Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-08
Pen Picture Of the Last Days of
Congress.
CONGESTION is SOMETHING TERRIFIC
Toward the Close CT the Session Ey.
erybody is Cranky, But on the Last
Day Everything Is Serene-othcr
Washington Gossip.
Washington. d. c., July g

The congestion incident to the clos
ing days of the long session of con-
gress is something terrific. That at
che close Of the short session is in
hnitely worse.
The congressman is human being
in every particular similar to his 200,-
600 constituents. He is methodical
systematic, forehanded, punctual, cal
culating. accurate, resourceful, bust
ness-lille and exercises good common
sense. That is, some of "him" is that
way. On the other hand he is slack,
procrastinating msystematic, lazy,
short-sighted. careless. lax, stubborn,
cranky. unbusiness-llle and apparent
~ devoid of the first principles of
horse sense.
A Test for the Director General
There are $50 of him" in the big
building at the intersection of Mary.
land and Pennsylvania avenues, on
top of the hill. That the $50 Of him
in the house tests the ingenuity and
tact of the director general at ali
times and particularly the last days
OF the session, is proposition that
cannot be argued.
Everything Goes wrong.
To some members there is always
plenty of time. They delay There
Is hitch somewhere else. Confer
ences become balky, The minority be,
comes ugly and the majority becomes
cranky. The speaker comes in for
liberal roasting because he has not
done this and has done that The
chairmen of committees are keeping
company with the speaker in this re,
spect. The house conferees insist and
the senate will not recede. 1t looks
as though there would be no adjourn,
ment; at least, as though many bills
would remain on the shelf
Order Out of Chaos.
But this great tangle suddenly de-
velops into as fine ball of legislative
yarn as you could desire to see The
last day everybody gets in good hum
or. There is swift movement along
every line The conferees become
reasonable and amiable and concilia
tory. The ugly ones become sweet
tempered; the cranky ones cast of
their handles OF Giscord; the sun
comes cut from behind the congress
sioaal cloud
Everybody in Good humor.
1t is admitted that the speaker is {
good feiow and has done the best he
could. Tho cha,rtnan of the commit
tees have done no more than they
were Competed to 90; No one coult
have dcre better. The house is no,
quite SO insistent; tie senate is more
disposed to rece2c. In a couple OF
hours the Conferees ,lpon various pro
positions drift in and announce agree
ments. Probably the house or sen.
ate does not care rap: you would not
fancy they did Like as not there is
a concert in progress n the main lob
by of the house and two others in the
cloak rooms. The concerts are not in
terIppted. The chairman Of the house
committee stands in his place. and
announces to the speaker that the con-
ferees on the part of the senate and
house have agreed The speaker pre-
scnts the matter to the house for its
consideration. No interest whatever
is taken in the majority of cases, by
the members Probably not half a
dozen RESPONDED when the speaker
said: "Ali in favor will say aye
All reserve is cast OH. ne Know
ledge that separation from seven
months steady work is at hand warns
all hearts. There is no republicanism
or democracy. Everybody is a good
fellow. If anything has been said dur.
ing the session calculated to crate up
on the sensibilities it is withdrawn
and in large measure all sores are
healed.
A Rush for Official Signatures.
The clerks from the enrolling rooms
are rushing in with handfuls of bills
ready for the signature of the speaker
A bill that lacks the signatures OF the
speaker, the president of the senate
and the President of the United States
when the gavel falls for the last time
and the speaker and president of the
senate declare their respective bodies
adjourned sine die. might as well moi
have been introduced. All these for
malities must have been complied
with before the gavel falls.
The President in Readiness.
A couple of houss before adjourn