The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1909-12-17
CONGRESS- is
MARKING Time.
Lille Hard Work viii Be Done
Until After Holidays.
The GOSSIP OF WASHINGTON.

Meeting of the Rivers and Harbors
Consress-Taft as an orator-New
Headquarters of the National Press
CIub-Uncle Joe Continues to Rap
Insurgents.
Washington, Dec. 13.-The rivers and
harbors congress, which just closed its
sessions at the New Willard, had as
its dominant note the demand for a
fixed and settled policy. In the past
appropriations for improvements Of
our waterways have been too much a
matter Of haphazard and log rolling.
! The new idea, and 1t has the hearty
approval of President Taft, is that
which every improvement should fit.
Moreover, it should have the approval
Of government engineers. This is q
hopeful move, and it will deserve well
Of the nation If 1t takes congressional
appropriations for river and harbor
work out Of the pork barrel and the
logging camp.
The President as an Orator.
Although | have heard President
Taft speak in the open air. must say
that hearing him indoors was a pleas
ant revelation. He has an effective
voice and winning delivery. His sense
of humor is delicate. and his phrasing
is well chosen and often happy. In
deed. he is almost If not quite an ora
tor. This is not said by way of fiat
terry or because of his office, as | have
no inclination or reason for that sort
of thing. but is simply the honest i'm
preston OF one man concerning the
performance of another First hand
observations are best, whatever the
angle of vision of the observer. Mr..
Taft as speaker is neither so pom
derous as Cleveland nor so gingery as
Roosevelt. He would not, perhaps,
arouse a crowd to wild enthusiasm,
but would nevertheless leave a dis
tinctly pleasing impression.
Busy Doing Nothing.
During it's first week the chief ac-
tivity of congress was adjOurning. and
it's second week promises to equal the
record OF the first. This is extending
the Christmas holidays not over
week. but over a month. True. a lot
of pension bills and few others are
being introduced, but to a disinterested
outsider the chief effort in Washington
these days seems to be to avoid effort.
The government clerk in the periods
Of his greatest lassitude never had any
thing on congress in the matter Of
killing time-that is, on congress be-
fore the holidays. After New Years
the machine gets down to business and
runs with ever increasing speed until
in the close OF the session II is a very
demon for work. But now-well. con-
gress meets as much as three days
week, the gavel whacks. the chaplain
prays, the clerk calls the roll and some
body moves to adjourn. That Is about
the size of 1t, although there Is an oc-
casional message, resolution or meas
ure to increase somebody from SO to
S12 a month. II is distinctly inspiring
and gives one that vacation feeling.
Three Hawkeyes at Large.
One day last week | ran on to three
former Iowa boys who are now stir
ring Things up. but in widely different
fields. One of the three. Charley Walsh,
used to be secretary of the Demo
cratic national committee. but is now
mostly located in Chicago looking after
what is left of Hearst's national party.
The second. Herbert Quick, is editor of
the Farm and Fireside, out in Spring
field. O.-that Is, he edits the paper
when not busy advocating single tax,
books on deep waterways and
being a useful citizen generally. The
man who has been piling it into Sec
rotary of the Interior Ballinger so
heavily that he has succeeded in hav-
ing himself barred from the depart
ment Whatever may be said of the
Hawkeye as an ethical proposition, be
1t least has one characteristic ascribed
to the proverbial good man"-yOu
can't keep him down. He is all per-
Tasive and makes II known that he IL
Dn earth.
Where the seribes Foregather.
had not seen the new headquarters |
IF the National Press club until drift /
ng into Washington this time and am /
'eady to testify in the language Of the /
that Solomon In all his glory |
lad nothing on this. In the main /
loom the walls are decorated by first .
,age matrices OF papers from all over
he land. Here an open fire, a pipe,
ne or two conrenial companions and
perhaps some other things make It
bout as plea can't as men OF the pencil
yer encounter. The club secretary Is
Arthur c. johnson CT Denver.
cannonsdins Continues.
Uncle Joe still keeps whacking away
t the insurgents. The other evening
lie made speech before some sort Of
sea captains gathering at the Ra-
cigh. Now. It Is a far cry from sea
sptains to insurgents. and yet there
Tas your Uncle Joseph hammering his
oes in characteristic fashion. What
A.