The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-12-21
WASHINGTON. ~. Is. '06.

| IlOhl ~ uCSICCS W VI ucSICCe
above zero, and everything from
hail and snow to hot water. One
or two sunshiney days, but the
wind has been so we could not see
them. So, whatever weather you
are having there, remember that
it is much worse here.
l have just finished my evening
paper, in which a paragraph
caught my eye which said that
captain w. P. Patten has been
assigned to the command of the
battleship Vermont, having had
his pick of the six new ones. Capt
Patten is to be congratulated and
is envied by all his associates in
being given the command of this
queen of all the new battleships.'
Certainly our little inland state
should be proud to own as he1
1amesake the finest fighting ship
that the United States ever built
md the equal of anything now
lfoat. Captain Potter is one OF
the youngest officers in the service
but already has an excellent rec
ord, and should the occasion ever
arise while he has command of her
the Vermont can be depended on
to make good her name and main
tain the honor of our great little
state.
To date congress has not fairly
got gripped on to the heavy work
of the session, and will not until
after the holidays. 1t is expected
that both houses will adjourn for
the holiday recess next Thursday
until about the 7th of January.
Though the adjournment may be
to the latter part of the week, pre-
vious, yet nothing will be done I'M
Ill the week, beginning the 9TH.
The senate adopted the Foraker
md Penrose resolutions asking
the president for full information
rs to the discharge of the three
negro companies in Texas, and is
likely to receive all the infOrma-
ton it requires on the subject.
The president is evidently quite
ready and even willing to give
"easons for his action. The SEN
ate also called for information as
the japanese situation In Can
Ornia. This calling for informa
ion" is the usual thing wher
clay is wanted, and it gives the
arious parties interested time to
DOL off and see whittier they arc
rifting. 1t frequently serves as
huff, when somebody insists that
omething be done at once. Son
rous resolutions cost nothing
OF even much time, and they look
erocious and formidable, as il
omething awful was set going
-"nrnforn. nearly Pvnrv dav com"
body submits a resolution calling
"'', ana Inc puDuc 30
duly impressed.
Al the House a compromise on
he ship subsidy bill passed by
he senate last session was sug
osted, to the effect that it be lin
ted in effect to vessels trading be
ween North and South American
Orts and the West Indies. Very
likely the bill will be patched up
n some such way as this later in
he session and passed. The
House has passed the bill to al
ow National Banks to loan mOneT
n farm lands, but it may never
rop out in the senate. This weeE
he House has spent most of it,
ime Ostensibly discussing the
legislative, Executive and judi
ial appropriation bill, the first o
he big appropriation bills to come
ut. The debate, however, has
overed about everything on earth
omethings under ground and IL
he air, from the tariff to string
cams and back AGAIN bv anothn
route. The freedom of debate"
in the House allows member to
discuss anything ever conceived
by the mind of man or the brute
creation, regardless of the bill I'M
der consideration. When every
body has said all they want to
on every conceivable subject, then
the bill, which has not been allud-
ed to, is quietly passed.
In the senate a large number of
important nominations have been
confirmed, the Algeciras treaty
has been debated and the everlast-
ing SmoOt case has been talked.
This latter has been the headliner
in the weeks bill, and has attract
ed the usual crowds. The pro
fesional anti-Smoot people have
been out in force to listen to the
speeches of Senator Burrows and
Dubois against the Utah Senator,
the same throng which has raided
the capitol at odd times on the
same errand for the past four
years. I would sincerely like to
write of these things exactly as l
see them, this matter and very
many others which come into my
daily experience, but just now it
would not do. Sometime l may
write and deliver a lecture to you
on the inside of Congress, if you'll
all agree to come out to the village
hall and ante up your quarter.