Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-14

Usher of a weekly newspaper in a
town of less than 1,500 people in Iowa.
He probably has been in Washington
once or twice in his life, although this
is extremely doubtful If he has Wis
Tied the national capital Of course he
has seen the senate in operation there
fore he knows all about the qualifica-
lions of senator's. He may never, even,
senate but he has read abbreviated re-
ports of the doings Of the senate in
the daily newspapers and is therefore
competent to accurately measure the
value of senators to their states and
to the country at large.
1t all depends on the point Of view
and of the kind Of service desired by
the people. 1t depends on what the
people want senator to do" Some
senators do" one thing and some do
another
Only few days ago bill came into
the senate to grab $2,500,00O out Of
the United States treasury and distri-
butte it among people who claimed it
to be their due for extra services as
postmasters 35 years ago. Senator
Frye appears to have been behind the
bill. 1t passed the senate. Senator
Allison was absent from the chamber
at that time working on an appropria-
ton bill in his committee room. The
next morning, however, in looking ov.
er the Congressional Record, he noted
the action of the senate on that bill
and when the senate convened he
asked for reconsideration of the bill
and the bill was again placed where it
was before its passage. 1t is said the
bill is clear case of fake" and
that the appropriation would have
been steal. The bill is now dead and
the United States treasury little mat.
ter of $2,500,O0O to the good.
4 That was one thing Senator Allison
did" just recently and it was not a
particularly good week for doing
/ things, either. If the truth could be
northumberland it would be impossi-
BILE to get it from Senator Allison-it
would probably be found that the SEN
ior Iowa senator sidetracked or killed
at least another half million dollars of
either extravagent or unnecessary ap,
preparations.
i Illustrations might be multiplied
until this newspaper would not con.
tain them, but another incident, OF
very recent occurrence will be cited
to illustrate the point
i At the last session of congress Sen
ator Frye, then the presiding officer OF
the senate, appointed a commission tc
investigate and prepare bill for 8
!. ship subsidy. Senator Gallinger. an
able man, was the chairman of that
commission, and at the commence
ment Of this session he introduced g
bill that represented weeks of careful
Investigation and thought and labor
The bill was debated for weeks an6
i finally a date upon which the bill an6
pending amendments or amendment
that might be offered should be voted
upon was fixed. During the entire de
bate Senator Allison sat in his seal
; and listened, making an occasional in
: quiry. In this connection 1t may BIZ
said that Senator Allison is always il
], his seat when he is not in his com
mittee room adjoining the chamber
and within immediate call.
Il -
One might almost have supposed
!, that Senator Allison took no interes
whatever in the subsidy bill; the dali.
press carried no long stories Of bril-
liant speeches he made against the bill
or for it. But when the day arrived
for voting on amendments "Uncle viii
r liam," as he is affectionately called
{ was busy. He was on his feet hal
the time. He had amendments galor,
to propose; amendments cutting GU
: and putting in. He saw all sorts o
blow holes and dynamite in the bill
and when he had called attention t,
them everybody else saw them. Thi
fact was clearly proved by the fac
that the committee agreed to nearl,
! all his amendments. When Senate
Allison had got through with that bill
1t looked like patch work and it's al
thor could hardly have recognized II
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