Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-17

Washington, d. C., Dec. 1.-THE dig
nified gentlemen who collectively
compose the greatest deliberative
body on EARTH that is to say. the
United States senate, are sitting up
nights in a determined endeavor to
hit upon some means of adequately
furnishing the Hon. Harry Lane, SEN
ator from Oregon.
The senators are peeved: yea
more, they are mad clean through.
And they will not be satisfied until
they have found some form of punish
ment. excruciating and yet refined.
which will make the Honorable Mr..
Lane sorry that he has said what he
has said.
The cause for the strong current of
feeling against Mr.. Lane on the part
Of his colleagues may be found in a
recent interview which Lane gave out
Here II is in part:
President Wilson goes to the SEN
ate and says he wants certain
piece OF legislation Well, the senate
proceeds TO do things to that bill.
They drive nails in it; they maltreat
IL: they stuff it full of burrs; they
mangle II. and then send the bleeding
remains to the president with their
compliments. The president does not
get what he wants, but he is commit
ted 10 the measure and can't veto it.
lated TO make the poor man site up half
the night sweating blood and wonder
ing where he is at.
And ,he wind jamming and hot
air, They talk and talk and then
talk some more, and you can't shut
EN- up, for senatorial courtesy is the
slogan. That senatorial courtesy is
the biggest joke have found at Wash
ington. II is the rule that any sena-
tor can talk to his hearts content; he
can put IN two or three days il he
wants to and no one objects They
will permit their most nefarious mem
Der to spout words without end, be-
cause if any one tries to stop him the
objector knows that he also will be
stopped some time.
They are great for precedent
they call it pree-cee-dent. They go
tracing precedent back to the days of
Noah and they wouldn't for the world
DO anything contrary to precedent. i
have watched them argue precedent I,
Tor three days while important mat !
.ers are hanging in the air by their /!
.oenails.
"A birdseye view of the senate /
shows there are few highly intelli- 1
gent men. but the bulk are just com |
non. ordinary. average NUTS They |
ire the same sort you find in the /
council, in the legislature, or in the
street. but every one is the 'distin-
,uished gentleman from Oregon or
whatever state It is. That 'distin-
,uished gentleman stuff is senatorial
courtesy. In Washington, just the
anne. a senator is some pumpkins
lis card takes him anywhere, and ev-
~ time he flashes his card every one /
umps. He sends in his card, and the
resident sees him while other people
raft. He offers his card in a depart
1ent. and there is an upheaval 10 as
list him.
Sometimes II looks as II a couple
{ senators will fight, but they never
o. for some one always gets in be-
geen them before the blow is struck.
have never interfered myself for I
-ould like TO see them scrap.
Now about appropriations. There
, all sorts of CRAFTS. and most of the
enators have a pet graft to stick into
ne appropriation bills. The taxpay-
rs are not considered. But these
lings will change and the pork bar
FL will be plugged so that ones hands
annot be showed in 10 the elbow.