The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-05-19

in the number-shall be allowed to pre-.
vail. There will be a hard fight in con-
ference over that provision, but presum-
ably the New England Senators will have
their way and the House will yield. The
veterans of the Civil War in Maine have
shown emphatically that they prefer to
obtain their pension payments from Au-
gusta, rather than from Washington.
Senator Hale will not have charge of
the Naval Appropriation bill upon the
floor this year for the first time in very
long while. That is because he had to
surrender the craftsmanship when he went
to the appropriations committee. But he
is taking very active part in deciding
the numerous controversies of naval
policy involved in the bill and will be one
of the conferees to adjust differences be-
tween the Senate and the House. He is
expected to debate some features of the
naval appropriations this year and will be
listened to with the closest attention
His opinions of naval administration and
expenditures carry greater weight at the
capital than those of any other legisla-
tor.
There will be leisurely adjournment
this year, although when the break comes
it will probably be quite sudden. AS there
is no limitation upon the length of the
session, plenty of time can be taken in
disposing of the fag ends.
Senators are very human in scrambling
for the places of their retiring leaders.
There is a touch of the pathetic in the
rapid adjustments already taken for
granted in anticipation of retirements to
occur year from now Ambitious West
erners have already filed upon the seats
occupied in the center of the chamber by
Senators Hale of Maine and Aldrich of
Rhode Island, and occasionally when
either of those Senators is absent, the
prospective incumbent wanders over that
way to sit down and realize what fine
point of vantage he will have after
March 4th next, Senator Dolliver of
Iowa, the aggressive Insurgent, has put
in his claim to Senator Hale's seat, and
Senator Burkett of the adjoining State
of Nebraska to the seat of Senator AL
drich.
And the men who will succeed to their
powerful chairmanships are also making
it evident that they will welcome the adj
vent Of authe rity. Colleagues in the
Senate are promptly cuddling up to these
new authorities and trying to get on the
best of terms with them in view of future
favors that will be requested. Senator
Warren of Wyoming, who will succeed
Senator Hale as chairman of appropria-
tons, is evidently man of more inf1u-
ence than ever before since Senator Hale
announced he would not seek a re-elec-
ton. AS much is true of Senator Pen
rose of Pennsylvania with reference to
the Craftsmanship of the finance commit
tee, although it is not quite so clear yet
whether Senator Penrose will come into
that place of power Immediately. There
may be period during which Senator
Burrows of Michigan will have that
Craftsmanship.
While the influence of these new corners
wakes in the Senate, there is an newt
able waning in the regard for the Sena-
tors soon to yield their places of power.
Washington worships officials who hold
the scepter of power, but it promptly
forgets men when the scepter of power
departs from them. Neither Senator
Hale nor Senator Aldrich yields the
same influence over legislation today that
they did two months ago. Both men
already notice the difference. The Sen
ate notices the difference
1t will be more noticeable next session,
the last for both of the New Englanders,
and before March 4, 1911, comes around
the men who are to assume the leader
ship that those two have had will have
gradually come into authority and their
authority will be recognized. There will
be little jarring in the adjustment. 1t
has almost always happened that way in
the Senate, except that it has been rare
that States would allow two influential
leaders like Hale and Aldrich to retire
when there was no change in party con-
troll at home.
Love Universal