The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-01-18
NEWS OF WEEK
At WASHINGTON
ITEMS OF INTEREST ABOUT THE
LAWMAKERS AT THE MA
TlONAl CAPITOL
DEMOCRATS WORKING IN HARMONY
Name of Senator Cummins Being Men,
toned for Presidency-Other
News Of Interest

Representative George w. Norris
has the distinction of being the first
congressman to make a dent in the
solid front the Democratic majority
of the House has been able to muster
on nearly all occasions. After as neat
a scrap as has been pulled off this
session the Nebraskan took ~eighty-one
Democrats of the progressive kind,
away from Leader Underwood, they
having joined the twenty-six progress
sive Republicans in attempting to de-
feat the placing Of Representative
Campbell Of Kansas on the committee
on rules to succeed former Represen-
tative Madison of Kansas. Mr.. Norris
made it plain that his position was
not one of personal opposition to Mr..
Campbell, or Republican Leader Mann,
who was responsible for the naming
Of Mr.. Campbell, but he fought, as he
always has, against the system of the
caucus through which power Mr.. Mann
controlled the nomination. The plac-
ing Of Mr.. Campbell on the committee
prevailed by a vote Of 1877 to 107.
While the occurance marked a divi-
sion between the two branches of the
Republican party that has often been
in evidence heretofore, yet the real
concern felt at the capital resulting
from the clash, is for the first time
since he assumed the party leader.
ship Mr.. Underwood was unable to
control his forces, indicating that pos
sibly he is not, after all, the real
! Moses destined to lead the long.
cared Democratic animal or: Of the
wilderness.
The Committee on Expenditures in
the Interior Department was before
the House asking for an a%ppropria-
ton for a junket among the White
Earth Indians Of Minnesota, and for
further cash to make another side trip
to the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona. A
number of congressman declared that
the Democratic members Of the COM
mittee were wandering afar from the
legitimate scope OF the work laid out
for them. Mr.. Humphrey, of Washing
ton, chided the majority for abandon
ing their "Dick-to-Dick" episode. Mr..
Burke, of South Dakota, declared that
he does not oppose ANY investigation
that any committee of this House may
in good faith undertake, but l do in
sist that these investigating commit
tees, or rather the expenditures COM
mittee, should he kept within the scope
of the rules of the House of Represen-
tatives and the resolution number 103,
which was adopted by this House,
which does not enlarge the jurisdiction
of these expenditures committees one
iota."
The name of Senator Cummins Of
Iowa, p~ersistently finds a place in the
political gossip Of the capital as a
probability on the presidential ticket
of 1912. For many weeks the har.
monizers have been specializing on the
effect of putting out a boom for Taft
and Cummins," but more recently
there has been a renewal OF the talk
for Cummins for first place, it being
that Senator La Toilette advocates,
and would not only entirely satisfy
the Republican Progressives, but
would at the anne time be very sat
isfactory to the regulars, with whom
he has for many years been on very
good terms. OF course the Cummins
movement does % loom large, as
the Taft and La Toilette campaigns
hold the center of attraction. But
the same forces and sentiment that
are declaring for Colonel Roosevelt
might, without very much surprise,
center on the Iowan, in the event Of
contingencies arising that are not
impossible.
The correspondent OF the Register
was in one of the elevators in the
House Of Representatives Office build
ing a few days since, and as the car
started upward the affairs OF the
great home newspaper filled his mind.
Someone was saying: This is in
deed a ine building-I never have
been in 1t before" Attracted by the
question and a friendly tap I looked
straight into the eyes of Andrew
Carnegie. and forgetting to ask him