Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-08
LEADER .OF THE "oLD GUARD"
sketch of the New Yorker who
Opposed Roosevelt and His
Policies,

William Barnes, jr,. the man who led
the opposition to Roosevelt in the New
York Republican committee is thus
described by that veteran describer, Sam
Blythe who writes 1t for the Saturday
Evening Post:
After Barnes, finished at Harvard in
1888, he got married and settled down in
Albany at the head of his grandfathers~
paper, the Evening Journal. He fused
around in local politics for three or four
years and then branched out a bit by get
ting on the republican state committee. He
has been on that committee ever since,
and for a number of years was. and
perhaps is yet, the chairman of the eXecu-
tive committee OF that organization. He
fought his fights in Albany county and
got control. served under Plat and under
Odell, helped out with expenses bit by
getting the appointment OF surveyor Of Gus
toms at the port OF Albany in 1899 most
arduous position. but with some compensa-
tory salary-I reckon those duties as sur
veyor of customs in Albany must keep
Barnes busy few minutes every month
and hanging to the same from that time
to this. N ti
Barnes had his political education under
Platt whose creed was the organization
The only precept Plat ever had was Stand
by Barnes got that by heart. He stood
by the organization. He is standing by 1t
yet and probably Will continue to stand
by so long as he Is in politics Moreover.
he has plenty of nerve, which makes his
standing by of some consequence when
| compared with the see-sawing of some OF
his colleagues who have to do with the
state organization of the republicans in
New York. tE.H
Barnes has had his differences, but
he has always been regular. He didn't
like Hughes the first time he was NOM
mated but had to take him. He liked
Hughes even less the second time but had
to take him again. However he was not
alone among the men who had to do with
the naming OF Hughes who didn't like
him. None. of the regulars liked him.
| When 1t came to showdown Barnes
walked up on the platform and said he
didn't like Hughes-never would like him;
that he was disrupting the organization or
had disrupted 1t; and that. so far as Will
liam Barnes, jr., was concerned, Mr..
Hughes could go and climb q tree-that is,
Barnes had the nerve to come out in the
open.
| He fought Hughes in Albany, being the
brains of the opposition to much of the
legislation Hughes wanted. Then, after the
governor had called the legislature into ses-
sion to pass direct primaries law It had
refused to pass during the regular session.
Barnes was the leader of the opposition.
with Speaker Wadsworth, and he didn't
quail any when Colonel Roosevelt fired that
message in demanding that the governors
primary law should pass. Instead Barnes
told the former president to shiny In his
own ally, and helped hand the colonel as
distinct a rebuff as he has had OF late
years. s .s
Now perish the thought that any dis
cussion Of the rights and wrongs Of the
positions OF the governor and OF Barnes
and his associates should enter into this
peaceful disquisition on Barnes and none
shall. They can fight that out themselves,
aided and directed by the large number Of
publicsts who have deep feelings on the
subjects in dispute The point is that,
whether Barnes is right or whether Barnes
is wrong, he is right with both fists or
he is wrong with both fists. He doesn't
shuttle and stammer and gurgle and squeal
and trim and teeter He takes an AK ana
wades in. A big, broad shouIdered, Keen
witted, fearless chap, he speaks out ir
meeting. He is a large. intense fighting
person. with the courage Of his conversa-
ton. lie is only a years old.
when he told T. Il. where to get off hi
meant 1t. OF course T. r., who got Of
temporarily, is pretty certain to get bacl
on again along about convention time II
New York next September Wherefore
about those days, look out for rucuons.
and do not overlook w, Barnes, jr., VIII,
surely will be in the forefront Of the van
having It in mind 10 land one on the re
vered Stats Of our only living ex-president,
/ and being the boy who VIII not be awed
! by the sanctity OF said stats"
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