V f n U r i t i lwm 1 i ii JSSgL I W Worlds Work contains an article which 1b of Interest to all who are concerned in the vital subject to which we give the somewhat fog gy title of Political Reform The article for obvious reasons anony mous Is written by a member of congress who the editors of the Worlds Work say has served for more than ten years in the house of representatives has acted on many im portant committees and has been suc cessful in getting things for his constituency The article is described as showing the reason why the pork barreP special tariff favors and pri vate pension blllB become law the reason being to quote the words of the author that the dictum of the constituency to the congressman is Gtjl all yon can for US There are no restrictions placed upon his meth od of getting it Until the American people themselves Tbecome more national and less local until constituencies cease to regard their congressmen as solicitors at the national treasury congress will con tinue to enact iniquitous groups of lo cal favors into national legislation This serious charge against the American people for which there is unquestionably altogether too much justification the author proceeds to substantiate by relating some of his own experiences with constituents which however surprising they may seem to the general reader will seem almost commonplace to all who know liow the average constituency does in actual practice treat its congressman The writer sets forth the fact that in the first place ninety per cent of the letters which a congressman re ceives are requests for special favors to be obtained in some way or other tiirectly or indirectly from the United States treasury For Instance while the Payne Aldrlch tariff law was un der discussion this particular con gressman received in May 1909 the following letter from the secretary of a powerful commercial association in his district I have been Instructed by the board tf directors of this association to ad vise you that at special meeting May 20 a resolution copy of which is in closed was unanimously adopted urg ing our representatives In congress to use every endeavor to have the pres ent tariff In mentioning three of the products of the industries referred to Increased one cent per pound and the present tariff on mentioning the oth er two products Increased half a cent per pound I wish to further advise you that we have heard from Senator and he informs vs that he will take care of this matter in the senate When the bill was finally passed the congressman succeeded in adding half a cent a pound to the duty on two of these products and in prevent ing any reduction on the others A year later when the popular clamor against the bill had become acute the same association that had asked him to vote for increases wrote to the congressman denouncing the bill as the most iniquitous measure ever en acted by congress and requesting him to explain by letter why he had voted with the Reactionaries to pass the bill When it was pointed out to the association that it had urged the congressman to obtain an increase of duty on the products in which it was interested it dropped its demand for an explanation An influential news paper published in his district edi torially commended him while the bill was under debate for his intelligent efforts to increase the duty on manu factured articles in which the district was interested and a year later the same newspaper in the same editorial column denounced him as one of the legislative banditti responsible for the Payne Aldrich measure River and harbor legislation is an other field In which local selfishness babies Itself to the exclusion of na tional needs In this case requests are not made by letter but by delega tions which come to Washington be sieging their senators and representa tives There is says the frank writer of this article figuratively speaking between 50000000 and G0 000000 on the table to be divided The committee divides it so that every one is satisfied at least to a reasonable extent Every one that is but the people at large the people who have no special interest to serve and who feel keenly indignant that the rivers and harbors of the United States are developed in a fashion so inferior to the Df Europe Nl are all the requests for legis lation merely One constituent de sired to have this particular congress man put his name on the free mailing list for all public documents That this would be impossible because it -would mean delivering to the appli cant several tons of documents every month does not in the slightest detract from the interest of the fact elicited by -an investigation that the applicant was the manufacturer of an article made from waste paper and the public doc- 52ba msj - -- A Remedy for Some Forms of Selfish Legislation Reprinted from an article by Theodore Roosevelt In The Outlook by special arrangement with The Outlook of which Theodore Roosevelt Is Contributing Editor Copyright 1910 by The Outlook Company All Rights Reserved I HE August number of the uments would afford a very useful source of raw material Is there a remedy for such a state of things The answer is yes and moreover It Is a remedy which con gress can itself immediately provide There is no complete remedy of course No scheme can be devised which can prevent such a request as that of the constituent last named who wished public documents to use in his private paper business Re quests like this merely mean that la every district individuals will always be found who will request improper favors As regards these people all that can be done is to create a vigor ous public opinion an opinion which shall not only make it uncomfortable for any man to demand such favors but which shall cordially support the congressman in refusing them and hold him accountable for granting them Congress has now and has long had the power to rid its members of almost all the improper pressure brought to bear upon the individual by special interests great and small local and metropolitan on such sub jects as tariff legislation river and harbor legislation and pension legis lation Congress has not exercised this power chiefly because of what I am bound to regard as a very short sighted and unwise belief that it Is beneath its dignity to delegate any of its functions By passing a rule which would forbid the reception or passage of any pension bill save the pension legislation recommended by the com missioner of pensions this of course to bo rejected or amended as congress saw fit but not so amended as to include any special or private legis lation congress would at once do away with the possibility of its mem bers being subject to local pressure for improper private pension bills and at the same time guarantee proper treatment for the veteran who really does deserve to have everything done for him that the country can afitord In the case of the tariff and the river and harbor legislation what Is needed in each case is ample provi sion for a commission of the highest possible grade composed of men who thoroughly know the subject and who possess every attribute required for the performance of the great and dif ficult task of framing in outline the legislation that the country as dis tinguished from special interests really needs These men from the very nature of the case will be wholly free from the local pressure of special interests so keenly felt by every man who is dependent upon the vote of a particular district every two years for his continuance in public life Such a river and harbor commission could report and probably would re port a grat and comprehensive na tional scheme for river and harbor Inn provements fit to be considered by the people as a whole upon its merits and not dependent for enactment into law upon a system of log rolling designed to placate special interests which are powerful in each of many score congressional districts Such a tariff commission could get nt the facts of labor cost here and abroad by expert inquiry and not by the ac ceptance of interested testimony such a commission could consider dispas sionately the probable effect upon the entire social and economic body of all changes in any given branch of the tariff and its recommendations would represent the exercise of careful judgment from a disinterested stand point Such a commission could work in harmony with the commissioner of labor so as to insure that the labor ers for whom the tariff is passed get the full benefit of it for the major part of the benefit of a protective tariff should unquestionably go to the wage workers Even under such conditions of tariff making errors might be committed but they would be merely those errors of disinterested judgment incidental to every kind of public or for the mat ter of that private effort and the work would not be hampered from the be ginning by the need of gratifying pri vate selfishness I It is only in this way that tariff legislation river and harbor legisla tion and pension legislation can be treated from the standpoint of prin ciple and not from the very low stand- point of privilege and preference The obstacle hitherto to the adoption of such a method of treatment has come from the queer dislike felt by so many congressional leaders to a course of action which they quite unjustifiably feel would in some way be a limitation of their powers I think this feeling Is passing It Is simply another In- stance of the kind of feeling vhich makes some executives suspicious about delegating their work to any subordinate and which makes many i j lnrl tha voters wno nave uul jiuhuch u matter deeply desire to elect great numbers of people on a ticket of such length that it is out of the question lor any except proiessiuuai ijuimuiaii to know much about them THEODORE ROOSEVELT rfttfA - a EXPENSE IN CRIPPENS CASE RECORD IN LONDON Scotland Yard Never Before Expended 25000 on One Crime It is estimated that pursuit capture and trial of Dr Crippen will cost the taxpayers of London 25000 Never be fore has Scotland Yard spent so much in the pursuit of any criminal A large item in the Yards Crippen bill is tlio cost of telegrams and cables giving descriptions of Crippen which were sent to many continental Ameri can and Canadian police headquarters This item will amountto 2500 Twenty five thousand large posters containing descriptions of Crippen and Miss Le Neve with reproductions of their photographs and handwriting were scattered broadcast up and down two continents Fifty clerks were en gaged night and day for a long time in wrapping addressing and mailing these posters That will be a costly item Then there Is the expense of sending Inspector Dew to Canada and the ex pense of another detective and a ward ress who have gone to Quebec to look after the prisoners on their way back to England Then there is the rewnrd of 1250 which will have to be paid to Captain Kendall of the steamship Montrose There is too the cost of the long coroners inquest with the fees for aualjtical chemists The trial of Crippen will not be very expensive nor will It last long Eng lish criminal courts move with swift ness and without technicalities It is nut expected that Crippens trial will consume more than three or four days if he is sentenced to death he will be hanged on the third Monday morning following the day of his conviction Convicted criminals under a recent statute have the right to appeal but the appeal court works swiftly and like the lower court pays little atten tion to technicalities M0TED LIBERIAN IN LONDON Widow of First President at Age of Ninety two As the republic of Liberia Is attract ing a little of the worlds attention at the present time it is interesting to note that there still lives near Batter sea park London Mrs Jane Roberts widow of Joseph J Roberts who was elected the first president of Liberia in 1S47 Mrs Roberts was born in America in ISIS the daughter of a Baptist min ister named Waring and went to Li beria with her parents both octoroons in 1S24 She married Roberts In 1S3G and visited with him most of the Eu ropean courts in the fifties She lived for over seventy years of her life in Liberia before going to London PRINCE A POOR LAWYER Fails to Clear German Burglar In First Case A laborer who appeared in the pris iners dock in a Berlin police court on a charge of burglary had something of a shock when he heard the announce ment that his defense would be con ducted by his serene highness the Prince of Ratibor I The accused having no counsel the court had appointed the young prince who is a member of the ancient house of Iloheulohe to defend him It was the princes first case The royal law yer put up a spirited defense but the evidence was too strong and his first client was sentenced to four years penal servitude Waste Land Grows Rubber Wide reaches of waste land on the island of Singapore are now being set out in rubber plants which seem to do well In Malacca there were formerly square miles of land covered with la iang the hiding place of tigers and other big game which have been transformed into fine rubber planta tions 1 A Pacific Coast Trip Continued from last week Arrived in San Francisco in the af ternoon Trade winds blowing In from the northwest made wraps feel com fortable The remainder of the day was spent in visiting the different stores and learning the ways of the city In the first place San Francisco is located at the head of a peninsula between the ocean and the bay Here is a great metropolis witli all that the name implies a city with everything doing Even an occasional earthquake comes along and shakes things up supposedly just to be doing something The city is rebuilding rapidly since the great fire and the horrid scars of the earthquake are becoming obscur ed Witli a very well informed and gentlemanly guide to entertain and point out the places of interest and most of the party wearing furs in June we first visited the US mint The party is conducted all through the building being permited to see our gold and silver money made at the rate of 150 dollars per minute From there we go to View Point Here we get a grand panoramic view of the entire city Then to Golden Gate Park the third largest park in the world 1050 acres having the Pa cific ocean for its extreme western boundary greater part of area was formerly shifting sand dunes Seem ingly the sites of most of our large cities are at first very uninviting The original site of San Francisco was so barren that many of the pio neers doubted if a place of much importance could spring up there Here in the park we visit the little Japanese tea garden and enjoy a goo cup of tea Then to the zoo contain ing fine specimens the largest grizzly bear in captivity too old to get up to meals and fed by a small brown bear At the childrens play ground lunch eon is served From here we visit the large museum containing many ancient and historic relics from all parts of the world The museum is in deed very fine Then to Huntington Falls and Stowe Lake also visiting many other places in the park Lea ing the park we go to the ocean past the old Dutch wind mills and life sav ing station arriving at the Cliff House We stop long enough to see the seals playing on the world famed seal rocks Then to Sutro Heights Abeautiful spot abounding in beauti ful flowers the year around A mag nificant view of the ocean is obtained here and the grounds are set with thousands of dollars worth of Italian statuary Resuming our journey we pass around lands end getting a good view of Mile Rock Light House near where the Rio Janeiro sank with great loss of life and millions of dol lars in gold and silver Leaving here we get an excellent view of Golden Gate and the various forts located en the commanding points The gen ial guide informed us that the hinges of the gate were stolen by some gold hunters and the Golden Gate is now left open and is the entrance to the straits connecting San Francisco bay with the Pacific ocean Continu ing we pass through the residence and business section of city over Nob Hill to China town In the evening we take the ferry across the bay to Oakland and lure board the train for Portland Oregon Our train leav ing in two fections the first compos ed ten cars nd the second having eight cars On reaching the Sacra mento river both trains were at once placed on a ferry boat and taken across the river A remarkably large ferry The next day being Saturday we enjoyed the scenery the country about Mount Shasta and Shasta Springs is fine and Rogue river val ley is especially good Some of the finest cherries seen anywhere grow in this valle3 Arriving in Portland Sunday morn ing we found this to be one of the most beautiful cities of the west If you are crowded for time the best way to do the city is to take an observation car taking in practically all places of interest Portland is situated on the banks of the Willa mette river and remember it is a great sea port and from any of the bridges you will see craft from all parts of the globe discharging miscel laneous cargoes and loading wheat flour hops wool and lumber for for eign ports As the car mounts far above the city by easy winding grade we reach Portland Heights and Coun cil crest From this point where the Indians formerly held council on may look over Portland across Willa mette river to and beyond the Co lumbia river to Vancouver on the Washington shore A short stop at the Lewis Clark inside the forestry building This is high built of logs The 62 columns supporting the interior galleries and roof are 52 ft long C ft in diameter at base and 5 ft at the top fine spe cimens of Oregon fir logs Portland is called the Rose City We were fortunate in see ing the roses at their best and there- is a profusion of them all over the city of most perfect beauty The city is building rap idly of largo steel structures and strictly up-to-date Next morning on board the steamer started for a ride of 114 miles up the Columbia river under the bridge of the Hill systems North Bank road the greatest steel bridge in the world past Vancouver once famous as the chief post of the Hudson Bay company continuing on past the many salmon fish traps and through the locks where the boat Is raised high enough to float on be yond the rapids The fish traps are wheels about thirty feet In diame ter revolving in the water they scoo up the fish deposit them into a troug which conveys them into a boat or onto a dock An interesting trip passing fine farms and wooded hills and higher mountains under shadows of towering cliffs so on to the Dal es of the broad and beautiful Col umbia the only river that cuts di rectly through a mountain range Returning to Portland about 10 p m Leaving next morning for Tacoma and Seattle The Southern Pacific road is making extensive improve ments between Portland and Tacoma with a number of spurs running off into the heavy Oregon woods Ta coma is a wealthy city not so rush ing The people enjoy life as they go and seem to be satisfied to be comfortable Thirty five miles beyon is the entirely different city of Seat tle Arriving at Seattle about noon secured rooms at the Hotel Metro pole being centrally located After lunch we walked around the city a little to get our bearings and get ac quainted with a few of the police men so as to be on safe side In the evening Stokes phoned to J W Hupp evening Stokes phoned to JWHupp ed with his car and drove us to their beautiful home on Capitol hill We spent a very pleasant evening with them Mr and Mrs A P Thompson called and after Mrs Hupp had ar ranged over the phone with McCook friends for a picnic on the morrow at Fauntleroy park we all strolled out into the park and listened to concert by the band Next morning by ap pointment Mr and Mrs A P Thomp son Mrs Ike Moore and daughter Edna Mr and Mrs W T Coleman Mr and Mrs Walter Stokes Mr and Mrs F W Bosworth Mr and Mrs J W Hupp and Mr and Mrs Chas McManigal met at the totem pole in Pioneer square and took the electric line about 14 miles out on a point pro jecting into the sound Fine grove and pretty beach made an ideal picnic ground We could see the boats passing to and from Tacoma and the ocean liners putting out to sea En joyed a fine time a good visit and a splendid lunch Next day we accom panied Mr Will Coleman to Bremer ton and visited the U S navy yard saw the huge dry docks and battle ships Oregon Albany Colorado Washington Pennsylvania and trans port Dix Bremerton is located on an island about fifteen miles out from Seattle well protected by other is lands The waters of Puget sound are in most parts very deep making an ideal port for large ships Bremer ton is destined to become one of the great naval points in the world Returning to Seattle about 50 p m were met at the wharf by J H Moore with his Packard six and driv en to the fine home of W T Cole man Mrs Coleman had prepared a splendid four course dinner for twenty friends formerly all of them lived in McCook Those present were Mr and Mrs J H Moore Mr and Mrs A P Thompson Mr and Mrs J W Hupp Mr and Mrs Ed Byrer Mr and Mrs Chas McManigal Mrs Ike Moore Mrs S M Cochran Mrs S H Colvin Mr Ray Colvin Mr and Mrs C K Coleman Mr and Mrs Walter Stokes Mr and Mrs F W Bosworth Mr and Mrs W T Cole man and family A very enjoyable evening indeed One of the many points of interest was a visit with W T Coleman and J H Moore to their big lumber camp on Vancouver island Continued next week R F D No 3 Farmers are preparing to sow wheat Mrs Jacob and children took Martha Xothnagel home Tuesday Mr and Mrs Jacob Wishon and chil dren and Martha Nothnagel took thf train for Cedar IJluus last Saturday Charles Xothnagle has made a con crete cellar Hawkins is threshing this week Large crowd at the platform dance on last Saturdav night R F D No 4 Cool nights Lots of melons going to town Better put a Yale lock on your groc eries Frost this week IIowrs that for August Farmers complain that articles are stolen from their rigs while in town Uncle Joe Dack has just returned from the mountain where he reports a recent severe freeze The mail carriers long face announ ces the fact that Mrs M S Jimerson and two young sons have gone east on a visit House Cleaning OnTheFarm Simplified and Lightened By Old Dutch Cleanser Housecleaninghas no terrors for thehousewifewhousesthiswon derful all round Cleanser It keeps everything in and about the farmhouse in spick and span condition in half the time and with half the labor re quired by old fashioned clean ers This one cleanser Cleans Scrubs ScoursPolishes In the kitchen dining room sitting room and bed rooms and does it quicker and better The best thing for potskettles pans floorsiin the dairy etc No caustic or acids Hygienic This ideal cleanser works mechan ically not chemically Try It Now ior RrLar Sifter Can FEMS o cHEf5 m WHEWEf rt a tj i JVjS W feiNo - Jf He Met It on the Road He didnt wait for prosperity to come The very minute they told him It was on the road he said Maybe the horsesll get stalled and the driver all froze up so Ill just meet It halfway and help get the wheels out the mire and give It a fresh start then when it looks like smooth sailing 111 hop on and take a seat by the driver and well go whistling Into town Atlanta Constitution Observation by the Cynic The closest the average man ever gets to thinking says the Philosopher Df Folly Is when he thinks hes thinking F E Whitney Walter Hosier WHITNEY HOSIER Draymen Prompt Services Courteous Treatment Reasonable Prices GIVE US A TRIAL Office First Door South of DeGrofPs Phones 13 and Black 244 Mike Walsh DEALER IN 1 POULTRY KGGS Old Rubber Copper and Brass Highest Market Price Paid in Cash New location jnet acroi Plrf l HVUUIV street in P Walsh building OVER 65 YEARS EXPERIENCE IjTJra Trade Marks Designs Copyrights c k nvnna KanHfnc n atrotrH nnff rf Prrirtrn RlflT quickly ascertain our opinion free whether aa Invention is probably patentable Communica tions strictly conUdentlal HANDBOOK on Patents sent free Oldest acency for eecurjnsrpatenta Patents taken throuzh iluna i Co recel7 tpeeial notice without charge lathe Scientific American A handsomely llntratel weekly Ijirzest clr dilation of any gciertluc Journal Terms 3 a year four months L Sold byall newsdealer MUNN New York Branch Office 625 F SU Washington I U