Norwich bulletin., 1919-06-17
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Especial to The Bulletin.)

ounces go. DurlnS democratic con- trol all the chairmanships went to the democrats, and with them went the biggest and most convenient offices. Republicans, no matter how promin- ent had to be content with small quarters and long run from office to the house. Only Uncle Joe Cannon and one or two others of great note were exceptions to the general rule. But with the incoming of republican control there was a complete upheav- al. To the victors belong the spells of big committee rooms, the best ma hogony furniture and bigger corp of clerks. The democrats were busted from their strongholds, just as few litical party in leadership, and for days past men with arms full of pa pers, little trucks and push carts with rubber tires piled thigh with books: small boys and big negroes have toted congressional belongings back and forth through the great marble cor riders of the house office buildings. Committee chairmen have two or three rooms put at their disposal, and the men who stepped down and out of chairmanships now find themselves in
 one small office, while the former ranking member, who then had hall
 
 three room suite. But it is one of the fortunes of politics and all take it goodnaturedly.
 It is entirely useless to even com ment on current events. Only these of the past furnish safe anchorage so | quickly do conditions change. What 1 was a reasonable forecast at sunrise | is entirely out of date at sun-down ire " in stance Before the newspaper men could get fairly good roundup of it's strongest points the Knox resolution
 to separate the treaty from the league 1 had put the nose of the investigation 1 entirely out of joint And it's the same
 with all the big issues now before
 congress. One thing is certain, how 1 ever, 1t is many years since the work | of congress has begn under such | top speed as that of the 66th called
 together May 18th. The republicans 1 determined to pass all the necessary
 appropriation bills before they expire l by limitation June 30th, and at this
 moment it looks like they would suc- ceed. They wanted to give more time
 to the wedding out and looping off of
 many of the democratic so- o-called en- ergency bureaus. committees and 1 commissions but there was not time to do more than hack off a few dead branches in plain sight. Even then they expect to save fully a billion dol lars from the appropriation bills as framed by democrats and which the
 republicans refused to let pass at the
 close of the 65th congress, March 4th
 Later on they expect to crop off a
 billion or two more.
 Postn astership hoIdovcrs are accum : ulating rapidly. No one knows how
 many thousands of cases there are but
 all over the country men appointed
 more than four years ago are holding
 their offices. waiting either for reap
 pointment or the naming of their sue
 cessors. Except for a couple of thous-
 and names sent to the senate while
 the president was in this country a few days in March. no nominations T for postmasters have been received I by congress since the first week ir
 December, 1918, when the president left for his visit to France.
 :, Among the big list of recommends
 tions filed and waiting the return ot
 the president to the United States for action, are a half dozen important Connecticut offices filed by Congress- man Lonergan, the only democraat or the delegation. These comprise Hart ford, E, D. Wilson; Manchester, F. H Il Wall, Southington, J. J. Moran; Unionville, T. $. Rourge. Trese terms
 expired last January or February anc MT. Lonergan promptly recommended
 for the reappointment of the present
 incumbents, and expects all these
 names will appear in the-next list o nominations submitted to congress by . the president.
 The old blind chaplain of the hous. hit the nail right on the head when ht prayed flor a wider distribution of common sense" in his opening prayel 5 the morning after the attempted kill ! ing of Attorney General Palmer
 through the explosion which wreck , ed his house. Chaplain Couden is al
 old war horse and believer ins law and order. He never minces hi: words when praying for the welfar, and guidance of this country Severa } times in the past he has called yer, 7 specific attention to the immediat, . need of change of heart on the par t of congress and less leniant methods
 when dealing with wrongdoers towards the nation. The old chaplain is tall slender and erect. He lost the sigh Of both eyes when a dashing cavalr! ? officer of the Civil war and is prim !. favorite with every member of tn 9 house. No matter what change il e politics comes about, he is re-electe'
 by exclamation at each succeeding
 congress even though the fight owe
 other offices may wax bitter, there
 never even an opposing party candi ] date against the old chaplain. He t l regarded as the devoted and loya
 chaplain Of the whole house.
 Senator Mclean today appeared be n fore the senate agricultural committe f and secured an increase of two hun
 dred thousand dollars for co-opera
 ton with farmers and boys and girl: e clubs; outside the cotton belt perio e this brings the total appropriation u to seven hundred thousand.
 Senator Brandegee holds a hie S ranking position on the committee 0 n foreign relations which has this wee " devoted much time to the considera ton of the Knox resolution and tn
 investigation of the peace treaty leal |. In fact the committee assignments ( Il both Senators Brandegee and McLea y as such will take their undivided at f tention practically the whole summe
 and the Connecticut senators will hol
 positions of high responsibility 0 framing after the war legislation.
 e There seems to have been some nnis h apprehension about the attitude (
 Congressman Merritt on the dayligl
 saving question. Mr. Merritt has bee $ strongly against it's repeal and urge G the inter- state commerce committee n which he is a member to repol against repeal of the measure. M
 Merritt believes the people of the ir ', dustrial centers so far outnumbe Il those of the agricultural districts ths l. the greatest good for the greates 8 number will be accomplished by keeI ,s ;ro tho nvistino law in force