The daily Alaskan., 1917-01-19
px ARTHUR ". DUNN.

may be tempest in teapot, but It had real seriousness in cOngress-this revolt of Congressman Gardner against Jim Mann and his announcement that Mann could not have bis support for speaker. It is not yet definitely known whether the Republicans can control the next house-probably they can not-but in case they do have the votes when the final count Is made It IS more than doubtful about the election of Mann as speaker. There are quite number of Republicans who will not vote for him; there are others who would not vote for him unless there had been an agreement to continue the curtailment of the power of speaker as exercised during the terms Champ E Clark has been speaker.
 Has an lmperious Will.
 Jim Mann Is almost master of tho house by reason of his knowledge Of everything technical, matters large and small, and the indefatigable and care full study he gives to every question. But even when his party was In the | majority he made many enemies by bis objections and turning down men who wanted to get bills through. As minority leader he has been an im- perious master He has made his par ty associates bow to his will.
 But there is another fact that has caused Republicans to question wheth- CT they should support him for speak CT. That is his indorsement of the presidents position on one or two mat ters and the tributes he has paid to Democrats who have retired from con gress.
 "Its not good politics" remarked western Republican. "Those things are copied in the Democratic press of the country and are thrown up to us at every turn during the campaign"
 Democratic Responsibility.
 A number of Republicans of promi- hence in the house, particularly those who will not get any prominence or chairmanships, think it would be un- fortunate for their party to take con- trOl of the next house.
 ''The big deficit of $3OO.OOO,0C0 must be met by additional taxation or the issue of bonds,' one of them remark ed. "Let the Democrats, who created this condition, take the responsibility of meeting It.
 l It Is Their Deal. It has always been the fact that of- ficeholders in Washington ride. In the old days they had horses and carriages. Tn these days they have automobiles. Although the law provides that such vehicles shall be used only for official business, they are used for pleasure and social purposes by the officials, their families and their friends. Every year there Is q row in congress about 1 It and the practice is condemned, but 1t is never stopped. The fellows In office think It is their deal, and they make the best of 1t.
 A Warrior Bold.
 There Is no party, faction, person, friend or foe with whom Senator Reed of Missouri will not disagree and dis pute with if he takes a notion. He ! will fight anything and everybody, yo- cally and verbally, as Senator Ashurst says; consequently he appears to be in a wordy row much of the time. The Missouri senator has a manner which indicates that he is more vicious than he really means to be. Now that he has been reelected he Is more inclined ! to scrap than ever before. We will hear much from Reed during the next six years.
 Fieiyeaen's Job. Congressmau Helgcsen of North Da- kota is the self appointed congressional | geographer of the arctic regions. In | several broaGsides published in the 1 Congressional Record he has demOllsh- ed the claim of Peary as having reach ed the north pole. In a recent issue of the same publication he blows Dr. Cook out of water, or, rather, out of | tue DOldT QlSCuN cry. AtlAll4g AC 0tAs Q that neither Cook nor Pcary reached the pole and attempts to prove it by the facts and data both have submit ted. uelgescn's presentation shows that he has mace careful study of the whole situation.
 Tammany's Control. Congressman Bonnet Of New York, coming to the rescue Of his city in a debate in the house, remarked that New York more frequently than other wise has an anti-Tammany cOmptrol- | Ter and added:
 AS a matter of fact, the city of New York has ceased to he q Democratic ! Gibraltar, and We are just as apt to elect an anti-Tammany ticket in the coming campaign as a Tammany | ticket"
 That is not according to the belief expressed about election time, when 1t was understood that straight tickets would be in the field in the next mu-