Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-16
SENATOR LEWIS REPLY TO SENA-
TOR ROOT ON THE INCOME TAX

CT the ability that ever attends his
utterances-at a state dinner of the
Pennsylvania society in the Waldorf
Astoria hotel-struck a new keynote in
the pursuit of the policy of his then
chief, then president of the United
States, Mr. Roosevelt. 1t was the doc
trine asserted just previously by Pres
ident Roosevelt at the laying of the
cornerstone of the capital at Harris
burg. In the wake of this utterance
threatening the existence of the states
as sovereign bodies, the distinguished
senator from New York at the Waldorf
gathering said, "As the states will not
do their duty, and because they will
not do their duty"-the senator meas
uring that duty by the standard of the
distinguished senator and his distin-
guished chief-"the national govern
ment must step in and do it for them"
Thus the people of this country were
educated to the theory that wherever
state had large riches, such as New
York; bountiful wealth, powerful men,
eminent politicians, financial iugglers
and acrobats of honesty, that because
of such the state is assumed to be IN
able 10 control itself According 10
the idea of the multitude it was due
10 the fact that it would not do So
Then and there the people were educa-
ted by ..ie senator that it was then
the duty of the national government
to step in, administer the punishment,
and inflict the chastisement on the
state and pluck the merely well to do
because of the states failure to act
as certain interests demand.
Mr.. Root rose.
Mr.. Lewis-I see the senator from
New York rises. dare say he de-
sires me to yield for an interruption.
do so at once.
Mr.. Root feel Inundated, Mr.
[ President. by the revelation of the
fact that the senator from Illinois new
err read the speech TO which he refers.
said no such thing as he has put into
my mouth; thought no such thing.
never said any such thing anywhere
/ on any occasion, and l never shall
/ What I said in the speech to which he
/ refers before the Pennsylvania society
/ was to put the question How can the
( states preserve their local self-govern-
ment?" and to answer the question by
f saying, They can preserve their local
/ self-government only by performing
the duties that rest upon them" To
! that | stand, and think l always shall
stand.
, Mr.. Lewis-NTr President. the dis
/ tinguished senator from New York
! says he feels Inundated | can readily
understand how now. upon a sober
Eense and a calm reflection, he would
! feel a sense Of humilia ion as to many
utterances of his; but as to that one il
/ particular, and the effect it has pro
duced upon the country, / naturally
| realize that he would give a good dea
could IL be recalled. remind him thai
the u'terance 20 which / now aIludc
was made at the Pennsylvania society
dinner by him. while the latter par
of his utterance which he now pre-
sents as a qualification of the evil Il
which have alluded was not made ny
the distinguished senator at he din
ner al the Pennsylvania society l re
mind the senator that the latter por
ton quoted by him was uttered wheI
he sought TO correct the evil of hi
first offense and escape the penalty
This was when he assured the peopl
Of New York that his point of view
, was not any longer such as had beef
, indicated in the Waldorf speech. Thi
correction was in his able utteranc
when accepting the election to tn,
sena-e from the legislature of New
, York. Upon that occasion, in accept
ing the nomination before the legisla
ture of New York, was the latter par
| of the utterance expressed, althoug
it might have been a duplicated on
from a previous speech. | surely Wi
admit that anything the distinguish
senator from New York may say
worthy of repetition, either by himsel
CT from any other source; but l agail
say that the speech 10 which l allud
. the distinguished senator is consciou
OF the fact tina. all over the countr
= this speech was referred to; it wa
printed in the public papers; and
e now ask the distinguished senator if i
: that speech he did not say that 'ff til
states failed 10 do their duty, the M
i tional government would have to d
II for them?"
Mr.. Root-No.sMr President. I sal
; II the states failed TO do their duty
the American democracy, which abho