The Washington herald., 1908-05-23
PASS PUBLICITY BILL
House Puts Measure Through
After Hot Debate.
AFFECTS SOUTHERN MEMBERS
Campaign Contribution Bill, LOnR
Wanted by Democrats, Put Through
without Objectionable RIder-DaI-
zelI Grows Sarcastic While Will
iams Refers TO OReconstructiOn Days.

! BY a simple legislative expedient the
/ Republicans of the House, by a vote of
100 TO 10 yesterday passed campaign
publcsty bill. turning the laugh on the
Democrats by attaching 10 1t a rider
aimed at frauds in the election OF inem-
bers Of Congress and providing for a re-
duction Of the representation in the
House Of those Southern States which
have disfranchised the negro.
For weeks Minority Leader John Sharp
Williams and his followers had beer
clamOring for the enactment Of a law
requiring publicity Of contributions TO
campaign funds. taunting the Republi-
cans with a disinelination 10 follow the
recommendations Of President Roosevelt
in this regard
The Democrats thought they had the
Republicans Up a tree. and for a long
time the Republicans were at a loss as
TO how they should squirm out of the
difficulty with credit TO themselves and
the party as a whole.
! XIII Two Birds.
IN passing the bill that was put through
yesterday the Republicans killed two
birds with one stone In the face Of an
impending campaign, which they expect
will be one of the bitterest since the
civil war. they made it impossible to
enact al this session a law giving pub
licity 10 contributions made in the in
terest Of candidates in national contests.
At the same time they forced the Demo-
Gratis to go on record in opposition TO
the campaign publicity measure, as the
| Republicans as well as the Democrats
we're well aware that the bill. containing
as il did a suggestion Of the old force
bill, as we'll as an amendment reducing
/ the Souths representation in Congress,
could never be passed in the Senate, ex-
cept after a most prolonged and deter
mined struggle on the part Of the Demo-
| Gratis in THAI body
! The debate on the bill was one OF the
most notable of the present session. 1t
was marked by intense partisan feeling
| On the one hand the bloody shirt was
waved by hot-heads among the Repub-
licans while on the other the Democrats
charged that the majority had resOrted TO
a subterfuge TO prevent action on an ad-
ministratiOn measure There were fre-
Iquent references 10 reconstruction days in
/ the South. snd, taken all in all. the de-
! bate was one OF the liveliest that has been
/ Witnessed in the House for years
| Perry Belmont, Of New York and Wash
/ ingtOn. representing the National Cam
/ Ipaign Publicity Bill Organization, sat in
/ the gallery and witnessed the death Of
3 la
/ publican elephant and substitutes the
golden calf as the campaign emblem, 20
1 he declared after the vote had been an
nounced in the House.
Democrats scent Trouble.
1t was evident early in the day that
/ something was doing. Tie Democrats
! scented trouble, and appeared in the
House in force. Every Republican had
been advised that there was to be a
killing, and vas urged to be in at the
death
Representative Crumpacker. Of Indiana,
was chosen TO lead the hght This was a
bitter pill for the Democrats, because Mr..
Crumpacker was Southern born. For
years he has been sounding, in season
and out of season. the cry that as the
South denies the negro the right TO vote,
its representation in Congress should be
reduced.
Moving a suspension Of the rules. Mr
Crumpacker asked for the consideration
Of the Mccall publicity bill To it had
been added the amendments SO offensive
to the Southern Democrats. The Demo-
Gratis charged that the measure was
nothing more or less than a scheme to
put them in a hole by uniting the pub
licity bill, which they favored, with the
other proposition which they declared
moved them to disgust, if not anger
Advocating the passage OF the bill, Mr..
Crumpacker said that he would not char
acterize the Mccall bill as namby pamby.
It was a good thing but did not go far
enough, and was wanting in some details.
To that bill ne said, the minority had
more than once declared its adherence.
The amendments he had proposed to
the bill were Of more Importance No
man. in his opinion, should refuse to
adopt anything that would secure fair
elections. and If the constitutional meth
ods OF eleeting Representatives was OBJ
served in all parts of the country there
would be at least twenty-five members
less from certain States
Having aroused the Democrats Mr.,
Crumpacker turned over the job Of fur
ther melting them TO Representative Dal-
zell Of Pennsylvania, who sits up nights
hating the minority. BIr. Dalzell had
been figuring on votes cast for members
OF Congress in the South. notably in
Mississippi the state represented in
part by Minority Leader Williams.
The Representative Of the First dis
trict Of Mississippi (Mr. Wnliams) is sit
ting here by virtue of 1853 votes" cried
Mr, Dalzell, and there was great ap-
plause on the Republican side ''The
Representative of the First district of
Pennsylvania is sitting here by virtue of
% $50 votes.
There is not a Representative, an al
legged Representative from the State Of
Mississippi on the floor Of this House
who has any opposition to his election
The total vote OF 1885 that sends eight
men here from the state Of Mississippi
is less than the number OF votes in
single ward in my district Do you cell
that representative government" shouted
Mr.. Dslzen
Minority Leader Williams realized that
the Republican had worked a clever coup.
He made the best Of the situation You
dare not face any great public question
in a fair and straightforward way. was
his first shaft
Now what are you trying to do? Does
the gentleman from Indiana think ne
can turn the hands OF the clock back
half a century: does he think that he
can reproduce a pandeGnonium Of re-
construction throughout the South once
more; does he think the business inter-
ests Of the North, its manufacturing and
its commercial interests, will stand for
a reinauguration of that Saturnalia?
why, the very wording of the bill
requires the Census Department not TO
report the number Of those disfranchised.
but TO give the number Of whites and
blacks. / think somebody said mo-
ment ago something about somebody
having said that the South had 1ynched