Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-02
CAPITAL CHAT,
The Making Of Speeches
in the Senate.
Those Of New England Members
Are Brief and Effective.
Chief Justice Fuller and The Case
Of Senator Burton.

Washington. June 1.-(SpeciaD.-T
Senate has become identified in the
popular mind as u place where long
speeches are the rule. Debates there
are long drawn out There is no clio
turc rule. no opportunity to move the
previous question.
And vet the effectiveness Of short
speeches in the Senate is very marked.
Most, if not all the New England SEN
atorG have learned that. If one goes
ever the list of Senate speeches for Il
Congress he will find very few long
speeches delivered by a New England
senator. One can hardly remember
when Senator Hale delivered long
speech in the Senate. and yet he is
recognized as one of the most effective
speakers in that branch Of the nation
al Legislature. Senator Frye has not
made long speech in years. He used
to speak once at some length whenever
the ship subsidy hill was up. but it
was because he had studied the Ques-
ton eXhaustively and had "A lot to
tell When the bill was in the Senate
last winter he spoke briefly. although
what he said received the closest at
tcntion.
But while the two Maine senators are
brief speakers. both Of them got
through Il great volume of legislation
every session. Mr.. Hale has charge Of
appropriation bills that aggregate
MANY millions of dollars. lie never
makes long speech on an appropriate
ii hut 11n -t,n,
speeches. They are always to the point.
No man gets closer attention in tho
Senate than he. He also passes every
session a number of minor measures In
many of them measures affecting the
navy ana marine corps and coming
from the committee on naval affairs of
which he is chairman.
Senator Frye. too, gets through cv-
cry session a goodly number of bills
from his committee on commerce. Some
weeks he gets through deems OF these
bills which would provoke Western or
southern senators. if they had such
measures in charge. to long talks. But
Mr.. Frye rarely has but little to say
about his bills. He explains them if cX-
plantations are asked and then he asks
fo~ a vote. AS he says 50 little himself
other senators are not inspired to talk
and III" business is rapidly disposed Of.
Senator McCumber Of North Dakota
had Il little amendment the other ia y
To the agricultural appropriation bill.
He was not satisfied to make a brief
statement. but he went into Il lengthy
explanation Of the situation that led
to his proposing the amendment. soon
ton him. Others came into the Senate
ch%Gnbcr and there WAS rapidly gen
"rdl Whirl and the amendment WAS
lost ON III" same bin Senator Lodge of
Massachusetts wanted an amendment
affecting the investigation and cXtcr-
mination uf gypsy moths. row pushing
their raVaSFS near to Maine. The APP
preparation fixed by the Senate com
mittee was $1,000 Mr.. Lodge wanted
to make it $l0a.GO0 and so moved. In
z half dozen sentences II" crnniiaSizcd
tho necessity for il ANA the amendment
went through akituS. If Mr. L"irc
had gone into an Intricate explanation.
he would have expressed opinions and
given roaSoninGs. perhaps. which 9TH
- senators would not have agreed
with. These might not have affected
the mcritoriouS character of the appro-
priation. but it would have provoked 4
controversy and the fate of the amend
m"ni might have been otherwise.
Mr.. Lodge is another Of the New
England senators who rarely delivers
long speeches. Occasionally. as in the
case of the railroad rate bill. he dcIiv-
crs a set speech and gets 4 good audi
because of the popular interest in Mas
SachusettS and also for correcting mis-
statements that had been made in his
state about the legislation.
IT is no secret that the House lead
"rG IN" also avcrsc to long speeches.
because they believe long speeches are
ant to prejudice legislation. Of course.
in the House the time is dolcd out and
There is much less opportunity for OK
tended debate. II is more necessary
there 10 CtlrtaiI the uttcranCcS of indi-
viduilS because there are four times
as many individuals 10 be considered
as there are in the Senate. But the
managers of appropriation bills in the
House. as a rule, seek to avoid extend
Cd remarks. When a provision is called
III '1lcStlill ItttN tbIltiit tll'liIStINt1 W
explanations for its being put in the
bill rather than to arguments. The
explanations generally do not call for
reply: arguments generally do
Chief Justice Fuller of the supreme
court. a native Of Augusta, Ne. has
become 4 pivotal figure in the case of
Senator Burton of Kansas. whom SEN
ator Hale of Maine is anxious to have
retired at this session Of Congress
Tho courts decision that Senator Bur
tons second trial was valid, stood six
to three. But one of the six. Justice
Brown. rctires from the bench in 4
few days and will be succeeded by a
new Justice next autumn. Chief Justice
Fuller was also one Of the six. but he
hello that the first trial of Burton was
invalid. The questions involved were
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