The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-04-27


Congress are ina sort OF civil war and
that bloodshed is liable to occur a
any moment. There has been an hon
est difference of opinion on the par
of members of the delegation over q
great question, but there is no bad
feeling as the result of what has oc.
CURED. Any one SO disposed could
have seen Messrs. Webb. Kitchin and
Gudger in friendly confab on the floor
of the House today. Each man has
had his say, and I don't know of any
one in Washington who is mad over
what has been said and what has hap
pened amongst the Tar Heel congress-
men.
So much with reference to the
dove of peace which seems to
be lowering over the North Caro-
lima delegation. Listen to what
so conservative a journal as Har-
per's Magazine has to say Of the
most excellent beginning the dem
ocratic House has made:
HTo Speaker Clark, Chairman I'm
derwood, and the Democratic major
ity OF the House of Representatives:
Greetings and fluctuations! You have
donelso well that it is difficult to see
how you could have done better. You
have begun the work allotted to you
by the American people with great
dignity and becoming sobriety. Instead
of yielding to a natural and perhaps
pardonable impulse to revel in idle
~exultation, you have evidenced full
appreciation of your grave RESPONSE
bilities. You have inaugurated econ
omy by cutting off your own perquisi-
tes of patronage. You have restored
the power of the House to the chosen
representative of the people. You
have announced a plan of action ad-
mirable in fact and commendable for
its simplicity. You have undertaken
to do your full duty without attempt
ing to do too much. You have dis
appointed your enemies, gratified your
friends, and won the appreciation of
press and people from Portland to
So far more than good!,
There is no mistaking the general
of the country about the pre-
Iiminary moves of the Democrats in
the House. 1t is a feeling of approval
of surprised approval, perhaps. but
still of approval. When a caucus of
members-elect was called
last winter a good many people doubt
less interpreted that unprecedented
merely as a sign that the party
was in an unusual hurry to make
fool of itself. But it didn't turn out
that way. The caucus was orderly
and harmonious. 1t selected a capt.
tai Ways and Means committee, which
in turn has made excellent selections
for the other committees, and the ex-
row>over assignments has not
been forthcoming. The second eau
Gus did even better, for 1t not only
chose a good Speaker and enabled
of legislation, but it started right in
on the most disagreeable part of the
performance Of the party's pledges.
By a~bolishing certain unimportant
committees and by getting rid of a mum
beE of House employees it saved the
country something like two hundred
thousand dollars a year. In so doing
il denied itself a good deal of pat
ronage1-and that, too, after years and
years of no patronage at all. The new
Committee or Rules followed this up
by disappointing another expectation
f theyeynieally minded: They brought
ina set of rules that actually do dim
inish the Speakers power. That is
to- say, the Democrats have actually
done what they said they would do
when the Speaker was a Republican.
The House promptly accepted the
changes. and henceforth its commit
tees will be elected, not appointed by
the chair.
Here are things done-not mere
promises. There are a lot of promise
still outstanding, and the records is
of course only begun. But full cred
it for a fine start must be accorded"
--ewS@-