The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-01-04

twenty years and do not understand them
yet"
This is so of Mr.. Kinds. He is not abb
solutely sure on all points, but he is sure
so far as he has gone. He is constantly
delving into the subject and occasionally
comes up with a new find. All decisions
are indexed under the subject debated as
for instance the counting of a quorum
comes under the contested election case
of Smith against Jackson, from West Vir-
ginia Mr.. Kinds gets on the track Of one
case, follows it back through the mnsty
records, until he gets to the foundation
Then he makes UP the digest of the par
liamentary law and precedents which gov
ern the house. 1t is an interesting fact
that rulings based upon his advice are
always right. Z he house recognized his
value In adding a handsome sum to his
salary in the legislative appropriation
bill.
Just before the adjournment for the
holidays large delegation from three
embryo states came to Washington for
the purpose of urging the claims of their
territories to be admitted Men of prom
inence from Oklahoma, New Mexico and
Arizona were among the men who settled
down on Washington for a serious cam
paign. 1t was the intention of these gen.
tlemen to interview the senators, one by
one. and present reasons why the ON
nibus bill should be passed. They came
Just as the holiday recess was about to
begin and failed to see many senator's
Some of them remained to take up the
INIT as soon as congress reassembles;
others went home with q promise TO re-
turn when they should be-needed or took
occasion to visit old scenes and friends
back In the states" Delegates Flynn,
Rodey and Smith have had these men ION
their hands, as Grover Cleveland once
remarked of congress. They have cau-
cused and conferred and formulated
plans of campaign when the work be-
gins. These gentlemen all realize that
they have something on hand beside
picnic. Their hope is in Quay and the
resourcefulness of this often successful
politician.
1t has been suggested that owing to the
coal shortage 1t will be impossible TO keep
lights burning end the senate heated In
case night sessions are forced by the
friends of statehood. ut would certainly
be mean trick" remarked Senator Ell
kins, "for Beveridge to turn off the lights
on Quay as part of his plan to defeat
the omnibus bill" Beveridge says he
will not have to resort to any such ex-
pediency to defeat the omnibus bill.
Under the leave to print" privilege,
John +. Lacey of Iowa recently made
wonderful contribution to the Congress
sional Record Mr.. Lacey was discussing
the Louisiana purchase, and he discussed
more subjects in the four pages which
he occupied than any other man usually
would In a bound volume of Sayings of
congressman" as 1t Is sometimes called.
In tha haVinninp ha taila al
through the west with a college, gradu-
ate-cowboy" for a driver. To a question
by this individual as to whether he knew
the west, Mr.. Lacey responded that he
knew 1t from Alpha to Omega" where
upon the driver said his knowledge ex-
tended from Alfalfa to Omaha" Then
Mr.. Lacey discusses the Father of Waters
eAld the original Louisiana purchase, but
before going very far he turns back
few cycles to the glacial period, when the
soil of the purchase" was being formed
He next skips lightly to Columbus and
the parrots which directed his course to
the West indies, instead of to Georgia or
the Carolinas. In the next paragraph Mr..
Lacey remarks about the Romans and
their chicken coops, but sails back quickly
to the Aztees and Mexico. But only for
a few lines for here we are again with
Columbus, then with the Puritans, the
NSudhtISI I1uButHOlS, 1dlnOllcS, ana All
others. all of whom made religious free
dom possible Then we come to the Mis-
ssslppi and the purchase. Mr.. Lacey
mentions Pope Alexander vi. and his
division of the New World between Por-
tugal and Spain, the Most Christian King
of France, Bonapartel the First Consul,
Jefferson. Monroe and others, who figure
prominently In the real estate deal be-
tween the United States and France.
Napoleon and his great battles are men
toned, including H1sterlitz, Tie supplies
for which We're bought with the money
received from the sale of Louisiana.
Browsing further we get hint of Long
fellow and Evangeline, Winnipeg and b.
loxi, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico,
Uruguay and Australia, Adam and the
Garden of Eden Niagara Falls. coal and
limestone. the soil of the purchase and
that of France. The Alps also comes in
for a mention. Then comes a chapter on
Pioneer Days in Iowa. the Lewis and
Clark expedition, and in this connection
Mr.. Lacey says the word Iowa was
spelled "A-y-a-u-w-a-y' in those days,
which seems to warrant accenting the
way in pronouncing the name of the
state. Mr.. Lacey next dips into the
worlds progress. and from this chapter
we pick up something about the Caesars,
the Turks and the capture of Constants
nople. natural gas md the priestess of
Delphi, Kokomo, Guadalupe, Edison, the
Olympic games Ultima Thula, Jerusalem,
the Niger, Chicago, Buenos Ayres Kailr-
toum, Albert NyanZa, and Cairo. He then
computes in cents per acre the cost of all
our acquisitions, saying that Louisiana
was the cheapest of the lot. Mr.. Lacey's
speech is undoubtedly for the benefit of
the coming exposition at st. Louis, and as
such is most interesting document Az
ter declaring that the west Is no longer
there"-St. Louis-he closes with the fol-
lowing:
From the Euphrates. the Tigris. and
the Nile to the Tiber. from the Tiber to
the Seine and the Thames, from the Seine
and the Thames to the Hudson, the Po-
tomac and the Mississippi, the star of EN-
pire has taken its way, ever to the west;
and now 1t Is shining brightly upon the
states which have been formed out of
the territory of Louisiana.
Senator Allison has reputation Of
never committing himself very deeply
upon any given question. and he is not
likely to be hurried into decision. One
time, not lorg ago. he dictated letter
to a man who cvidepdy desired to pin
the senator down. or at least he wanted
the senator to say something which
could be used. After Senator Allison had
finished debating the letter he really felt
quite proud of 1t. Turning to the steno-
grapher. he asked;
What do you think Of that letter."
ITO tell you the truth, senator" was
the reply. II don't think he will make
much out Of It,"
IT didn't intend he should" was the
comment of the Iowa senator. and ono OF
those Smiles OF satisfaction envelopcd his
the kind that appears when
he has carefully concealed an opinion or