The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-01-03
BAKER ON
Conyiction-Chronic Kicker. and
Knows Ii.


nerve to stand on the floor of the
ihouse OF representatives and know
that while you are Directing 10 pro-
lposed legislation as the result OF a
deep conviction, visitors in the galler-
lies are nudging n another. saying
l+That's Baker, the Brooklyn crank
I've been called a crank. and l know
what it means / know the ms and
outs of crankism."
The Brooklyn congressman shook
himself together nervously, and, with
pass, crossed his l-gs and leaned
hack against his desk, his eyes row.
ing over the rows Of empty benches
lin the house galleries. It was the
last day of the session before the hol-
iiday recess vas taken, and Mr.. Baker
had concluded a series OF strenuous on-
'jections to measures by defeating, for
the time being, the passage of the in
Iaugural ball resolution. He had been
to a heavy cross-fire from
his associates. and his eyes snapped
as he denounced the methods used by
many congressman in "railroadIng
lie gislation.'
L know that many times the term
i'crank' is applied to me- said he.
land / don't mean to say hat I am
to it. No doubt it has been
isaid that 1 have taken my stand or
Opposition on various propositions
because of a desire for notoriety, but
this is untrue.
ION the contrary, I have passed UP
opportunities to oppose a good many
bills because I did not wish to obtrude
myself. l have held back whom my
instinct was to denounce the measure
although by every right of conviction
I should have made a protest. It isn't
altogether a nice thing to have the
reputation of being a kicker, 4
Icronic Director, and for this reason
Il havn't been as obtrusiye as 7 might
have been.
"a good many reforms are needed
in the manne of legislation in this,
country. That's one of my crankisms.
There's altogether TOO much special
privileged legislation passed by con-
gress, and there ought to be a stop
to it. It's a case of you vote for my
scheme and I'll vote for yours" right
straight through. This accounts for
the mass of stuff which is ground into
law every year.
How common is hat sort of thing?
It's constant. There are cases too
numerous to mention. 1t is nothe
lof my crankisms to venture that no
Legislation of this character should be
passed by congress until after the cit
liens of the community to be affected
by the legislation have expressed
their wishes.
when a man or a corporation comes
before Congress with a scheme, and a
bill is introduced, it catches everybody
mapping except the schemers. They have
probably been collecting arguments in
favor of their measure for two years,
whereas when the bill comes upon the
floor a crank, if you please, has only
about six minutes to think up objec-
tons It stands to reason hat the
,,schemers have the best of the deal.
Take a bill providing for the building
tof a dam in some river. Why, Congress
passes a bill like that so fast that there
isn't a mar in this House who knows, Or
who could know, whether or not that
bill is going to grant enormous prlvl-
lleges to some corporation, or man, re-
tsulting in enormous benefit to him
harm to the community, and establish
ing something for him for which some
day he will demand compensation from
the government. The citizens of a com
immunity cannot maintain a lobby In
Washington, and even if they did il
takes a pretty shrewd man to follow
bills from the file clerk, through COM
lmittee, to the House.
ga bill is flashed in the House SO
quickly hat there is no chance to de-
feat it. It's there-that's the first thing
that's known. And then it is pushed
Through recklessly. The man who pro
Itests-well, he's a crank.
Il simply can't stay on the floor al
the time. I can't watch all legislation
and neither can any man. 1 avt
known his to happen and I know what
I'm talking about. I have left the
!House for a minute or two, probably to
|go into the corridor to talk with a con-
%|stituent. The minute my back is turn
led, out pops a bill, a bill that I would
Ifi light. While my back is turned, it Is
passed, and it may be that I return to
the floor, know nothing of what has oc-
and remain in ignorance indef1-
|niteiy.
My remedy, call it the remedy Of a
icrank if you want to, is the referendum.
All important questions should be voted
upon directly by the people. Under the
present system it is absolutely inpossi-
ible for a member of Congress to know
the attitude of his constituency upon a
subject, unless it be the tariff or-the
money question
Somebody in Congress should be
Ialert. Somebody should object to all
this privilege legislation. But when he
Idoes he's going to be called a crank, and
you can't prevent it."-Washington
Post.