The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-23

, vet holds He, to, is a democrat without a flaw, and having succeeded Zeb Vance in one station, it is not unlikely that he will be one of his successors Tn another.
 Claude Kitchin was born at Scotland Neck, N. C., in 1889. when his brother, the governor, was three years old. The younger son was educated at Wake For est college as lovely a spot as can be 1 found between the two oceans. It is not far from Raleigh, and 1t is there that the minds of the very elite of. the youth of North Carolina are trained, and he Is in deed fortunate who can call that institu- ton alma mater.
 That futile authoress, Ouida, wrote Q book with this passage from Shakespeare | as text:
 "A young man married is a man that's marr'd."
 When men are not yet emerged from the "Byronic stage" Granville Devine is a great work and we hang on it's artifi- cial and bizarre rhetoric, Its forced and sham sentiment with rapture. but to us older the stuff Is insipid and worthless and it is with pleasure we recall that the passage quoted was the opinion of the most arrant knave and contempuble reprobate even genius of Shakespeare ever conceived.
 Claude Kitchn at the age of 19 was happily mated with the woman of his 1 choice. then a girl of IS. and from that day of him it might be said, "a young man married is a man that's made. He l studied law and came to the bar. As much a man of the people as Feb Vance himself, clients focked to him and he had a large and lucrative practice when
 elected a member of the Fifty-seYentn
 Congress in 1900.
 Kitchin has the presence, the gifts, 2 mental and physical, that make the ora tor, He Is a fanatically honest man and r champions cause he does not approve i, He is sober and industrious. an untirins | student and in rough and tumble de ] bate, such as Feb Vance delighted in, h, l is the most formida ble man in Congress
 No one hates a sham more cordially thar he. Full of physical health, overfowine , with animal spirits, young, ardent brave enthusiastic. able and eloquent, Claude
 Kitchin If not exactly a pet is certainly a great favorite on the democratic side. His speech Roosevelt went into the 1 democratic campaign book of 1904 and made him a national figure, but it was not until the lumber schedule of the 1 Payne-Aldrich tariff gave him theme that l this young fellow showed what a giant | he is. It is great speech, one of which any real democrat might well be proud. He stripped the thing and revealed the sham of 1t and the democrats on the floor ard in the galleries gave him the splen-
 
 was: q want no stealing for North Car I olina''
 That speech established him as leader and stamped him as a statesman. It was that speech which marked him for his present position, high among the polit- cal and intellectual aristocracy of the public men at this capital. It was inevi- table that he would be one of the ways and means committee and pity it is that all of his democratic associates at that council board are mot of the stripe he is,
 Ii the party is to be Randaized he will
 have none of it. If the tariff is to be Germanzed, it will be in spite of this man, not because of him.
 Because of the soundness of his democ- racy and his gifts an orator, Claude Kitchin was chosen to open the debate
 for the democrats on Canadian reciproci- | ty. and a great speech it was. No better ] was made on that subject no better will , be made It is the democratic idea of po- litical economy. It is a step in the direc- tion of free trade. It will make a genuine reform of the tariff easier of attainment But since reciprocity went through the House with a practically unanimous dem ocratic vote, the democratic party in Con- gress is confronted with this problem Shall we follow Bailey, or renounce pro. lection and all its knaveries? I am begin ming to fear the "popgun" assault is : failure. As soon as wool was reached every Janizary of protection became alert.
 But I'll tell you about it in a review
 of Claude Kitchins reciprocity speech. Washington, May IS. ~