Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-08
THE SUBSIDY BILL
VOTE 70 IN THE SENATE NO ind,
CATION OF FINAL FATE OF
MEASURE

The House VIII Not Pass the Bill
Although There Are Many Strong
Friends Of the Idea Among the
Members.
Washington, D. c., March 2.-tSpe-
cial. 1.-The result of the vote In the
senate on the ship subsidy bill is in
no manner indicative of the ultimate
tate Of the bill, any more than it was
four years ago, when the bill fathered
by the late Senator Hanna passed
mat body by comfortable majority.
The house will not pass the subsidy
Dill; that much may be said with as
surance. This is not saying that the
proposition is without friends and
able and strong friends, in the house,
but 1t does mean that the decree has
gone forth that nothing is doing in
that line this session. There is no
general enthusiasm for the bill in the
house.
The statement is made upon a mem
per OF the house who sustains close re-
latlons with the speaker that when
the committees were made up last fall
! the speaker had in mind the subsidy
Dill when he selected the membership
OF the committee on merchant marine
and fisheries. Of course General Gros-
Venor is chairman of that committee
and has been for years and he is noto-
rlously an advocate of the ship sub,
sidy measure, but, while the chairman
OF committee is potent in sense he
must have votes to bring bill out of
the committee with a favorable report
This chairman Grosyenor will not
have. There are some memoirs on
the committee favorable to the sub
sldy, but there. are more who are op-
posed to it, and one of these is Con-
gresham Birdsall, of Iowa.
When Judge Birdsall was elected to
the ffty-eighth congress to succeed
Speaker Henderson, he was appointed
on the committee on merchant marine
and fisheries. This was not the most
desirable designation that could have
been coveted by man living in the
interior OF Iowa, although his district
borders the Mississippi river, but he
was new man and new congress
men are compelled to take what they
can get.
At the beginning OF this congress
Judge Birdsall was assigned to the
committee on the judiciary. berth
which was very much to his liking,
and he would have been amply con-
tent with that single appointment, had
the speaker not desired him to con.
tinue to serve on the merchant ma
rine and fisheries committee. But
the speaker did desire him to continue
on the committee and 1t is understood
the motive was to have an able man
on deck to assist in handling the sub
sidy matter when it came over from
the senate in sefit passed that body.
In fact it is strongly intimated that
Judge Birdsall will take very impor-
tant part in shaping matters on the
merchant marine and fisheries COM
mfttee.
OF course. the house as a body is op-
posed to subsidy legislation at this
session and a bill would undoubtedly
fall by large majority, but it is much
more satisfactory to handle these mat
tiers in committe, and there apply the
cheerful chloroform to the undesirable
bills sent over from the north end of
the building. On this particular COM
mfttee Judge Birdsall's presence was
Important and necessary and, this &C.
counts for his appointment on the
committee as well as upon the much.
desired judiciary, a compliment val
ued at its full worth by Representa-
tives generally, in the house.
Judge Conner was made a member
of the committee on education and la
Dor under circumstances very similar,
at the beginning of the fifty-eighth
congress. Speaker Cannon was over
whelmed with applications for place
on this committee, but he was very
anxious as to the personnel of it and
instead of selecting men from among
those making application he looked
over the list of eligibles and made his
choice. The committee was complete
except for single vacancy He did
not seem to be able to find the man
he wanted in the list of eligibles Then
he surveyed the entire list When
his eye fell upon the name Conner"
he stopped There is my man."
quoth Uncle Joe.
But Judge Conner was on two good
committees and was not asking any
thing else, and when he was request
ed to call at the speakers office he
had no conception what was about to
happen. Uncle Joe said in substance:
Conner, |. need another man lon the
committee on education and labor, and
you are that man; l have assigned
you to that committee but it will not
count against you; you will still re-
tain your committees of public build,
ing and grounds and library This is
an appointment at the request of the
speaker and in no manner projudices
your standing or possibilities for pro-
motion by overlooking your quota at
this time
OF course there was nothing to do
but accept, and Judge Conner did ac-
cept and the speakers judgment in
appointing him on that committee has
been confirmed many times since then.
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