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The Commoner;
JJANUARY 19, 1908' ,.
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NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL GAPITAL I
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Washington, D. CVJan. 15.- The republican
managersof. -the house of representatives have
been havjagf lots' of trouble ever since the holi
day recess of congress ended. More "insurgents"
were in their camp than they had reckoned. It
was generally understood at the assembling of
the national legislature that the beet sugar in
terests would be able to pull away a considerable
number oi republican votes when the final test
came upon ther Philippine tariff bill, but neither
Speaker Cannon nor his most trusted lieutenant
had the faintest idea that the disaffection was
as great as it has turned out to be. In permit
ting such an extended debate on this measure
the republican managers were not actuated en
tirely by motives of fair play. They were com
pelled to gain time in order to whip into line
as many of the "insurgents" as possible. At one
stage of the proceedings it began to look as if
a combination might be formed to defeat the
Philippine bill. TSstimates of the strength of the
"insurgents" have differed. One day the claim
would be made that at least seventy-five disaf
fected republicans could be relied upon to kick
out of the party traces. -A few days later the
claim would not be so high, ranging anywhere
from forty-five to sixty. The defenders of the
bill have from the very inception of the discus
sion put on a bold front and have never admitted
the possibility of defeat. Their woes in private
they have endeavored to conceal from the. pub
lic. Both threats and sweet promises have been
made privately to win back the deserters. The
sweet promises have been intimations that if
certain, members would not join the opposition
there was a possibility that later in the session a
public building bill would be allowed to pass
one of those accommodating "omnibus" bills,
though not near so expensive or expansive as
the one that Former Representative David H.
Mercer, of Nebraska, pushed through the house
shortly bfore his retirement to private life. That
successful undertaking on the part of Mercer
left him a wonderful reputation among new con
gressmen. That class of members have been
introducing public building bills in such large
numbers that the speaker made up his mind
early in the game that a check had to be put
upon the attempt to authorize the building
of government structures in the smaller cities.
A most forcible and entertaining democratic
speech delivered since the discussion on the Phil
ippine bill qommenced was that of Hon. Champ
Clark, of Missouri. The demand for it is large,
Mr. Clark is recognized as one of the readiest
debaters on the democratic side. What makes
his speech all the more valuable as a campaign
document is that during the three hours he oc
cupied the floor many of the leading .republicans
were drawn into the argument, and the well
known Missourian was, therefore, enabled to
hammer them in a way that will prove most
pleasing to all men dissatisfied with the Dingley
tariff law. And as this notable speech has creat
ed such a favorable impression it Is appropriate
in this correspondence to quote the concluding
sentences, as follows:
"I hope that this day's work will open up a
discussion that will be the cause and beginning
of a wider discussion in the country, which will
do one of two things it will, either drive the
republicans of the agricultural districts into elect
ing outspoken republican tariff revisionists Jiere,
or else the next house will be a democratic house.
Truth is mighty and will prevail. If I have con
tributed even 'the. widow's mite to the approach
ing triumph of a righteous cause, the three hours
which I -have consumed have been profitably
spent I have an abiding faith that when the
eyes of the taxpayers of the land are opened to
the situation they will not longer stand for the
monstrosities of the Dingley tariff bill." (Pro
longed applause on the democratic side.)
The attitude of Representative Babcock, of
Wisconsin, has been a severe blow and a serious
disappointment to the house republican leaders.
Not only has ho been acting conspicuously with
the "insurgents" on the Philippine tariff, but he
has 'for a year or more shown that many of the
schedules in the Dingley law are distasteful to
him and his constituents. Nor is that all. The
republicans are evidently in danger of losing his
services as chairman of their congressional cam
paign committee.- As is well known .he has for
ten years managed successfully thesa-v contests
for his party. And not a defeat has yet been
scored against him. Democrats recognize in Mr.
Babcock a shrewd political calculator, an ener
getic organizer and an indefatigable worker. His
right hand man in the committee, Congressman
Overstreet, of Indiana, who has been for the
past six years the secretary of the committeo,
has been offended by President Roosevelt in tho
distribution of patronage, and announced that
he would not serve again. In the matter of
patronage Mr. Babcock has been well treated by
this and the previous republican administration.
Offices in his district have been controlled by
him. The LaFollette faction in this respect were
practically ignored. Mr. Babcock's uneasy feel
ing is certainly not for lack of patronage. His
constituents are known to be groaning under the
burdens of taxation, and that is why he is so
restless and averse to again managing a congres
sional campaign.
Before the end of the present month it is
thought that the democrats and republicans will
select their members of the congressional cam
paign committees. Quiet work in this direction
has been going on for tho past two weeks, but
tho actual organization of the committees will
not be effected for several months. The demo
crats are at this writing discussing the question
of the best man to be placed at the head of
their campaign. Here and there a democratic con
gressman can be met with who advances, the argu
ment that it will make little or no difference
whether his party controls the house in the next
congress. Generally speaking, however, the demo
crats are very anxious to wrest control of this Im
portant body from the republicans. The sixtieth
congress would meet in regular session on the first
Monday ofDecember, 1907, or nearly one year In
advance of the next presidential election. "Unless
the unwarranted extravagances on tho part of re
publican officials in various branches of the gov
ernment are' checked vigorously by the party in
power there will be lots of investigating to do. In
this congress republicans will pretend to look Into
matters that have been forced upon them by
the activity of the democrats so far this session.
The Panama canal situation is one, for instance.
It will bo difficult to get at the real facts, for the
reason that the republicans dominate everything
in the senate, and they have the power to smother
testimony calculated to embarrass or injure the
administration. That canal will be a long time
building. No democrat hopes there will be
necessity for a complete and thorough investiga
tion two years hence if his party then happens
to have a majority in the popular branch of con
gress. Democrats are fair enough and patriotic
enough to hope that the exposures thu3 far made
will cause the officials In charge of the work on
the isthmus to leave no room for complaint. But
if the reckless waste of the people's money con
tinues they contend that the only way to put a
stop to it is to have a democratic house get at
the bottom of things. In other words, if they
have thq power there will be one of those old
time investigations such as used to be made in
the days of democratic contro of the house.
The democratic attack upon the emergency
appropriation for the Panama canal at the be
ginning of the session and the successful result
by which $5,500,000 was lopped off has had one
other beneficial effect in the house at least. The
urgent deficiency bill is the first measure that is
prepared by the appropriations committee. Most
people wonder why the committee have been so
slow in reporting it. It is because Chairman
Tawney discovered that heads of several of the
departments allowed subordinate officials to call
for sums of money larger than he thinks should
be voted. Mr Tawney has been sending back
the demands for more money and has been calling
the attention of the cabinet officers ta a law
passed by the last congress. That law expressly
provided that the appropriations for certain things
should be apportioned to spend so much per
month through the year, and that if the amounts
were exceeded the officials could bo held to ac
count and impeached. In most of the depart
ments for a number of years the officers have
been in the habit of making contracts In accord
ance with their estimates, and when they run
short of cash they simply go to congress and
ask that the shortages be made good in either
the urgent or the general deficiency bill. Mr.
Tawney appears to be an unusually wise chair-
man. In the face of tho fact that his party has
such an overwhelming majority in tills house he
does not care to bring into that body any appro
priation bill containing a single item that tta
not be Justified and defended. Tho gentleman
from Minnesota fully understands that tho demo-
crats aro on tho alort and will bo ready to ex
pose any recklessness on tho part of the depart
ment officials which may bo encouraged by tho
appropriations committeo.
About tho most picturesque figure on the re
publican side in the present houso is Ex-Spoaker
J. Warren Kelfer, of Ohio. This venerable Buck
eye statesman whom the country has practically
forgotten, was picked up once more by his con
stituents and sent back to Washington, much -to
the gratification of those fond of-gazing upon a
member out of the ordinary run of human beings.
The ex-speaker has a hobby. It Is one that was
ridden for four years or more by Representative
Crumpacker, of Indiana. The latter had to
abandon it because President Roosevelt, Speaker
Cannon and nearly all the house republicans of
prominence failed to encourage him In his ef
forts. Judge Crumpacker set to work to have
representation in the south cut down on account
of tho new constitutions down in that section
which have deprived tho negroes and a small
percentage of illiterate whites of their votes.
General Keifer is pegging away at the proposition,
and will not listen to tho advice of his party asso
ciates. Well, the ex-speaker will not have a show
in court, but if he persists he will have an oppor
tunity to make a speech on the subject. His
bill will never leave the - pigeon 'hole in the com
mittee room to which it will be assigned. The
republican leaders came to tho conclusion two
years ago that an issue that has been virtually
Icnocked out by the federal courts is a dangerous
thing to fool with.
The senate republicans seem to bo dreadfully
afraid to come to any conclusion in the case of
Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah It has been drag
ging along for nearly two years. Their failure
to report in the long session of the last congress
was easy to account for. That would have been
In advance of the presidential election, and they
did not care to offend tho followers of the sen
ator out in the far west. Two and possibly three
states might have been lost to tholr party. But
they have been pressed hard to explain why they
did not act last winter. The democratic position
is that either the Utah man is entitled to remain
a member of the senate or he is not, and they
think that matters ought to be brought to a head
within a few weeks. But tho committee over
which Mr. Burrows, of Michigan, presides, is
delaying the decision until it can examine more
witnesses. This may mean that the roses will
bloom around Washington In the open air before
the country hears whether Mn Smoot is to retain
his seat or bo sent back to his people.
ALFRED J. STOFER.
THE EXCLUSIVELY INTELLIGENT
The republican party of Nebraska, like the
republican party at large, claims for itself a
t monopoly upon intelligence as well as patriotism.
The republican state board of pharmacy has re
cently made to the governor of the state its re,
port for the year ending November 30, 1905. The
report Is addressed "To His Majesty, J. H. Mickey,
the Governor."
This is not to be taken as showing on the
part of republican politicians a tendency toward
the expressions and things common to monarchies
so much as It is a justification of the proud claim
made by republican politicians that the list of
intelligent men begins and ends with the- roll
r call of - republican politicians.
JJJ
IN NEW YORK
Mr. McClellan has been formally Installed foi
a second term as mayor of New York, but he had
a mighty narrow escape. The small majority by
which he won was both a personal victory for
William R. Hearst and for the platform upon
which he stood. The municipal ownership Idea is
steadily growing In favor among the rank and file
of all political parties. Democratic leaders east,
west, north and south will yet learn that they
dare not antagonize that sentiment oven in an
Indirect way.
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