The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-06-10

In his bow to the senate the Hon.
Robert Love Taylor, of Tennessee.
spoke on Proposed Financial Legis-
lation." but a scrutiny Of his remarks
discloses no proposal to reform the
currency. A speech that ended with
the admonition from the vice presi-
dent, Applause Is not permitted by
the rules Of the seate." was not in
vain, however.
We see nothing about the Aldrich
bill or the Yreeland substitute in
Fiddling Bob's maiden effort, but the
speech will read well in the Smoky
Mountains Of which Bob IL the
prophet. In his prelude he modestly
said that he would fire single scat
tering shot on the state Of the Union"
1t was rather sprinkler, raining
melodies and jests on the hide Of the
Republican party. When Bob feigned
to be serious he was merely imagin-
ative. Witness this:
"Sir, the army Of GENERALIZATION is
even now just moving in to occupy
position in the Twilight Zone" and
It's videttes are watching the passes
that lead toward the states, ready to
seize and occupy advanced position.
The States are mere twinkling stars
In this Twilight Zone" and their in
effectual fires are paling gradually as
the light breaks over the mountain
top from the central luminary at
Washington
Fine! But isn't this more in Bob's
vein?
THAT memorable struggle which
put Yankee Doodle on the pension list
and Dixie on crutches.'
What a world Of history, from the
comic to the sublime, Is writ into that
sentence. We do not think so much
Of Bob's estimate Of Andrew john
son (of Tennessee) "will stand out as
one Of the greatest presidents this
country ever had" He must have been
thinking of some other Johnson in
the womb Of Time. 1t has been said
OF Bob by an uncompromising home
critic that "he can talk of the fiddle
more eloquently than he can play It,"
and the following rhapsody confirms
that Judgment:
"But the railroads are only one
string Of the harp Of a thousand
strings upon which our modern Or
pheus Is playing the triumphal march
Of Capitalization. We hear q note
from the metallic string Of the steel
trust. and long. sweet strain from
the sugar trust. and q believing note
from the beef trust. and dingdong
Of the copper trust. and the pingpong
Of the leather trust. and the singsong
of a thousand other trusts, all Of
which are the legitimate results Of an
abnormal tariff system"
Bob Is sometimes obscure when he
struggles not to be as funny as ne
can:
"At the beginning Of its reign 1t
(the Republican party) was the wet
nurse Of our infant industries, but
when the infants grew up and had
whiskers Qaughter) 1t shifted the
shibboleth to protection to American
industry and American labor" And
now 1t shouts on the eve of another
campaign: III we can only save the
red headed man we will revise him. -"
Who Is the red headed standpatter :?
Is he Uncle Joe or Serene Payne :?
Maybe Uncle Joe is the man to be
saved. for further on:
THAT stern old man at the other end
Of the capitol (Mr. Speaker Cannon)
who holds the legislation Of the re-
public in the hollow of his hand,
comes down with the gavel and cuts
the hamstrings Of every movement
for tariff reform"
Mr.. Roosevelt Is the mighty poten-
tate ''in whose presence Wall street
trembles and Annias falls dead at his
feet. the man Of destiny, the Napoleon
Of the Western Hemisphere" Under
the crack Of his bull whip" the lions
Of the senate
lick the sores Of a whole battalion
OF colored troops. figuratively speak