Norwich bulletin., 1919-09-16
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Special to The Bulletin.3.

|
 1 Washington, D. C.. Sept. 15.-Con- sress has accomplished much in the l four months since it was called into l special session last May. And if the 1 obstructive methods of a few sradi- calls can be shunted to . side track it l will be able to adjourn sometime in | October with it's work well done. The 1 republicans take pride in the record age of bms to aid returning soldiers. l reduce the cost of living and adjust l labor problems But there has all | ready been much delay on account of which are along the line of genuine l hold ups and which have brought down on the heads of the offenders. rebukes and condemnation from re- hold ups have caused a deplorable de- lay in getting important measures passed. Take Bianton of Texas, for example. He has gained much notori- came here few years ago determined to set congress right, and make 1t conform to his personal. views. He did not succeed and now resorts to that if things don't go his way they cannot go at all. He demands the. presence of quorum at times when It is not necessary. such As during de- bates, or the filing of committee re-
 ports and the passage of uncontest-
 ed bills. and as the rules of the house
 permit a roll call on the demand of
 one member there has been no way
 to head off the Texan. Each call
 consumes 4o minutes and it is estimat-
 ed that Blanton has demanded so
 many unnecessary calls that more
 than 20 full legislative days have all
 ready been wasted in that way. He
 carries this obstructive method so far
 that on one occa sion he blocked the
 passage Of s3 bills on the unanimous
 consent calendar that had been ap-
 proved by the committees consider
 ing them. One was for the removal
 of the body of a little child from
 Washington where it was temporarily
 laid, to the home of it's parents; an
 other to the payment of an award Of
 $500 to the widowed mother of young
 soldier who died in performance of
 duty, and still another day he object
 ed to the chaplain offering the oben-
 ing prayer of the session until al
 quorum was present. This caused a
 ing work of the house could he begun and in the meantime the blind chap lain was forced to step down from the rostrum with the uruttered prayer on hour for Blanton's demand for a quorum to be complied with. These
 are fair examples of the sort of re- form on which Mir Blanton is rest ing his claim for fame: It may be sitting during sessions under express direction of the house. are composed of 1884 members and that they have before them the great recon structicns of the times So the men whom Blantou accuses of absenteeism are actually at work by specific order of the house and trying to solve the greatest question of the times. Agri- 1 culture is trying to reduce the cost of living: interstate commerce to solve 1 the labor and railroad problem; ways and means to meet the tremendous f. nsncia1 responsibilities with the least 1 hardship to the people, yet these com l mittees are interrupted and broken into by the needless summons to the | house time after time. and the blame 1 of delay should be put on the shoulders 1 of such obstructionists instead of on l congress as a whole.
 When the senate galleries stood up l and cheered and applauded Senator 1 Kenyon of Iowa at the close of his | speech wherein he said that the sen 1 ate would stand firmly for reservations l and that they had the votes to do it, 1 taking side swipe al the utterance of the president regarding men who i opposed that idea. the vice president reminded the galleries that no ap- plause was permitted. He tapped the ] galleries to order with 8 bit of a smile l and added. "The chair often makes | speeches where there is no rule l against applause, yet nobody applaud 1 es him. And he is not going to sit l here and have other men applauded l where there is rule against it." | Whereupon the galleries cheered and | appla uded louded than ever for the 1 vice presidnt is very popular, per l Senator Kenyon undoubtedly | stated fact when he said there were l votes enough to defeat the treaty en- i tireiy if it desired. But the senate l does not desire that. It will insist l that reservations be made a part. of ] the treaty before ratihcation-and it l has the voice to command that action l The democrats have come across to i the reservation view point so rapidly | that there is said to be scant 20 | democrats who stand with the presi- dent, while the entire republican side is for reservations. That leaves 27 l democrats and 49 republicans for res | arvations, if the forecast is corract | And that forecast seems to be pretty l generally agreed to by both factions !
 Owners of stock in railroads which 1 are non dividend payers under rail- l road administration management may be interested in the statements made | in congress this week by Congress- man Thompson of Ohio MT Thornp- | son showed that five high offic get i salaries of $50 900 each: two at s4o,- come under the Too numerous to | mention" class. Mir. Thompson called 1 a attention to these big salaries in con- nection with the low paid employees l oI the post oInce oeparLment. whose 1 claims for better pay he was urg> ing.
 There is considerable adverse com ment here that General Pershing can not be accorded the honor of his per- manent rank until President Wilson l returns from his western trip and 1 signs the new commission made neces- sary by the error of the secretary of 1 war in calling his permanent office by the wrong title. Washington is just now in a mood to give General | Pershing about anything he wantsi and does not approve the presidents