Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-25
Washington. March 21

Washington, March 81.
The vote of the two Iowa senators
in opposition to the ship subsidy bill
came in the nature of a severe jolt to
both senate and house. The effect has
been tremendous 1t is difficult today
to discover the attitude of the Iowa
delegation touching the question. The
very fact that Senators Allison, .Dolli.
yer, Spooner and Proctor opposed the
measure is taken as an Indication that
it possesses POINTS of weakness that
should have been corrected. Certain
members of the delegation would fav.
or subsidy bill properly framed and
Incorporating the amendments propos-
ed by Senator Allison. AS the matter
now stands the Iowa members are dis,
posed to study the question before ven.
turing to define their probable action
when the measure comes up in the
house. For that matter it is exceed
ingly doubtful if the house passes up
on the bill at this session. This kind
of talk is heard in the house and il
will not be at all surprising if press
of business prevents consideration OF
the shipping bill
Wants to Follow Reed.
Congressman Littlefield, of Maine
has the speakership bee in his bonnet
A few days since a dispatch from
Washington to a Chicago paper con
!. veyed the alleged intelligence thai
great dissatisfaction existed among
the republicans with the administra
ton of the affairs of the house b.
Speaker Henderson. and that in cas-,
the republicans carried the house mex
. fall Congressman Littlefield would be
v come an active candidate for that OIL
i flee.
i With view to ascertaining the att
!. tude CT Mr.. Littlefield touching thi
{ matter your correspondent Intervene
r the man from Maine and found cas-
@ of 'barkis is willin' Mr.. Littletiel
s said he could not well discuss the ques
e ton for obvious reasons, at the sam
S time he was not unmindful of the fac
f that his name had been mentioned il
connection with the speakership of tn
fifty-eighth congress and he would sa
that the mention thereof favorably b
the press was not distasteful. 1t wa
:. a long look ahead and many event
!. might transpire in that period.
u In this connection it may be sal
I that while Mr.. Littlefield is a yer
9 bright man; debater of the very frs
l. class, he is serving his second tern
) only, and his elevation to the speake
S ship, while not an impossibility, is
Z very remote probability. If Spcake
e Henderson should not again be electe
y speaker, and the house should be +,
S publican, his successor will more tina
likely be Congressman j. S. Sherman
of New York.
0 However. if the house elected ne,
t fall is republican it is ten to one the
I the present speaker will preside owe
S that body. There is just as little o.
= position to him as any speaker ca
t hope to contend with. The speaker
$ naturally the target for all forms
J. dissatisfaction and soreness. No pr
e siding officer ever escaped this and Il
/ speaker ever will escape it. He
+ charged with being car, yet he sin
n ply hews to the line made by the m
J. jority of the house. He withholds h
IL consent and approval and puts ON tt
y brakes because he is put there for tn;
l. purpose and if he failed to do that vel
o thing he would be censured and in tn;
e case justly. The speaker is in TIL
position that he is d If he does ar
t. d if he don't. He gets it comir
a and going. There is but one prop
e course to pursue; that of censerv
d tive, cautious policy keeping in min
G constantly the best interests of all IL
it people. That is precisely the cour
C Speaker Henderson is pursuing.
$ Democrats Figure on Control.
l. The minority in the house of repr
q sentatives is confident of being alb
D. to wrest control of that body from IL
!. republicans at the coming fall ele
e. tons, at which time the fifty-eig
x congress will be chosen.
IS Takes Twenty-Five.
" At this time change of TWENTY-FIVE
e members, substituting democrats f,
j. republicans, would give the republi
n ans the short end. Already the stee
II ing committee for the democratic co
l. gressional committee has made SON
d figures and in these estimates Iowa
IL scheduled to lend hand in the pr
e. cess of substitution. breaking the sol
a delegation and sending a democrat
IF the house. The district slated to |
x represented by democrat is the sc
d. ond, Captain Rumples district.
e. Notwithstanding this herald of pu
lie pose Congressman Rumple is pursuir
it the evil tenor of his way, undisturbe
at and serene. Naturally he cannot
b. expected to give expression to positi'
OF views on this question. He is the pre-
ct ent congressman serving his fir
ut term and has not even been nomina
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