The Washington herald., 1913-03-23
ROBERT L. HENRY, ORIGINAL TRUST BUSTER
TELLS WHAT HE WOULD DO TO MONOPOLIES
Send Them All to Jail" Says Texan, Who Will
Reflect Views of Bryan in House of
Representatives
BY JAMES b. MORROW.

BY JAMES b. MORROW.
The terrifying truth, if the reader be a
monopolist. Of highly important state
OF matters lies in the scowling fact that
Robert Lee Henry was the earliest trust
buster west of the Mississippi River
Furthermore, the most impious. 1t was
his unreverent hand that penned the doc
uments ordering the arrest of Archbold
Rogers, and the two Rockefellers.
Caught, nabbed, in other words, among
the orchards of Florida, god of plenty
to the natives, Flagler would have been
carried off to Texas, and maybe to jail
had he not been rescued by a protecting
Governor.
Such was Henry and such is Henry.
now that he is a national and no longer
a local character. A bound but not a
dumb giant, he sat for seven terms In
the House of Representatives. Minority
parties in Congress, as elsewhere, are
only scolds and protestants. They walk
in the sun behind the camels, breathing
the dust and giving dry voice to their
doctrines and their feelings. from time
to time. But in 1910 the country became
Democratic New masters mounted: old
masters dismounted.
As chairman OF the great Committee
on Rules, Henry rode a two-humped
dromedary at the head OF the caravan.
Bills were strangled at his nod. His sign
meant that others should be enacted into
law. Obscured during fourteen years,
Henry is now leader in Woodrow Will
sons administration, and the personal
and legislative representative of Mr..
Bryan in the lower House of Congress.
Hereafter his opinions are to thunder
throughout the country. And Americans
will remember that his is the blood of
that other Henry. who. at the old
church in Richmond. shouted into the
obstinate ears OF George III and onto
the inspiring pages of McGuffey's Fourth
Reader: ''As for me, give me liberty or
give me death"
Test of Henry's E1oquence.
Since then. 13s years ago, on Sunday.
March g. all Of the Henrys have been
democratic and rhetorical Robert Lee
was the valedictorian of his class at COL
lege. His friends will tell you that he
talked himself into Congress. George
Mason, the famous Virginia patriot.
speaking of Patrick. said: Your pas
sions are no longer your own when he
addresses them"
More convincing testimony to the pow
er of Robert Lee as an orator. however,
is found in a sudden incident that rup-
tured the continuity of a speech he was
making at little Texas village. You
are a liar yelled a hostile editor man
as he uprose in the stomach of the
audience. Forthwith a water tumbler
was thrown from the platform. 1t missed
the editor and hit new friend Of the
speaker sitting near at hand. By the
ordinary rules which govern human con-
duct under eXasperating circumstances,
the friend. being new at that, should
have grown lukewarm. il not pugna-
cious. 1t was not so, however, in this
l. l.
blinking his eyes, rubbing his head. and
getting on his feet as soon as possible
So the captive of eloquence, smoothing
the lump over his eye. glorihed his pains
Shot through Mr.. Henry's remarks, So
cial, political, and official, are habitual
words and phrases which reveal his
thought and purposes. His word pictures
show groups Of .'groaning people, ''hon-
est voters" suffering Masses" "toiling
Masses and the ''prostrate forms of
consumers" He voted for free lumber
during the last Congress. when the
final struggle came" he explained after
ward. between the masses and those
riding them with whip and spur under
high tariff banners, l cast my fortunes
with those wanting homes, school
houses. churches, barns, fences, and
shelters for their loved ones; for the men
in tents, dugouts. and the homeless.
Bryan Greatest of Living Americans
Describing the quality of his Democracy.
he says: Hence, when my party acts,
whether its action be right or wrcng, so
long as / remain a member thereof shall
steadfastly support its platform demands
and nominees" MIR. Bryan. he declares,
is zone of the worlds immortal few" who
has borne an '.unsullied flag of leader
ship" and whose sword leaps from its
scabbard" in defense of the people.
Ranking with jefferson and Jackson and
the immortal names enriching the achieve
ments of Democracy" Mr.. Bryan's own
name will be emblazoned in the perma-
nent annals of history as the peoples Idol
and courageous friend" More than that,
his character will stand forth in history
typifying him as the peoples redeemer in
the century's struggle for political free
dom and individual rights"
After Mr.. Henry Withdrew from the at
torney generals office in Texas he went
to Waco purposely to remove himself
from the zone of politics. He was yoang
and wanted to practice his profession.
Populism was then raging like an infec
tious fever in the Southwest, and Mr..
Bryan was thinking out his speech about
the crown of thorns, which soon there
after was to throw a national convention
into delirium of joy and cause his nomi-
nation for President.
The Democracy Of Waco. as Mr.. Henry
learned. was dubious about the future.
George c. Pendleton. the Representative
in Congress, being a prudent man and a
dealer in farm lands. which business took
him out into the country and put him in
contact with agricultural opinion, reflect
ed over the situation and announced his
retirement from public life. Mr.. Henry
did not mention the matter to me- but
the fact seems to be that the Democrats
of Waco thought they were in for q
sound beating. and promptly made him
their vicarious substitute. Any way, the
nomination would give him. a stranger
among them, a little needed publicity as
a lawyer and a Democrat
What He Says of Wall Street.
Mr.. Bryan also ran that year It was
his first candidacy for the Presidential
office. Mr.. Henry planted his feet
souarely in the middle OF the Democratic
pIaform, and there he stood. He made
what is commonly known as a whirlwind
campaign and was elected. The laugh
was lifted from himself. therefore, and
transferred to the leaders of the Waco
Democracy. He has been Mr.. Bryan's
thick-and-thin friend ever since. Though
he was opposed in his district during the
three campaigns which followed. he has
had little trouble in maintaining his
place in the House Of Representatives.
His first contest settled him in the affec-
tons of his constituents and fxed his
financial doctrines. He then learned to
distrust the money power"
wall Street gamblers" and CONNER
cial pirates in their depths of villiany,"
he believes, can create, avert, and COM
pose panics at will" And bankers in