Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-01-12

hard to take exception to its provi-
sions. IN congress, even when the
weather apparently is calm, bills are
likely to have rough sailing before
they reach the harbor Of passage, and
such may be the voyage Of the tariff
commission measure.
1t was said not long ago that the
Dill for the tariff commission would
follow the lines of one offered by
Representative Lenroot of Wisconsin,
but that the chances were the meas
ure would not carry Mr.. Lenroot's
name. The Wisconsin man is an in
surgent, so strongly determined in in
surgency that it was feared many or
ganIzation Republicans would not look
kindly on the bill which carried his
name.
The measure upon which action will
be sought will bear the name Of Rep
resentatiye Longworth of Ohio, but
it will contain most of the features of
the Lenroot measure and so, while "a
regular" will attach his name to the
measure, an insurgent will get a good
deal Of the credit for it's preparation.
In this way the Republican party
hopes to get harmony, but whether it
Is to come or not the succeeding weeks
alone can show.
Foraker Revisits Washington.
Former Senator Joseph B. Foraker
Of Ohio came to Washington for the
purpose of filing in the supreme court
a brief attacking the corporation tax
| law. 1t happened that congress was
taking a recess when the Ohio sena-
tor was in the capital and therefore
the curiosity Of certain speculative
ones who wanted to know whether the
| Ohioan would revisit the senate scene
| Of his former legislative activities was
not gratifed.
There are former senators of the
! United States who frequently appear
on the floor of the senate, privilege
which is given to them because of
their one-time membership. There
are other former senators, however,
who, no matter how many times they
visit the capitol, never by any chance
pass through the swinging doors of
/ the senate chamber.
be conclusive to some former senators
for their determination not to go onto
the floor of the senate. A good many
! of the one-time members of the up
per house have gone back into private
life to practice law, and some of them
are connected in a legal way with
corporations which at times are in
terested in legislation which happens
to be before congress. Some men
who have served in the senate and
who have legal corporation connec-
tons, fear that If they go on the floor
their presence there will be construed
as being for the purpose of lobbying,
and so they refuse to go within sight
of their old seats.
Lorimer Affair Is Interesting.
No matter what legislation the Re
publican majority may try to put
through the senate this winter, it
seems to be certain that the case
Of Senator Lorimer, which must
be passed upon, will excite more
heat and interest than anything else
which the lawmakers of the upper
house are to have brought before
| them.
1t was believed at the outset that
because of the finding of vindication
agreed to by the majority of the SEN
ate committee on privileges and cleo
tons, the report declaring the Illinois
senator's claim to his seat free from
faint would be put through without
| much demur, but during the recess
there developed strong opposition to
such a course and it is now assured
that some of the old guard senators
who were supposed to be favorable to
the Illinois man either had their po-
sition misunderstood or have had a
change of heart, for some of them are
going to take issue with the findings
of the committee majority.
This is the way the LorImer case
may be put as it now stands: There
are many senators who think that
his right to his seat cannot in any
way be challenged, while others say
that it can in every way be chal-
| lenged. There seems to be no half
way opinion on the subject, and for
this reason it can be understood how
hard fought the battle is to be and
how much bitterness of feeling will
enter into it.
Wilson and Foss Not "Ananiases."
Goyernor-elect Woodrow Wilson of
New Jersey is among the possible
andidates-perhaps he would like the
| word probable better-for the Demo
cratic nomination for the presidency.
Governor Wilson has just had an in
terchange of p1easantries with James
Smith, Jr., who wants to be United
States senator from New Jersey. Mr..
Smith tried to put Mr. Wilson into the
Ananias club membership, but the
governor declined to accept the prof
| fered honor and made an equally
strenuous effort on his part to confer
like membership on the ambitious
| Mr.. Smith. Eugene N. Foss, recently
| elected governor of Massachusetts.
also is a possible candidate for the
Democratic nomination for the presi-
dency. Mr.. F'oss once escaped en-
forced membership in the Ananias
club by the proverbial skin of his
teeth.
About five years ago the Massachu-
sets gentleman visited Washington
and called upon Theodore Roosevelt.
The day after Mr. Foss had been at
the White House he was quoted in
a certain eastern newspaper as hay
ing said that Mr.. Roosevelt had told
him he soon would declare for tariff
/ revision downward
The president instantly denied hay
ing said any such thing, but before
Mr.. Foss could deny that he had said
that the president had said it," Mr.
Roosevelt sent him telegram say
ing that there was no need for worry
because he did not believe his visitor
mad been in any way quoted cor
fectly' for the story appeared in
newspaper which, as Mr.. Roosevelt
put II, was not able to tell the truth
upon any matter whatever