The sun., 1908-02-04
NDEFENCE or THE PRESIDENT
MR.. TOWNSEND DENIES THAT HE
CAUSED THE PANIC.

Declares That the Enforcement OF Law
Against Public MAlefactOrs Has Not
and VIII Not Impair Prosperity y-BOurke
Cochran DeTends the Last Message.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-Mr. Townsend
(Rep.. Mich), who was instrumental in the
preparation Of the railroad rate bill Of 1909.
delivered a set speech In the House to-day
for the purpose Of showing that the policies
OF the President. especially the railroad
rate law. were not responsible for the panic
OF last fall and that the Democrats were
not entitled to any credit for the authorship
or initiation Of these policies.
To maintain these propositions Mr.. Town
send. at some length, reviewed the history
OF railroad rate and trusts legislation
In conclusion he said: "If l have given
the correct history Of interstate commerce
legislation. does IL lie with any man to claim
that the rate law or the principles which IL
represents are OF Democratic origin or
conception Has the President departed
from the Republican policies which he had
advocated2 The antitrust law is not Of
Democratic origin; its enforcement is not
20 Democratic credit.
Continuing he said: A new order OF
things Is established in the land. The people
are aroused to their rights and neither the
schemes Of the vicious nor the tricks Of the
demagogue will avail to deceive them.
More than ever before they are demanding
Of their legislators, municipal. State and
national, honest. fearless and patriotic
service. But we should be encouraged by
the fact that the people will never demand
what is wrong and in the end will not con-
denim what is true.
The act OF 1905 and the enforcement Of
law against public malefactors have not
impaired and will not impair the general
prosperity, but will contribute 20 perma-
nent justice aud equality. The policies Of
the present Administration were conceived
in patriotism and born Of Republican par
ents."
Bourke Cochran replied to Townsend.
denying his statements In respect Of these
particular matters Of legislation and going
further, to maintain that every element
and principle OF progress existing in the
Government to-day had its source in
Democracy. He devoted the greater part
Of his speech, however. to an attack upon
corrupt business methods in New York,
using the Presidents message as text
and eulogizing the Chief Executive as a
crusader and the most heroic figure in
the history Of the American Government.
He announced amid thunderous Demo-
cratic applause his allegiance reserva-
tions-to Bryan as the Democratic candl-
date for President.
Mr. Cochran then set forth the crimes
and corruption OF predatory wealth. taking
for his text the declaration Of the President
in his special message. that IL il were true
that to cut out rottenness from the body
polite meant a momentaTy check to an
unhealthy seeming prosperity L should
not for one moment hesitate to put the
knife to the corruption. This said
MIR. Cochran -epitomized the purpose and
intention Of the President TO impartially
and efficiently execute the laws, which in
the last analysis simply meant that he
would observe his oath.
1T has been charged" said Mr.. Cochran.
that the President was responsible for the
panic. They pointed to no act OF his except
his declarations that the law must be en-
forced against all malefactors, little
more Etringently against the great than
against the little, and they tell VS. that that
produced the panic. They tell us. more
over. that unless this determination on the
part Of the Executive be changed. or at least
he cease to proclaim IL, prosperity cannot
he revived. When this Congress met had
hoped that the President of the United
States would accept that challenge on
behalf Of law. justice. order and morality;
that he would have said in unTnlstakabie
terms that these men. who themselves
have wrecked our prosperity, having under-
taken to prescribe to this Government the
terms on which they would suffer 1t to bF'
restored-and that these terms were not
merely immunity for the PeTpetratiOn Of
offences, but silence as to the FerpetTators-
that he would answer and say that he would
give them neither; that he would pursue
the law; that il prosperity must be bullded
upon corruption he would not allow II To
be maintained in perjury, for corruT tion
can only be tolerated through perjury Of
the officers sworn to do battle against II in
the name Of law and the justice which
law embodies." Applause on the Demo-
cratic side
Mr.. Hepburn in closing the debate said
that he was himself as ardent as MIR. Cochran
had been in his approval Of the message.
~In everything that the President had done.
Mr.. Hepburn said. the American people
stand behind him; in every recommenda-
ton that ne has made the American people
are back of him. They hold up his hands
and demand legslation that shall make his
recommendations effective through the
courts. The Presidents only critics are
the malefactors he has exposed and their
apoloRists. There are some who say
that nothing will be done by this Con-
Rress. l don't believe II. The American
people are in earnest in their demands
that the President shall he clothed by legs-
lation with power to put his views into
practice. and those who stand in the way
will be run over"
As TO the charge that President Roosevelt
had caused the panic Mr.. Hepburn said the
stock gamblers had caused it. and that
so long as human nature remained as IL was
| and as long as we did business as we do
| panics will be inevitable He again con-
| graduated the country upon the way in
| which the Democrats had received the
| message. They had not the temeTity.
| he said, 20 Use any but hOneyed words in
! discussing it. for they knew il met the
expectation and hopes OF the people and
were trying to appropriate its provisions.
| Applause.