The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-03-23

In. u is I'm the back row, 20 the LETT
of the center aisle. on the democratic
side The older western senator's re-
tain the seats they occupied in the
last Congress.
In the allotment of rooms, Senator
Chamberlain was the uckcst of the
new senators. He gets quarters i'm the
new Office building. on the second
floor, overlooking the Capitol grounds.
Senator Jones gets room on the
floor above, but looling out into the
court Senator Borah OF Idaho win be
assigned to one Of the few desirable
committee
An unpleasant incident, recognized,
however. only by the leaders, married
the closing minutes OF ihe House OF
Representatives on March 4th. 1t has
always been CUSTOMARY Just before the
final adjournment of a Congress, for
the minority leader of the House to
propose a resolution thanking the
Speaker for his fairness and consider
alton during the sessions over which
he has presided. This year these re-
solutions were presented by the re-
publican floor leader, but only a few
members noted the irregularity, and
the resolutions were unanimously
adopted. In his farewell speech to the
House, however, Speaker Cannon
talked along rather mysterious lines,
and his meaning was not apparent to
the membership generally He aIIud-
ed to the fact that at the close OF one
Congress in which Reed was Speaker,
the democratic leader had refused to
offer the customary resolution OF
thanks, and it became necessary for
the republicans, in order to have the
resolution adopted, to suspend the
rules, and pass them by a strict party
vote. The next House was democra-
tic, but at the close of it's session.
Reed, the republican floor leader, over
looked the insult offered him two years
before, and offered the customary re-
solution of thanks to Speaker Crisp.
democrat. That was all that Canon
said. Later on, it was learned that
resolutions thanking Speaker Cannon
had been drafted, and presented to
Champ Clark, the minority leader. for
presentation to the House. Without
assigning any reason, Clark fiatly re-
FUSED to present the resolution, and
SO they were offered by the repub-
licans. There has been no quarrel
between Cannon and Clark. and there
is no known reason why the minor
ity leader should have offered this
affront to the Speaker It was felt
however, for had IL not been. the
Speaker would never have alluded to
the unpleasant incident at the close
OF Reeds term as Speaker. The de-
mocrats of the House did not approve
Clarks stand, as evidenced by their
vote.
President Taft threw an awful scare
into the members of the Senate on
March 9Th, when he sent in the no.
mlnation of a Chicago man as receiv-
er OF the land Office at Williston N
LAX. Such an appointment had never
Defore been heard of; land Office
places have always been given to re-
sldents of the states in which the
offices are located But here was the
new President, on the second dav or
his administration, appointing a man
from illinois to a land office in North
Dakota What did it mean? There
was much scurrying about on the
hoor of the Senate. Senator CulIom
the only Illinois man in the Senate. did
not know the appointee; did not know
why ne had been appointed. The Da-
kota Senators had no knowledge of
the facts. No one knew ANYTHING
about it. There was grave fear that
President Taft intended to ignore state
lines in making federal appointments
But all fear was allayed the next day.
for inquiry showed that the Chicago
appointee had long been q clerk in the
General Land Office in Washington.
and for six months had been acting
as receiver of the Williston land Of
flee, because the North Dakota senat-
ors had been unable to agree upon
any man acceptable to President
Roosevelt. The work of the office
was becoming congested, and it be-
came necessary that a regularly ap-
pointed Receiver should be installed.
So President Taft nominated the man
who had been acting as receiver. He
assured the Dakota senator's the an
pointment was only temporary, and
they therefore acquiesced. When ex-
plantations were made around the
Senate, a great sigh of relief was
heard to go mp on the republican size
for 1t became evident that the new
President was not attempting to ig-
more the Senate in making federal ap-
pointments. Later on, when the
North Dakota senator's join in en-
dorsing some man acceptable to Pre-.
sident Taft, the Chicago man will re-
sign, and return to his permanent po-
sition in Washington.