The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-05-13
CHAINED 10 SEAT
Vice President Sherman Can't
leave His Duties.
DUE TO SENATE CONDITIONS
No Temporary Presiding ohiosr %
Succeed Frye Has Been Elected
Conservative Republicans Fear
to Let sunny Jim" Go.

Succeed Frye Has Been Elected
Conservative Republicans Fear
to Let "Sunny Jim" Go.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-The vice president Of
the United States. James s. Sherman,
Is perhaps in one way not the happiest
man this republic claims among its
citizenship. Although he is the Sec
ond officer in the governments, he finds
that he is virtually chained to his scat
except on those rare occasions when
the imperative call of duty to his pri-
vate concerns or his family makes him
arrange things 80 that he can get
away.
The senate Of the United States has
no president pro tenn. Senator VIII
liam P. Frye of Maine, who was the
duly elected presiding officer to act
In the absence Of the vice president,
died last summer, and ever since con-
gress came together the senate has
been trying without success to elect
Mr.. Frye's successor. The progressive
Republicans want one senator named
Tor the place and the conservative Re-
publicans want another, while the
Democrats stand by q third candidate.
The result has been a deadlock which
has prevented the election of any man
to take Senator Frye's place. There
is no immediate prospect that an cleo
ton can be forced, for neither side to
the controversy seems to be willing to
yield. "
His Vote Might Be Needed.
As a result of this trouble the vice
president finds it difficult to get away
from Washington. The Republican
majority in the senate is small and
such as it is, 1t Is divided against It,
self and so the conservative Republic
cans object to having Mr.. Sherman
away when anything of Importance is
going to come to vote for fear that
his vote might be necessary to carry
the day for them in case there were 4
tie, for the vice president of the
United States has no voice in the gov
eminent except when it is used to say
yea or nay on some question on which
the vote in the upper house is equal
between the two sides.
Mr.. Sherman did go away for few
days recently and a Democratic sena-
tor was appointed president pro tenn,
but the Republicans took good care
that during the time of leave nothing
should come to vote which was Of
the least legislative importance. Mr..
Sherman sits in the chair now almost
with the Continuous regularity with
which Mr.. Fairbanks sat in it. The
former vice president was away from
his duties in tho senate on only two
occasions during the four years Of his
incumbency, once when he went into
the south to address a gathering Of
Methodist churchmen and once when
he went to Canada to represent this
government at some great official func-
tion.> ..... ..... -
Mr.. Fairbanks always has been
known as strong party man and
while the following story has been told
good many times, it may not be out
Of place to repeat 1t because it has to
do with one Of the two trips which he
made while he was vice president.
Fairbanks and the Meti,odlsts.
1t must be borne in mind that the
gathering Of the Methodist brethren
which it was Mr.. Fairbanks privilege
to address was held in the south, in
Alabama If memory holds, and virtual
ly all the delegates to the convention.
were Democrats. When Mr.. Fairbanks
rose to make his speech, such Is tho
force of habit that he began his re-
marks with Fellow Republicans"
Then there was good-natured roar
and Mr.. Fairbanks, beginning again,
started in properly with Brethren
Vice President Sherman gets away
in the summer provided congress is
not in session. He likes the woods
life and he goes into the Adirondack
Mountains for a month or two of camp
ing experience, and occasionally he
goes to the st. Lawrence river to visit
boyhood friend who has a camp on
an island not far from Lake Ontario.
Mr.. Sherman is good deal of fisher
man. but one day when he was at the
Thousand Islands, which are only four
hours ride from his home In Utica, N.
Y, he flshed virtually all day without
catching anything, although his friend
who was In the: boat with him had a
fair days sport. s
When they got back to camp the
vice president said that he had hoped
he could take big fish down to his
home in Utica with him that night.
They wanted one. for dinner the next
day. It was laushingly suggested that
luck might be tried again within a
tow yards Of the camp, No one ap-
parently took the suggestion seriously
for there were not supposed to be any
big fish 80 close at hand, but finally
Mr. Sherman's host picked up rod
and line, jumped into q boat and rowed
put about hundred feet from the
pier and in less than fifteen minutes
had landed twelve pound pickerel
which the vice presidents family ate
With due gratitude the next day.