The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-13
ALL ROUND SURPRISE
HEAP OF TROUBLE MADE BY THE
FRYE SHIPPING BILL.
CUMMINGS SUMS IT ALL UP.

Hometown, Wisconsin and YER
mont Play Havoc With n Pet Meas
ure, but strictly According to Sem
atoriaI Etiquette.
Copyright, 1902 by Amos j. Cummings.
Washington, April 1.-Well. the
man from Iowa has surprised the man
from Maine, and there are said to be
more surprises in store. The United
States Senate is a theater Of sur
prises In this case the two Hawk
eyes swooped down upon the man
from Maine and left him hatless They
combed his hair with their talons and
whetted their beaks upon his Shout
der blades. The nation itself was sur
prised. The surprise was intensified,
however, when the man from Maine
was worried by a brace of badgers,
who left the marks of their teeth in
the calves of his legs This assault was
entirely unexpected. 1t astonished the
junior senator from Ohio as much, If
not more than the man from Maine.
But, mirabile dictu, the connection
reached the Green Mountains. Two
bald eagles encircled him, tearing his
clothes and confusing his understand
ing. 1t all occurred on the senatorial
carpets about a month after the sena-
tors from South Carolina had eased
their consciences by forcibly express
ing their opinions concerning each
other. The foray of Hawkeyes, bad
gers, and bald eagles has startled the
lower branch of the National Legisla-
ture. There is a palpable uneasiness in
the delegations from Iowa, Wisconsin.
Vermont, and outlying states that for
bodies a heap of trouble. How did it
all come about?
It was late in the afternoon of
March l that William P. Frye, presi-
dent pro tempore of the Senate. con-
fided the gavel to John Kean of New
Jersey, and descended to the floor. A
bleak wind was bowling around the
Ar,at dome of the Capitol, and a
flock of New England schoolma' ans
were huddled in the rotunda gazing
at Trumbull's historic painting of the
Surrender of Burgoyne." About this
time the man from Maine caught the
eye of Mr.. Kean, and moved to proceed
to the consideration of "the bill to
provide for ocean mail service between
the United St tee and foreign ports,
and the cD1..Hnn de- s. 10 promote
commerce, and to encourage the deep
sti fishtri -" This was all Greek to
tt, Vsito in the galleries. although
a perfect palimpsest to those on the
floor. 1t was new name for the ship
ping bounty bill. Fourteen years ago
It was known as the Farquhar bill;
the next Congress it came before the
House as the ship subsidy bill and
came within two votes of passing;
last year they dubbed it the Hanna
Payne subsidy BILL and this year 1t
has been known as the Frye shipping
bill. When brought before the Senate
1t had as many titles as Spanish In
fanta. The minority, however, recog-
nized it under it's clever disguise, and
made no objection to its considera-
ton, provided a reasonable time for
discussion was allowed. Just then
John Kean recognized senator who
looked like Horace Greeley. The
voice and gestures were those of the
old philosopher in the white coat. The
senator was George f. Hoar of Massa-
chusetts. He said that when the
shipping bill was not actually press
ing he wanted to consider the bill for
the protection of the President of the
United States.
The formal discussion of the bill for
"the promotion of commerce." as it is
now termed. began Nat , O'Clock in the
afternoon of the Sd. These formal dis
cussions in the Senate are ineffably
grand and imposing. They recall the
uavs of Louis XIV not so much in the
way of grandeur as in dignity and ETH
uuette They recall the investing of
fortified cities by Turenne and Vauban.
There are lines of decentralization
bitches, fascines. ladders, and saps.
Elinuette invariably rules. Each la
bal warrior apparently fancies that
the eyes of the world are fastened
upon him alone The man from Maine
clened this eight. Etiquette required
It. Senator Hanna forced a hearing
for him by suggesting the absence OF
quorum. This was strictly according
to etiquette. A call of the roll dis
closed sixty senators in their seats
awaiting the onset of the man from
Maine. Among them were Allison and
] o"f'-o~ Of Iowa; Spooner of Wisconsin
and Dillingham; of Vermont. Quarles
a1d Proctor We're at lunch. The mi
nority were out in force. Among them
were Pettus of Alabama, Clay of Geor-
gia, Money of Mississippi, Vest of Mis-
souri, Teller of Colorado, Bacon of
Georgia, Harris of Kansas and Mallory
of Florida. All were armed with
sings, and all took delight in hurting
pebbles at the man from Maine in the
way of inquiry. Allison and Dolliver
whizzed an occasional missile, while
Hanna, Elkins, Aldrich, Foraker, and
Mitchell QlQ Wndt InSN COulu 10 utduei
the effect The man from Maine is as
affective speaker in the Senate as out
Of it, The pebbles ratified on his ar
NOR like hail on a skylight, yet he
showed neither nervousness nor irrita-
ton. and finished his speech on the
succeeding day in a glow of party fer
vor.
The opponents of the measure open
ed fire on the 5th. Senator Clay dis
charged the first gun. Strict etiquette
required this from George G. Vest,
leader of the minority in the committee
from which the bill was reported.
Vest, however, was in i'll health and
gave was to Clay. AS a member Of the
same committee the Georgian had
thoroughly studied the question, and
he made fine speech. He analysed the
project as chemist would analyze
mysterious mixture and indicated how
ii would drain the Treasury. He
characterized 1t as special legislation
of the worst sort. Meantime, Mark
Hanna and Senators Burton, Mitchell,
and A1drich, in their turn. armed
themselves with sings, and began to
shower the Georgian with stones. AL
though no David. Hanna Is an expert
with a sling and at this time was par
ficularly active. In vain did he test