The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-16
MANY BILLS HUNG UP
WATCH DOG OF THE TREASURY
BALANCING ACCOUNTS.
LEGISLATIVE iDES OF MARCH.

, cummings Contrasts Conditions at
This Season of the Year in the
Long and short SessiOns-ApprO-
priation Measures Held Back-New
subjects Brought to the Attention
of Congress.
copyright, 1902. by Amos ]. Cum
mings)
washington, March 15.-Glance at it.
u 10 The face of Samuel ]. Randall.
The antique features are there, the
teen brown eye, and the firm mouth.
The form and the action is that of the
thoughtful and lamented Pennsylvan-
Ian To add to it's interest, the figure
came from the room of the Committee
on Appropriations of the House Of
representatives. 1t is the room in
which Joseph G.. Cannon and other
economical statesmen received their
training under the eye of Randall
himself. The man enters the elevator
nearby, and descends to the lower
Aoor. Here he walks into the room of
the Committee on Agriculture, and has
2 long conference with the clerk.
Anon he pursues his way underneath
the Hall of Statues, enters a second
elevator, ascends one floor, and
energies at the door of the room allot-
led to the Committee on Naval At
fairs.
Beneath a spirited painting of
Schleys victory at Santiago he con-
fers with the clerk of this committee.
Five minutes later he crosses the Hall
of Statues, reaches the main entrance
of the House, turns to the left, walks
10 the end of the corridor, and disap-
pears within the room occupied by
the Committee on Military Affairs. He
questions it's clerk without delay, and
receives data of evident Importance.
Within ten minutes he has left the
lair of the Military Committee, and
is on the way to the headquarters of
the Committee on Appropriations, his
starting point.
This is not Sam RandalPs ghost. 1t
is James c. Courts, Randalls old
clerk, and. the clerk of the Commit
Tee on Appropriations for a quarter Of
a century. That a man may contract
the habits of another from a contin-
ued association is undoubtedly true,
but Courts is a. living proof that he
may also unconsciously assume his
immoOility Of expression and even
take on his cast of features. No man
who knew. Randall can see his clerk
without involuntarily thinking of the
dead Pennsylvania statesman. Mr..
Courts has been on his ssnAual eteursof
inspection, gathering UP the sum total
Of the amount demanded by the va
lous committees in charge of the ap-
populations. With these figures before
him, Joseph G.. Cannon knows very
nearly what is required for the run
ming expenses of the government for
the ensuing year, and can cut his
cloth according to the supply. He is in
close conference with the speaker, and
they can almost accurately gauge what
can be spared for outside schemes
without bankrupting the government
The ides of March are here, and high
tide in legislation is still far away
Freedom of discussion has run ram
pant in both Houses. Storm centers
have been unusually active, and the
nerves OF the nation have received
electric shocks so violent that old and
experienced politicians are tingling
with apprehension Prudent states
men, however, keep their eyes on the
appropriation bills. They are by no
means as forward as at this time last
year All were then we'll in hand on
the f1rst of March. 1t was then the
short session. On March the decks
We're cleared, and Congress was at an
end.
Aat that time this year the urgent
deilciency bill alone had passed both
branches and been signed by the
resident. The pension appropriation
oul was still in conference, the legis-
latVe. executive and judicial bill was
dragging itself through the Senate, the
indian bill had passed the House and
was slumberirg in the Senate Commit
lee on Appropriations, the diplomatic
ana consular was in similar situa-
uon, and the postoffice was awaiting
the action of the House. Eight 9TH
efs were still enwrapped in the CO.
coon OF futurity, awaiting the consid-
Grafton of both Houses. Bear in mind
la3t Congress is practically free to
ADJOURN when all these bills are out of
the way. They furnish the fuel re-
Qulred by the government for its run
4lng expenses between July /, 1902, and
July l, 1870. Other legislation may be
Vi the utmost Importance, but not alb
solutely requisite to run the govern
ment. With the fourteen appropriation
Dllls out of the way, Congress can adj
Journ at any moment without clog
gng the wheels.
Scenes attending the consideration of
the appropriation bills already sane
TONED by the House are we'll worth re-
Inspection. The first was the pension
Dill. 1t came from Joseph G.. Can
non committee and was piloted by
samuel S. Barney of West Bend, Wis.
barney - in his seventh year of SER
wee. This was the third time he had
brought the craft into port. In 1900
ne did it in four hours. This year it
look him somewhat longer. The bill
carried $139 S42,23 The discussion
showed that while the number of pen
S'oners is larger than ever before, the
aggregate paid is decreasing. This
Is cue to the fact that the arrearageS
are each year decreasing.
ne roll contains 997, 1876 names, in
cludlng 1904 soldiers of the Spanish
Wat. Mr.. Bell of Colorado, said that
already 20 per cent. of the Spanish war
hunters had applied for pensions,
HHHe only very few were manned
oy shot and she'll Only per cent
VI the Union soldiers had applied for
pTTHslons seven years after the Civil
Har' mangled as they were on a hum
uIed battlefields. The discussion, how
Yer, quickly invaded other fields than
11aluehelds. Mr.. Jenkins of Badger
ooIh' got TO talking about Cuba and
sSlneXatlon, and ground out quotations
I5om Jefferson, Adams, Clay and
puchanan by the yard. Weary states
, In We're fast filling the cloakroom
men ten. Grosvenor got the floor on
question of personal privilege. and
ai@'orec the House to it's normal con-
LION This brought out Mr.. Hepburn