The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-02-06

~ tlAiA4SsIsXl IN \
TWENTs ORE % AVS OF WORK
FOR III s. Pre- MI
el!a j; n Sisl All. & sfs5$
SOME MAD BILLS Will 1Ec oME3
Lave Ia N o I SOME GOOD
ONES: WILL NOT; s$ tsssyE
(By Our Regular c Correspondent Il
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Feb. e.
Barely twenty working days remaia
for the present Congress-. 4 or course.
the next three weeks win be much
lgiven to night sesslons ( and hurried
work which. il IL were not iirreyerent
as applied to Congress-, means
"scamped work. Bulls win be, pass.
ed that should not become laws and
laws for which there has long been
a. crying. need will be put OF its may
be for years. 1t is scarcely posi-,
BILE for much needed postal ilegisla.
ton to be enacted. The railroad rate
bill cannot be enacted in proper form,
although some measure looking to
regulation may be enacted. The ap.
preparation bills will be passed. OF
course. The government must have
money to pay expenses, ills deplor.
able that Congress has no superin.
tendent or boss who can make. it
work. OF course the country is its
boss but the supervision is SO re.
mote and so indirect that It seems
impossible to hold Legislators down
to. their work. To an onlookerS up, a
tree or from another planet, the, main
duty Of Congress and Its wife would
appear to be Of a social rather than
Of a legislative character. OF all. the
administrations since George Wash.
ington, that of Roosevelt keeps the
openest house. Receptions at the
Executive Mansion to which invita-.
tions are issued by the 5000; Ill teas
given by Mrs. Roosevelt "a little
more select" as the saying is to
which there are thousands Of invita-.
tons; Cabinet dinners which, at the
request Of the President have been
enlarged SO as to include others than
the Cabinet families; entertainments
given by multi.milllonaire Senator's,
members. private citizens and others
make the Congressional session noe.
turnal rout-a perpetual Vanity
I Fair--Quite uniting legislators who
assist at its functions for the Sc,
rious work for which they are chosen.
News comes here that the New
York chamber Of commerce opposes
the government railroad rate making.
There is also intelligence that Mr..
Hepburn has been hanged in effigy
on account Of the bill which he has
introduced and his attitude toward
the railways. From other sources.
notably Pennsylvania through Con-
gresham Sibley--come notes and
thunders Of protest, and friends Of
the reform have great fear that they
will not be able to overcome the Goa
lition Of those opposed to any really
effective bill. The opposition Of the
chamber of commerce in New York
Is easily understood for a large por-
don-perhaps the majority Of rail-
road stock is held in New York and
much of it by members of the cham.
Der Of commerce, their families, rela.
tiyes and clients. It is hoped that
the next Congress will be more har.
monious, more In accord With the ad.
ministration, and more effective in
carrying out the promises, platforms
and sentiments that made 1t.
i The agricultural appropriation bill
came up last week and Senator Plat,
from the leading agricultural State,
Connecticut, intimated that the prac.
teal farmers Of the country though
the Agricultural Department was
rather OVERRIDING itself in the way OF
experiments and inventions. He may
have reference to the cultivation OF
Northern oranges; or perhaps he
thought the wooden nutmeg monop
oily Of his State might be interfered
with. Senator Pettus, of Alabama
the Oldest Senator on the floor, made
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