Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-04
CAPITAL CHAT.
Lots Of Big Bills Passed With
out Anv Fuss.
Senator Frye OF Maine as a Popular
Presiding Officer.
The Public Building BiIl-one Month
More of the Session.

catching up with it's large tasks for the
short session. The grist of legislation
that is now being ground out daily is
large larger in fact that the casual
observer of affairs would think. Up in
the White House the President is sign
ing on an average over twenty-five bills
a day, which thereby become the Law
of the land. Each bill represents q
great deal for somebody, even if it be
nothing but q private pension bill, in
lcreasing some poor old soldiers pension
from $50 to $24 month.
Just now there is not 50 much fuss
about it when bill passes either
House. The orators are not so noisy
They talked themselves out in the last
session, proceeding the election, and at
forwards in the campaign. Some OF
them We're left at home and the gift OF
CAB was sileneed by the adverse
ma jorities. Then there is much less
need of play to the grand stand. There
isn't much more time to look ahead to-
IN the life of the present Congress and
accordingly everyone is anxious ito get
busy" and gain results.
So it is that in these Legislative days
when the wheels began to start from
their lethargic course and whirl like
lightning, big and important bill
passes through with less debate than a
little picayune bill would have oc-
casioned at the same period one yeal
Iago 1t is wonderful to behold the
philosophy of Congressional enact
ments. For years the Senate has
"chewed the rag over the general staff
bill. Unfortunately there are still some
ldema gogues in that body and they
were ready to talk till the crack OF
doom in opposition to the general staff
bill, which is intended to cure a crying
evil in our military administration
which no one has been able to check ir
more than a quarter of century But
the Senate has been surfeited with tall
of late and the dema gogues have grown
tired. A fear that they might awake al
the mention of the bill prompted some
of the wise Solons to put the staff bill or
the military appropriation bill as &
rider. Notwithstanding all these pre-.
cautions, q tail, ungainly but Yer.
capable Senator from Missouri, Mr.
Cockrell, stood on his feet for five
minutes in the Senate the other day
and away went that general staff bill
adopted by the Senate without one
word of debate in the time only that
was necessary for it's reading.
That is only a solitary instance.
Other cases like it are happening al
most every week. In either branch the
objection of a single man can stop a
large number of bills that have beer
lfavorably reported by committees. But
fortunately, everybody wants his own
bills to pass and if he gets ugly about
somebody else, provided it is a fair bill
| he will find himself in trouble when
he urges his own legislation. The COM
nunty of interests in legislation are
wonderfully emphasized in the parlia-
mentary rules which govern both the
Senate and the House.
Senator Frye of Maine, is one Of the
most popular presiding officers the
Senate has had in half century. He
is very clever in welding the gavel
although as a matter of fact he does
not use a gavel-simply little chunk
of ivory that looks like the head of q
gavel. It is less turbulent in the Sen
ate chamber than in the House an6
there is less occasion for tremendous
| humping. AS a rule the utmost good
feeling prevails between senator's and
their presiding officer, who in a ma
| jority of cases is Vice President of the
United States. There is no partisan
ship about it, for the presiding officer
as such. is supposed to have no politics
and for that reason Mr.. Frye, as have
| his predecessors before him, calls
Democratic senators quite as much as
Republicans to the chair when he is
out of it himself
But. while he is partisan in politics
| Mr.. Frye has observed the precedents
of his office in being impartial as a
| wielder of the little ivory club. Per-
sonally the Democrats like his way OF
| ruling over them and when he passes
| up and down the rear corridor the
| Southern Democrats, always fond Of
| strict official courtesy bow low as they
salute him as MIR. President
A great many bills pass over Mr.
| Frye's desk as presiding officer and his
| name is attached to every bill that be-
| comes law just as much as that of the
| Speaker of the House and that of the
| President of the United States. But
| the signatures of the two presiding Of
ficers are necessary only as a certificate
TO the President that it has received
the proper approval of the respective
| branches of Congress.
There are some senator's who are
| recognized as better presiding officers
| than others One of these is Senator
| Perkins of California, a Maine born
man. Mr.. Frye frequently calls upon
| Mr.. Perkins to assume the ivory.
The Maine delega ton in Senate and
House and the ladies of their families
! have invitations to the third official
reception of the season at the White
House which occurs Thursday eve-
| ming of this week. At this reception
| the various officials of the executiv.
departments and others are invited to
meet Congress. Under Presiden,
| Roosevelt the official receptions are
more popular than ever because of the
vivacity and hospitality that reigns in
the White House under his adminis-
! tration. Then it has been made in
creasingly difficult for unlimited per-
sons to get within the White House on
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