New-York tribune., 1908-02-04
MESSAGE DISCUSSED.
LIVELY HOUSE DEBATE.
Hepburn, Cochran and TozCnsen0
Praise the President.
IFrom The Tribune Bureau J

sage was discussed In all its phases and from
every point of view in the House of Represent
atives to-day under the rule which allows four
hours of general debate on the indian appro-
priation bill. Oratory riot. and for the first
time this session almost the entire membership
listened TO the debate That the message has
thoroughly stirred members Of Congress was
easily seen for no speech made on any
other subject and each speaker proclaimed his
views with vehemence and conviction
Enthusiasm characterized the entire proceed
ings and at no time was the applause greater
than when Representative Hepburn. Of Iowa.
delivered a strong eulogy Of the PRESIDENT.
From the Democratic side came enth1sias-
tic commendation. and seldom has such =
tribute been paid to Republican President oy
a Democrat as that spoken by Representative
Bourke Cochran.
REPRESENTATIVE Townsend. of Michigan. also
added his voice to the general commendations
and in his speech Of an hour declared fns
charge that the President had stolen Mr. Bryans .
thunder was unfounded. He praised the messas7
highly.
Every little while. Mr. Townsend SAID he
heard or read of some Democrat saying that tbs
rate bill the antitrust law and the endorsements
Of them were of Democratic origin: that Repuo-
licans had stolen Democratic thunder thas
President Roosevelt TO use classical express
sion OF Mr. Bryan" had been wearing Bryans
clothes Ordinarily he had not thought 1t WISE
to notice those things. but the statements hao
been made loudly and so long that some OF tne
younger generation might believe them. and ths
Democratic party may come to claim them oy
right OF possession under the statute OF Iirnita-
tions" Fortunately, he declared. there was =
record Of all matters In Congress and II could os
turned to when disputes were on
Mr. Townsend denied that the rate law and
f< cd pvaT n
cratic origin or conception. and he inquired IL
the President had departed from Republican poll
icfes when he advocated Ii. He then discussed
antitrust legislation. and compared action un-
der the administrations Of Cleveland and Roose-
velt AS compared with Cleveland's administrs-
tipn, he said. there had been under Rocsevets
administration four times many bills I'm equity
fled nine times as many indictments found and
seven times as many convictions obtained The
antitrust law he said. not Of Democratio
origin and it's enforcement was not to the credit
of the Democrats.
COCHRAN STIRS THE HOUSE
Bourlxe Cochran replied Mr.. Townsend Hs
said that since the beginning IF the Republic
| there had not been single policy prominently
| incorporated into law that not Of Demo-
| cratic. origin
| Coming to recent issues MIR. Cochran said:
| The message which the President sent here
| Friday raises question that goes TO the very
/ existence and growth of civil government The
first part of the message contains complaints
After pass that portion We come to the part
| where we all applaUded. and that was the para
graph that related to charges that business dis
tress was brought on by the government and
that the knife should be used freely in cutting
out rottenness.
Mr. Cochran grew vitrioIic In his denunca-
4 e1-T-re.
who had been guilty OF Illegal acts He first
referred to the insurance investigation. and in
speaking of the recent financial crisis said is
had been caused by successful revelations of de-
pravity in high places in the financial world
WAS the President responsible for that?' he
incurred The whole thing. he declared, grew
out of a quarrel OF the plunderers Of Insurance.
companies over the distribution of the spoils-
So deeply had the public conscience become aP-
palled. he said. by the spectacle of unpuuished
crime that never once did it seem to dawn on
any one that instead of certain corporation
heads being suffered do some housec1eaning
in the corporations they had pillaged- they
ought to he sent 10 do some cell cleaning in the
pententfary-
'oThese gentlemen" he said. when their
pacfties had exhausted the supply and there vas
nothing left 10 steal did not even surrender
control of the corporations they wronged-"
THE BANK FAILURES.
Regarding the recent bank failures in New
York Mr.. Cochran said that not one of them
failed through error of Judgment. Every
of them" he said. was ruined through crime
He charged that the officers who we're being
pursued before grand juries and criminal courts
actually had set themselves to work raise
funds reopen the concerns and induce de-
positors to sanction delay In the payment ot
their money. and ne said. they are treated
as saviors of society because they hadn't blown
up the building in addition pilfering the
books
II had been asked. continued Mr.. Cochran.
why doesn't the President prosecute these
tlerlen?' but he said he noticed EFT always
propounded by those who. If they thought thsrs
was any danger of prosecution. would not
gage in a public discussion the hustlngs
I'm the newspapers. but would be quietly seeking
steamship tickets to foreign lands" He did
believe the President yet had exhausted all HIS
powers. but he said: II do say this messags
shows ne appreciates his duty
Loud Republican applause followed this
mark The message was. Mr. Cochran declared.
an inspired proclamation to the American people,
THE CRUSADERS"
Mr. Cochran referred further President
Roosevelt as a crusader "the only the Re-
publicans had but he said the President
disqualified. His nomination by you US
would be personal dishonor.' The President
had renounced the field of politics and had
taken a noble position before the civilized world.
Never before in the history OF the country. he
said had a President still in office the object
of the bitterest attacks. hated hatred
ever before was treasured against public Of
~se~.f