The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-06-25

while ignorance and vice issue out of
the mansion. In its last analysis, AL
dricf would establish the rule of an
oligarchy, like that of the Colanna, while
LaFollette would bring the mob to au-
thority to make Government for all of
us, the mob preferred in the spoil of
office.
A plague of both of them. The true
path is between the two-that blazed by
Thomas Jefferson and trod by j. Til
den and Grover Cleveland-a repre-
sentative Republic, partly National and
partly Federal-vide Ben Hill,
shall never forgot the first time !
saw LaFollette. 1t was the first session
of the Forty-ninth Congress, and l was
in the House press gallery, of which |
was then recorded member, and a
tariff debate was in progress. Perhaps
it was the last of the Morrison bills un-
der discussion. Near the north door Of
the chamber, where messengers from
President and Senate came in, a not at
all tall, and rather slender and youth
full looking man rose on the Republican
side, and began q terrific assault on
| Democratic free trade" He had tre-
mendous volume of lung, and | looked
round to see where all that compass of
voice came from. 1t was in the days
when fools thought that Great Britain
was sending over here ship loads of
gold to buy our elections for the Demo-
cratic party.
/ turned to Cicero Harris and asked.
'Who is that fellow" He answered.
THAT is LaFolette of Wisconsin; old
Bill Morrison calls him little folly. y
Yet there was an energy, if not force,
rather a sincerity, if not a sagacity,
about the man that stamped his per-
sonality on my memory, so to speak,
and | have not lost sight of him
from then till now. He is become a
robust and rotund man in figure,
though not tall His voice has less
volume, and his fiuency is markedly
decreased. He is one of these here
vegetarians-ea neither fish, flesh nor
fowl-though he only got that craze
when he got his crazy politics some
fifteen years ago. No wonder he can't
make three hours speech without
fainting. When old Everlasting"
Allen made that fifteen-hour speech;
'hand-runnin, in the Senate in 1898,
in the hot month of August, he had at
least three pounds of tirst-class roast
beer under his belt-and trimmings"
to ballast it,
The Mckinley tariff of which LaFol-
lette was one of the architects, and
which he supported in fervid period in
the Fifty-frst Congress, cost the man
his seat. A Democrat beat him in
1890, and as LaFollette went out of
Congress William j. Bryan came into
Congress. The then future Peerless
One" was as fervid for low tariff as the
defeated protectionist was for h G
dogma of trade slavery, and little did |
then think that Bryan would ever con-
sent to rub the word only" out of a
Democratic platform, OF that LaFol-
lotte would ever clash with Aldrich on
the tariff. Yet both events have come
to pass. And | have also lived to see
protection features of a Republican
tariff saved by Democratic votes from
States that honored Tucker, Toombs,
Yancy, Jefferson Davis-I have quit
calling him Jeff" for obvious and
ample reason-Wigfall, Beck, Benja
min some others.
l would here interpolate that splendid
sonnet of John James Ingalls,, his trib-
ute to the opportunity:
Master of human destinies am
Fame, love and fortune on my footsteps wait.
Cities and fields walk. penetrate
Deserts and seas remote, and passing by
Hovel and mart and palace, soon or late
knock unbdden once at every gate!
If sleeping, wake; If feasting, rise before
turn away. tits the hour of fate,
And they who follow me reach every state
Mortals desire and conquer every foe
Save Death but those who doubt or hesitate,
Condemned to failure, penury and woe,
Seek me in vain, and uselessly implore,
answer not, and return no more"
1t knocked at the door of the Demo-
cratic party, this faithful opportunity,
the day the present session of Congress
began. The old party was fast asleep
or riotously feasting and did not wake
or rise. What would it do with victory
if had it? Would it put it in the garret
with the plumber? Perhapsl Would it
bury it in the cellar with the debris?
Doubtlessl
One thing is evident, and that is this
the Democracy that saved the South the
period of 1S65-75 has got to fight for
its head in that section now, and it is
not curious coincidence that the Re
publican party of the East will have to
fight for the West.
Ring down the curtain. The old play
is over. The next act is what the
Democratic party will do for tariff for