St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-08-19

INF Underwood-Mr. Chairman, I make the point of order that
nh" m ens,ssman n esS chair su II n5p;, the tn point ,o of order"
The chairman-The gentleman will state it"
qutre If if we might have some idea u" WHAT disposition was sa'T made Of Of the
~Tp T FhaE%anT 5anss chair fo t has s sustatnsa the tsog point 1',S St order der ,ss.rx.
his point q ordeE; Scriss Of ,Rssu5sF ordsF 3 ! Want to appeal 70 the
living by removing the duty on sugar, which is n of the staples"
AS MI. Broussard is evidently ignorant of this occurrence in
the House of Representatives, I take it for granted that, when
this motion was made, he was absent, as l can hardly believe
that a proposition to put sugar on the free list could have passed
by him unnoticed and aforementioned.
Nh. Kendall, the gentleman who made the motion to put
sugar on the free list, is a Republican, from the State of Iowa.
Mr.. Underwood, who made the point of order against the amend
ment, that it was not germane, is the Democratic floor leader
of the House and is from the State of Alabama, and the Chair
man, Mr.. Alexander, who ruled that the point of order was
we'll taken, is a Democrat, from the State of Missouri; and the
language used by MI: Kendall indicates that it was a move from
the Republican side, for he says ''o allow u.s. etc. The only
construction | can put On the word us is that he meant he
and his neutrality-suspicious..
Before undertaking to correct me, Mr.. Broussard should cor
rectly inform himself as to what is going on in Congress. If he
is not present in person, he should, at least, keep up by means
of the Congressional Record. n~>-
Mr.. Broussard's claim for Democratic support, in the Demo
cratic primary, has less foundation, in my opinion, than any
other candidate who has offered. Mr.. Broussard has been IN
Congress for about fourteen years. In his Ruston speech, which
I listened to with marked attention, he told of his services in
that body, and the fact that there is only a handful of men in
Congress now who were in Congress during his first term. Now,
in fourteen years of service in a body, a man, if he has capacity
and character, generally amounts to something in the councils of
his party, but, as far as Mr.. Broussard is concerned, he prac-
tically has no party affiliations in Washington. He voted asI
have already stated, for the Dingley bill; he voted for the Payne
bill. But this is not the head and front of Mr.. Broussard's
offending. In March, 1910, there occurred in Washington a
great struggle between the Democrats, aided by insurgent Re
publicans, and the old line Republicans headed by Joe Cannon.
During that struggle some twenty-three Democrats supplied the
places of insurgent Republicans and went to the rescue of Can
N and saved him from defeat As far as these twenfy-three
Democrats, who aided and assisted Cannon, are concerned, they
are equally to be blamed, but all Of them did not go the full
distance, did not line up with the Republicans on every sisuei
but Mr.. Broussard, in that memorable fight, on every ballot, was
found voting with the Republicans. He voted with the stalwart
Republicans, as led by Cannon, on every roll call. Aye, even voted
for the Cannon rules, those old rules and old leaders which the
American people, in November last, RELOCATED to the things that
used to be, by an overwhelming majority. Mr.. Broussard voted
against the Democratic party in that memorable fight, on every
roll call and in every instance; and within forty eight hours after
he had cast his ballot which made possible the success of Cannon
and his cohorts, Mr.. Cannon appointed Mr.. Broussard a member
of the Ways and Means Committee, a most important committee.
A significant appointment. A Republican Speaker, being aided
by a Democratic member, appointing that member, within forty
eight hours, to a position for which he had not been endorsed
by his party leaders. '
Last December, in Washington, there gathered from every
State in the Union, the Democrats who would compose the
present Congress. There was a caucus held and at that caucus
Champ Clark, who had SO CALAMITY led the Democrats against
Cannon and Cannonism, was selected as Speaker, and a Ways
and Means Committee was selected by that Democratic caucus.
Now, my friends, remember that Mr.. Broussard had been in
Congress for fourteen years, and in that, time, he was supposed
to have built up friendships, and laid the cornerstone of afee-
ton and respect that would entitle him to consideration at the
hands of his party associates. He was a member of the Ways
and Means Committee, and, in that caucus, he aspired to sue
coed himself. 1t indeed pains me that [ must, in a spirit of fair
ness, inform the people of Louisiana how tremendous was the
influence and how masterful the power welded by our splendid
representative, Mr.. Broussard. In all that caucus of Democrats,
old and new, Democrats with whom he had served for many
years, Democrats who only knew him by reputation-in all that
caucus, there was not one living man who raised his voice and
said that F'Bob' Broussard should be placed again on the Ways
and Means Committee. Being unable to secure any Democrat
of high or low degree, unable to secure the voice and influence
of any man with whom he had served these many years in Con
grss, he arose himself and plead his own cause in that caucus,
with eloquence so great and logic so powerful that, when he
sat down, amid a silence like unto death, not a single Democrat
there voted to put the Honorable Robert F. Broussard back on
the committee. Spewed out by his own party associates (haying
deserted them in their hour of need) he now comes to this
Democratic State and this great, splendid Democratic people and
asks them to reward him for the desertion of his party by
Iovo+inp him tn q saa in the Senate ubara If ha ShmuId he