Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1908-01-03

May Be Notwithstanding Dele
gates 70 penver-More Trouble For
Secretary Taft-Barren Results of
che Republican Antitrust Crusade.
BY WILLIS J. ABBOT.
The Sixtieth congress met on the
I'd of December. 1t. adjourned on the
21st. During that time neither house
had averaged more than four sessions
a week nor more than three hours to
the session. Nor was there any work
done In committees, because the COM
mittees were not announced by the
speaker Of the house until two days
before the recess nor by the committee
about the same time. In brief, whole
month was spent by members of the
house and the, senate In absolutely in
conclusive and useless gossip.
Aside from any expense of main
tenance. service or incidentals, the
mere salary roll of the distinguished
senators for the month amounted to
$57 1900 The house during the same
time for salaries of the members alone
cost the taxpayers 1901, S75. To any
one who knows the enormous number
Of attaches, messengers, doorkeepers,
pages, walters, secretaries aud stenog-
raphers it becomes perfectly apparent
that for a month of absolute futility
there was spent we'll over $4,000 of
the public money. ...,..-.-. ....4..........--.
OF course there is an answer to this
criticism. There is nearly always an
answer to any criticism. All these sal
aries go on whether congress is In
session or not Still, it does seem that
when it is in session it might attend
to some work. 1t is true, too, that in
the house the delay was caused chief
ly by the heavy tax laid upon the
speaker ofs@selecting his committees.
But the speaker, like all other mem
bers Of the house, has been under sal
airy through the long vacation between
March 4 and Dec. 2, 1907, and during
that time has been in possession Of the
names, Of all members reelected or
newly elected to the house of repre-
sentatfyes. Why could he not have
come to washington with his commit
tee lists made up? Then he could have
started the house to business within
two days of its reassembling.
And speaking of the speaker-if that
does not sound too tautelogical-it is
curious fact that there is no consti-
tutional or statutory rule which COM
pels that he should be member of
the house. q All that the constitution
has to- say is. that the members may
choose their speaker. They might, if
they wished, choose Tom Lawson of
Bostonsor Tom Watson of Georgia, ac-
cording to their respective tastes. But
it so happened that the first speaker
chosen was7a member of the body, and
the precedent then set has been fol-
lowed SO long that it has never been
Overthrown and probably never will
be. Yet it might be worth while to
consider whether man entirely re-
moved from the hurly burly of parti-
san politics might not make a better
presiding officer ~
The President and the Speaker.
The relations between President
Roosevelt and Speaker Cannon are al
ways q matter of gossip about the
capital Nothing can exceed the
warmth of their hand clasps when
they meet nor the courtesy of their
references to each other when occa-
sion arises in a formal speech. But
in casual conversation they have not
been apt to say peculiarly friendly
wordsDn of the other. Indeed, Speak
er Cannon hasgbeen rather outspoken
in his violent assaults upon, the inter
ference of the White House with the
affairs of congress. But the usual
Republican sense of party discipline,
the feeling that they must hang to-
getheI or all would hang separately,
has evidently quelled that little quar-
rel. There was a place left vacant
on the committee Of ways and means
in the house by the defeat of Con-
gresham fGrosyenor of Ohio. When
his chair at the committee table was
vacated by his defeat Speaker Can
non appointed the presidents son-in-
law, Nicholas Longworth Mr.. Long
worth has served in two congresses
He has held his place in politics by
grace Of George B. Cox, the Republic
an boss of Cincinnati. A man of great
AVAILABILITY and with doubtless desire
to do al that in him lies for the good
of hisE country, he is still almost a
freshman in the congressional college,
and his sudden advancement to the
most proniihent committee of all can
only he construed as an olive branch
rendered the president by the speaker
or as concession made by the speak
er to a. demand preferred by the presi-
dent.
Prominent Delegates to Denver.
Some rather prominent New Jersey
Democrats suggest that Grover Cleve-
land should be made delegate at
large to the Democratic national con-
vention at Denver. They say that such
an honor rendered to Mr.. Cleveland
would not necessarily imply any hos
tility to Mr.. Bryan.
In Delaware other Democrats are
urging that Judge Gray should head
the Delaware delegation, position
which his eminence in public life GER
tainly justifies. 1t Is true, however.
that Judge Gray has already suppress
ed any. movement to that effect by say
ing that his position ON the bench
necessarily prevents his taking so ac-
tive a part in politics.
ThereAis talk in Ohio of having the
Hon. JtIdson Harmon delegate to the
convention. There Is talk in New York
of sending David B. Hill. Doubtless
in other states, the political gossip Of
which has not yet come to my ears,
there are suggestions that other emil
nent reactionaries whose names are
much more distinguished today than
their services have been to the Demo
cratic party in the last twelve years
should be thus honored. There is no