Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-16
BY ARTHUR WALLACE DUNN

"IOu have three-tOurthS OF the commit
tee: why don't you have them report 1t
out? | will call meeting of the committee
at any time you say, and it can vote on the
bill
So it was arranged that the committee
should be called on a certain day at eleven
o'clock. 1t was near the close of the session,
and the day fixed was the last chance to get
the bill reported with any possible show of
consideration.
On the day previous to the meeting OF the
committee member of the House had an
appropriation bill up that he was anxious
to pass as soon as possible All day long
Mann worried him with this or that pro-
vision, provoking discussion and delaying
the measure until near the hour of adjourn
ment. Then Mann suggested that in order
to make better progress the member IN
charge of the bill should ask the House to
meet earlier the next day. BY unanimous
consent the House agreed to meet at eleven
o'clock.
Promptly at eleven o'clock the members
of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Committee assembled, and as the committee
was called to order bv Chairman Mann he
said, IL have never obtained permission
from the House to have this committee sit
during the sessions of the House, and con-
sequently it has no authority to remain in
session..
The members in favor of the life saving
bill looked blankly at one another. Several
tried to smile; but the attempt was feeble,
and one, more indignant than the others,
blurted out:
well, I'll be BANKED. If we haven't
been done bv another lin Mann trick"
And they filed out of the committee room,
while Mann grinned like the cat that had
swallowed the canary.
A UGUSTUS P. GARDNER Of NIassa-
= chusetts and Victor Murdoch of Kan
sas, both members of the House of Repre-
sentatives, are very good friends; although
one is mild standpatter Of the New Eng
land stripe, and the other is a red-headed
Progressive (the hair is curly as well as
auburn). These two men, one from the
effete East and the other from the wild and
woolly West, enjoy each other, and frequent
ly have an exchange of words with the ut
most good feeling, but with display of wit.
@Vic,' said Gardner one day, 81 am pro-
gressive,-not progressive with a big P as
you are,-so | want to tell you what | re-
gard as a type of real standpatter. During
the campaign in Massachusetts, | found that
my secretaries had various shades OF poll
tics, such as the contest OF 1912 afforded.
One knew was Progressive, such as you
are; and another standpatter, but to what
extent l could not say. There were four
amendments proposed to the constitution
of Massachusetts, last year. and one day in
one Of our informal discussions after luncheon
nv Progressive secretary asked the standpat
secretary:
"'Lou, how are you going to vote on those
four constitutional amendmentso
"'I'm going to vote against every dashed
one of them replied Lou. What are they
about, anyway
"Now, that man was standpatter OF the
Joe Cannon type, concluded Gardner, and
Murdoch agreed with him.
TOHN 7. FITZGERALD, who is chairman
, of the House Committee on appropria-
tons, confided to Norman f. Mack some
of his woes as a watchdog of the Treasury.
Mack, who was for four years chairman of
the Democratic national committee, was on
a short visit to Washington to see his many
friends.
"There was place in the Treasury De