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Champ Clark*s Washington Letter.
Hon. Champ Clark, member of Congress for the Ninth Missouri district,
was born in Kentucky in 1850, and for twenty-two years held the record for
being the youngest college president in the United States. In his varied ca
reer he worked as a farm hand, clerked in a country store, edited a country
weekly and practiced law. He was permanent chairman of the National
Democratic Convention at St. Louis In 1904. He is now serving his sixth
term as a member of Congress.
More than half of the short session
of congress has passed into history.
Precious little has been done, and
nothing will be done except that which
a few leaders desire—that which the
machine desires. All arrangements
appear to have been made by the ma
chinists to block legislation. If Dem
ocrats were doing that, we would be
denounced as filibusters, but as the
machinists are doing it they of course
are patriots. It is clear to the veriest
tyro in the house that Hon. James R.
Mann of Chicago, an able, resourceful
and pertinacious member, has been se
lected by the Republican house lead
ers to play the role of obstructionist.
When there is danger of his being
routed, Hon. Sereno E. Payne of New
York, chairman of the ways and means
committee and ex-officio floor leader of
the majority, rushes to his assistance,
which is proof positive that Mann is
acting on a system. Members on both
sides who see their bills go glimmer
ing rage at Messrs. Mann and Payne,
but without avail. They are imper
vious to sarcasm, wit, humor, logic,
abuse and all the rest. Just what their
reason is nobody seems to know pre
cisely, but it’s plain as a pikestaff that
they do not intend for anything of con
sequence to be accomplished except a
few pet measures, such as the ship
subsidy bill and of course the great
supply bQls, without which the gov
ernment machinery would come to a
sudden standstill. Recognizing the
fact that the chances are against their
ever having another such majority as
they have in this house, they are anx
ious to make hay while the sun shines.
They have majority enough to do as
they please, and they are doing it.
*
As to Guggenheim and Colorado.
A great many good people have been
flattering themselves that the millen
nium has dawned in American politics
and that there would be no more use
of money in elections, but that men
would be elected strictly on their mer
its, a consummation devoutly to be
wished. These same good people must
experience a severe shock when they
read the astounding interview of Sen
ator Elect Simon Guggenheim of Col
orado wherein he stated that his ex
pense account in securing a curule
chair amounts to half a million dollars.
These good people would be shocked if
Guggenheim were a Democrat and if
Colorado were a Democrat and if
what is mortal sin in a Democrat ap
pears to be a condonable peccadillo, if
not a virtue, in a Republican. If Reed
Smoot were a Democrat, he would
have been fired long ago, but Reed
will serve his term out —not a doubt
of that —because he is a Republican,
and after March 4 the senate will be
Republican by a two-thirds majority,
only lacking two of having that ma
jority now. If Guggenheim were a
Democrat, he would be bounced out
of the senate sure as a gun is made
of iron, but the chances are ten to
one that he will be whitewashed and
permitted to remain among the con
script fathers. If a Democrat had giv
en out the Guggenheim interview, the
Republican press would have been so
full of righteous Indignation that the
temperature of the circumambient at-
mosphere would have risen so high
that we should have come to the con
clusion that we were living on the
equator; but, Guggenheim being a
Republican, the Republican papers are
dumb as oysters on the subject, with
the honorable exception of certain
sporadic cases.
*
Condensed Speech.
It is said that the day of oratory is
past, and in a large sense that is true.
The printing press, the telegraph, the
steam car, the electric car and the
stenographer have about put the old
fashioned spread eagle orator out of
business, but nothing will ever put
out of business the man who knows
what he wants to say and conveys
his message with the maximum of
ideas in the minimum of words. Such
a person is Hon. James Hay of Vir
ginia, at present the ranking Democrat
on the great committee on military
affairs. That every member cannot
study every bill is known generally,
I suppose. Even the most industrious
member cannot do it; hence we must
in most cases follow our party mem
bers on committees, especially those
who industriously and intelligently
attend to their committee duties and
who have established a reputation for
honesty and fair dealing. Such a one
is Mr. Hay. When he states a thing
men know that it is true, at any rate
that he thinks it is true, for during
his long and valuable service in the
house he has deceived no man and
nobody believes that he would deceive
the house. So when the artillery bill
came up, having been reported by the
military affairs committee, a good
many people were nervous for fear
Democrats might oppose it. Mr. Hay
secured its passage—that is, he most
effectively prevented Democratic oppo
sition by delivering the following lum
inous, concise, short speech, which I
submit as a model of what may be
called business speaking in the house.
Here is all he said:
Mr. Speaker, I, together with the
other members of the minority of the
committee, am in favor of this bill.
It meets a necessity which has existed
for a long time, and it is made the
more necessary by the large amount
which has been expended on our
coast defenses. As I understand it,
there has been expended in the past
few years $119,000,000 for these coast
defenses, and it is absolutely necessa
ry in order to keep them in proper
condition that there should be men
to man these guns and take care of
these coast defenses. This bill has
been very carefully drawn and very
thoroughly considered. If gentlemen
will examine it they will find that it
does not increase the army of the
United States except as to officers.
It provides for the better recruiting
of the artillery service. The trouble
has been in obtaining men for the
artillery owing to the fact that after
they have been enlisted for a term
of three years they are trained in cer
tain branches of electricity and ma
chinery and can command better pri
ces in civil pursuits. This bill cures
that defect by giving them higher
pay. I hardly deem it necessary to
consume the time of the house in ad
vocating a measure which is so mani-
TNE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
festly important and so absolutely nec
essary for the interests of the country.
W
Uncle Joe to the Front.
The Republican presidential situa
tion changes frequently. Most people
here believe that somehow or somehow
else President Roosevelt will be induc
ed to become a candidate. That belief
causes most declarations for favorites
to be made conditionally. But, tak
ing it for granted that Colonel Roose
velt stands pat on his numerous de
clinations, then here is my analysis of
the case as it now stands: Foraker,
the anti-Roosevelt candidate; Mr.
Speaker Cannon, the administration
candidate; Vice President Fairbanks,
his own candidate, cautious, noncom
mittal, watching which way the cat
will jump. It is perhaps hardly fair
to rank Uncle Joe as the administra
tion candidate, though he and the pres
ident are cheek by jowl, for Uncle
Joe is strong in his own right and,
if nominated, would be a popular can
didate. It must be clear that if Fora
ker keeps on making headway at last
the whole force of the administration
will be thrown enthusiastically against
him, and the chances now seem to be
in favor of its being thrown to Speak
er Cannon. At this stage of the pro
ceedings it looks this way: If Uncle
Joe makes up his mind to go after the
presidential nomination and if the
white house influence is really for him,
he will bag the nomination. If he
were five years younger, I would say
he was a sure winner—that is, as
sure as anything in politics can be.
He is past seventy, but well preserved,
active as a cat and his force unabated.
Gladstone, Disraeli, Bismarck, Von
Ranke and others did great things
when older than Uncle Joe. This be
ing true, his age will not cut much
figure. Os course those advocating
other candidates will use it for all
it is worth, but a few speeches from
the speaker on the stump, properly
staged—and his secretary, Mr. White
Busby, can be depended on to stage
them —and all opposition to him on
point of age will vanish as the morn
ing mist. It is well for those who are
interested in presidential politics to
keep an eye on Uncle Joseph. He
is a big factor in the fascinating
game.
If the Democrats act with prudence,
they can eleet the next president, no
matter who the Republican nominee
is.
•t
Slayden’s Bill.
Texas is a great state. Everybody
that knows anything about our geog
raphy knows that. Texas, if fully de
veloped, could support the present pop
ulation of the United States. In keep
ing with the eternal fitness of things,
Texas has a very strong delegation
in both houses of congress. There is
none stronger. Her senators and rep
resentatives are fine specimens of
both intellectual and physical men.
James L. Slayden, a tall, handsome,
sinewy man, robust in both mind and
body, is the Texas member of the mil
itary affairs committee. He repre
sents the San Antonio district, in
which is the Alamo, inspiration for
patriotism. Slayden, being a typical
Texan, does not mince matters. What
he means he says, and what he says
he means. While the senate was fid
dling for weeks about the Brownsville
episode, which episode is only a symp
tom of a disease, Slayden proposed
a heroic remedy for the disease by
offering a bill providing that after July
1 no negro soldiers shall serve in the
Untied States armies. Whether a
man agrees with the Texan or not, he
must admit the courage of his per
formance. In support of his proposi
tion Mr. Slayden made a most excel
lent speech. I wish I had space to re
produce it in full, as it well deserves
wide circulation and wide reading.
It contains much food for reflection. I
have room only for the exordium and
peroration. He began by saying:
For a long time I have looked upon
it as a desirable military reform. Re
cent events of a startling and deplora
ble nature have convinced me that
it is urgent. It cannot be delayed, I
apprehend, witliout risking a collision
between white citizens and negro
troops. There is reason to fear that
occasional assassination and riot may
be succeeded by disasters that will
measure up to the standard of battle.
Firmly believing that, as I did, 1 re
garded it as a duty to try to prevent
such a condition by amending the law.
A series of violent outbreaks on the
part of negro soldiers, culminating in
a murderous assault on the unoffend
ing citizens of Brownsville, decided
me to offer the bill without further
delay. The bill was not offered for
buncombe. I proposed it because I
am absolutely convinced that it is a
measure of reform which must ulti
mately commend itself to the judgment
of the American congress. I very
much regret to say, however, that
there does not appear to be any imme
diate prospect of success. Like many
good legislative suggestions, it will
probably have to die the death many
times before the mind and conscience
of a majority can be awakened. The
lack of active sympathy for my meas
ure among such of my Republican col
leagues as I have spoken to about it
makes me realize that I am not apt
to have an opportunity to discuss the
bill as pending before the house, and
so, Mr. Chairman, I shall avail myself
of this occasion to speak of it.
Mr. Slayden closed as follows:
As I have already said, I fear that
we have not yet reached the stage
where we will legislate on this matter
intelligently and for conditions as we
find them, but we will reach it by and
by.
After a few incidents like those at
Fort Meade, San Carlos, El Paso and
Brownsville, congress will be really
aroused to a discharge of its duty in
this matter. Repeat the Brownsville
affair with a change of locus —let it
occur in Michigan, New York or Illi
nois—and a new light will be seen.
Until then we will be as patient as
possible, having faith that finally the
sympathy of the whole country, will be
given to that section which has been
so tried in the school of disaster, a
section which stands face to face with
the perplexities and dangers of the
most difficult question any people on
earth were ever called on to meet and
solve. When all the states compre
hend this question, which now they
barely apprehend, they will help us
of the south to make it certain that
the homes of white men in a white
man’s country will be protected by
white men only.
Mr. Slayden’s bill and speech present
the real issue, and it is a most impor
tant one to congress and to the coun
try. It is a subject well worthy of
the best thought of the people.
*
A Missouri Hero.
If Andrew Carnegie does not be
stow one of his hero medals upon
tbe Missouri conductor, Elias Hey
wood, who captured the bandit who
was robbing a train, then A. C. should
go out of the medal business at once
and forever. No belted knight ever
performed a braver act than this un-