The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-10-13
SHOWING UP J. HAM.

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The <effulgent, effusive, erruptive.
J. Ham Lewis, who has an incompara-
bic faculty for distorting facts when
facts, that are stubborn things. stand
In the way of influencing public senti-
ment, is now in this state campaigning
for Wilson. Just twenty years ago j.
Ham was elected to congress from the
state of Washington, slipping into that
office by an alliance of democrats, sill
yer republicans and populists, polit-
zeal combination of strange bed fell
lows that swept the state in 1896. The
people of Washington speedily regain
ed their reason and J. Ham was elm
mated in 1898. Lewis shook the dust
of Washington from his feet and turn
ed his face eastward. He soon gained
place in the public eye, for Lewis
Is man that never hides his light, and
finally was elected senator from the
state of Illinois. Recently he was Sc
lected by the democratic campaign
committee to invade Washington, and
he is out here whooping it up for the
democratic ticket. J. Ham may be the
standing joke of the continent. yet
nevertheless he is man of exception
al ability and an orator with few
superiors. He is especially valuable
as a spell binder as he never hesitaes
in his public assertions to cloud an is
sue, or dodge the truth. He made some
speeches in Illinois before coming here
but the people of that state are pretty
we'll informed, and have J. Ham sized
up to his proper calabre. The repub-
lican press of that state is pointing
out some of the fallacies of his public
utterances, showing him up in an I'M
enviable light. Under the head of "Who
Hath Loosed the Bands of the Wild
ASS" the Warsaw Qlls) Bulletin gets
after J. Ham as follows:
Governor Hughes In his st. Louis
speech, made some criticisms of Pres
ident Wilson's stumbling Mexican pol
icy and his ingenious handling Of the
strike imbroglio that seems to have set
uncomfortably on the Hon. j. Ham
Lewis, who is presumed to represent,
in part the state of Illinois in the
United States senate; and the Hon. J.
Ham feels constrained to resent the
imputations in speechmaking, to which
he runs on the slightest provocation.
He not only lauds the temporary set
Element of the differences between the
railroad managers and the railroad
brotherhood as piece Of "sagacious
craftsmanship and diplomacy" but as
says to buttress his assertions by a
comparison with the action of Presi-
dent Roosevelt at the time Of the Penn
sylvania coal strike and that Of Presi-
dent Cleveland on the occasion of a
railroad strike during his administra-
ton, asserting that the two latter met
the situation confronting them timidly
and with hesitation, while Wilson acted
promptly and with holiness. All OF
which does credit to the Senator'S
audacity but little to either his sagac
ity or his intelligence. Does he fancy
that those who are old enough to re-
member, have forgotten, or those whc
are intelligent enough to read canno
recall the circumstances that confront
ed President Roosevelt and Presiden
Cleveland? Is it possible that his con
suming egotism persuades him that HI
can convince the public that shift.
Wilson is more militant than thu
strenuous Teddy or the stubborn Gro
yer? And does he fancy his listners arr
too stupid to draw distinction be
| tween the two presidents who actet
| upon their own authority and succeed
| ed, and the one who. attempting to d,
likewise and failing, passed the bucl
| to congress? And in face Of the fac
that that the president, after laborin,
J unsuccessfully for days to bring abou
settlement of the threatened strike
| threw up his hands. confessed that h
could accomplish nothing and took ref
uge behind congress, does Lewis i'm
agine the public so obtuse as to accep
without question his claim Of all tn
glory for Wilson? Surely such brayin,
in the land constraineth one to inquire
"Who hath loosed the bands Of the viii,
J ass"