The Washington herald., 1908-02-23

Peoria, Ill. Feb. 22-Representative
Nicholas Longworth. Of Ohio. in a speech
tonight at the birthday dinner of the
Creve Occur Club. ringingly defended his
distinguished father-in-law, President
Roosevelt. and denounced the .vituper-
alton and venomous outpomings OF
those who were attempting TO fasten upon
the President responsibility for the recent
panic.
These men are the real enemies OF
every honest business man. he declared.
They are the real enemies o. American
Institutions" he continued But their
malisn attacks upon the administration
Of Theodore Roosevelt viii not serve to
dim the luster Of his fame. They nut add
glory TO it, They will not accomplish
their purpose any more than did the
maligners Of Lincoln during his life They
will not accomplish their purpose any
more than did the maligners Of him
whose memory we honor here tonight"
scores "FinanciaI Brigands.,
He declared that it didn't require a
great stretch OF the imagination 70 per-
ceive similarity between the silent.
unsuspecung, destructive methods Of the
Philippine white ant and tho methods.
recently made public. Of some high
priests Of frenzied finance" whom he
further characterized as financial brig
ands
lie contended that Ito attribute our
present financial condition TO acts or
words Of any one man is not only foolish.
but. IN my opinion. criminal"
lie said ne was not present as an apolo-
sist FOR the administration. and that he
was not there 10 speak for any one but
himself "aH the less so because the man
OF whom I speak happens 20 be a family
connection OF my own.
He said the President had no more 10
DO with The recent Now York panic. "or
whatever you please 10 call it, than
be had with the last eruption OF Mount
Nesuvius Or the Indian plague: but ie
would not deny that some utterances
about the methods OF some so-calied high
fnanciers -hastened by little the time
at which some financial structures erected
upon foundations of rottenncss and dis
honesty were bound 20 topple"
High Time To Act.
In words which his hearers recognized
almost as a paraphrase of Roosevelt. /.
previous utterances. the speaker exeIaim-
ed: Had he sat supinely and allowed
dishonesty Of which he knew TO proceed
without his raising his hand against It.
the crash would not have been long de-
layed. and when IL came IL would have
been followed BY a hurricane compared
TO which the present condition Is as a
zephyr
He declared that the Presidents ac-
ton merely disclosed "to the angry eyes
OF the American people that some great
corporations which existed by their suf-
ferauce and supposedly for their benefit
were being managed upon a system Of
hrigandage which makes Jesse James
operations look like that Of piker."
He declared that the maligners were
still at work. that their attacks were re-
tarding a return o. confidence; that they
were recruited from the ranks of
men whose methods cannot stand the
glare Of light"
I challenge any one he exclaimed,
30 point out in any speech that the
President has ever made. in any message
that ne has ever sent To Congress. a sin
gle word or a single sentence which can
be. by any possibility, construed as an
attack upon any individual, however
wealthy. or any corporation. however
great-provided only that the wealth was
acquired honestly and that the corpora
lion was managed decently.
Sane and Conservative.
"They say that he is not sane and con-
servative. If sanity. according TO their
definition. consists In upholding brigand-
age. then ! hope that he is not sane. II
conservatism consists in allowing dishon-
es,y TO run rampant in the management
Of certain great corporations. then I am
glad that according 10 that definition he
is not conservative.
The storm is past. the clouds are
clearing. and the sun viii soon shine
forth upon the most glorious year of the
- iN"t'',t iNlN'lAN Ni.ftN II NNDa oAtilN upOns
republic dedicated 70 liberty. honesty.
and justice. the three great principles
fostered by Washington, preserved by
Lincoln and brought to the highest cul-
mination under the administration OF
Theodore Roosevelt.
The speaker said that while he was for
Taft, he realized that Cannon was Of full
Presidential stature.