The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1909-02-26

will be smashing log-driving hurrah
in both houses, and devil take the
hindmost. General legislation has
been squeezed to the wall and
hattened out to a FRAGILE. The
necessary supply bills will take all
the time by working night and day,
and even then some of them may
go over and be handled in the extra
session. A few insurgents in the
senate under the lead of La Toilette
indicate a very decided inclination
to fillibuster and delay matters, and
this may render it impossible to
clean up the necessary legislation
before the, Fourth of March. I'm
doubtedly there is trouble and dis
cord in the senate, and what it
will lead to in the near future is
beyond guessing.
LaFollette's insistent bossism and
meddling in the home politics of
his home state of Wisconsin con-
tinually keeps that state in a mess
of hot water. In the senatorial
primaries last fall Senator Stephen
son easily won out in his campaign
for reelection to the senate, and
if any primary verdict was ever
binding certainly it is obligatory on
the legislature of that state to re-
elect him to another term. But
LaFollette has called upon his
friends to defy the verdict and he
has enough strikers in the legislature
to hang up the election. Senator
Stephenson has been given a ma
jority in both houses, which good
lawyers claim is sufficient, and on
that ground will present himself
to the senate next month and claim
admission. All LaFollette has been
able to do was to defeat an election
on joint ballot by ordering his men
to refuse to ratify. At first they
voted for Stephenson, giving him
majority in each house, but that
night orders were received to refuse
to so vote again. So the whole
thing is in the air. Stephenson is
a power in his state with hosts of
friends, and these will make a
mighty fight against LaFollette
when he comes up for reelection to
the senate two years hence. If
the latter had minded his business
both he and Stephenson would have
remained in the senate without a
kick. Stephenson has always fl
nanced LaFollettes campaigns here
tofore, and in return the latter
brought out Stephenson and elected
him to succeed John C. Spooner.
The above will give a faint idea of
the happiness and serenity of Wis
consin politics.
The death of Representative
Granger last week removed from
the earthly stage the only democrat
who has represented Rhode Island
in either branch of congress for
many years. He would have COM
pleted six years of service the
Fourth of March, when he would
have retired. He was defeated for
reelection to the next congress by
William P. Sheffield of Providence.
The twisting and turning of con-
gress the past week to find some
scheme whereby Senator Knox
could be relieved from constitu-
tional prohibition and made eligible
to cabinet appointment has caused
no end of ridicule and disgust here.
1t has been the real sentiment of
at least many of the best lawyers
of the two houses that congress
could not cure the trouble by legis-
lation, but it seems to have taken
the chance. As congressman Tim
Sullivan of New York used TO say,
what is the constitution between
friends?" That seems to be the
sentiment of this congress, and it
goes to any length TO allow Taft |
the man he wants for secretary of
state. 1t is the opinion of many |
that Mr. Knox could and would .
have rendered the country equally
valuable service in remaining in the
senate. One of the greatest mis-
takes Cleveland ever made was
when, in the beginning Of his first
term, he transplanted Senators Bay
ard and Garland from the senate to
the cabinet. The senate-and es-
pecially the democratic admins
tration-needed these two men
infinitely more in the senate than
it did in the cabinet. The democ-
racy was teariully weakened IN
congress, with no compensating
gain by the change.
The special committee Of the
House which for some time has
been investigating the paper, pulp
and pulp wood industry is now
about to report. 1t is already |
known that the committee. with