Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-25
WASHINGTON
Congress Drags YEARLY on with
Its Work but Enthusiasm
Has Fled--N. E. States
men Slipping Away
APPROPRIATION BILLS ARE
PUT THROUGH SENATE

| Washington, D. c., June "a tSpeciaD
Congress. for another week, has been
a scene of dull. persistent grinding.
No one goes TO the capitol at this sea-
son of the year for entertainment or
for diversion. II is all serious business
and very much of that serious business
| is appropriation bills. The House has
been all the time upon the sundry civ
IL appropriation BILL when not occupied
with special orders. II took two days
oft for contested election case and dis
played not little partisanship in UNI
seating Leonidas c. Dyer, very likely
Republican from St. Louis district
and putting In his stead Michael j.
Gill, whose chief claim TO the seat
seems to have been that he had been a
life long Democrat. The House is sup
posed to be judicial body. when con-
sidering election contests, but the cold
fact remains that the House is abso-
Lutte judge of the qualifications of its
own members and can vote man out
| and another man in to suit its own
sweet will.
the House voted recently to accept the
the judiciary. It was a big work that
committee of the House had been
engaged upon for months and made a
bill Of 1913 pages. A dryer subject
could not we'll be imagined. 1t requir-
ed many days to read. discuss. and
vote upon the thousands of paragra phs
| and 1t was done by the House on
Wednesday afternoons of each week.
The work was important for hundreds
| of statutes had been enacted regard
ing United States judges, district at
torneys, marshals, and the federal
courts in general. till there were many
| conflicts of language and resulting con-
fusion.
voluminous legislation. such as is
prevalent with Congress working from
nine to II months every year, make
these Qualifications Indispensable. A
year or so ago. the criminal laws Of
the United States were codified and 1t
was long and tedious process. Dur4
ing the last three Congresses, for ex-
| ample, there have been three different
enactments about campaign contribu-
tons and publicity as to campaign ex-
penses. These were found to conflict
been trying to eodify these three stat
utes.
There has been hurrying and scurry-
ing in the Senate. the like of Which has
not been for more than a year. This
has been to get through with the ap-
preparations. There has been no dis
| cussion worth while in that connec-
ton. The pension appropriation bill
was disposed of in few minutes and
without any controversy whatever
The Indian bill was wrangled over for
| days but that was because of Indian
funds. which attorneys are trying to
get their hands upon.
Names representation in Congress
has d.materiaily in recent days.
| Politics and college commandments
| have been the magnets drawing Maine
| Congressman away. 1t has been very
| much the same story with the
! New Hampshire delegation in Con-
gress. every enc of whom has been
! away to attend the flag day celebra-
| ton at Manchester, and, in some de-
| gree with the Massachusetts delega-
| ton. There are several Harvard grad
yates In Congress from Massachusetts,
most of whom went home to attend
| commencement at Cambridge. Sena-
tor Lodge who has since sailed for
England went of course to be present
at the exercises as president of the
Harvard Alumni Assn. Senator Weeks
| had son graduating from Harvard.
Indeed the attendance of New Eng
| land congressman from all six states
B -
| be for some days to come. Politics are
becoming interesting in Maine and
| New Hampshire certainly, IL not in
Massachusetts and other states. Then
college commandments, now occurring
| throughout New England. bring to-
| gether large companies of graduates
| and Congressman, who enjoy degree,
/ are not averse to going back at this
| season OF the year TO ascertain what
the more intellectual sentiment of
their constituencies may be.
| Representative Kinds of the First
Maine district, has fled from the heat
of Washington to rest by the Cum
berland shore for awhile. He Is a
| trustee of Colby College and will go to
| Watervflle for the commencement
/ there unless called back to Washing
ton. At present he does not intend
returning to Washington unless the
Democratic rules committee bring up
that Hobson amendment, providing for
IL constitutional amendment for ma
tional prohibition. That, at best. will
not be till some time in July. Before
his departure Mr.. Kinds sat with the
House committee on merchant marine
and fisheries and participated in the
deliberations which resulted in a re-
port on the so-called Seaman's bill.
He did what he could as a minority
member to modify the provisions of
the Senate bill, which were especially
severe in requiring shipowners TO
equip their vessels with lifeboats TO
the full passenger capacity and also
to provide two able seamen for every
lifeboat.
Senator Charles F. Johnson went
home to attend Commencement exer-
cises at Bowdoin, where ne is a trus-
tee His class. that Of 1879, holds a
reunion this year and the senior sem
ator wished to be on hand for that
occasion. Before he left Washington
-.