The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-20
MAKING A BLUFF AT WORK
congressman Wearying Of Pretense at
Keeping Busy

Keeping Busy
Washington, May 1S.-The congress
ional situation is enigmatical beyond
the comprehension Of mortality.
Every senator and representative pro-
fesses the most earnest desire to close
up and 90 home. and nobody is doing
anything to bring adjournment about.
On the contrary, they are refusing to
do anything to that end. Not one en-
ergetic move is being made looking
toward that result Paradoxical, but
quite true. The House is making
bluff at initiating working body, as
it is expected to keep busy until the
senate takes some action looking tow
ard a wind-up, but it is having a pain
full and laborous job in keeping up
the farce The House knows that
certain sentiment throughout the
country expects it to play loudly with
the economy and tariff reduction stop
pulled away out, but the pretence of
keeping busy along these lines with
the certain prospect OF accomplishing
nothing is becoming decidedly mono
tonous.
1t is expected of the democratic
House majority that il continue the
raid on the customs receipts of the
treasury, but in so doing it has al
ready created serious divisions in its
own ranks Therefore ii is anxiously
waiting for the senate to take some
action on something-preferably reci-
procity--which will give the whole out
fit a reasonable excuse for shutting
up shop and going home. The extra
session was sprung on the democrats
before they had time to discover
where the party was really at, and
they now see the urgent necessity for
an intermission until December to
give them time to pull themselves to-
gether.
Nevertheless, the senate shows no
disposition to pull them out 1t is
plugging away at the public hearings
on reciprocity and the free list down
in the senate Finance committee room
until two o'clock each afternoon, and
then it fritters away little time in
a short session at which nothing is
done or seriously attempted, and then
ulAllD vi W AiiC OlAGt buliQllb vi
home. Monday-the two and one-half
hours of the session-was occupied
with introducing a few bills, taking
couple more ballots in an Intellectual
attempt TO elect a president pro tenn
pore, the first half of a characteristic
speech by NewlalGs OF Nevada TO
which Is ever, nobody listened, and
then adjournment Tuesday ditto,
the Newlands oratory being finished.
Wednesday the usual TWO votes On
the presidency pro ten, few more
bills were introduced and laid 10 rest,
and then Crawford of South Dakota
made Grafton on reciprocity-to be
concluded in our next. Thursday ex-
actly the same, except that the SEN
ate received the other end OF Craw-
ford's speech.
This is fair sample of each days
work. Work" did you ask2 Yes,
and as far as the eye can see, there is
nothing else on the horizon Nobody
knows, and nobody seems to care.
Time is at an end, and we are appar-
entity living in eternity. 1t is evident
that the senate has nothing whatever
III TIC nlaHf VI oNnAbAtAAANN Vi q HAD"
gram, and If IL had one IL would be as
unavailing and useless as a corkscrew
in dry town. AS a matter OF fact,
any program at this time under the
sanction of party authority is impossi-
bic Necessarily, as a minority party
the democrats cannot formulate any
aggressive program, the standard and
unalterable program OF the insurgents
is simply TO oppose whatever the ma
jority of the republicans decide TO do,
and the regulars by themselves are
shown by the failure 10 carry out
their caucus program TO be in the mi
nority OF the entire opposition,
Under such circumstances il is use
less for anybody to formulate any
policy and to make any attempt to
carry it out There is no cohesion,
even. in any faction Four insurgent
republicans are favorable to recipro-
city at this time, and nine are against
it, Seven regular republicans are for
it, and thirty are against it. At least
FIVE democrats are against it, while
the remainder are yet counted tor IT,.
There are splits within splits, and
brother is arTayed against brother. OF
course the result is that no individual
senator can guess how any PROPOSE
ton will be received, or what will
happen to it, Confronted by such a
situation it is no wonder that there is
hesitancy in trying to force action in
any direction.
At intervals during this period Of
nerveless drifting Senator Borah en-
deavors TO accelerate the devious
and tempestous career Of his election
OF senators resolution in the direction
of a final vote, but some sort OF limo
cuous incubus stands in the way This
he has courtecusly given way to thus
far, but he is liable to insist before
long that the senatorial courtesy
which produces nothing but natural
gas be temporarily laid aside and
some actual progress made on the
real business before the senate. He
has already asked for unanimous con
sent that a day well in the future may
be named by unanimous consent when
vote may be had on his resolution,
but somebody always pops up with an
objection. Therefore, in the words
Of Alabama, here we rest
The House leaders began the week
with the announced intention of dis
DOsing of the statehood bills before