Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1903 — Indiana to the Front. [ARTICLE]

Indiana to the Front.

A Washington special to the News says: "It is worthy of note tdat the Indiana members of congress are now taking rank with chose from states that' formerly were much heard of in the nationa 1 legislative body. The atate’s advance in both senate and. house has been steady for several years, and at this session results are being shown us never before. “No state is a greater factor in congress at this time than Indiana. Representative Hemenway, as the prospective chairman of the committee on appropriations, is approaching the center of influence in'the house. When it was de sired to have a trust bill prepared for the house; Representative Overstreet was named as the first member of the special subcommittee after the chairman. ' “Next to the chairman of the committee on banking and the currency, he is regarded as the best posted member of the house on finance and currency. "When the leaders to each house decided to select two men to harmonize the conflicting views with reference to the anarchy bill, Senator Fairbanks and Representative Overstreet were chosen. Crum packer has come to be looked on as one of the best informed men in the house on questions touching the insular possessions, and only last week was selected by the president to defend the chief executive’s action in discontinuing the postoffice at Indianola. Fairbanks and Beveridge.

“Few subjects of great importance have been brought before the senate this season with which Senator Fairbanks did not have to do. He was one of the senators that considered the Cuban treaty before it was reported; is a member of the senate subcommittee that is dealing with the trust question, and has charge of the immigration bill. It was largely through his efforts, too, that the bill amending the bankruptcy law passed. "Senator Bevt-ridsge, since the opening of the sesion, has been conspicuous as the leader of the republican majority which is striving to prevent the passage of the the omnibus statehoocTbill. A glance over the congressional record for this session shows that Indiana has been to the front in some capacity every day. "There will be still greater opportunity for advance in the next con gress, for nearly all the Indianians will ba advanced in the committee assign ments.” The abave is probably about correct, as far as it goes. It of course passed over C. B. Landis, one of the b est knewnandmost influential men in Congress, but one whom the News, for some reason, has long been -unfriendly too as it has in fact to his brother Frederick, as witness the attacks made on Fred for his speech in the Republican state convention, last year, which was the feature of the convention despite the ridicule of the News. The reference to Crumpacker needs some explanation, also, for there is no truth in the statement hat he had been selected to defend the president’s action in the Indianola matter; and Crumpacker himself has contradicted this story.

The statement that Crumpacker has come to be looked upon as one of the bast informed men on “insular possessions” in the House, should be taken with a good deal of allowance, if it is meant that anyone except Crumpacker himself looks upon him in that way. Surely if he is well informed about our island possessions now, he did not show any such knowledge when he opposed the annexation of Hawaii about six years ago; nor when he opposed the Porto Rioo bill two or three years ago, A bill which was not only of almost incalculable and immediate benefit to the Porto Rico people; but which laid the foundation for proper legislation for the Philippines.