The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-02-11
Our Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. g, 1915. Parlous
times prevail at the seat of government and
no one knows what the outcome will be- The
ship bill, championed by the administration,
has been all but defeated in the United States
Senate and, in the course of few DAYS, NAV
be dead for this session Of Congress. Repub-
licans turned the trick by aid of seven re-
calcitrant Democrats and are in high feather
The Democratic party seems woefully divided.
The long expected break appears to have come
at last.
Senator Burleigh of Maine stood with the
gallant opponents of this ship measure and as
sisted in engineering through to an apparently
successful finish the most important Republic
can battle that the Senate has seen for a gen.
Grafton. He had been at his residence for some
days laid up with bad case of grip, attended
with nose bleeding, when Republicans sent for
him to come to the Capitol if he possibly could.
They needed him to help in the generalship.
The junior Maine Senator responded and for
the best part of twenty four hours worked
with all the energy in him. By that time the
Democrats had been temporarily routed and
all their fine plans for prolonged siege to
force the ship bill to a final vote has been des-
troyed
BY their neglect Of the regular business,
which includes the passage of fourteen big
appropriation bills, carrying total of one bill
lion dollars. Democrats have again shown their
incapacity and probably extra session of
Congress in the spring will be indispensable.
There is just bare possibility of its being
avoided. The Maine folks here have been
hopeful of rest from Congress during the
summer and autumn.
Senator Burleigh is still in receipt of petit
tions from Maine in behalf of National Pro-
hibition He has presented these to the Sem
ate for reference to the proper committee.
The Senate will not take any action on National
Prohibition at this session.
Democratic Senators, crying out against the
distractions against their ship bill, have SAID
many things of an unusual character During
the ''sonorous contest" statements have been
made that would have attracted much interest
only few years ago. The late Ex-Speaker
Reed, Of Maine, for instance, if he were alive,
would be putting in his scrap book for preser-
walton the language Of Senator Thomas, Dem
ocrat, of Colorado. praising the Revolution
ary" work that was done in the National
House during the tempestuous Fifty first Con-
gress.
lone of the greatest men this country ever
produced" said Senator Thomas in the debate,
"was Thomas B. Reed of Maine He was great
in many ways and in many things, but the
greatest of all his accomplishments was his
complete revolution of the rules of proceed
ure of the House of Representatives. He there
found condition that could well be termed
one of legislative anarchy, and had had much
| experience with it's attempted operation
| through many years of previous service"
HE had the courage and the &c MUS to con-
front that situation, and. despite bitter opposi-
ton and personal abuse proceeding from every
quarter, he established system of rules
which makes it possible to do business in that
body, and which its bitterest opponents were
obliged to adopt.
II believe can say with perfect truth that
unless some such dominant character appears
here in the Senate very soon and performs
for this body similar service, the people will
take the subject in hand and attend to the
case themselves. In other words. if it is to be
merely an obstructive institution, the Senate
ought to 60. for progress can not lag behind
cumbrous chariot drawn by legislative oxen.
old and blind and halt and feeble, going in all
directions except the right one, or not going
at ALL"
All of this would look well and read we'll in
parallel columns with much that was said of
Speaker Reed twenty-five. years ago. when
the robust and raucus "Buck" Kilgore, of
Texas. kicked down a House door that inter-
posed between him and fight for the purpose
of breaking House quorum.
This is the time when Congress should be