The Washington times., 1916-04-14
NEW MEMBERS HAD HARD FIGHT.

NEW MEMBERS i
At that time the opposition on the
foor Of the House was led by Con-
gresham Frear OF Wisconsin, who was
a new member and had to struggle a
long time before he could get recognition
as an authority on the subject.
The House paid practically no atten-
ton 90 his protests. but when the bill
got TO the Senate his efforts received
proper recognition. and there was such
a microscopic examination of the sub
ject as had never before been known.
AZ a result OF a fght lasting several
weeks. the Senate killed the bill that
had passed the House and substituted an
authorization that twenty million dol
lars should be spent under the direction
OF the army engineers in doing neces-
sary work. particularly that Of maintain
ing.
A year later. the House passed u
SSS.OO0.O00 bill. and this was side-tracked
in very similar fashion and k3o0oO.0OO
authorization for necessary work was
The treatment accorded by the House
to the river and harbor legislation this
year makes II pretty apparent that the
time 10 at hand when the old pork
system IL going to be dumped and
river and harbor legislation will be
required to possess some merit before II
can pass.
This win really be a great gain. for
the House has been pork" headquarters.
The one particular feature OF legislation
In which every member presumed hill-
eelf entitled to get something for his
district" has leng been the river and
harbor bill. IL was absolutely necessary
to pass a piece OF the pie to everybody.
lest somebody. taking offense, might rise
in his place and "bawl out" the entire
project.
Gained About 50 Votes.
It 10 pointed out as a hopeful sign that
this years river and harbor bill passed
with only 40 affirmative votes while
i3a were cast against It. Thus the op-
position gained about hfty votes.
Before the bill went to tho final vote
q substitute was offered In the form Of
a S20,OOO.0OQ authorization to carry. or
works which the engineers regarded Al
essential. On this proposal the vote
was 100 ayes. to l99 noes. This vote
represented high-water mark, 90 far al
the House is concerned. In the ef'
fort fo= sanity and sound business
A long list Of the most Influential
men in the, House. Republicans and
Democrats alike. voted against the bill
Not only this, but II was opposed by
substantially solid delegations from sew
eral States that are presumed TO DC
leading beneficiaries OF this kind OF ap'
preparation.
II 10 only fair to say that Jim
Frear, OF wisconsin. is entitled to most
Of the credit for what has been accom-,
piished in the direction OF river and
| n NJ
customed to parliamentary scrappine
and to leading forlorn hopes. When La
Toilette was governor OF Wisconsin
Frcar was one OF his most important
iioutenants. managing the railroad and
primary election measures.
Looked for Something to Reform.
Being elected to Congress. Frear cast
about fo- something that would stand
reforming. and presently riveted his
eye on the rivers and harbors graft
People had been writing and oratinl
about II for a decade. Instead OF doine
| either, FTear started to read and study
Before he ever got on his feet In tins
House 10 venture a remark on the sup.
Ject. he had quietly saturated himself
with information. He knew more aboul
the subject than any other man In tn
| House, before any other man In tn'
House suspected him OF knowing any
| thing.
Then. one day, during the considerea
| tion OF the 1914 bill, he rose and casual
ly aired a few thoroughly heterodo,
views. Several veterans hurried into
! tire arene and proceeded contemptuous
ly to brush aside the presumptuous per
son who seemed disposed to interfere
with lonE, established arrangement; Enn.I -,
won his spurs. He had done the par
! ticulaf thing that a new member or th'
House needs to do before he can con
vince II that he is worth while. He hac
made II understand that on one supJect
at least, he knew more than all the res
OF the membership. There is nothint
that impnesBes. the House so much al
that. It Is a mighty democratic body
willing to give frank and generoui
recognition to the man entitled to II
and capable of seeing through fraud al
/, readily as anybody else.
Frear's rise to the intellectual recogni
tion of the House came much as die
that OF "Davy" Lewis of Maryland
Lewis is n,as,as. st1dens thHn thr0usn odm, an,
from a coal mine to Congress. in trans
port alton. with particular reference Il
'"rhey" looked upon him as rather al
amusing nuisance until one day the op
House something about what he haC
been studying. In an hour he had me-
and discounted every leader who cared
tn cross lances with him After that HI
was always able to get q hearing: th'
House chamber would itll up rapid!
| when II was known Lewis was on thu
| floor." He had proved that he coulC
take care of himeslf, because he knew
the facts. and how to handle them.
Means of Mann's Rise.
"Jim" Mann. Republican leader today
rose by the same process. lie had no
been in Congress long before he wa
convincing colleagues that he had
really wonderful mine OF Information
about all legislation.
He seemed 10 be q specialist In every