Fergus County Democrat., 1914-07-23
VIEWS OF A NOVICE

WASHINGTON, ID. G., July 15.-A
large number of the members of the
house were immensely relieved when
a report was quietly circulated a few
days ago that Oscar Underwood and
Jim Mann have tacitly agreed to enter
into sort of a gentlemen's agreement
that as quickly as the presidents con-
servatiOn bills are out of the way,
which will be within the next week or
ten days, there will not be any regular
meetings of the house. This will en-
able the boys to get back into their dis
tricts and do some campaigning, some
thing for which many of them have
been most fervently looking forward to
for some months. Practically all of
the appropriation bills are now out Of
the way, only two or three conference
reports yet remaining to receive the
attention of the house. OF the So
called conservation program there are
the reclamation extension act, which
will likely be disposed of tomorrow;
the Adamson water power BILL the Fer
ris water pOwe' bill, the Alaska coal
leasing bill and the general coal, oil,
gas and phosphate leasing bill. A rule
has already been reported for taking
up these several measures and they
will be put through the house beyond
question. This will conclude the ad-
ministration program so far as the
house is concerned and it is proposed
to give the boys a little vacation. Of
course, the house will be constructive
lv n hJ1t on lot hn
will be to meet once each three days
and adjourn. In the meanwhile, there
will be no rest for the senate. They
will be grinding away on the antitrust
bills and the best information at hand
is that it will be six weeks before they
finish. | will be surprised if they con-
clude within that limit of time, for
while the United States senate COM
prises as fine a body of gentlemen as
one could run across in days ride, it
is not particularly strong in this little
matter of concluding. Whenever every
body thinks they are about to conclude,
the staid and dignified senators gen.
orally take another hitch at their belts
and stay off the conclusion for another
week or two. l have been making
some close-range observations of the
a e f u !, painstaking and deliberate
manner in which the senate operates
for several months and never take
much stock in any prophesies as to the
length of time they will require to fin
ish any given task. They do not run
true to form always, as is shown by
the facts that they will pass an ap
preparation bill carrying hundred OF
two million dollars after fifteen min
utes' debate and then spend week
gravely discussing matter which, tc
the average individual, appears de
cidedly inconsequential. At that, as
have frequently remarked, the senate
is mighty handy institution to have
around here at the nations capitol. A.
at present constituted, it is a progress
sive body, and on very important con
structive legislation, generally improve
on the bills sent them from the house
Reverting to that gentlemen's agree
ment which, it is alleged, Underwood
and Mann propose to enter into, l an
not so certain that such an agreemen
is going to be altogether satisfactOr!
to some of the members. 1t is my owl
humble opinion that so long as th'
senate is working, the house might al
we'll go along and get some of the mat
ters of more or less local Importance
out of the way. confess to keen in
terest in few matters affecting Mon
tana which l should like to see dis
posed of before the session closes. TIL
bill throwing open the former Fort AS
siniboine military reservation to sci
tlement and turning the pest building
over to the state for use as an indus
trial school has passed the senate an
is now languishing in the house CON
mittee on military affairs. This bill
ought to be passed at the present ses
sion, but if the gentlemen's agreemen
proposition goes through, the chance
will be exceedingly slim. The progress
of the bill has been impeded by reaso
of the desire of Indian Commissions
Sells to use the post buildings for a.
Indian training school rather than 70
a white school. Members of the Nor
tana delegation have not yet abar
doned hope of getting this bill through
but realize that they are up against
hard proposition under the circun
stances.
The reclamation extension bill Wi