The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-12-26
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

as a dead politician, then We have In
the reassembling OF congress the
greatest array of statesmen ever col
lected under the Capital dome. The
shattered p~halanxies Of republicans
are on deck, but like Christians in
Turkey they wonder what 10 to hap
pen next. Never forgetful of the Ides
of November they wonder whether
anything worse a possibly happen.
| Not a single democrat need be told
that he is a part of "the whole show
he knows 1t.
1t was considered quite natural
that Speaker Champ Clark should
break two great mallets in less than
an hour and a half OF the first session,
but one cannot help wondering how
many the Speaker would have requir-
| ed In the same length OF time had the
majority rule been in force in the
| Baltimore convention. The house
| will be in order" he would declare,
| giving at the same time mighty
whacks with a mighty gavel. But
surely good old Champ while repeat.
ing this phrase sixty times a minute
for eighty odd minutes on the opening
day of congress, could never have
meant 1t once. another striking Illus
%tration in progress since George Wash.
| pertnn ,0nfaooaa tho ahnrr, trna IL
| cident.
Strange though 1t may seem, during
the continuous round of ovations in
the house on the opening day, ex-
| Speaker Cannon, erstwhile arch
enemy Of every democratic policy,
was accorded the monster ovation OF
the day. In March he will have com.
pleted nearly forty years service in
the house, and though official Cannon
and C~annonism have been assailed
throughout the country, yet Cannon,
the uncle Joe" kind. Is so likable and
unique that not v the most parts
an democrats In the chamber attempt
ed to refrain from showing their kind
ly feeling toward the good old scout
whose scalp has so long been eagerly
sought. Included in the cheering
game, which was equal in velocity to
a football rush, and in righteousness
a rival OF the motor cycle, four COVER
norselect were given distinct recog-
milton, they being Cox of Ohio, Robin
son Of Arkansas, SulZsr of New York
and Hanna Of North Dakota.
The opening Of the senate was a
sober affair as the hour glass of life
had spent the sands, and three of the
members Of the worlds greatest legis-
lative body had in a few short weeks
fallen with the autumn leaves to en-
rich mother earth. Vice-President
Sherman was gone, and so were Sena-
tors Hepburn and Rayner. The SEES
sion was devoted entirely to the men,
ory of those who had fallen, and with
grave and thoughtful demeanor those
in the senate observed the brief pro-
ceedings. In the evening as the writ
er OF this paragraph was on his way
home he met Senator La Toilette, and
the latter also homeward bound, trudg-
ed along with bowed head. The i'm
patient gladiator like the other sena-
tors had been unable to shake of the
depression OF a scene which emphasiz-
ed the insignificance Of man, mas
much Is In a few short weeks three
mighty leaders Of the thought and
action of the nation had been called
from life's labors to their everlasting
abode in the Kingdom Of God.
A democratic argument is that sup
posing there are 10000 fourth class
postmasters in the United States,
there are an exactly equal number of
reasons why the incoming president
should annul President Taft's order
placing this class of officials in the
civil service.
The readers of this paper will not
be surprised to learn that representa-
tive Lindbergh of Minnesota, who is
the original money trust buster, did
not wait to get his rubbers of before
he commenced bombarding congress
at the opening Of the session, to re
prove it's money trust investigating
committee. Lindbergh's hat covers
more than the ordinary amount of
grey matter. and he hasn't much pa
thence with a committee that spends
months In foolish attempts to get evil
dence that might implicate a whole
lot Of capitalists in engineering high
finances. He just takes that much
for granted, and wants congress to
have the information necessary to
properly legislate to prevent a few
head BANKERS In New York debating
the policy of thousands OF their cor.
respondents throughout the country,
who in turn hold the local financial
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