The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-01-14

lgressman has been opposing them.
President Roosevelt has not quar-
relied with any reputable member of
congress. Foraker defended negro
soldiers, who shot into the homes of
sleeping citizens of Brownsville,
Texas, and he made speech against
lpaying detectives who extracted con-
fessions from the soldiers. All the
quarreling has been done by Foraker,
and Foraker is a dead duck.
Congressman Tawney, with Cortel-
yous letter in his pocket, concerning
the secret service appropriation, mis-
quoted that letter, and when Taw-
ney's own branch of the federal gov
eminent demanded that the president
produce evidence that the principle
objection to the secret service was
the fear that detectives would shadow
congressman, the president produced
the letter and quoted Tawney's own
words from the Congressional Record
and proved Tawney liar. He showed
that Speaker Cannon's private secre-
tary had written a newspaper story
on the subject, that was false; he
quoted Swager Sherley, of Louisville,
on the subject, and proved that con-
gress had been deceived by its own
lcommittee.
Senator Ben Tillman demanded
that a fraud order should be made
against a real estate firm OF Oregon,
which was using his name in connec-
ltion with an attempt to put some
cheap lands in that state on the mar
ket, and which he denounced on the
floor of the senate as fraudulent, and
a postoffice inspector found letters
from Tillman to the concern, not only
asking for land. but promising to use
his. branch of the federal government
to foster the scheme.
1t does seem that congress Is get
ting the worst of all this, and it is
so useless. Roosevelt, during his
seven years in Office. has proved him
self the friend of the people. Con-
gressmen stood his prodding as long
as there were federal Offices TO be dis
tributed in their districts, and they
enacted some wholesome laws under
the stimulus OF hope. President
Roosevelt has driven congress to do
ing its duty, ike a man. who runs
with a piece OF meat In front of
pack OF dogs. hitched to sledge.
He is out of meat and the dogs now
are trying to eat him-only they are
still hitched.
There are many things for con-
gress to do. Therein is found the
reason for all these resolutions, that
mean nothing. and all this debate
about the president. Congress
doesn't want to do anything. The re-
dictionaries are temporarily in the sad
die. and the Democratic members,
lacking the leadership of John Sharp
Williams, are not smart enough TO
take advantage of the situation. They
are joining the Aldrich-Foraker-Taw-
ney crowd and adding their oratory
to a harmless game of batting the
executive.
wouldn't they be wise in haunting
the majority with failure to attend
to the peoples business? Why
doesn't the minority call attention TO
the important public questions to be
threshed out In the halls Of the legis-
lature? There has been only one
real man on the Democratic side In.
the lower house for the last several
years and he Is leaving them. That
man Is John Sharp Williams.
williams always found his most
efficient weapon was cooperation
with Republicans when they were do
ing well, and rebuke when they were
doing wrong. A good partisan, he
never lost sight of the fact that he
and the minority. as well as the ma
jority, were there to do the will OF
the people. and he rightly esteemed
II the province Of the minority to be
the majority's conscience. He was a
thorn in the side of the majority
but he accomplished much good. and
forced them to unwilling obedience
to the popular mandate more times
than he was given credit for.
Yet, he met with constant opposi-
tion in the ranks Of his own party. |
There was friction among the house
Democrats. The manikins with whom
he dealt couldn't see anything but
surrender in cooperating with the
majority. Their training and under
standing taught them TO oppose Re
publicans in all things. and this they |
wished to do right or wrong. Now,
they are doing exactly what anti-ad- |
mfnistration Republican leaders in |
congress wish them to do. But they
all will answer for their failure to |
do their duty TO an authority higher
than that of the president of the
United States.