Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-28
CAPITAL CHAT.
Continued from Page One.y

| nimble fingered and can make pothooks
| on the pages OF note book with the
liShtenins-iike rapidity that defies the
| orators Of swiftest tongues.
The long and short of it seems to be
that the gumption has departed from
all the long distance speakers. Few
people want to talk, although at most
| sessions of Congress large number OF
the 80 Senators and 391 Representatives
are bursting with something to say, and,
| like q hen that is about to lay an egg,
do not feel easy till the speech is be-
| fore the public. There are half hum
| dfed TOT les that Congress is willing Ia
talk about. The great task almost
invariably is to SMUT them off and keep
| the time of Congress for the consider
| alton of things that must be consider
| Cd. Now it looks very much as if ii
| might become necessary 70 prod the
| congressman II talk. II would GER
| tainlv be remarkable if things should
core 70 such 4 pass.
But unless there Is L picking up, the
| Congressional Record of the first ScS
| sion Of the 10th Congress, can be
| bound in to octave sets of follr or five
| leather backed volumes. Usually il
fills manv more than that. There We're
| eleven Of those big volumes Of the
! Record Two wears ago that would make
| a pile Of cnib;ined talk two feet high
| and Congress did not stay in session
very lat" either. But that was POSSIBLY
the climax, for The quantity OF enbalni-
Cd talk had been constantly increasing
! bienn;ally. The short session OF {.
| Congress has such a brief period Of liIt
that there has 10 he !. maximum of
action and " minimum OF speech. All
of which ma be Il very small thing 10
Il lot of people .ut Il heavier or
| lighter burden 10 t1e government en-
! ployes, who, along in the summer, TAX"
the bundles of books around 10 . few
| hundred Offices and bureaus in Wash
| in"ton and in tht uSandS of packages 20
the postotf.ce II load down the mails
TO many far dist,Ht towns and cities.
The Congressman that shoots OFF his
! .,louih' simply has not been Dusy this
! 81 un. That is why there has been
! :!tch !, shortage Of talk. The big Lead
/ Crs % lhe Senate and the big leaders
OF the House do not use much space
on the printed page during a session.
speaker Cannon almost never makes
a speech in the House. He figures in
the Record with q lot of small talk
and emphatic eXclamations, such as
the House must come to ORDER" Gen
tlemen will please be seated There
| is So much confusion in the ball that
the Chair cannot hear" and 50 on
through a long list. He takes up some
space occasionally in rendering deci-
sions but these for an entire session
| might not amount to as many words
| tpr in u
hour ii he We're in fine fettle. Chair
| man rawncy, of the House arprOpria
tons committee, makes considerable
talk during Il session, but it is strictly
in the line of legitimate busness-ex-
| planning appropriation bills, or defend
ing items from attack, and SO on. Mr..
| Tawney, be it remembered, is the most
important member OF the House, next
to the Speaker, and if anybody might
| be expected to talk it would be this
| first lieutenant. On the other hard II is
generally the new or uninportant MEM
Der from Bingville who fills the air of
the House with words and kills time
| with half digeSted ideas of no interest
| 10 any intelligent constituency.
| over at the Senate who ever heard
of Senators Allison, Hale or Aldrich
talk? The trouble is they will not talk
as much as the Senate and the country
would like to hear them. although
lot Of senator's, in normal sessions. want
to keep in oratoral action hali of the
! Scnate'S time.
Possibly the era Of cheap talk in
| Congress is passing out to & degree.
There is less disposition nowadays to
| AN rifi "a, i,,t,
oratorical Journeys. The people are be-
| coming wise to such things and there
is less disposition to allow Congress
| sional orators to appeal to partisan
prejudceS or to deceive by artfully
built paragraphs The newspapers keep
very great army Of readers more Or
less well informed and when some
cheap bit of politics is put forth. it is
| only question of time when some
writer Will puncture it.
| The thinking senators and thinking
members will have something to say
| before the session is over. Speeches,
which are the result OF study and ma
| tured elaboration still have I, very
important part in legislation Cur
| rency, appropriations and politics fun
nish a number of important topics this
year but the best men of Congress have
| been bordering over them and do not
want u speak till it is opportune. By"
and by" Representative Littleiield, one
OF the most rapid takers of the House,
| and also one of the closest thinkers,
may put a half dozen pages OF words
into the Congressional Record some az
! ternoon without half trying. There are
| plenty other rapid takers ard slow
takers. who have interesting ideas that
will get into government print.
| Nevertheless as was said at the be-
| ginning the hot air. supply seems I,
| be CurtaileG this session and there Will
| be less: 81 it than usual.