The Yale expositor., 1911-07-20

ices for which their lips were asking support.
It has been held that the proceedings or con-
gress during the last eight years have been more
interesting from purely popular point or view
than the proceedings of any other congress since
the time prior to the great Civil war. During
the Roosevelt and Taft administrations there has
been an opportunity to watch from the press gal
lery the actions and the manners OF men supposed
g be representatives of the American type as 1t
Is known to the world.
Congressman are intensely human creatures
At the outset of their congressional careers there
Is apt to be sort of constrant about them, but
this wears off and the proceedings in either hall
of the capitol although they have to do ordinarily
with matters of great moment to the people, run
along very much as do the proceedings In town
meeting into which partisanship jealousies, human
interests, selfishness and generosity and in fact
the whole collection Of human excellencies and
human failings enter. The proceedings In con-
gress and even the personal interchange5 between
the members have perhaps ar interest which Is
above that pertaining to all other American de-
Lucrative bodies because congress in way is
the court Of last legislative resort and there the
laws are made and unmade and there is at stake
the good of the masses.
A few of the men who have figured in the de-
bates of the last few years have died some OF
them have been promoted from one house to an
other and some of them have been denoted to
private life, but their names known to the
people.
John Sharp Williams of Mississippi who has
Just entered the senate of the United States was
during part of the Roosevelt administration
house leader of the Democrats and, as some one
has called him, the reprover and adviser of the
Republicans. Mr.. Williams is a picturesque man.
1t is perhaps needless to say that the Repub-
lcans never followed the gratuitous and gravely
given advice of the Yazoo statesman, but they
paid passing heed to it because. from their view
point, of the very sublimity of the impertinence
Of the thing 1t a goodnatured impertinence
however, ironical in substance and in manner and
1t added to the general gladness of the house de-
bates.
Mr.. Williams position as adviser in chief for
the party across the aisle reminded one of nothing
80 much as of the course of a certain great news
paper which for years eXcorated Grover Cleve-
land editorially Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays, while on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Satur-
days 1t gave the same amount of space to the
telling OF Mr.. Cleveland what he must do to save
the country. Sunday was the day of peace
II Mr.. Williams name not written in the
record and If it did not appear in the directory and
on the framework Of his congressional desk one
third OF II speedily would be lost to sight and
memory, for Democrats and Republicans and the
Washington populace without the walls of the
capitol hail him to his face and speak of him
behind his back as John Sharp
Had II not been for Mr. Williams one year con-
gress would have adjourned before June was tread.
can cheftains in the house muttered things that
savored suspciously of mprecations at the course
OF the Missssppian, but each Republican chief
tain knew in his heart that with the party ma.
1ority reversed and with legislation circumstances
similar he would have acted as did the Democrat
of the Yazoo district
The statehood bill was in conference and there
appeared to be no earthly chance that the con-
ferees would make report for weeks. The Re-
publican members representing the house the
committee were holding out against the senate
members in the hope of getting a concession on
the matter of the admission of Arizona and New
Mexico as one state. The Democrats of the house
desired that the bill should stand the senate
passed II, and they did not approve of what they
called 1.-The tiring-out process" which they said
was in working progress in the conference COM
mittee ROOM
Democratic Leader Williams therefore, largely
upon his own initiative, decided that he would
try to force report. AS result he raised the
point of no quorum In the house upon every pos
sibe occasion, and this led to tedious and time
losing roll calls. 1t given out fatty that Mr..
Williams would cease his obstructive tactics the
instant the statehood report was made, but Speak
er Cannon and those whose hearts and souls were
in the statehood fight party matter preferred
to lose the time and to listen to the droniDg tones
of the roll call clerk rather than to surrender.
Day after day Mr. Cannon would mount TO his
seat would look over the chamber and noting
the absence OF a quorum would look anxiously
in the direction of the Democratic leader The
relentless Williams would raise his point. and leg.
islation would be blocked. One day when there
was ptiably small attendance the speaker
counted quorum.
How did you make out?" queried Mr. Williams.
II counted in blocks Of ten." said Mr. Cannon.
and business went on, but the counting game
which was an Improvement on the Indiana blocks
of Eve system, was checked the next day by the
alert Missssppian.
Leader Williams had eye to the propretes
1t was he who brought to a melodramatc close a
controversy between Mr.. Hepburn of Iowa and
Mr. Cooper of Wisconsin which apparently was
tending toward tragic finale Mr. Williams had
left his seat on the Democratic SIDE to mingle
with the Republicans who had gathered about the
irate Iowan and the wrathy Wisconsinite.
Mr. Hepburn was resenting the imputations that