The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-12-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
by olger H. olson.)

WASHINGTON, ID. q. Dec. 19, 1904
The last session of the 5Sth Congress
began amid an elaborate display of
floral tributes to its members, and the
desks of many of them in both cham
bers of the capitol were almost totally
concealed beneath large bouquets.
Magnificent clusters of American Beau
ties, violets, chrysanthemums, and
other varieties, adorned the halls of
congress on the day of the opening. and
the members, happy as school boys to
meet again with their colleagues and
| fellow workers of otEer sessions, kept
up continual hubbub of conversation
and greeting until the time for calling
the House to order arrived. Republi-
cans, jubilent with the consciousness of
a great victory at the polls, eagerly
sought out Their friends, and greeted
with pleasure and enthusiasm demo-
Gratis and republicans alike, the former
with bantering words CT coincidence,
and the latter in mutual rejoicing.
Much of the partisanship SO sharply
manifest on the hustings is very com
mendably cast aside on the floors of
Congress; and men render to each other
the tribute of respect and confidence,
which is everywhere the indicia of
greatness and that breadth of mind
which rises above personality and
partisanship where there is no occ asion
for their display. The. session began ut
exactly twelve o'clock, when Speaker
Cannon, by means of a gavel and thin
piping voice, called the house to order
and announced the invocation by the
blind chaplain Coudon. At the conclu-
sion of the opening prayer the admir-
able and remarkable order and atten-
tlcn which prevailed during its pro-
gress was Immediately relaxed, and a
period of general confusion again en-
sued The disoH er became so great
that the speaker was compelled repeat
eddy to use the gavel to restore condl-
ton of quiet such as would enable the
clerk to be heard in calling the roll To
appreciate the eX ent of the noise and
confusion which could prevent the
members hearing their names rronounc
ed by the clerk it is necessary to know
something about the vocal capacity Of
this particular clerk. A fog horn is
mild in comparison.
In the House one sees at a glance a
score of men whose names were prom
inent in the columns of the leading
daily newspapers of this country dur
ing the campaign just closed. On the
Democratic side one sees such men az
Champ Clark, John Sharp Williams
Burke Cochran. w. R. Hearst and
ex-governor Lind. On the republican
side Governor Hepburn Salzell, Little
field and others are in sight. In the
Senate mee renowned for half cen
fury are numerous, such as Allison,
Stewart, Morgan, Pettus, Bates, Depew
Platt Eand others. Intellectual giants
of later dav, such as Spooner, Knox,
Beverage Bailey and Lodge. give prom.
Use that the immediate future will not
be barren of craftsmanship. Perhaps
the most interesting figure in the Sen
ate at the opening of the session was
vice-president-elect, Senator G. W. Fair.
banks, who was the cynosure of all
eyes as he stepped into the Senate
chamber few minutes before the
chairman protein. Senator W. P. Frye,
OF Maine, called the Senate to order,
preparatory to the opening prayer by
the chaplain, Edward Everett Hale.
Mr. Fairbanks looks hale and hearty
and has actually gained look of en-
HANGED strength and ruggedness during
his long and strenuous campaign, in
stead .of suffering continued fatigue
and exhaustion, as do so many cam
paigners
The activity of Congress during the
opening week of this session has been
without sensational features, if one ex-
cepts the introduction of bill by Sen
ator Platt. of New York, looking to a
reduction of southern representation in
Congress, and the attack made by Cen
gressmen Hepburn, of Iowa, and Crum-
packer, of Ohio: on the Civil Service
Commission, and their suggestion to
reduce the appropriation usually made
for its maintenance. On the former
movement John Sharp Williams, mi
nority leader on the floor of the House
of Representatives, has expressed him
s If as to the proper method of proceed
ure on the part of the South. 1t will
be remembered that Williams is the
man who, in 1902. in district with
more than one hundred and ninety
thousand inhabitants, received but four
teen hundred votes which was practic-
ally all of the votes cast for congress-
man in that district owing to the
grandfather clause, and other features
of the suffrage laws of the state of