The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-26
CHARLES A. CULBERSON
BY sAVoYARD.

Justice Gray. who warmly congratulate
ed him upon his able presentation Ct
the case. This was praise from Sir
Hubert, and a Sir Hubert not lavish
OF praise. Soma years subsIqua ntly,
when he made another exceptionally
strong plea before that bench, Justice
Gray again sent for him and said:
young man, ] have watched your ca
reer and am not unmindful of the fact
that the people OF Texas have taken
care that you should not go unreward-
ed" Chief Justice Fuller. also heartily
commended him.
X X *
In 1904 Culberson was elected govern
or. defeating the veteran John II. Rea-
gan for the nomination. Two years
later he was reelected His admins
tration was eminently satisfactory. and
his fame went to the uttermost parts
Of the Union, when, with bulldog de-
termination. he banished the prize ring
from the state. It cost a deal of money,
and no end of vigilance, but Christian
civilization cheerfully footed the bill
and policed the border. In 1890 ulberson
became q senator in congress, and is
now serving his second term. He is a
capital public speaker, but not a whirl
wind declaimer. What he saws will
set men a-thinking rather than
a-shouting. He speaks the English
tongue, and never wanders from the
text. His style is that of the thinker
and the lawyer. He never talks for
the galleries, but his addresses are to
the senators.
Culberson is a party man through
and through; so was Lincoln so is
Roosevelt. But Culberson. like all
great lawyers, is a conservative. He
does not believe in pyrotechnics. He
suspects novelty. He will sooner cross
the river on a safe bridge than on
ughtrope. He examines everything,
and no labor daunts him. Well ground
ed in the fundamentals of party poll
tics he tests verything by those prin-
ciples. In short, Charles A. Culberson
is his at-great-grandfather returned
to life, and William H. Crawford and
David B. Culberson live again in him.
X X
I understand the Democratic side of
the United States senate is in search of
a leader. Culberson has no superior
in that body. No man is more alert
sWifter TO see a mistake of the enemy
or prompter to take advantage of it. 1t
may be objected that he is Fabius
rather than Marcellus; but Fabius gave
Hannibal more concern that did Mar
cellus Fabius saved Rome; Marcellus
fell in action. CuIberson is perhaps
the only senator the Democrats would
cheerfully follow. He does not create
antagonism. He has an admirable tenn
per- He commands confidence and
wins respect. Leadership is as neces-
sary TO a party as to an army. No
man who saw the work of Thomas B.
Reed in the Fifty-second congress will
challenge that proposition. If the
Democrats Of the senate of 1907 -0S are
led with half the skill the Republicans
of the house were in 1898. IL will have
a tremendous effect on the political sit
uation-
When the southern senators retired
in 1861 and Douglas died, the Democrats
of the senate were in a great deal
worse fix than their successors are in
the present senate. They were few in
number and without leadership. The
two ablest men among them vert
powerIess in the grasp of the demon of
drink Garrett Davis was not yet a
Democrat. Lazarus w. Powell was
discredited for his southern sympa-
thies Latham was more than half
Republican. Turpie was a senator but
few weeks. DOOlittle was yet a full
Republican. Hendricks was not vet a
senator. Thurman did not come in IN
til 1859. There was no leadership, and
very nearly no party. Hendricks and
Thurman put a different face on things,
and it was the wise counsel of Thur
and Casserley, that gave the Democrats
the senate in the Forty-sixth congress.
1t took twelve years for the "Old Ro-
man" to accomplish II, but he had but
handful of supporters to begin with,
yet he hewed his way to the ma jority
by the sheer force of logic and the in
vincibie truths of old-fashioned Dem
ocracy. a principle that has never for
one moment been in minority in this
republic since the ordination Of the
constitution OF the United States. Til
den saw with perfect vision when, as
early as 1870. he made the declaration:
1.-THE Democratic party was never
beaten when it was Democratic"
. x X X
But leadership implies discipline
Will the Democracy be led? That is the
question, and there's the rub. Senators
are human. Culberson is yet young
for a senatorial leader Will the others
follow? 1t is said that Mr.. Roosevelt
has chosen the Democratic leader of
the senate, and Mr.. Culberson is not
the man. Mr.. Roosevelt has accom-
plished more impossible things than
any other man since Napoleon Bona
parte. He is absolute master of one
party and claims an option on the
other. If the Democratic party is going
to take orders from a Republican pres
ident, it is useless to even think of Gull
berson for the titular leader of such a
layout If he is made leader in name
he will be leader in fact, and the party
in the senate would as well, or better,
go out of the political business as to
name a leader and then take orders
from the enemy.
With strong Democratic leadership in
the two houses of congress-Culberson
and Wiliams-the next session of the
American congress would be the most
interesting within a generation, and it
would beneficially affect American pol
itics for another generation.