The Commoner.
VOLUME 11, NUMBER 8
and agreed upon was to give tho
gtatement to the Aociated Press
"JOHN SHARP WILLIAMS, '
"ROBERT L. OWEN,
"A. S. BURLESON."
12
WASHINGTON NEWS
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Discussing tho results accomp
lished at the extraordinary session of
congress Representative Oscar W.
Underwood, democratic leader of the
house, said:
"Tho domocrats of the house have
kept tholr pledge to the people.
"They took the appointment of tho
committees out of tho hands of tho
Bpoalcor.
"They roducod the running ex
penses of tho house 25 per cent,
thereby saving about $180,000.
"They passed a bill requiring pub
licity before and after elections.
"They gave the country a Cana
dian reciprocity agreement.
"They passed a resolution provid
ing an amendment to the constitu
tion to elect senators by a' direct
vote of tho people
"They passed the Arizona and New
Mexico statehood resolution.
"They revised the wool, cotton
and chemical schedules.
"They passed a freo list bill.
"They have done well under the
circumstances."
Representative James T. Mann, re
publican leader, said:
"This session of congress will be
known as the session at which tariff
schedules wero made to order.
"The wool bill is the result of an
effort to make water and oil mix.
It is neither flesh, fish nor fowl.
"The free list bill is a freak.
"Tho cotton, iron and steel and
chemical bill is a monstrosity.
"All were properly and promptly
vetoed, showing the incapacity of the
democrats to make a tariff."
tory of this anthracite struggle, now
consummated in the complete control
of Plorpont Morgan against the
wholo American people can wo ex
pect any different result if wo per
mit the Morgan-Guggenheims to get
control of Alaska? This power will
lie In their control of tho docks,
wharves, mountain passes and tho
limited outlet to the markets."
Speaker Clark has issued a state
ment concerning the work of con
gress, in which he says: "At this
session the democrats have made a
record which has, surprised our
friends and dumfounded our ene
mies. It has put heart and hope into
democrats everywhere. The extra
session was extraordinary not only
in tho sense of being a special ses
sion called by the president, but
also in the amount and quality of
the work done by the combined
democrats and insurgents.
"It was predicted freely, vocifer
ously, enthusiastically and confident
ly by the 'standpat' press and orators
that we would go to pieces. On that
account and by reason of that hope
they rejoiced that the extra session
of congress was called, so that we
might go to pieces at the earliest
possible date. But we have sorely
disappointed all their expectations.
They even set the date when we
would go to pieces, which was the
day of the democratic caucus on Jan.
19, but unfortunately for them in
that caucus everything was done
unanimously.
"Wo have set a good example to
democrats everywhere. Sneered at
for years as a party of mere nega
tion and as being utterly lacking in
ability for constructive statesman
ship, we passed through the house
more constructive legislation, and
the game.' On these issues we appeal
to the country, feeling absolutely cer
tain that as we have stood manfully
for the best interests of the people,
the people will stand by us."
An Assclated Press dispatch gays:
President Taft will decide If the
government, under the terms of the
national bank act, can permit na
tional banks to own interests in other
banking institutions. Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham and Secretary Mac
Veagh have not agreed on the ques
tion, which was raised by the attor
ney general's investigation of the re
lations of the National City bank of
New York to the National City fcom
pany. As a result all the papers in
the case were sent to the president
at Beverly.
A dispatch to the New York
World, says: Attorney-General
Wickersham felt kittenish this after
noon. He was impelled to let off
steam. He observed the rusty and
nnilBod flra nlnTm nnrl rlontilarl r
ascertain just what would happen if better, than has passed through ay
he turned the button. A yank was "UUD,f " cuo oa,"l "Btu "V""1" 4"
given the system. The result was J" years- We have set the pace
surprising even to the attorney- in reSaJd for future houses,
general, who is accustomed to . all "We, redeemed every promise
kinds of shockB. A big gong sounded ma?in ordor carry the emotions
throughout the department of jus-lin 19- We have economized; we
tice. It was promptly followed by PMS ,e 'TOlProdj7fcbi1.V1 th wo?
such a hecira of male and female "" "" yu "eo "?u U11I t" vut
clerks as the memory of the oldest
inhabitant has not recorded. Wo
men slid along the bannisters. Men
dropped down the stairs eleven steps
at a whack. Boys simply fell all
the way. In about one minute the
department was vacated.
In his speech in the senate on
Alaska, Senator LaFollette said:
"Every day makes it more evident
that the American people aTe waging
a losing fight in Alaska," was the
opening sentence of Mr. La Folletto.
"On the one hand," he said, "are
35,000 pioneers risking their lives
and fortunes, and on the other the
millions of American people to whom
this great storehouse of natural re
sources belong. Between them is
the enormous power of the. greatest
concentration of capital that the
world has ever known."
Referring to documents furnished
by Alaskan Delegate, Wickersham,
tho senator said:
"Any one who examines these
documents must see that the foun
dations are boing laid in Wall street
for the upbuilding of a monopoly in
Alaska equal to that which controls
the great anthracite coal fields of
Pennsylvania. The key to the whole
situation is the control of the means
of transportation."
After reviewing tho history of the
anthracite coal monopoly in Pennsyl
vania Mr. LaFollette continued:
"When we have before us the his-
ton bill with the senate amendments.
which included the iron and steel
schedule and the chemical schedule;
we submitted for ratification a con
stitutional amendment providing for
popular election of senators of the
United States, we passed a bill for
the publication of campaign expenses
before the election; we liberalized
the rules, making the committees
elective by the house; we passed a
resolution to admit New Mexico and
Arizona, and we passed a large num
ber of other bills of more or less
importance. It is a record of which
we may well be proud and on which,
we will sweep the country in 1912.
"To show how completely the
'stand pat' republicans are demora
lized it is only necessary to quote the
newspaper statement that there was
great rejoicing and congratulation
at the white house because we failed
by a scratch to get the two-thirds
majority to override the president's
veto, although we have only sixty
three majority in the house. To this
complexion has it come at last, that
the president, who rode into power
by a huge majority, is glad to escape
the humiliation of having his. vetoes
overridden in a house containing a
majority of only sixty-three. Small
favors are thankfully received by the
administration.
"We honestly and persistently en
deavored to relieve the people of
Following is from the Associated
Press report: "Hold cotton for 13
cents," is the advice to be formally
given to farmers' organizations by
a committee consisting of Senators
Williams of Mississippi and Owen of
Oklahoma, and Representative
Burleson of Texas, representing a
conference of senators and repre
sentatives from seven cotton-grow
ing states. A committee will urge
the state banking associations to co
operate against "the bearish move
ment of the speculators."
What was referred to generally as
"the threatening condition of the
cotton market," was thoroughly dis
cussed at meetings recently. Among
the participants were Senators Wil
liams and Owen, Representative
Underwood of Alabama, democratic
leader of the house; Representatives
Heflin of Alabama, Brantley and
Hughes of Georgia, Burleson and
Beall of Texas, Garrett of Tennessee,
Humphreys of Mississippi and Small
of North Carolina. A number of
them are large cotton planters.
The committee issued a statement
which read in part as follows:
"It seemed to 'be the opinion of
all that there was a preconcerted
effort being made principally through
the instrumentality of the specula
tive element of the New York cotton
exchange to break down the price of
cotton. It was the opinion of all
that the present statistical condition
of cotton did not jusify he lowness
of present quotations and that the
estimate of fifteen million bales was
unjustified by any facts on which a
prediction could be sanely based, and
that, moreover, even if a fifteen mil
lion bale crop were in sight the
world's supply still probably would
rail short of tho world's demand for
cotton to the extent of more than
1,000,000 bales, because of the ex
haustion of the present visible supply
of carried-over spot cotton. In other
words, that with a fifteen million
bale American crop, the world's cot
ton crop for 1911 would sum up only
25,000,000 with 140,000,000 of
spindles creating an active demand
for 26,000,000 bales.
"This committee was also re
quested to communicate in some way
with the presidents of the several
state banking associations in the cot
ton states asking them, as far as
possible, to throw their moral and
financial support behind the effort
to counteract the bearish movement
of the speculators with the view of
oDtaming a1 rair price for the farm
ers' cotton.
"Information was given at the in
formal conference that assurances
would be given that ample funds
from banks outside the state could
be had through the instrumentality
of southern financial institutions to
be lent at the rate of 6 per cent per
annum to those who did not wish to
aispose or tneir cotton at a sacrifice
In vetoing the cotton and steel and
iron measures, President Taft said:
"This bill illustrates and enforces
the views which I have already ex
pressed in vetoing the wool bill and
the so-called free list bill as to the
paramount importance of securing,
through the investigation and reports
of the tariff board, a definite and
certain basis of ascertained fact for
the consideration of tariff laws.
When tho reports of the tariff board
upon these schedules are received the
duties which should he imposed can
be determined upon justly and with
intelligent appreciation of the effect
that they will have both upon indus
try and upon revenue.
"Very likely some of the changes
in this bill will prove to be desirable
and some to be undesirable. So far
they turn out to be just and
as
reasonable, I shall he glad to approve
them, but at present the proposed
legislation appears to be all a matter
of guesswork.
"The Important thing is to get our
tariff legislation out of the slough of
guesswork and log rolling and ex
parte statements of interested per
sons, and to establish that legisla
tion on the basis of tested and de
termined facts, to which shall be ap
plied, fairly and openly, whatever
taTiff principle the people of the
country choose to adopt."
President Taft has taken up his
summer home at Beverly, Mass. He
will soon make an extensive western
trip.
upon cotton warehouse stftHHn
This committee gubaemiAntiv t
some of their burden of taxatiqn, but the office of Senator WilHm of -un
the president would not have it. To sIbsIddI and concluded thnf ,. v. ,a. t '.. ,t m hodv ought
use a sporting phrase, 'he blocked1 -way to clear out the Ideas suggested to represent all American citizen.
SENATOR REED'S SPEECH
Following is the 'speech delivered
in the senate August 15 by Senator
Reed, of Missouri:
Mr. Reed. Mr. President, I know
that the hour is late, but I do not
intend to permit to pass unnoticed
the position that has been taken on
this floor, nor unchallenged the ex
pression of any sentiment which goes
to the effect of a declaration that
men have the right to sit in this
chamber and vote upon matters that
directly affect their individual in
terests. I have no desire to say
anything to harass the feelings or
wound the sensibilities of any man;
but, sir, I say that if it is ever ad
mitted to be within the proprieties
for a' man to sit upon this floor and
vote for matters that particularly
and directly concern his financial in
terests, this body will sink to a point
so low in public opinion that there
will be no nethermost.
I may have been trained in a very
poor school, but I have been taught
that the judge upon the bench wno
will decide a matter in which he has
a financial Interest is an unjust and
an unrighteous judge. I have been
taught to believe that a juror coming
into the box must ho one who has
no interest in the controversy. I
have been taught to belieye that the
law prohibits the service of an in
terested juror and the decree of an
interested judge not go much because
the framors of the law consmereu
the judge would wittingly be dis
honest or the juror intentionally
swerved from a fair and just verdict,
as they recognized the truth univer
sally recognised that no man can be
certain he has laid aside in the de
termination of a question the weight
of his own personal interest. So it
is everywhere written, "No man shall
adjudge his own cause."
I agree that this body is here to
ronraeont Vi AmnrlfMTl neonle aH
of them, and not almply a few J
k
J.A,,- .
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