Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-07
Members Of Congress
Preparing, to Go Home.
Record Broken for Strenuous
Extra Sessions Held.
Manv Men Have Gained New Pres.
iige In Tariff Revision.

Washington, D. c., Aug. 6.-(Special)
The session of Congress, which has
just closed, will pass into history az
one Of the most important and signifi.
cant of ali extra sessions. 1t has made
very few, il any new regulations, al
though some careers have been brought
out into the limelight more distinctly
and a few regulations have been put
to the test in the fiery furnace of public
criticism. 1T has been by far the most
tempestuOus and most prolific of frac.
tional contests of any session and cs-
pecially of any extra session since thai
which met August I, 1899, at the cali OF
President Cleveland to repeal the Sher-
man silver purchase clause.
That Cleveland extra session was
made prominent by the strife of insur-
gents. The Senate Democrats did not
follow Cleveland any more than the
Senate Republicans have all followed
Taft and there were storm and stress
during nearly all the days of that extra
session as there have been during thu
extra or first session of the Sixty-firs,
Congress. But President Cleveland in
thS tIlu SoL dDoul sdtl lie Wdnleu, Dis
President Taft is getting pretty much
what he wants of Congress In the way
of tariff revision.
No man on the Ways and Means
Committee has particularly enhanced
his record before the country. because
OF the tariff revision, unless it be ep-
resented Serene Payne. He has been
gradually growing into popularity with
his Republican colleague who regard
him as veteran and Stalwart figure
on their side of the House, He framed
tariff bill for free raw materials and
gained the approval of quite a. section
of the country because he fought fol
that programme very stiff1y in confer
ence. The President was on his side
and so warmly have the law revision
lists approved of Mr.. Payne that enthu-
sasts have mcut:oncd him for numer-
Gus high Offices ~ h as for Speaker of
the House and 6" Hrror of New York
Mr.. Payne, hOwcv"r. is content to re-
main us Chairman o. Ways and Means
and as the floor leader of the Republi-
can majority
No speech was made during the con-
sideration of tariff in the House that
brought its maker any special notice
No eminently noticeable tariff plan was
launched then. AS a matter of fact a
tariff bill is dry-as- dust subject
when it comes down to details and the
history of tariff bills shows that few
mon have gained fame by any clever
coup in connection with such measures
Therefore it is no reflection upon the
House of Representatives to relate that
the proceedings with reference TO tar
if there We're in the main decidedly
commonplace and. except for an occa-
slonal hour, very dull and tedious.
The session, as far as the House is
covered, will be notable for the firm
upper hand that Uncle Joe" Cannon
has maintained as Speaker. He en-
tered upon his fourth term as the pre-
siding officer of the House with the be-
ginning of this Congress, an honor no
other Speaker has enjoyed since the
time of Henry Clay. 1t had become al
most automatic that a Speaker should
not serve more than three terms be-
cause the animostics which his rule
must inevitably provoke would eventu-
ally become so numerous as to over
throw him. Speaker Cannon has had
TO keep in line party majority when
ms party is represented by two fac
lions and in achieving that has had
some very strenuous work. But he has
not tailed in any particular and lays
down the gavel at the end of this SEES
sion. stronger than he ever was before.
TO be sure he came so close to losing
the tariff bill on motion to recommit
that a change OF three or four votes
would have meant an adverse majority,
but that was attributed to the hostility
to the amendments made in confer
ence and the Speakers friends claim it
was in no way attributable to him.
The country has been made familiar
more than eyer with a few Senators of
national reputation by reason of the
tariff deliberations at the north end of
the Capitol. No fiercer fighting by Re.
publiCars has been seen there in a
quarter of century than has occurred
in the last three months with I.aFol-
le-tr. of WiscOnsinx Cummings and
Dolliver. of Iowa: Bristow Of Kansas:
and Bcveridge of Indiana in the role of
captains. But all these men were well
known before the tariff bill was re-
he said that they have made tn rir yep
utations because of their oppo" ton in
the name of tariff reform. T'lree of
them-LaF Toilette, Cummins AMI Bever-
idge have presidential aspirat ,ns-and
probably one or more of them ,'ill loom
up large with presidential ambitions
wher President Taft has served out his
allotted time and is ready to retire to
private life. Dolliver once barely es-
capped vice presidential nomination
that would have borne him into the
Presidency and his impassioned oratory
had admirers in every state of the I'M
ion before a line of the tariff bill was
written. BriStow. as fourth Assistant
Postmaster General, conducted the in
vestigation of the .Postoffice Depart
ment which made his name a household
word between the two oceans.