The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1909-12-17
CONGRESS- AND
ITS AFT AIRS.
Matters Engaging Attention Of
Our Lawmakers at Present
INAUGURATION DATE AGAIN.

| u -OoNS Nv" 90 u tnS Nnan9e WouIo
Come - Disappointment Over the
Message-Taft's Postage Rate Rec
concentrations Creating Much Talk
Tawney After Press Agents.
Washington. Dec. 11.-[Special. l.
Ever since "befo' the wah" there have
been proposals to change the date of
the inauguration. Whenever it rains
or SHOWS on the 4th Of March or does
any of the other remarkable things for
which that day Is justly celebrated the
proposals for a change redoubIe. In
deed. the increase in the vociferations
is In direct ratio to the badness of the
weather. The case has been aggra-
waited by Weather Prophet Willis l..
Moore and his deluded predictions of
fair and warm for two or three in
auguration days on which the weather
was the most flendish and depraved
ever known. But while there was
much kicking nothing came of it.
Now. however. there Is blessed pros
pect that something will be done. The
commissioners of the District of Column
bia have officially asked that the cere-
mony be put Off till the last Thursday
in April. when Washington weather Is
ordinarily as good as Washington
weather ever becomes. This is good
time for everybody who ever attended
an inauguration and was maltreated
by the climate to get busy and ask his
congressman and senator to change
Inauguration day to a civilized season.
Leaving Out Hamlet.
There is still rumble of disappoint-
ment through the capitol over the no.
table omissions in the presidents mes
sage. Leaving out the three chief is
sues-trusts, railroads and conserva-
ton of natural resources-was like
Thanksgiving without turkey, fu-
neral lacking the corpse or a wedding
minus the bride. Inasmuch as the
president had already talked freely
throughout the country about what he
would say on these topics, the wonder
grows as to why he left them out Of
his message. Here Is my own guess,
and it is as good as any: The jolly
president put Off his message writing
to such late day that he simply could
not finish the whole job in time. and
so left the most important items Of it
to be sent in the form of special mes
sages when he got them ready. This
theory is borne out by the fact that
the first of these special messages was
promised in about ten days after the
receipt of the main document. In
newspaper parlance. the president was
behind with his copy"
Getting Back at the Muck Rakers.
One of the presidents recommended
tons Is creating no little talk in the
fourth estate"-that il. his advocacy
of increased postage rates on second
class mail matter. especially ON mag
azines. The press seems to be getting
II both ways. not only on the tariff on
paper, but now on higher postage.
There is a practical question as to
whether the increased postage on mag
azines would have the effect intended,
which is increase of revenue. Already
the magazines send many of their bulk
by express. Would not this
raise in mail rates simply re-
suit in their using the express still
more and so bring not greater revenue.
but actually less? There is still a well
defined feeling among many congress-
men that the weighing frauds in the
railway mail service are not all ended.
that OutrageOusly exorbitant rentals
are paid for postal cars and that there
are other abuses in transporting the
mails.
Under the Old Plum Tree.
Twelve hundred appointments in one
bunch marked the extent of the plum
crop as reported to the senate agricul-
turists. This was only the early wind
falls, known as recess appointments.
Still are there remaining several bas-
ketfuls OF choice hand picked jobs. To
Dne who really likes plums such an
array Of luscious fruit Is almost
enough to make him try to break into
politics.
Hard Winter For Press Agents.
There is a wall among the stricken /
press agents of the departments. 1t
seems that some OF the cabinet officers
Ind other high dignitaries had organ
zed few sorts of unofficial publicity
bureaus Of their own. puffs for the
BOSS not being rejected. Chairman
Tim Tawney of the appropriations
committee unfeelingly and brutality
iays this sort of thing must stop. that
he United States government is not
,aying for literary bouquets to its dis
inguished department heads. that
here is no vanity fund and that he
will be eternally dinged IL the money
lie appropriates is going TO be paid to
,ress agents. Hereafter he win put It
nto the appropriation bills that news
censorship in the departments Is for
hidden. This Is not Tawuey's Ian
-uage. but is a lot OF loose talk cover
ne his Intentions and mental pros
'sses. The best OF 1t all is that
rawney Is the man with the dough