The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-01-19
HOUSE RE-
DUKES WILLETT
Cut Off His TRADE Against
the President
AFTER ROW
But Congressman Managed to Unload
Most Bitter DenunciatiOn Yet
Heard-Hc Calls President
a Pigmy.
SUPPRESSED AFTER ROW

Washington, Jan. lD.--Wdlnam WIZ
lett, Jr., Democrat from Queens coun-
ty, New York, achieved fame in few
moments yesterday by being shut of
while making speech attacking Presi-
dent Roosevelt by vote of the House
Of 1876 to rs. Mr.. Willett also gave the
House fine illustration OF the disad-
vantage of too much advertising. 1t
was current about Washington early in
the morning that Mr.. Willett intended
to regale the House with the most elab,
crate, vitriolic and altogether vicious
attack on the president that had been
made in the House or elsewhere during
his seven years administration. Copies
Of the speech in printed form we're given
to the press and distributed all over
the country by the press associations.
So we'll was the exhibition advertised
that the House was nearly full, and all
the rules experts were in their seats,
excspt Serene Il. Payne, who was de-
tanned by business elsewhere. Represen-
tative Butler Of Pennsylvania took the
chair when the House went into COM
mittee OF the whole, and Mr.. Willett,
who is young man, clad in a natty
light suit with white vest and black
necktie, began the reading Of his dia-
tribe. He had nearly finished his re.
marks, which were getting more bitter
with every word, when Hughes of West
Virginia tried to stop him with a point
Of order Neither the House nor the
country, said Mr.. Hughes, was interested
in the subject of the speech, but Chair
man Butler ruled that in committee OF
the whole it was not necessary for a
member TO contine himself TO any stated
subject. On second remonstranee by
Hughes, the chair admonished Willett
that he must proceed in order and use
no language rejecting upon the president
of the United States. Wiilett continued
his reading, but expurgsted certain
words in the speech which might have
given technical cause for ohense.
Meantime John Dalzell began to get
busy with a book Of rules, and after
conference with the chair, in which
Representative Hughes participated,
Win EuN sage AQNlCt vi AHHtI f1iffAH
alongside, Representative Langley OF
Kentucky arose to point Of order and
asked that the language already uttered
be blotted from the record The chair
replied that he had authority to order
ii omitted, and would consider the re
quest
What / want to know is If we have
any remedy against any more OF this,
suggested langley, sitting down.
Then Representative Hepburn of Iowa
came upon the ground with quotation |
from clause Of rule Ia, which provides /
that when member il called to order |
he shall take his seat, unless permitted
on motion Of member TO explain when /
the House shall decide whether he shall |
be allowed to proceed without debate. |
Representative Gardner Of Massachu- |
sets made and pressed the point that |
Willett was out Of order in his specific |
statement with the phrase, persistent /
defamation of Admiral SehIey.s Repre- /
sentative Mann got into another point /
Of order and members began popping up
all over the House, but Chairman Butler /
held the situation sharply In hand. Cries
of make him sit down came from sew |
eral parts of the House, and finally viii. /
lett was ordered into his seat BY the /
chairman and sat down.
Messrs. Hepburn of Indiana and Mann /
of Illinois, with copies Of the rules In /
their hands, appealed for recognition.
Mr. Hepburn insisted that Mr.. Willett I
should take his seat, Mr.. Mann in the /
meantime reading some rules on the /
case. The chair directed Mr.. Willett I
to take his seat, which he reluctantly
did.
Before the chair passed on the point
Of Messrs. Hepburn and Mann, Mr..
Chandler Of Mississippi moved that Mr.,
Nillett proceed in order On that
motion vote was taken, with the result
that by a party vote of rs to 1876 the
House refused further to hear the New
York member
In vain Mr.. Fitzgerald Of New York
sought to have the chair construe the
rules so that Mr. WTllett might proceed.
Mr., Willett had practically concluded his
remarks, and he received the verdict Of
the House with q smile
The attack Of Willett was listened to
with amused Interest by the House but
except the ripple caused by the multi.
tude of motions, no one got excited, 4
and no one appeared 70 be impressed.
The vote lay along party lines almost
wholly, although a few Democrats voted
with the Republicans. The whole affair
was a fzale, owing to the violence of
the attack, and the speech will probably
be omitted from the record, as IL had
M real svunna thixers