The Washington herald., 1914-03-28
JUDGE ADAMS0N WARMLY
DEFENDS THE PRESIDENT

Every seat in the galleries was occu'
pied, the steps were tammed, ana llnes
of would-be spectators streamed out intc
the surrounding halls hours before the
House was scheduled to meet yesterday
Fashionably attired women filed most oi
the seats. except in the mems galleries
which were as crowded as the others
Capitol police have not had to handle
such a crowd since the first message de-
Iivered to Congress by President Wilson
last summer. ..s
By the time Majority Leader Under
wood had taken the floor in the closing
hour of the debate on the rule, nearly ev-
cry member of the House in Washington
was present, and members of the Senate
occupied seats or circulated around the
chamber. Senator O'Gorman. who will
Senate, was an interested spectator and
watched the vote carefully.
Mr.. Underwood spoke for ten minutes
against the rule, declaring that the clo-
ture was unnecessary under the rules Of
the House. He addressed his remarks
almost entirely to his Democratic COL
leagues. exhorting them to uphold the
tolls plank in their platform.
The Democratic side, despite the great
personal esteem in which Underwood Ia
held, was almost silent before him. while
the Republicans applauded frequently
and heartily. Representative Sherwood,
Of Ohio. who followed. opposed the rule
and the repeal.
Adamscn Makes Appeal.
Chairman Adamson, who has charge
of the bill, took the floor, ostensibly to
debate the rule. He decided to use his
speech on the merits of the tolls ques-
ton He, too, exhorted his colleagues
to keep the party ranks unbroken by
49,
Presidents position, Judge Adamson re-
minded the House in picturesque style OF
the relations of Grover Cleveland. and
Congress. He said:
"A terrible hurrah is made about what
the President has asked Congress to do
Is that anything new? Have Tammany
Halls representatives in Congress for
gotten when that other great Democratic
President was in the White House. and
not only told Congress that the silver
purchase law ought to be repealed, but
that 1t should be repealed, and that until
repealed. nothing else should be done
either in the way of legislation or the
way of distribution of patronage? Do
they forget the similar conduct of all the
other Presidents, up to the days of the
great founder of the Bull Moose party,
when he had so much trouble with Con-
gress on his hands and had to send mes
sage after message before he got Con-
Sress to comply with his wishes? Do
they forget the dramatic day when the
martyr Mckinley had barely signified in
a general way that the foreign relations
OF the government were in jeopardy when
this House by unanimous vote gave him
SSO.OOOOOO to use at his discretion? Did
any party question his honesty or in /
tegrity, or did anybody at the behest of |
selfish special interest offer unpardonable |
yes, reasonable, resolutions inquiring |
into the facts and reasons which ali |
civilized men know are sacredly secret In /
conducting the foreign affairs of any gov
ernment? Nobody then rose and cursed |
England in that dread hour. but she was
relied upon in the Congress and she failed |
US not"
Harduick Scores Speaker.
Following Judge Adamson. who's.
speech was warmly received bv the
House, Representative Hardwick. Of
Georgia, a member CT the Rules Commit
tee, closed debate on the rule with a
vitriolic denunciation OF Champ Clark.
and an almost fearful appeal to the Dem
ocrats NOT to destroy the party's future
hopes by breaking with the President
Mr.. Hardwick's caustic analysis of tbe
speakers attitude served as the opening
gun IN the attack upon the anti-adninjs.
tration leaders.
When the revised rules of the Hops.
were adopted in the last Congress- NJ