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

I tent myself with saying that while ]
| did not read all that was adduced be-
| fore the House and Senate committees,
| I did read much of it. and read null
| titude Of pamphlets, briefs, press ana
newspaper articles, and the law upon
| the subject in order TO gain an under
standing of the question. But | must
| confess that l did not read the state
ment read to the committee by the gen
tleinan from New York-and that omis-
sion. IL seems, was my undoing 10 De
sure I voted for the bill which passed
this House, just as the gentleman from
plain upon that ground
Now, why did 1 not read the state
ment OF the gentleman made before
| the committee? It was because ] new
er took the legislative services OF these
gentlemen seriously, and It is my opin-
| ion that not more than SIX or seven
| members of this entire body do take
| them seriously. / know that they do
not take themselves seriously as legis-
| lato-s, for if they did they would ia
| vor US with their presence oItenef thafl
| they do. These gentlemen are not try
| ing TO render good services as legisla
| tors bs remaining in the House and at
| tending to the public business Their
] constituents evidently do not expect
| them TO come here often. Tor by Ie-
electfng them they Endorsed their rec
] ord Of absenteeism. apparently on the
theory that they could do them less
harm by their absence from the House
! than by their presence therein. lap
| pla0Se ana lauShtSF.I MaHS iitSitabeiS
| Of this House must feel some curiosity
! to know why these gentlemen ever
| break their custom by coming into the
| House at all.
Reasons for Coming.
Some Of them come here solely because
| the position offers them an opportunity
TO exploit their candidacy for the Presi-
dency of the United States That such
are candidates for the Presidency is
4 L.. e-S1 -fl txN.r
for after the country took a survey or
! them it discounted them as possibilities
and brcnthed easier forthwith. daughter
and applause There was single prece-
| dent in their favor. for the Democratic
party had once nominated an editor; but
they failed TO remember that 1t had
| The political parties of this country fire.
quentiy nominate great men-aimost al
| ways good men-but always men who
| have shown ability in some branch or
the public service They have never
Nominated an unknown man or politi-
teal novice whose only Recommendation
standing the fact that the folly of their
candidacy would be revealed to them
qualities of the American Presidents
| from Washington TO Roosevelt their
fatuous candidacy persists.
| Whom the gods would destroy they
first make mad and hence. perhaps. 1t
is that ambition to fill the high office OF
President fills the heart of these gentle
| with the poet Burns:
'oh wad some power the giftie gle US
| To see oursel's as others see u.s.
Referred to Colleagues.
Would it not be well for such gentle
men, as introspection is apparently lnl-
possible. to get an honest estimate of
themselves from their colleagues?
venture TO say, Mr. Speaker. that in no
body in this country would they
ceiye a smaller vote than here in this
House amongst their party associates.
slight support from those whose assem-
bling uIlder that banner would indicate
less love for old-fashioned Democratic
principles than for, an opportunity to
display themselves IN the phosphores-
cent light of those literary fungi euphe-
TniSticaily called newspapers.
While the wisdom and beneficence o.
| cur institutions are commonly measured
by their good results, the remarkable
opportunities for evil which these same
| magnificent advantages of distance have
never been more fully demonstrated
than in our system which unftes In a
common scheme of government terri
tories situated at opposite ends Of this
/ great continent.
Thus, while a man may by his conduct
on the borders of the Pacific ocean make
either his nomination or election TO offic.
impossible IN a community of self-re-
specting persons, he may by fleeing from
the sources Of his reputation as far as
the Atlantic ocean permits. secure cleo
ton to high office. From California tic
New York measures the scope of this
continent. Yet it was evidently believed
by such-aEd surely they are the best
/ judges-that any less distance would be
fatal to their ambition These gentlemen
sooner or later viii discover that the
4 people never viii reconcile two abso-
lute1y irreconcilable forces-their amoi-
ton and their reputation.
Campaign of Corruption
But fortunately for the Democratic
party. and more fortunately for the
country, these candidates. which began
in debauch ended in fiasco. While they
lasted, campaign Of corruption was
waged that has no parallel in American
history 1t is true that they received the
support Of many honest men who did
not know them well. but it is also true
that the main feature of that campaign
was the use of the grossest forms of
corruption that ever shocked the con-
scieace of the American commonwealth.
/ Perhaps the lesson of that failure has
been read, and l trust that it has But
at all events shrewd plan has been
framed for the attainment Of these great
ambitions. a scheme of wholesale
political assassination has been mapped
cut, evidently with the idea that only
by destroying the respectable elements
! of the Democratic party can their can
comedy And SO the Democrats through
OUT the country who are still true to
lilelF principles and who refuse to follow
the WlH-o' -the-wisp of populism arr.
threatened to be ground into the dust
by this car OF 1uggernaut. But [ believe,
| this plan VIII fail too. for the followers
| OF old-fas htoned Democratic PRINCIPLES
In this country, men of the stamp of our
. respected. honored. yea. beloved leader
upon the floor Of this House. are the
mower OF every community. TApDIause
And the refusal of our leader to stoon
10 controversy with q contemplate OBJ
| pohent, even under the lash of rancorous
newspaper slanier. is evidence thai the
minority made no mistake when they
trusted 10 the genius, the character and
| the Judgment Of the statesman from
Mississippi by selecting him to lead
| them. Prolonged applause.l The men
| who hold TO our fundamental principles
are respected for their character and
attachments. Their influence NAV tenn
porarily be diminished by the sudden
gusts Of passion and prejudice but
TO CURE COLD IN ONE DAY,