Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-21
WASHINGTON NEWS.
Sasiv Discussion to Length Of
Regular Session. ~
Speaker Cannon Making a Most Fa
u" yorable impression.
The Typesettins Machine Profoundly
Of congressman.

washington, Nov eO.-The length of the
regular session which begins IN December
I complication in the Senate. But for that
very early adjournment of Congress
would be expected perhaps as carry o.
Il May No other subject threatens to con
sn.,1e much time. At least. 1t Is the re
publican program to keep out all tire
Consuming and debate-provoking themes,
and this they will in the main be ape ~
. accomplish, with the exception Of o., ehe
canal topic There the Democrats have a
chance to make a fight. Gun.
Democratic efforts may be quietiy aut
plimented by railroad and other lnteTeStts
which are opposed to any canal: ~ Is
possible that a small contingent, or N ,;sh
them we'll There Is thus the nateri IA,
for a prolonged struggle. 1t would be odd
II In the next national campaignt ,, oae
the parties. The last Democratic national
platform committed the party squareiy to
tho Nicaragua route while Me hepuun.,,
can platform used the word Istnmian.
leaving the question of route open Sell
dom have parties divided over question
of geography.
= Some complaint is made that Speaker
Cannon uses a too colloduial tone OF voice
In many of his utterances from the chair.
That he can be heard when he wants 10
be was shown during his long experience
on the floor. when defending appropria.
ton bills no often conducted a running
debate for hours at a time. Any faintness
Of hia tones today Is que to q certain TIM
idity characteristic of a man who never
prepares in advance what he Is going to
things will sound from his new elevation.
Whenever he uses one of his homely
phrases in a ruling from the chair it is
apt to provoke some merrtment and this
the Speaker Is little less inclined to in
vite now than when he was plain Illinois
Representative: AS his confidence in,
strengthen. The chamber Of the House
is hard one in which to make ones self
heard at best.
While Speaker Cannon is thus far max
ing an exceedingly favorable impression,
no stage of discomfort has yet been
reached This will first come when his
committee places are announced Any
Speakers estimates of men always fail to
coincide with the aggregate individual es
Inmates which tho members make of
themselves. Instead of seventeen places
on the Ways and Means Committee there
would have to be about two hundred to
meet the latter requirement Contrary to
prevalent opinion there are certain meth
DDS Of appeal from the decision of the
chair In regard to committee assignments
The most auda cious one Is for the disap-
made to The rifles of the House increas ne
bystwo the membership Of the COMMITTEES
on which he desires to serve. This has
a{rcmonstrant. would need to be possessed
OF considerable influence with the majori-
~, leadership. and his committee would
have to be one not already of the maxi
mum size. An addition of two would be
necessary to preserve party balance, and
leave the total an odd number.
A second recourse comes in the changes
made by deaths and designations and the
unseating of members in contested eiec-
ton cases 1t rarely happens that the
Predecessor had. and in these rearrange-
nehtS there Is often opportunity for the
pfOmotion of older men. Then. there is
M occasional change made by mutual
agreement between two members who arc
10th dissatisfied. This cannot ordinarily
be'dnnc after the announcements arc once
made. but may be accomplished in the
next Congress-.
The typesctting machine company has
at last set out to capture the business of
the Government Printing Office, and mas
StHttoucd representative at tl. CAPITOL
to, promote this interest. Eve! se,lator
atlu representative with whom has
talked tells him that the machine compo-
sition ought to have been adopted years
ago. Nobody doubts this. The pertinent
question Is whether Congress will dare to
adopt II now. The labor unions it is point.
Cd out, cannot consistently object when
their members are using machines IN
oSery congressional district in the coun-
try. How. 1t Is asked. can the Washing
ton printers tell their Typographical assO-
. cintes In st. Louis to vote against a CON
sressman who supported this proposal.
SO long as the ST. Louis printers arc them
selves submitting to typeSetting ma
: chimes? Would trades unionism. with its
strong sympa thles toward state socialism
care to lay down the principle that Gov
5 trnmspt operations should be more waste
lul than those of private enterprises?
Republican,. Democratic and popuist
newspapers all use the typcsettinS ma
chine. Where iB there room for a party
issue?
It Is also pointed out that unionism has
ny been injured by the coming Of ma
Of the typographical unions has steadily
gOne up as the use of this machinery has
progressed. Cheap printing has meant SO
much morn abundant printing. incrca sing
The number and size of newspapers that
although one machine does the work of
four men, i really makes work" instead
The local union in which the Govern.
ment employees number threc-fourths of
sne membership. cannot consistently OBJ
rect to the machine when they already
nave contracts with the three newspaper
onices IN Washington for its use and have
ADOPTED definite scale of wages. 1t is.
r 1ncrefore hard to see where they can
make their fight and surprising that they
nave been able to keep the machines out
9i the Government office so long. They
20 informally propose. however. two con-
ol1ions. which they think should accom-
pany congressional legislation One is
thai on account of the greatly increased
= OUTPUT Of the machines the working day
oe cut down to six hours While this
would not be less than the present work
ing gay for large number of the Govern
Nh'P.osSSs, IL WOuiu DC n rather
bold demand in view of the number OF
hours that farmers and newspaper CORES
pondents and the everyday people of the
country work. Their second proposal Is
that only practical printers shall be
employed on these machines, with GER
tain specifications which define this term.
II Is still early to predict the outcome,
Of this Legislation. 1t would be almost
unheard OF in the annals of the Govern
. mont management to dismiss ANYBODY
& from employment for such a reason. and
bust how the full number of employees in
> the Governments printing shop with its
seven acres Of floor space, could be kept
busy Ii their efforts were made more ef-
fcctive by the use Of machinery is a little
hard to foresee. But as soon as the post
Office affairs are Strengthened out, reform
III the printing Office will begin.
, While there is no disposition to pass
: bill raising the salaries of congressman