Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-12-20
CONGRESS- WILL
REST 2 WEEKS
Holiday Recess Of Lawmakers
Ends Ian. 8.
BY ARTHUR W. DUNN.

Congress will take Just two weeks for
the holidays, adjourning Dec. q and
re~conyening Thursday, Jan. s. If there
were a prime necessity to pass legis.
lation perhaps the recess would be cur.
tailed, but there is not any great de
sire TO push things vigorously outside
of the appropriation bills.
One reason for taking SO long a re-
cess is that members have shown nc
disposition to make long speeches OF
indulge In very much talk. Business
rather than politics seems to engage
tons there is no danger of the wheels
becoming elogged.
The War Scare.
Much has been said about the de-
fenseless condition of the United States,
and General Leonard Wood, chief of
staff, who has been promoting the
talk, had to explain to the military
committee what it all meant. 1t was
shown that the war talk men have a
scheme to put the country In a formi-
&NO6N RoSiAloAy III ~ WouiQ tOob pow
100000, TO be expended at nee.
1t alsa-appeared by of Wood
to questions that there are 1876 military
posts occupied by our very small army,
but he admitted half of them were
useless and should be abandoned. He
said the troops should be concentrated
In large posts, where they could drill
and teach the national guard.
"Why do you have your big posts in
Kansas and Wyoming asked Con
gresham Stevens OF Minnesota, when
the big bodies Of the national guard
are In New York, Pennsylvania and
other large and populous states?"
OF course General Wood could say
that he was not responsible for that
condition of things, but 1t Is q fact
that our military organization has been
mismanaged when the present situation
is considered. At the same time con-
gress Is not going to be stampeded into
voting a large sum for u national de-
tense. The opinion too generally pre-
walls that no nation wants to go to
war with us, and IL one did there is
strength enough In the country to re-
pei it.
Permanent fsriff Board.
There may not be a tariff commits
sion, but the probabilities are that the
present tariff board will be provided
Tor In a definite which will
continue Its existence even if the next
opproSa cha,,Ia rof,ca m mako N on.
preparation for it.
Here Is a curious feature of legisia-
ton, and 1t is like the creation of the
commerce court: Not 10 per cent OF
the men in congress wanted the com
merce court, but it went into the bill
and became a law. Probably not more
than 25 per cent of congress wants the
tariff board made a permanent com
mission, but it will go through.
The power of q president is very
great when exerted to its utmost. o.
course there was big patronage behine
the commerce court, and the same ]
true In regard to the tariff board. Anf
nothing Is quite as powerful In cor
gress as a president with patronage.
Uncle Joe "Jollies" Payne.
For some time Chairman Payne o.
the ways and means committee stoo6
out against a permanent tariff board
but was finally persuaded. The da
following his visit to the White House
when he anne into line, the papers an
nounced that the president had brough
him to time with firm language. Aftei
the house adjourned Speaker Cannon
went down into the area and mingled
with the members. He was ~leanins
against the clerks desk when Payna
came down the aisle and stopped IL