Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-03-03

hall these days TO catch the pathos Of swan
songs murmurred by retiring statesmen.
What cannot be heard may be read in the
faces Of the victims OF public disfavor.
At the stroke Of ~ Saturday noon. the con
I gressonal life OF score Of notables and
many OF the small fry cease for t., present,
! II not forever. Some will be missed from
! legislative councils others viii drop out
without creating a ripple In the congress
| sional sea- on the senate side the most
notable departure Is that of Nelson w.
| Aldrich, for twenty-nine years senator
| from Rhode Island and bellwether OF the
/ 'od guard" Mr. Aidrich retires volun'
/ tarily, being in this respect an exception TO
! the rule. Senator Eugene Hale Of Maine
| concludes thirty years services under cir
cumstances different from those impelling
| the senator from Rhode Island. The lat
ter's seat was secure had he desired re-
election and a republican was chosen to
succeed him. Political conditions In Maine
! foreshadowed an upheaval. Mr.. Hale read
| the signs and took to cover making room
for q democratic successor Julius Caesar
Burrows Of Michigan, staunchest Of the
! ''old guard" retires in favor of a progres-
sive republican, after thirty years in the
! congressional harness. Both Burrows and
| Aldrich continue in the public service as
members Of the Monetary commission with
| the salaries Of senator's Chauncey Depew
Of New York, Charles Dick of Ohio, VIII
| liam Warner OF Missouri, Albert j. Bever-
| idge of Indiana, Tom Carter Of Montana,
/ Nathan Bay Scott Of West Virginia John
| Kean OF New Jersey and Elmer ]. Burkett
! Of Nebraska, all republicans, retire in favor
Of democrats. Senators Flint Of California,
Money Of Mississippi, Tallaferro Of Florida
and Frazier Of Tennessee, form the rear
| - tlo ynalancbo1v rrOceaqiOu
The wounds Of defeat varously affect the
tempers Of the victims. Chauncey Depew
is as CHEEKY as a schoolboy at the begin
ming of vacation, overlooking with optlm-
| ism and working a glad hand to the limit
Tom Carter is full Of the same spirit, hav-
! ing landed another public Job on the In
ternational Waterways commission. or
the remaining members, Senator Scott is
marked as inconsolable. He was so certain
OF reelection that he spent most OF his
campaign time in Europe, returning home
| just before the awful blow fell. No such
radical changes in the ranks Of the old
timers occur in the house. Though the
number dropping out is greater than in
the senate, they are as a whole far less
conspicuous in point OF service and COM
manding ability. Only two retire with
records eauallng the best Of the senator's
]. A. T. Hull OF Iowa and James A. Tawney
Of Minnesota The former headed the Mill
tary committee and the latter the Appropri-
atoms committee for years and stamped
their individuality on the legislation coming
| from these important committees. Both
are prize offerings on the affairs Of republi-
can insurgency. failing the house process
sion is Uncle Lou" Livingstone OF Georgia
one Of the lonesome democratic supporters
of Speaker Cannon, an alliance which cost
him his seat A moving spectacle OF van
ishing greatness, truly; grave and gay in
its aspect, some cheered by "come back"
hopes; others, weighted by years Of ser
vice, vanishing into the lengthening shad-
ows without hope of return. "Goodby,
old fellows. gpodbyl"
The $14OO0O00O sundry civil appropria-
ton bill that is now going through the
process of passing congress is q wonder
full conglomeration Of items. 1t is a good
deal like a housekeeper's expense account,
for 1t represents nearly all the little and
big things that Uncle Sam has to pay for
to keep his household going.
For Instance, 1t carries ell the money
! for the construction and fertilization OF
| the Panama canal, something like $4,000
900 in one year, and in the next breath a
paltry 500 for making improvements on
George Washington's birthplace at Wake
! field, Va. II carries 100000 for the sup
port of the customs service and $500 for
feeding the buffalo in the Yellowstone Ma
tional park.
1t also looks out for the reindeer in
Alaska, for the enforcement Of antitrust
laws, for the payment OF President Taft's
travelling expenses, for the great govern
ficlal limbs for old soldiers, for unwilling
statue to John Paul Jones, for building
light houses. for repairing the house where
Abraham Lincoln died, for dredging New
York harbor, for putting a new roof on
the patent office, for building a new ice
plant in the State department and, finally, |
for the support of Wind Cave National
park. 1t is a bill OF wonderful scope and
1t would be hard to think of anything, |
from a paper of needles to an automobile, |
that Il does not in some way provide for |
Unless all signs fail Champ Clark's term
as Speaker OF the House OF Representa-
tives will bring forth the finest lot Of
epigrams which have gone across the |
speakers desk in many a moon.
As the presiding officer of the house the |
Missourian will be compelled to cross |
swords with some mighty clever statesman |
who will attempt to tie him into q parlia- |
mentary knot When Champ is hard |
pressed In the heat Of debate he is almost |
certain 10 deliver himself OF language |
which although always expressive and 10
the point is not considered elegant
Serene Z. Payne Of New York. one Of the
men who will be in a bothersome minority
next year. never fails to drag an epigram
out Of Clark.
During the consideration OF the tariff
commission bill Mr.. Payne poked fun at
Clark's inability to deliver a solid demo-
cratic vote.
"A little more o. that kind OF CAB and
I'll beat your BILL" was the choice morsel
OF parliamentary talk Clark flung across
tho ailse.
1t was Mr.. Payne also who was response
BILE FOR remark by Clark which may be in
common usage in Missouri, but which was
never heard before on the floor OF the
house. Mr.. Payne was engaged In his
usual occupation Of haunting the democrats.