The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-06-23
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JOHN SHARP WILLIAMS.
His Leadership of Minority Has Been
Brilliant-It is Supposed that
Champ Clark Will Sue
ceed Him.


Mississippi, that, on December l6
next. h" would resign rs minority
leader in the national house Of repre-
rntativcs comes the announcement
from all parts Of thc country--cspc-
cinlly from the Snuth--that Il trcmcr-
dous fight is to be seen in the choos-
ing Of his successor. While il is gen
orally thought that rhc Democratic
leadership will fall on the shoulders
Of Representative Champ Clark, Of
Missouri. il is not as matter Of fact
certain that Clark will become Mr..
Williams 5 successor. There is Judge
DcArmand, Of Missouri; Henry. Of
Texas; Hay. Of Virginia: Fitzgerald.
of New York, and Ryan, OF New
York. all of whom arc or leadership
calibrc and any one of whom would
make Il capable and safe standard
bearer for the Democrats in the
house. In addition to these there is
Francis Burton Harrison, Of New
York. now hcin" mentioned in con-
ncrtion with the ,rmncratic vice
presidency.
John Sharp Williams has been De-
mocratic leader of the house Of rep
re%rntativcs since 1903, beginning his
service with the 5Sth congress, site
| creding Representative Richardson,
Of Tennessee. For more than decade
he has been the foremost man from
the Mississippi section and even be-
fore being chosen minority leader
WAS rcck"ncd one of the leading de-
batrrS in the house.
Mr.. Williams will take his seat in
the senate as the successor to Srna-
tor Money. on March t. 1911. Mr..
Williams won the Democratic nominal
ti"n last summer in ono of the hard
est fights that Mississippi has ever
seen. His opponent was Governor
| \ardaman, and so close was the vote
that il took nn official count ln de
clare the result. He WAS declared the
winner Of the seat iii The senate and
the nomination WAS subsequently rAti-
fled by the legislature Of Mis- siSsippi,
which declared Mr.. Williams the vie
tor
Mr.. Williams : leadership in the
lou>r h?s been vnrinuSlv rlnractrriZ-
rd. II has been conservative. but at
times more aggressive than some Of
the Democrats would have liked. This
WAS nnticrAhly 50 ,lurin" the last Sos
sion of congress during the two or
three months of fillibuStcr i'm the rf-
fort to remove the tariff ON wood
pulp. The long drawn out fight he
made against the Republican leaders
Payne, DalZrll. and even Speaker
Cannon himsrlf--in the effort to get
IT." tariff removed was hurtful to
lmany Democratic hopes and at times
it was painfully evident that Mr.. Will
llamS was not rcccivin" anything like
the support he was due. His leader
ship has been dashing--indccd bril-
liant-fcarlcSs, aggressive nd cncr-
gctic he has time and again gone right
into the Republican stronghold and
accused them openly Of their short =
| '''i''-F' " nun WIN lIlli- llkt
support and a fairy divided house
would have scored Il victory for him.
One Of the principal rivals for the
minority leadership Of the house TO,
many years has been Representative
| DrArmnml, and il Was the hostility V
Of these two Democrats that led iu
| I ne Ii"lt on the floor Of the house
during the last session Of congress.
They were not Of the kind, however,
to let personal differences mar De
morratic harmony and they soon be-
came friends again and patched mp
their differences.
Although he has been resident Of
Mississippi nearly all his life, Mr..
Williams IS really n native Of Ten
ncsSrc, where he was born in 1861
No man in congress perhaps can boast
Of a better or more liberal college
education unless it is Representative
Burton, Of Ohio. The Mississippian
was educate dat the Kcni',ciy Mill
'tAry Institute. the University Of the
South. the University Of Virginia and
Heidelberg.
The withdrawal m Sir. Williams
from ihc house when he goes to the
senate as the successor to Senate,