St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-04-12
IS DEAD.
]. E. Harris Says 1t Cannot Pass
The Senate. Gossip About
Congress.
washington, April 10.

Dear CaIedOnlan:-
When the shouting and the tumult
died March 4th | jumped at the op-
portunity of a months vacation
among the old familiar landmarks
"a thousand feet nearer heaven than
st. Johnsbury,'' and thereupon con-
nected with them at the earliest
possible moment. At least, went
where 1 had always heretofore been
able to locate them. After some diff
ficulty I excavated the family, recog-
nizing it's proximity by the chimney
protruding from the beautiful, and
finally felt myself ITO be in the halls
of my ancestors. During the three
weeks I was there saw the barn
two or three times across the road
through the hustling blizzard, and
on the whole was well repaid for
trip of several hundred miles in see
ing an active old-fashioned winter in
lively operation along in the middle
of spring. When travel is resumed
in that region, except on snowshoes,
please call my attention to it,
On returning to Washington,
tic conditions, minus the luxury of
through the air at the rate of sixty
miles an hour. The season is abor
as late here, barring the snow, ana,
tho the grass is struggling into lit
te life and the buds on the trees are
trying to open up little the tempera-
ture is altogether raw and disagree
able. Don't come here for a sunbath
yet. Usually at this time of year the
spring crops are all in and the gar
dens made through the states south
of Philadelphia, but as yet not
sod is turned in Delaware and Mary
land barring very rare fields of
wheat just showing green. The
snow is gone and the ground is fair
ly dry, but the temperature is not
yet right for out-of-door work.
The democrats of the House have
succeeded in astonishing themselves
and the country beyond all measure
OF precedent. They have done an
excellent job in organizing the
House. If they had made failure
Of it the fact woa9.a. neither have as
tonished them or the country.
Neither expected such a result.
Hence the profound surprise every
where expressed. To say that the
democracy is surprised at itself is
putting it mildly, and to say that
the country is happily disappointed
is also leaving much unsaid. All
precedents are broken, and all signs
have failed? But the session has
not actually begun yet, and this ex-
cellent beginning in preparatory or
ganization may be the exception
that proves the rule.
They have abolished somewhere
around 200 sinecures and useless
jobs around the House, thereby eff
fecting a saving in running expenses
of approximately 100000 annual
ly, and they have likewise put out
OF commission half dozen useless
committees and performed a thor
ough< hOusecleaning all over
1t comes from good official aut-
hority that one and probably more
tariff schedules will be acted on by
the House and handed over to the
senate before reciprocity is dealt
with. The wooden schedule will
be ready for action this month, and
very likely it will be put through
by the House in hurry. In view
of considerable revision of the tar
iff much interest is lost in recipro-
city and the tariff board which the
president wants so badly, as the de-
consider these matters only
patchwork. They can revise the
wise OF any board, and they are quite
likely to do so. As to reciprocity |
as smaller tariff incidental it can |
be included in the larger.
By itself, reciprocity is going to |
have tough row to hoe. 1t may
be sent through the House with a
Whoop when the time comes, but it |
will be handled without gloves in
the senate. At least two dozen able |
bodied and long winded senators are
prepared to handle it without mercy
or Difference to Mr.. Taft's feelings,
and when it finally emerges from
that body it will have aged and
withered exceedingly from its pris-
tine freshness. Especially the So
called insurgent senator's, repre-
senting agricultural sections are
anxious to deal with it, and what
they threaten to do to it is likely
to be a plenty. Wait and see.
Various Vermonters who have
been spending the winter in the
South are beginning to sift through
here on their way home, and others
from home are expected soon. This is
becoming notable resort and head
quarters for Vermonters for busi-
ness or pleasure or combination
of both, and there is something do
ing of home interest all the time.
In this respect I will try to keep
you fully informed. All about it
later.
AS to reciprocity, which is the
presidents ostensible excuse for the
existence of this extra session of
congress, note the following words
in the course of a recent editorial
in the Montpelier Journal: ''We may
expect to see powerful lobby of very
rich men using every possible method
to defeat reciprocity during the ex-
ira session" The Journal is mis-
informed, or uniformed. 1t will see
nothing of the kind, because there
will be no necessity or occasion for