Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-01-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.

THE PROGRESSIVE HOUSE AND N:
THE D1LAToRY SENATE.
ssThe Most De~liberative Body ON
Earth'' Harassed by 5Filibusters.
But statesmnnship VIII Win = 4,
u Reckoning For Enemies Of tAmeri-
CAN shipping. .. $&t %%s%@
WASHINGTON. JAM. lS.-Progress is
the watchWord in the house Of repre-
sentatives and delay is the byword in
the senate of the congress of the
United States. With the most, COM
mendablet promptness the house is dis
posing of urgent and important meas.
ures. The new apportionment! bill is
the most notable. measure passed In.
the house during the past week. and
sit Is likely that the river and harbor
Improvement bill, carrying with it pro-
vision for an expenditure Of close, to
100000 900, will be sent to- the senate
Tor its consideration before the week
closes. ~
# . H.
d the senate, meanwhile, the army
reorganization bin has become the
weary subject OF daily discussion. It
is7as clear as monday that a few n
i tors who are entirely Irresponsible
men shout to retire to private life,
are the stumbling blocks to effective
and necessary legislation on the part
ct the senate. There are ~outcroppings
at times, too, of cabals, not entirely
composed of the irresponsible, who do
their work in a secret: and cunning
manner, almost defying detection. Not
~ little Of the delay In the passage Of
Important bills through the senate can
now be traced TO these powerful but.
carefully concealed cabals.
The senate has reached a stage where
the control of legislation is vested in
the hands of q few, who are able to
say what legislation shall pass by be-.
Ing able to say what legislation shall
not pass. In this indirect but none the
less effective mannerSth the control OF af-,
fairs has been absorbed by a&few pow
erful meI--men whose names seldom
appear ia print, men who rarely engage
In debate, menSof the least prominence,
but OF the greatest influence in 1.-THE
most deliberative body on earth" This
sort OF thing has been tolerated FOR 8
long time, but there are many signs OF
p determination on the part Of the:
growing and FESTIVE majority to put an
end to an intolerable senatorial oIigar-
chy.
S~ s#
IT SO happens for the moment that
the 1libusters In thesopen are discredit-
Sed and uninduentiaI men in the senate
men who for petty spite or for even
less worthy motives are seeking to pre-
vent the enactment Of needed legisIa-
ton in q reasonable and ~businesslike
manner Things Wili be SO crowded at
the end of the session that it is more
than likely that q number OF measures
Will be pushed through that would new
lei Replaced upon the statutes but FOR
the hurry and disregard OF conse-
quences SO much in evidence In the
closing days of q congressional session.
And It is because this is 80, it is he
aus these poor, weak things are will
ing TO show their hands in the open,
that It is unnecessary for those more
powerful senators whose purposes the,
fnbnsters are serving to even lift q fin.
ger Or do a thing.
&&E
How the appropriation bills are to
b properly discussed and passed is
now becoming problem. The passage
q the army reorganization bill is as
sureds there is much OF doubt concern
Ing the apportionment bill, and the
Nicaragua canal bill seems &c have
fallen by the waysfde-it has, For the
time being at least, been side tracked.
The shipping bill seems to have more
strength than any measure not an ap.
preparation bill, and its active friends
seem confident OF its passage. II is q
question, they say, whether the inter
ests OF the American people or of
foreign shipowners shall prevail and
be considered ID the congress OF the
United States. &c the bill is defeated
and II our people are compelled as a
consequence to go on indefinitely pay
ing $175, 100000 a year to foreign ship
owners in ocea freight rates that are are
steadily growing higher, there will be
IA reckoning between the people and
their representatives one OF these days
that the latter viii long remember.
SSS : }#as
The notion that the great bulk OF
the people are willing Or disposed to
master the i~ntricacies Of the shipping
bill, q OF q tariff bill, or of d river.
and EhaTbor bin, or of any great meas
ure IL ridiculous. The people cannot
devote the time to this sort of thing:
they send men to congress to do that
for them, depending upon their ability
to enact honest and effective laws.
When few men ia congress come
FORWARD, therefore, and put forth as
Ar excuse for their withholding their
support any great public measure
stkatit does not precisely suit them.
and yet they ofer nothing to take its
place. and by their action prevent the
enactment Gf needed Legislation they