Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-12
NATIONAL CAPITAL
NEWS AND GOSSIP
BY Ralph Smith

WASHINGTON, d. c., March 9.--The
snow storm that played havoc with the
inauguration of President Taft, pros
trated the telegraph wires and isolated
Washington for a period of forty-eight
hours might have also suppressed an
able and convincing speech delivered in
the senate on March 4th by Georgia's jul
nior senator. Mr.. Clay, except for the
Congressional Record-and even the old
reliable Record was two days late in get
ting out, but it carried, prominently dis
played, Senator Clays speech
The speech, which was delivered in the
open senate on the morning of March
4th, was heard by hundreds Of people,
who packed the galleries. Senator Clay
addressed himself to the extravaganza
of the government, the waste of the pub
lie money, and a number of Republicans
attempted to divert him with numerous
interruptions. He answered their inter
rogatories, but stuck perisistently to his
subject, and cited facts and figures to
sustain his tatements. He would not be
drawn into discussion of party politics.
Bureaus and Commissions
A bill to establish a bureau of mines
was under consideration, when Senator
Clay secured the floor. He prefaced his
speech with the statement that in his
judgment, the United States is becoming
a government of bureaus and commits
| sions. Senator Clapp, of Minnesota, sug-
gested that the United States had be-
come a government of bureaus and com
missions, and Mr.. Clay accepted his
| correction.
Referring, no doubt, to the immigra-
| ton commission, recently created, Sena-
tor Clay declared that it would cost the
government $550,0O0 Notwithstanding the
existing deficit of S114,OOO,O00, created
within a year. he declared that practical
| ly every appropriation bill considered at
this congress endeavored to provide a
| commission to transact the business of
the country. He criticised the DISPOSE
ton to make lucrative jobs for other
to do the work that should be done by
congress.
After referring to the size to which the
appropriations for the support Of the ar
my and navy have grown in recent
years, Mr.. Clay invited attention to the
sundry civil bill. He declared that nine
years ago, the bill carried only $S9, 3S1, =
1885, whereas the bill this year appro-
PIRATES $1S9. 100000. an increase in nine
years of one hundred million dollars.
Per Capita Expenditures
The per capita expenses for our navy
in 1898 were 40 cents he said, and today
they are SLIP. The per capita cost of the
army, Senator Clay recited, had increas-
ed in ten years from 80 cents to 81 30
The sundry civil expenses, per capita. he
said, had Jumped in ten years from 81
cents to $170.
Continuing along this line, Senator Clay
declared that it would pay the country
for congress to devote one entire session
to the investigation and examination of
appropriations. with a view to ascer-
tanning what expenditures might be de-
creased. He deprecated the fact that
during his service in the senate there
has been no investigation of the expen-
ditures in the several departments, al
though he and others have clamored
continually for economy.
Republican Patronage
The quadrennial scramble for federal
offices is on, and Washington is the
mecca of would-be officeholders from
every state in the union Georgia has
been we'll represented in this respec>,
though it WOULD be an injustice to many
good men to say that they were scramb
ling for jobs; rather, they have been
Jockeying for position.
The reorganization of the Taft clubs.
of Georgia, the resignation Of Clark
Grier, the elevation of Henry S. Jack
son and the change of the name of the
organization to the Republican League
clubs all have their significance. Mr..
Grier's resignation was expected. It ere
ated no surprise, and was cheerfully ac-
cepted. Mr.. Jackson's election to the
presidency of the organization was unan-
imous, and evidently gave general sat
isfaction, but Henry Blum, Jr., of Savan-
nah, national committeeman, and Walter