Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-07-02
By Raymond p. Brandt.

particular time. And it might be noted
that the Democratic party had taken sew
eral inconsistent positions between 1903
and 1888.
There is still another key-his solicit
tude for his congressional district, for
the State of Texas and for his Texas COL
leagues in the House and Senate. He
was a member of the Texas Legislature
two terms for the sole purpose of Great
ing congressional district of his own.
He made no bones about his ambition to
60 to Congress when the redistricting bill
was up for consideration.
Began Lowly.
His first vote in Congress in 1903 was
for John Sharp Williams of Mississippi
for Speaker, an empty gesture because
the Republicans were in control of the
House His committee assignments were
of the loWliest He was named to Rail-
ways and Canals and Expenditures in
the State Department. Not once during
this session did he make a speech but
he introduced three local bills, none of
which was enacted at that session.
At the next session. acting for his
Railways and Canals Committee, he re-
ported his own bill providing for coast
wise canal in Texas 1t was several
years before this bill was finally enacted
In the next Congress he introduced a
bill creating new division of the
western judicial district of Texas. and
to provide term of court at Del Rio.
Serene E. Payne. the Republican leader,
opposed the bill, saying that the real
object was to get a courthouse for Del
Rio. Garner countered by telling how
far his constituents had to travel to get
to court. The bill was passed and in the
next Congress Garner introduced a bill
for courthouse at Del Rio.
The solicitude for Texas has remained
with him throughout his years in Wash
ington. This was evidenced for his
views on the tariff. At present he says
he is not high or low tariff man. but
one who believes in the cost of produc-
ton" or "competitive' plan-"if that
can be worked" But he demanded pro-
lection for the mohair industry of Texas
in the Fordney- McCumber and the
Smoot-Hawley Republican tariff laws,
although he voted against these bills on
final passage.
There are two votes which may rise
to plague Garner if he is the Democratic
nominee. In 1919 he was one of the 80
Representatives voting against submits
sion of the womans suffrage amend
ment for which there was an affirmative
vote OF 304, and in 1922 he joined his
Southern colleagues who were in the
minority on the Dyer anti-lynching bill
Against this vote on the anti-lynching
Dill, Garner is relying for what he did
Tor the Negroes in Uvalde County when
ne was county judge. The Texas law
provided that Negroes must be given the
same educational opportunities as white
persons. Garner, in his dual capacity
as county Judge and superintendent of
schools, rented shack at So a month
and installed Negro teacher at SIS
a month for the seven Negro children
entitled to an education.
Intimate Friend Of Longworth.
He became the intimate friend of the
late Nicholas Longworth and the trust
ed aide-he says the messenger boy
for Champ Clark of Missouri and Oscar
Underwood of Alabama. He followed
Clark and George Norris in the battle
in overthrowing the Republican GEAR
ism" of Joseph Cannon in the House
in 1910, and he voted with Clark in
favor of publicity for campaign expendi-
lures and for Canadian reciprocity.
Gamers friendly biographers declare
that their hero was in Congress for four
terms without making a speech. This,
they say, endeared him to Champ Clark
himself an orator. When Clark was
elected Speaker in 1918, Garner came
into his own. One or two biographers
insist that Gamers interest in tariffs
and taxes led him to demand place on
the Ways and Means Committee. This
does not jibe with Gamers own state
ments. He wanted to be on ways and
means, he has said, because the Demo-
cratic members of this powerful COM
mittee named the Democrats to other
committees. He campaigned for 1t and
got the job.
But Garner was at his best in the
opposition. When the Republicans
gained control of the House in 1918, he
had many opportunities. In later years
he was the one person in the House who
could out-talk the late Ogden Mills on
taxes and tariffs, and he carried on a
political vendetta against Secretary OF
the Treasury Mellon.