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2 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-