Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-11-02
Americas, Ca, November 2, 1909.
A CANARD THAT WON'T DOWN.

Inc relations between Bryan and
Crisp bob up again and again. gener-
ally growing out of some casual state
ment that Bryan was antagonistic to
the Georgian in his race for the speak,
ership on the grounds that he could
not support an ex-Confederate soldier
and retain his influence with the home
voters in Nebraska The falsity of
this has been disclosed time after time,
but like many other lies it refuses to
down and comes serenely to the sur
face every now and then in an effort
to injure Bryan in the South.
While we may not endorse some of
the policies of the Nebraskan, and may
give vent to the hope that he will see
the way clear to let some other man
lead the hosts of Democracy in 1912, it
is impossible to avoid an expression of
disgust and disappointment over such
foolish and futile attempts to lessen
him in esteem of Southern voters. Dur
ing the last national campaign, if we
are not mistaken, Judge Charles r.
Crisp, son of the former speaker, nail
ed this lie and it was believed that it
was effectually downed.
But here comes the Charleston News
and Courier, repeating it in tones of
exultation that it has found another
stone to throw at Bryan The Wash
ington Post takes it to task about it's
ghoulish glee in the matter, and gives
the following interesting history as
to the race in which Judge Crisp Sc
cured the coveted honor of presiding
over the House of Representatives
Mr.. Bryan's conduct in the Demo-
cratic caucus Immediately preceding
the organization of the House of Rep
resentatives of the F'ifty-second Con-
gress was presumably satisfactory to
Charles F. Crisp. So much so, indeed,
that he, new member, only 81 years
old, unknown and unheralded, was
preferred over veteran Democrats,
who had struck more blows for the
old party than he had uttered words
and even then he was inclined to
garrurility-for a place on the COM
handing committee of Congress-
ways and means-at time when the
tariff was the political paramount.
The whole history of that caucus
will some day be written, and what a
chapter of fortuitous circumstance it
will be! We're there ever so many
fingers in one pie? The whole thing
was fate having sport with men and
things. Had James B. Beck lived ten
months longer, what a different his
tory would have been made Carlisle
would have been Speaker without OPP
position and Mills chairman of WAYS
and means. A complete tariff bill
would have been passed, and it would
have been the platform of 1892
Here is another eff" Had Congress
been convened in the summer of 1891
Mills would have been Speaker with
out Democratic opposition; but be-
tween the election of Carlisle as the
successor of Beck in the United States
Senate and the assembling of the
F'ifty-second Congress a period of
seven months elapsed, and then the
work was done. Tammany brought out
Crisp because the selection of Mills
meant Cleveland for President.
A certain other eminent statesman
from Tennessee was flattered into the
notion that after Mills and Crisp had
exhausted thmselves, and neither vic
tor, he would fall heir to both.
So he became candidat, and every
vote he got was at the expense of
Mills Old Father Hatch was worked
on, too, and every vote he got was a
subtraction from the Mills column.
The planters on the lower Missfssippi
delta who wanted appropriations for
levees,, came up solid against Mills.
Springer was the candidate of men
who would have gone to Mills had
there been no complication. Nor was
that all. Cleveland absolutely refused
to say word, one way or the other.
And so, after the longest and often
est adjournment caucus In congress-
ional history, Crisp was nominated,
and the successful candidate was i'm
mensely pleased with the course of
Mr.. Bryan.