Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-28
l.AISUNls
MI CANDIDATE
FOR PRESIDENT
Like Caesar Who Thrice Was
Offered Crown Indiana Scion
Many Times Has Been Of
fered Nomination.
tcapltal News Special service.)

tCapital News Special Service.)
Washington, Dec. 27.--Although he
has several times issued statements
declining to be a candidate for the Re-
publican presidential nomination next
year. Senator James =. Watson of In
Diana modestly disclaims being In the
Caesar class.
History records that thrice Caesar
was offered the crown and that thrice
he cast It aside. Senator Watson has
been importuned q number OF times.
perhaps more than thrice, by leading
Republicans Of the country to declare
his capdidacy for the presidential nom
1nation next year. and during the re-
cent meeting of the national commit
tee In this city, the members OF the
house from Indiana met and declared
for him.
Each time he has declined to Es.ser
the presidential contest, saying that
he prefers to be returned to the sem
ate in the election next year. But his
situation is not analogous with that
OF Julius Caesar at all. Senator Wat
son explains.
ssThat delegation which came along
and offered Caesar the crown, had the
crown to offer" the Indiana senator
said. "TEey could deliver. I am not
saving what I might do II my friends
should cal! on me some day ana say
that they were able to guarantee the
presidency to me provided would ac-
cept."
WILLIAMS TELLS AMBITIONS.
senator John Sharp Williams. Of
Mississippi, put lot of earnestness
into his rlea for peace OF all varieties
in discussing in the senate tho other
dav the nnji-strike provision Of the
Curnmins bill. which he supported He
said:
II am a few months over IS years old
now. I have been in public life over a
third of a century. II have had any
one great purpose in public life, out
side Of my determination to be indi
vidual,y Honest end fair, 1t has been to
gain peace for the world. internaaon-
ally, industrially and in every other
way. I have never hesitated 70 say,
with old Thomas Jefferson. that my
passion is peace International peace
is very important would give my
left arm to accomplish that Indus
trial peace IL more important. l
would give my right arm to accom-
plish that do not want to make an
ass Of myself, Mr.. President but l
would give my soul to fix some scneme
whereby men In their personal ana IN
ternational and industrial relations
would submit to reason rather tnan
passion, to reason upon a religious pa
sis of some sort, meaning by thai
merely q worship Of God, recogni-
ton Of Gods fatherhood and the broth
erhood of man, with nothing sectarian
about 1t.
II would give my soul. my very soul.
to accomplish that purpose. I would
go down damned through all eternity,
with Gods blessing, I hope, to accom-
plish one tenth of that purpose. Yet,
Mr.. President, when we meet and dis
cuss these things how do We meet and
how do we discuss them? One fellow
discusses them as an anti-labor union
man, another as a labor union man, an
other as a Republican. another as a
Democrat, another as Christian Sci
enlist, another as Roman Catholic,
another as an Irishman, another as
pro-German, another as an American,
Wanting his Americanism before ev-
erybody else's Americanism; and Yet
nobody willing just to surrender 1t all
for the sake of the brotherhood OF
mankind. industrially, internationally
and for peace; not peace at any price
but peace upon a righteous basis, after
fair trial and arbitral adjudication.