The Appeal., 1911-07-22

--7 that some OF these who
..#- have spoken on behalf Of
one cause have been suspected Of holding in
their hearts a feeling of antagon1sm the pol
icies for which their lips were asking support.
1t has been held that the proceedings Of con-
gress during the last eight years have been more
interesting from purely popular point OF 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
to 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 constraint 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 partsanship, jealousies, human
interests, selfshness and generosity and in fact
the whole collection Of human excelencies and
human failings enter. The proceedings in con-
gress and even the personal interchanges between
the members have perhaps ar interest which is
above that pertaining to all other American de-
Lucrative bodies because congress in q 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.
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 house to
other and some them have been denoted to
private life, but their names are 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 picturesque man
1t Is perhaps needless to say that the Repub-
licans never followed the gratuitous and gravely
given advice of the Yazoo statesman but they
paid passing heed to 1t because from their view
point, Of the very sublimity of the mpertinence
OF the thing. 1t was good-natured impertnence
however, ironical in substance and in manner and
1t added to the general gadness of the house de-
bates ....
Mr.. Williams position as adviser in chief for
the party across the aisle reminded one of nothing
so much as OF the course of a certain great news
paper which for years excoriated Grover Cleve-
land editorially Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays, while 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 the one day of peace
II Mr. Williams name were not written in the
record and II 1t did not appear in the directory and
on the framework of his congressional desk one
third of it 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 John Sharp.
Had 1t not been for Mr.. Williams one year con-
gress would have adjourned before June was tread
ing upon the heels of July Some Of the Republi-
can ch1eftains In the house muttered things that
savored suspiciously of impreeations a course
OF the Mississippian, but each Republican chief
tain knew In his heart that with the party ma
jor1ty 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
rod ~ hn north I1
ferees would make report for weeks The Re-
publican members representing the house on the
committee were holding Out against the senate
members In the hope of getting 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 as the senate
passed 1t, and they did not approve of what they
called "the tiring-out process" which they
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 a result he raised the
point OF no quorum in the house upon every pos
sible 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 as party matter preferred
to lose the time and to listen to the droning 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 pftiably small attendance the speaker
counted a quorum
How did you make out?" queried Mr.. Williams.
Il 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 five system, was checked the next day by the
alert Mississippian.
Leader Williams had an eye to the proprieties.
1t was he who brought to melodramatic close q
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 0
Mr.. Hepburn was resenting the imputations that