Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-18
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
(Specfal to The RuiletIn.l

StraltS or 1abraQor With the Scrap-heap- | ed ships and thus divert the masses of ice from our shores, so the New England climate will be tempered to meet the needs of 8 shorn lamb It has been se- riously suggested that the IT ships to be scrapped under the naval treaty can be utilized for such 8 purpose and aS mat ter of fact several localities have al- ] ready asked that the discarded battle | ships be lowed to their ports after being | dismantled, then be sunk in harbor as additional barriers against encroaching tides
 Miami, Florida, has asked that some of them be sent her to serve as added protection to the jettes, and also as an attraction to tourists. naval officer | suggests that one ship be sunk on the 1 shallow shoals known as Diamond
 shoals, with its upper deck exposed and | that after 1t has sunk to a proper depth
 it be used as the foundation for a light i house, as permanent foundation for that
 locality has been found difficult to secure. | San Pedro Calif., wants half dozen of
 them to lengthen and strengthen the
 breakwater at that point and there are
 many other requests, while those for the
 coast of Labrador are coming in fast. It 1 has been urged that stopping the drift of 1 Ice down the American coast would sta biifze conditions and prevent the ice l blocks that tie up the St. Lawrence and
 seriously affect both. the commercial re- lations and the climate of the United States especially the climate of New En- gland.
 Congress has a bad attack of "Bprfng 1 fever" It shows itself in more than the
 customary back-to-the-farm longing that
 comes to city dwellers with the first 1 breath of springtime, and thoughts of the
 ole swimmin' hole and fishing along the
 banks of the roadside brook. This year | there seems to be a follow-up of picker l Ing bad temper and partisanship that is holding back necessary legislation and | causing many hours of needless debate, ugly twitting and political s1de play that 1 Is not to the credit of the men who are l instigating the move. But all congress must not be blamed for the sins of the few, and New England has a clean slate so far as such hold-up methods are con-
 eerned. Republican leaders have hoped to pass the tariff bill early in July, then adjourn and allow the country to adjust Itself to the new business conditions. But | the democrats of congress have no notion of letting their opponents carry out such 1 a pleasant programme on the eve of cleo
 ton. As result, they have blocked the wheels in every possible way, beginning in committees. and then carrying their l Acting with them are certain groups
 composed largely of republicans and car
 rying just enough power to make hold
 ups possible in combination with the
 democrats The democrats hope to hold
 back tariff legislation till too late to be
 effective but republicans are parrying
 the move the best they can. and at this moment have high hopes they can put the tariff through in time to adjourn in
 E- 1Ier,r1 ] congressional committee has issued a word of warning to wouldlbe candidates,
 hot to expend too much money in their campaign, or fail to file their expense schedule Chairman Fess wants them to play safe and not run into campaign 5 that can be questioned by the country as having been conducted along "money lines"
 s The acceptance by the members of tho
 house of representatives of navy per
 Eonnel up to the size advocated by Pres
 ident Harding, Secretary of State Hughes
 and the navy department, in place of the diminished size advocated by the appro- priation committee. was the most signal victory of leadership the administration has thus far won. When the president wishes became authoritatively known, the i, tide of wavering votes turned to the sup
 port of the measure in order to follow
 the leader" and thus insure the prac- ; tical working of the conference treaty. The fight was a bitter one and partisan i ship, or perhaps 1t would be better to ' say facttonalisn. never ran higher than , during the fiery debate of four hours preceding the vote. Tn contrast to the , splits in many state delegations and the 7 personal bitterness and recrimination be-
 tween colleagues that resulted, the unani-
 mity of opinion and action in the Connec- \ ticut delegation was a refreshing con- trast. The five congressman voted as a unit in favor of the 86.000 navy advo- } cated by the president and his advisors and by Secretary of State Hughes. one of , the American delegates to the conference 5 The five Connecticut members and 1 practically all the other New England q representatives formed solid phaIanx 1T
 which the bucking of small navy" mer didn't make dent. AS the vote was taken in committee. no roll call was pos sible but in the division New England 9 made a solid showing Hersey of Maine ] being apparently the only New England = man who voted for the smaller number : of men. The house was in a turbulent mood and the members fairly believed
 their yes and no reply. Then tellers wert
 called for and the great aisles were jam
 med with the eager crowd struggling tt
 be counted. As the result was announced
 a great yell rose. cheers and applaus, e echoed and neD who had won out hugget each other and daM>ed up and down thu
 so-called pit in front of the speaker
 desk
 . One of the sensations of the week hn. |, been the break between former Presden ? Wilson and his faithful secretary and ad
 visor, Joseph P. Tumulty whose wort was law all during the Wilson regim q and who protected MT Wilson by actin, a as a buffer all through his long and try
 ing illness during the last years of hi
 presidency. And now all Washington i Le buzzing as it recalls the successive break s4 In friendly relations that have 1narke
 the career of MT. Wilson. MT. House o
 Texas, Mir. Lansing and Mir. Bryan. hi , secretaries of state; George Harvey. Dud ley Field M2loFe, his associates fl u Princeton college, and now after an in
 tervening list of considerable lengtf
 comes the strangest of all. which is tn l. repudiation of the statements made b l. Mir Tumulty regarding Mir Wilson's at
 tItude towards announced leaders of til
 democratic party. It Is assumed that Nil
 ] Wilson's health Is such that he canno rt become an active advisor in the fall cam If paign. but he still has a sufficient mum " Der of ardent admirers to make a spli
 among his personal friends a matter C
 great concern to the leaders of the dem |. ocratic party. The recent announceme CT 10 of Gov. Cox of Ohio that he still stand 'a for the discarded Versailles treaty wa m hard for them to bear. and the Wilson
 Humility break is almost the last stra,
 the back of the democratic camel ca to stand up against.
 Il4 And exactly as the democratic leader