Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-22
M'LACHLAN WANTS TO
KEEP OUT OF JAIL
CONGRESSMAN REFUSES TO
ANSWER QUESTION
Tells interrogation 1t Is Crime to Make
Prediction Pledges, Thus
EVading Important
Issue

Those who heard Congressman Nc
Lachlan speak at Woods Hall, High
land Park, Tuesday night throw addi-
tional light on the way the congress-
man lodged the now famous Can
| non" issue.
The principal speaker of the even
| ing was Congressman McLachlan. The
! Democrats had turned out in larger
numbers than the Republicans in pro-
| portion to the respective votes in that
| section, and the candidate had re-
| spectful attention while he detailed
long arrays of figures telling how good
thing our tariff is, and how the Re
publicans are the only proper fellows
to revise it, and why it should gener-
ally be revised upwards rather than
downwards.
After he had concluded John II. Pope,
a strong Republican from Garyanza,
rose and asked permission to ask a
question, which was courteously
granted.
Mr. Congressman" said Mr.. Pope,
Il am Republican and desire to ask
you in case you are returned to con-
gress and there is. Republican ma
jority, will you vote for Joe Cannon
for Speaker?'
Mr.. McLachlan shot out his arm and
with fire in his eyes replied, Il de-
cline to answer that question"
Mr.. Pope courteously responded,
LAS | said, / am a Republican and
desire to see a Republican chosen to
support a Republican president, but
1 am from Illinois and in common
with many other members of our
party am not willing to aid in re-
turning him as speaker of the house."
This was met with applause from
fully half of the house and at least
one-third of the applause must have
been from Republicans The congress-
man. evidently seeing the atmosphere
said in a conciliatory tone: My f1A~ld,
under the present law in this state
it is a crime to either ask a candidate
to make a pledge or a candidate to
make it."
Mr.. Pope quietly said "That is not
federal law"
At this point Mr. Hart, an old Grand
Army man, arose in front, and in effect
repeated the statement of Mr.. Pope.
The chairman, Mr.. Griffith of the local
bank then arose and deprecated dis
sensons in the meeting, and called the
candidates for supervisor and assem-
blyman to present themselves, while
the congressman sat and listened to
their remarks on roads and saloon Ii
censes, ETC., with rather a disquieted
interest.
Mr.. McLachlan during his remarks
stated that he disliked to blow his
own horn in telling his own record in
congress, but he added that as no
newspapers of his party made any
report of his meetings or his record
as to his official acts, there was no
other way to acquaint the voters with
what he had done for Los Angeles,
but to tell them himself, and that
must be his apology for so doing.
Some one responded that possibly
the Democratic paper might be kind
enough to report his meeting, to which
he returned his thanks.
He then gave very interesting and
fair account of the advantages an
old member had over a new one in
getting things done at the capital, and
the handicaps of ineXperience under
which the new man labored.
Upon the whole, barring either his
Ignorance or misrepresentation as to
the tariff law workings, the congress
man makes rather an interesting
talk.