a Washington special TO
Pennsylvania Grit, the scenes in the
House Of Representatives, and follow
ing the session Of Wednesday, were
much more disgraceful than has been
elsewhere reported. That paper says:
After Lamar showed his colors in the
House and tried TO get the better Of the
astute Democratic leader, Mr.. Williams
landed on him heavily and squelched
him with bitter sarcasm and biting
jokes. This much enraged the Florid-
ian, who wanted TO have a Democratic
caucus before which TO air his alleged
grievances. With rare generalship Mr.
Williams put the hot Lamar way back
to one Of the rear seats and allowed the
course Of legislation TO move smoothly.
Lamar, however, could not be quoted.
He gave vent TO the following terrible
language directed at John Sharp Will
liams:
Hes a dog; that's what he ISL Mr..
Lamar said, after a long denunciation
Of Mr.. Williams. "I'll show him, with
his Heidelberg jokes and swelled head,
that he cannot charge me with some
thing he cannot substantiate. When
Mr.. Williams removed me from the
committee, giving reason therefor
that is absolutely false, ! cannot help
thinking that his act was malicious and
intended TO do me an injury in the State
Of Florida and with my party colleagues
in Congress.
The following telegraphic account Of
the affair in the Memphis Commercial
Appeal shows how the deplorable Incl
dent was regarded by the representative
of that excellent journal:
To the unalloyed joy of the Republic
ans and to the utter disgust and humili-
alton Of seven-eighths of the Democrats
in the House, Representative Lamar of
Florida, actuated by petty spite against
John Sharp Williams, Democratic floor
leader, today made a spectacle of him
self by furnishing dirty party linen for
washing in public.
The Republicans, always ready to ac-
cord hearty welcome to a Democratic
row on the floor, greeted Lamar and his
burden of wrath as pleasant divertise-
ment, while the Democrats, with two
or three exceptions, observed with pain
and modification the launching Of an
episode the sole object of which was to
discredit the leadership of Mr.. Williams
Lamar tried TO unburden himself last
Monday, but was stopped before he
had proceeded farther than the first
formal statement Of his object in rising
He sought the opportunity again today
when the House was in committee of
the whole and got it, to his personal
sorrow and political undoing.
Lamar was sore because he was trans
ferred, at Mr.. Williams suggestion,
from the committee on interstate and
foreign commerce TO the committee on
foreign affairs. Shackelford of Mis-
souri, was also transferred from the
committee on interstate and foreign
commerce.
Mr.. Williams reason for transferring
these gentlemen was to have six mem
bers of that important committee who
could work in harmony to the end of
railroad rate bill. Lamar and Shackel-
ford did not agree with the other four
Democrats on the committee. Lamar
took his transfer as personal indignity
and today sought to berate Mr.. Will
liams accordingly.
The effort was as humiliating to him
as it was mirth-provOking to the House,
for when MIR. Williams finished with
the irate Flordian there was nothing
left Of him but his credentials, and they
were saved from Disagreement because
they happened to be duly filed away.
Without the slightest show of temper
or bad feeling, Mr. Williams trimmed
his assaildnt with the keenest blades of
sarcasm and ridicule, so that he could
hardly have been recognized by his dear
est constituents. The trimming was
awful, and If Lamar had not brought it
upon himself kindly hand might have
been thrust out to save him from the
torture. But he chose to die that way.
and the House looked on with amusing
pity.
Several Representatives said tonight
that Mr.. Lamar had injured himself po-
litically at home Others said he was
encouraged to attack Mr.. Williams by
Mr.. Hearst.
In Savannah Morning News edito-
rial the following language attributed
to Mr.. Lamar still more clearly demon
strates the fact that in his rage he to-
tally forgot or wilfully ignored the con-
which gentlemen, however
they may differ, owe TO each other, as
well as what public men, in their public
utterances and manner, owe to the pub
lie:
1t is probable that Representative
Lamar regrets what he said, in his con-
troversy with Representative John
Sharp Williams, the Democratic leader
Of the House, that the latter looked
like an Image Of shriveled monkey"