The Washington times., 1911-04-19
VAIL IN CONGRESS
AS CHAUTAUQUA
I FEES FADE AWAY
All-Summer Session Will Be
Drain on Pockets of
Z lawmakers.
CANCEL DATES UP
-. TO SEPTEMBER |
Ollie James and Many Others
Mournfully Surrender Fat
i Speaking Contracts.

Pitiful walls from the Chautauqua
lecturers are being heard in the Senate
and House of Representatives. Mem
p bers of both branches of Congress who
add TO their incomes by Iecturing be-
tween sessions of Congress are the best
sources of information On the subject
Of how. long a session Of Congress is to
last. ~
: Ask any Of those Congressional lectu-
rers how long the present extraordinary
session is to last. and each and every
one Of them, from Champ Clark down,
will pull a long face and tell a pitiful
story of the enormous sums of money
he is certain TO lose by reason of the
expected prolonged debates in the House
and Senate on Canadian reciprocity and
other tariff measures.
Chairman Underwood, of the Ways
and Means Committee of the House, and
several of the Senate leaders are being
besiegcd daily nv the Chputauquans for
some hint as TO the length of the ses-
sion. MIR. Underwood is hearing pitiful
tales of contracts which call for the ap-
pearance of the lecturers not later than
July l.
Go over to-,the. Senate" saws Mr..
Underwood. IF the House had It's way
you could sign your contract
No Appearances Before Sept I.
There is little consolation for the lee
turer at the Senate end of the Capitol
The Senate leaders frankly admit that
the date of adjournment is mere mat
ter of speculation. but several OF the
lecturers who are being hard pressed by
the lecture bureaus have been advised
that it will no! he safe to sign con-
tract calling for ;heir appearance in the
public forum before September l.
amount of money for delivering lee
lures on the various Chautaulua cir
cults. Champ Clark, now Speaker, was
reputed to draw down $500 fer each ap-
gearance between sessions of Congress.
The late Senator Dolliver of Iowa was
an equally high-pTiCed man. Albert J.
Beveridge, of Indiana, who retired from
the Senate on March 1, is one of the big
drawing cards. but the orator from the
Hoosier State never accepts a fee for
delivering a speech. He charges fancy
prices for his writings. but he talks for
the love of talking, and for the love of
the cause. Senator La FCllette, of Wis
Consin, when his health permits, has no
difficulty in finding all the lecture en-
gagements he can possibly take care Of
Senators Borah and Cummins also are
in demand.
House Insurgents Sought.
In the House the insurgents are much
Fought for on the lecture platform. Rep
resentative Norris of Nebraska, who led
the fight against Speaker Cannon two
years ago, has offers for many engage
ments, and the same is true of Victor
Murdock, of Kansas. Uncle Joe" Can
non is being pestered to death by lee
ture managers, but Uncle Joe" does
not need TO worry about patching up his
income by means OF public lectures, and
he is turning all offers down. The for
mer Speaker wants to go to Europe for
an extended trip if the pemocrat tic
House will only let him get away.
Ihere Is one member of the House
who has the lecturing business down
to a science. He is Representative
Henry George of New York, the single
tax advocate. Mr.. George manages his
own lecture tours, maintains his own
speaking bureau, and even hires other
prominent lecturers to speak under his
direction.
James Cancels Engagements.
Lecturing, however, does not promise
10 be profitable industry in the year
1911, so far as members of Congress are
concerned.
How long are we going to be in ses-
sion?' one of the lecturers asked Ollie
NJ. James of Kentucky, a member of
the Ways and Means Committee.
II have Cancelled every engagement
up TO September L. replied James 1T
cost me a lot of money TO do so, but
! either had to send in the cancellation
or break the contract. Just at present
! am reasonably busy filling Democratic
contracts in the House. and 1 guess the
Republicans will have to stay here until
next fall to see us keep our campaign
pledges