Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-05-05
GOOD FIGHTERS.
Men in Congress Who Both Attack
and Defend.
How Time is Frittersd Away In the House
The Lobby.

speculating on what the senate will do
with the numerous amen endments in wait
ing for the Wilson bill and in watching
the monotonous grind Of the house on the
slow dragging appropriation bills. Little
by little the advantage gained by the early
ktart Of the Fifty third congress has been
frittered away until now the condition as
to results achieved Is almost exactly what
1t was tive years ago. On the 1st Of May,
1892, the house had passed six of the regu-
Tar appropriation bills, and on the same
date this year 1t had passed seven, but not
one Of the regular bills had passed both
houses and been sent to the president. On
the same date this year only the pensions
and Notifications bills had been reported
by the senate committees, while the mill
tary academy, postoffice, sundry civil, Dis
trict Of Columbia and consular and diplo-
matte bills were still in the committee, and
six bills were not yet finally acted upon by
the house. OF these the Legislative Is al
ways delayed, and the deficiency bill is Of
course among the last bills Of the session
to be reported. In comparing progress to
date with that OF various congresses in the
past 1t Is curious to note how regularly the
same movements by the majority recur,
and the same tactics to annoy, embarrass
the majority and delay action are used by
the minority, no matter which party is in
power.
Cause of Delay.
First the chairman OF the committee
who has the matter in charge presents his
bill and makes a speech of explanation,
carefully avoiding apology, as a rule, set
ting forth how careful the committee have
been and expressing his hope, as If it were
the most reasonable thing in the world to
expect, that the whole house will be salts
fled with the bill-eager to vote for it, in
fact--and pass it with very little delay.
Then the minority falls on it with venom
Gus criticism, led usually by their mem
bers Of the committee. The minority be-
ing now Republican, the standard charges
are that the appropriations are sectional or
niggardly and made up with view to a
big deficiency bill at the next session. 1t
II then that the chairman of the commit
tee ii he is anything Of u fighter, comes
out strong
In the pending debates Chairman Joseph
II. Outhwaite has borne the brunt of attack
on the army bill. He Is in the prime of
life, active, quick at retort and fights at
every point. He is perhaps the best par
Humanitarian the northern Democrats
have anu is well situated on the commit
tee on rules. His best second is General
Wheeler, who talks very much as he made
cavalry charge Generals Black and
Sickles are also active members Of this
committee, but the former has been absent
a great deal, and the latter very rarely
speaks In running debate. A very inter-
estng fighter ON the Democratic side Of
this committee is Hon. John o. Pendleton
OF West Virginia. who is descendant Of
the famous evangelist, Alexander Camp
bell, and resembles him somewhat In men,
tai makeup. Tho liyeliest opponents on
the committee are General Newton NJ
Curtis of New Jersey and Hon., Ben +.
Marsh of Illinois, the last very near the
most inflammatory speaker in the house
On army matters he gets. very red In the
face and seems to harange the house as II
addressing an audience Of TO- 900 people
War Claims and Private Bills.
On the navy bill the chief defense. Of
course, is by Chairman Amos Cummings,
good naturcd and solid fighter, and a
chief opposition by Mr.. Boutelle, whose
well known styles the highly belligerent
Hon. Benjamin A. Enloe has done his
hardest fighting on Fridays, for it is on
that day that war claims and private bills
have the right of way Year after year he
makes the same heroic fight to get certain
moneys refunded which certain Tennessee
ans were compelled to hand over during
the war rs security that they would not
pilot guerrilla parties in their neighbor-
hood. Again and again these claims have
been favorably reported upon, again and
again congressman who fought in the vi
Cinity have told their story to tho house,
and told 1t well, and occasionally one of
the bills gets through, or little matter of
20 or 80 per cent Is allowed. Mr.. Enloe is
innocent looking, but tough, and never
knows when he is completely knocked out.
Mr. Holman will have the same old fight
ON his Indian appropriation bill and will
fight 1t in pretty much the same old way,
but 1t is observed that he mcllows rapidly
with advancing age and desires as much
as in him Gas to live at peace with all men.
There are always two sets of people very
much dissatis led with an Indian appropri-
alton bill - humani arians of the New
Hampshire Blair class, who think many
millions moro should be Appropriated for
education, and fan western men, who think
the Indians are rctted beyond all reason.
There was a tiinc before civil service re
form became n fld tn 1t the borders always
wanted big appropriations, and the philos
ophy Of it was expressed by a trader in
Yankton, who wrote, after a successful
campaign on the reservation, I'VE have
met tho Indians and what was theirs is
ours" 1t Is different now.
I The Lobbyist Has Had His Day.
While we amuse ourselves at this long
drawn out, wor,ly war we note the inter
esting fact that lobbyists are very rarely
seen in the house end of the capitol. Or
this point an old member says: 1.-The rapid
change in that respect has been very re
markable, and the old style of lobbying
has completely gone out. It's the rares'
thing in the world to see lobbyist CONT
here and call out member of the house
Their work is nearly all done at the hotels
and so far as possible in u sort of socia
way. The big interests, Of course, SEND
agents, who come openly and announce
their business and ask for a hearing. A.
10 the OK ex-member with a pull and the ole
fellow who mas political influence in ones
district, the hail fellow we'll met and the
man whe is strong with the delegation
from his state-well, their day is past and
gone. They are only useful in very little
things, but when some great industry is t6
be affected by tariff or appropriation