Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-04-07
Congress- Is New Think
ingA About Humping IIssH.
Lone Naval Blu Debate Calls
For Intense Thinking.
Senator leef Cordially Supports
pallgoad BIH In Senate.

are busy in tactics and strategy, as the
spring days wear on. The period for
discreet advance in administration anC
LEGISLATION is upon them. 1t will soon
be race with Old Calores. who enters
the national capital always early In
the season. casts his enervating spell
about and ushers in an annual era OF
jnacti0n. q
And so it is that Congress at last is
thinking about humping itself When
Congress begins to hump all the rest
Of Washington feels the impulse.
"Something doing all down the line.
When Congress begins, during the long
biennial session, to deliberate about
striking tents and moving out Of town
official Washington begins to fix its
mind on a like program for itself. But
there is first some work to he done.
Senator Aldrich first started the
impetus. A single sentence some-
times sets Washington TO a wagging
of tongues. Senator Aldrich has done
so more than once by uttering single
sentence. Some weeks ago he said
that he, as q business man could run
the government Of the United States,
were 1t possible for him to have the
dutuOihy, lDI Pcvpt"uVpV"' A'Ho " y'sAi
than 1t is costing now. All the country
is still talking about that sentence. Re-
Gently Senator Aldrich said Congress
ought to adjourn by May 15 The rest
OF the country may not have taken
much notice thereof hut it put Wash
ington on the qui vive. That would
beat Old Calores (hot weather) for the
real, uncomfortable brand of a hot day
is hardly due before the middle of May
or the first Of June.
Whether Senator Aldrich proves to
be a prophet or not-he, like some
other good men, has gone wrong in
times gone by regarding adjournment
~day-the preliminaries are gradually
being arranged. Congress Is getting on
high gear and 1t looks as though the
speeding of Legislation was not far
away. The House has been dallying
along In debate on the naval bill of
recent days but there was method in
that. A feeling prevailed that 1t would
be well to allow factional matters a
little repose over at that end OF the
Capitol A naval bill debate is always
dIverting for members of the House.
They are like most other mortal men
able to think intensely upon but one
subject at a time. The naval APP
propriation bill calls for considerable
intense thinking every year when the
orators begin to train their guns and
the House has to decide, upon author
iztng two battleships or one battleship
or no ibattleship at all. In recent years
the controversy has always come up in
that form has followed about the same
lines OF contention and has resulted
the same way-the authorization of
two new Dreadnaughts
There Is always a speech from Rep.
Richmond Pearson Hobson, member
OF the naval committee, who invariably
twaHEs the Tyre about a war with Jap
M and the need of great fleets on the
Pacific to hold the martial hordes of
the Flowery Kingdom at bay There is
always a speech from Rep. Tawney of
Minnesota, chairman of appropriations
mud watchdog of the treasury. thun-
deFing military expenditures Tor wars
past and Observation-Disclosures he
always reiterates to the House the fact
that two-thirds of the billion dollars
n1year we are now appropriating goes
for war--and there is IA big speech
from Rep. George l.. Foss of Illinois
Nu2ahitiu VI tilt naval COTlTnltlep. lie
speaks well along toward the end of
the general debate, sums up the situa-
tlon In very dignified language and, of
course, demands the passage of the bill
as II was reported from the commit
tee.
All this. as has been suggested. is
more or less diverting to the House
whose members have been apparent
ly forgetting the rancors of the fac
tional quarrel over the new rules COM
mittee and insurgency as well. This
Is as the wise men of the Capitol and
Of the administration want it. Such a
state Of mind lays the foundation for
the end-of-of the session celerity.
Soon the Presidents railroad bill. over
which there Is much difference of
opinion will come up for consideration.
That measure, more than all others of
this session. perhaps, has seemed to
be call To insurgency. At least its
provisions have aroused opposition in
the insUrgent ranks. Senator Crane of
Massachusetts, one of the wise men,
AYERS that there really is not much
difference between the position of the
lnsurgent and of the regular Republi-
cans. He is very certain the chasm is
marrow that it can easily be bridged.
when the right moment comes. He is
an expert at bridging political and
factional chasms and he ought to
know.
Hut he and nany others with him
want an era of better feeling before
ne enters upon his big effort to per-
saade the fnsurgent and regular Re
pucifcans to touch elbows and move
FORWARD. The long naval bill debate in
The House is serving that purpose
EVERY day it progresses. the rules
committee controversy is more in ret
respect and the wounds are healing.
over IN the Senate there has been
progress in this effort tn speed the pre-.
liminaries In the closing weeks of the
session The railroad bill has been un-
trer aebate there. but it has been an
amicahle debate. The friends of the bin
halted for some time and then threw
senator Root of New York forward To
make one of those convincing and
comprehensive legal arguments for
which he is famous. For the best part
OF two days he stood at his place on
the center aisle-part Of the time he
spoke from the desk where Senator