DAKOTA CITY HERALD
DAKOTA CITY, NEB.
JOHN H. REAM, Publisher.
LARGE AND SMALL FAMILIES.
Where the population la largely agri
cultural and Isolated, and where labor
Is icarce, the husbandman la proud to
raise a large family,, for the bays In
time wilt help to lift the labor from his
shoulders, and alao there is always
plenty cf work for tho girls to do about
jthe farm. Moreover, food Is plentiful
and other desires are few. Hut no such
jstimultis for a large family exists In
nirban life, where It Is often necessary
to live In a flat, the very limitations of
which point to the inadvlsablllty of a
numerous progeny, says Indianapolis
(Star. Moreover, as the Individual
rises In the social scale former desires
fcecome present needs. The coming; of
numerous children would mean tho
sacrifice of these nneds by the parents,
the descent to a lower standard of liv
ing, and the parents will not consent.
Finally science has shown that a
mall family well taken care of makes
a better showing In future generations
than a large family poorly looked
fter. The fewer children of the well-'provlded-for
family will actually show
a more numerous progeny In the third
generation than will the underfed and
neglected children of the larger family.
Eugenics is a big question, and a con
scientious Investigation of It will con
vince anyoae that dogmatlo assertion
In that field Is a hazardous perform
ance. It Is a general rule In biology
that species with the most numerous
offspring are those that bring fewest
perfect and efficient Individuals to ma
turity. A Rhode Island traveling agent who
was disappointed In the demand In a
certain section for the flreless cookers
which hj was offering, discovered that
the farmers of "Little Rhody" have
taken to the use of their incubators for
summer coking. Like the discovery of
roast pig in China, this utilization of
the incubator was the result of acci
dent A husband who had forgotten to
put on the pork and beans In accord-,
ance with a promise to a wife "out;
hopping," dashed the beans Into an in-;
cubator, thus saving his bacon at the :
xpense of a few chicks which were,
called out to death in a fervent pork-and-beans
atmosphere. The idea of
both raising and cookhig chickens in
incubators la depressing to the manu
facturers of tireless cookers.
President Tafl has signed orders
which provide for the further with
drawal of coal lands from entry and.
appropriation for mining purposes.
The aggregate of such withdrawals
now reaches over 71,500,000 acres.
This means that the enormous area in
question Is to be preserved by the gov
ernment for disposition in the future!
and that it is not to fall into the hands
of grasping monopolists, says Troy,
Times. Coal lands may be open to ag-'
ricultural entry, but the rich deposits
underneath are to remain public prop-!
erty, subject to such arrangement as.
may be made lu thejeneral interest
The ramming of the gunboat Cas
tlne which as a result lies on the beach '
at Provlncetown, Mass., full of water, :
waa due to a miscalculation in mimic ;
warfare similar to that which caused'
the sinking of the French submarine
Pluvlose and the drowning of her en-'
Ure crew. But In the case of the Bo
nlta, which struck the CasUne, the
mistake was made in the line of duty, .
whereas the loss of the Pluvlose was
due to a "fool trick" on the part oti
her commander, who miscalculated ,
when attempting to dive under a pas-:
senger steamer merely for spectacular
effect
The first sham battle in the air Is
reported from Vincennes, France,
where balloons carried guns to the
height of 825 feet and discharged
them. One of the contending balloons
was compelled to retreat, and both bal
loons happily outlived the sham battle,
which. was remarkable chiefly for this
latter denouement.
Congress In to have another prince :
as delegate from Hawaii, but neither
he nor his country can be supersti
tious, for his name Is Jonah. It does
not follow, however, that his entrance
into our national deliberations will
be followed by a wall.
A physician says that going on the
stage Is a sure cure for the blues.
Somebody ought to protest against
this p-eBcrlblng for the individual at
the expense of the public.
There has been a gain of 114,000,
000 in the value of Imports during the
past eleven months, not including the
diamonds and things that were missed
by tha Inspectors at Nev York.
In Russia It Is against the law to
marry more than five times. Even In
Russia we can't see why such a law
should be necessary.
In London they say that a man
should allow bis wife one-fifth of his
income. Here, she gets five-fifths.
Butter is getting so haughty that It
will soon scorn to be known as one of
Ithe necessities of life.
: Three New York balloonist have
(disappeared. Now their friends are
up in the air.
la it not time to set down killing
ty automobile in the list of prevent-'
able diseases?
Bee that your Ice cream cone wears
he pure- food label.
Ame
oon
RADFOIIX
Edlto
Mr. WlUlam A. Jladford will answer
questions and glva advice KUEE OF
COST on all subjects pertaining to tho
subject of building (or the renders of
this paper. On account of his wide expe
rience as Editor, Author and Manufac
turer, ha la, without doubt, the highest
authority on all these subjects. Address
all Inquiries to William A. Radford, No.
m Fifth Ave., Chicago, III., and only
enclose two-cent stamp for reply.
The subject of cement construction
for homes has attracted much atten
tion among architects in the last few
years, and on account of the popular
demand for such houses is bound tore
main In the front. There Is no ques
Uon that the well-built cement house
Is both economical and sanitary. It
s warm In winter and cool In sum
Iraer. Now, lest there be some preju
jdlce in the mind of any reader, It may
toot be out of place to make a little
reference to one of the aspects of the
cement construction field that may
romove that prejudice, or help to, at
ileast. It is a fact that some poor
work has been done, especially with
concret blocks. A campaign was
made over the country a few years
ego by the machinery men who had
concrete block machinery to s;ll urg
ing every man to buy a machine and
go Into the business of making blocks.
Alluring inducements even were of
fered, and thousands of men bought
machines who were no more fitted to
make concrete blocks as they should
bo made, than they were to crochot
fancy work. The making of good
concrete, whether in the form of
blocks or In walls, is no boy's job. It
requires Intelligence, Just as any con
struction work does. Now, the con
crete block sl.j'jld not be condemned
tor what the offenders agulnst It have
done. It Is human nature to judge
things by their worst aspects. And
the men who made blocks that absorb
water or crumble have done a grout
mischief to thd block. There are
throughout the country thousands of
well built concrete, block houses that
iwill stand forever and are moisture
fcroof. Hut one poor house will create
n adverse Impression that a dozen
food houses cannot overconc. The
writer knows of many fine cement
bouses that attest the value of cement
in home construction. Cement is
pliable and capable of being adapted
to nearly any design the architect
tnay select.
I Cement houses require no repairs
whatever, and the older they get the
paore nearly like stone they become.
Penient work placed in the Coliseum
of Rome is as strong today as it was
First Floor Flan
1,000 years ago w uon It was put there.
Bo In selecting the materials for the
construction of a home or even of any
other structuro that It I desired
should be lasting no better material
than cement can be selected.
Now, for cement construction the
design of the home shown here Is per
fectly adapted. This house may be
built of eight-inch concrete blocks for
the walls and for the porch, and ' the
rouud porch columns may be of
molded cement. The design calls for
an elaborate basement. Here the
furnace room will be located and also
the kitchen, toilet, a laundry and
coal bin. On the main floor there 1
a good sized living room, a dlnlnz'
room and two bedroom. The size
of the house Is 23 feet 6 Inches wide
and 37 feet long. If It la possible
site should be selected for the bouse
where gravel will be avallnblo on the
ground for the making of the blocks.
This can be taken from the excava
tion for the basement. If that is done
It will greatly reduce the cost. The
blocks should all be made In ad
vance and allowed plenty of time to
cure. The secret of making a concrete
block that will be Impervious to wa
ter is to use a well graded gravel,
that is, a gravel In which the stones
vary in site from sand to stones a
halt inch in diameter. The cement
should be sound and plenty of It
CI'J-rr?-,r " u1"" utJ, li" "
I Laundry V 1
I mi, I Kitchen 1
r f"idL
I TVKNACE(RODIA ' I
I J! "Coal Bin I
I r
1
A
T-
tf. .
nxu3 xj. y vi
should bo used, with a waterproofing
of hydratcd lime in the face. The mix
ing should be thorough and plenty of
water should be used. If theso direc
tions are followed a block will result
that will be waterproof. While the
blocks are curing they should be sprin
kled three times a day for a week or
ten days without fail.
The design also Is adapted for con
struction of frame either with tht
S"""1 Tttt
Porch
.kr,:
Second Floor Flaa
uaunl siding on the outside or with a
cement stucco finish. If cement stuo
co Is used cliJier wooden lath can be
placed over furring strips with tar
ir,p"i- underneath or metal lath can
!,e used.
"Doital Divination." '
In I'nria the theory that man's soul
and also woman's, is revealed by the
length, shape, Inclination and spacing
of the teeth has been put forward by
certain dentl-ttphyslcians, and society
Is greedily granting ut the novelty.
The new method of "dental divlna
tU.n" is derbii-ed to be much more cer
lain than n iliiiistry. mind reading,
(jh: eno'egy or huch okl-lufliloned dl
veiton.s us fortune telling by cards
mhI teaejiis One newspaper an-
ounces that inviiailoiis are already
out or dentoinacy Knance." Here
:!n, yi)nw 0f tui "secrets" which the
cw KCien,.e" professes to lay bare:
iAH.y, ;,riow leelli indicate vnlty;
tn 8llinii Spn:u ated and very white
.ire a certain sign of inconstancy and
fickle character; long, irregular teeth,
projecting forward, are an Index of
avarice and egoism; small, uneven
teeth Indicate an uncertain disposi
tion, with (i tendency to nervousness;
Untruthfulness Is shown by teeth
which crowd and overlap.
Walking Is Fashionable.
Carriages and motor cars for shop
ping and short-distance visits are for
the moment In dl.ifavor In London and
tho latest fad ana ng women is to
walk. One of the reasons for this is
that owing to the largo number of
canceled social engagements as a re
sult of the national mourning women
have tlmo to shop with leisure and
comfort. Instead oi rushing from con
cert to reception, etc., every after-
j noon, they make Informal culls on old
friends. Usually in the season the
London society womnu rarely walks a
step. She has neither time nor Inclin
ation. Phyticlans are encouraging the fad
and are doing their best to make deli
cate patients try It. They are recom
mending It us a cure for jaded nurves.
Slowly, but surely walking Is becom
ing the most fashionable pursuit of
this dull season.
Women will make time to wulk, It la
predicted, and Knglund will once more
bo able to boast of her feminine pe
destrians who do their ten miles a
day euFlly, as they :sed to do 20 yeurs
ago. New York Sun.
Mr. Carnegie's Coat of Arms.
A finely finished drawing, represent
ative of both the weuver's and the
shoemaker's craft. In which is Intro
duced the shuttle and the knife, the
Scotch ihUHe uud the boar's bead
the weaver's coat of arms has Jusl
been placed iu u position of honor Id
Bklbo t-astlM. On tho occasion of the
drive lust samm.-r. which Is annually
provided by Mr. Carnegie to the old
folks ut lils nutive town, who have
been connecied with hand loom weav
ing, the Laird of Sklbo wrote recall
ing the fact that his ancestors on
his father's side were weavers, und on
his mother's tide shoemakers, and
that his emblems of nobility would
naturally be n weuver's shuttle crossed
by a f hoe-r.akrr's knife. "Some of the
old weavers," Mr. Carnegie added,
"may itlnU ever a proper motto."
Westmiuster Gaxetltv
EED UCDM
Dining Km I
(oath FHtJ
jf HD-. .- r.-. TJ-
I'
"a LIVING CM"!
I io-a nn o J
ROOSEVELT TALKS
TO THIERS
First Address of His Tour Deliv
ered Near Utica, N. Y.
PROBLEMS OF COUNTRY LIFE
Danger 8een, In the Growth of Cities
-Plea Made for the Farm
Laborer and the Farmer's
Wife.
Utica, N. Y., Aug. 23. Theodore
Roosevelt arrived here this afternoon
with bis party In the private car Re
public for the first stop and address
of his tour through the west. A tre
mendous crowd was at the station
to greet the former president and he
was given an enthusiastic welcome.
The entire party boarded trolley
cars at once and proceeded to Orisk
any, nine miles outside the city, and
thence to Summit park, a mile further
on, where Mr. Roosevelt spoke to tho
farmers of Herkimer and Oneida
counties. The agriculturists were out
In great numbers and brought with
them their entire families, making the
affair a gala event. Mr. Roosevelt Is
extremely popular with the farmers
because of the deep interest he has
shown In the problem of battering
farm life conditions, if for no other
reason. He was listened to with
closest attention and his remarks were
accorded frequent applause. He spoke
as follows:
There are no two public questions of
more vital Importance to the future of
this country than the problem of conser
vation a,nd the problem of the betterment
of rural life. Moreover, these two prob
lems are really Interdependent, for nei
ther of them can be successfully solved
save on condition that there la at least
a measurable success In the effort to
solve tho other. In any (Treat country
the prime physical asset the physical as
set more valuable than any other Is the
fertility of the soli. Alt our Industrial
and commercial welfare, all our material
development of every kind, depends In
the last resort upon our preserving and
increasing the fertility of the Soli. This
of course, means the conservation of the
soil as the great natural resource: and
equally, of course. It furthermore Implies
the development of country life, for there
cannot be a permanent Improvement of
the soil If the life of those who live on
It. and make their living out of It, Is
suffered to starve and languish, to be
come, stunted and weazened and Interior
to the type of life lived elsewhere. We
are now trying to preserve, not for ex
ploitation by Individuals, but for tha per
manent benefit of the whole people, the
waters and tho forests, and we are do
ing this primarily as a means of adding
to the fertility of the soil; although In
each case there Is a great secondary use
both of the water and of the forests for
commercial and Industrial purposes. In
the same way It Is essential for the fnrm
ers themselves to try to broaden the life
of the man who lives In the open country;
to make It more attractive; to give it
eveair adjunct and aid to development
which has heea given to the life of the
man of the cities. Therefore, friends, the
conservation and rural life policies are
really two sides of the same policy; and
down at bottom this policy rests upon
the fundamental law that neither man
nor nation can prosper unless. In dealing
with the present, he steadily take thought
for the future,
Problem of Cities' Growth.
In one sense this problem with which
we have to deal Is very, very old. Wher
ever civilizations have hitherto sprung up
they have always tended to go through
certain stages and then to fall. No nation
can develop a "real civilization without
cities. I'p to a certain point the city
movement Is thoroughly healthy; yet It Is
a strange and lamentable fact that al
ways hitherto after this point has been
reached the city has tended to develop
at the expense of the country by draining
the country of what Is best In it. and
making an Insignificant return for this
best. In consequence. In the past, every
civilization tn Its later stages has tend
ed really to witness those conditions un
der which "the cities prosper and the
men decay." There are ugly signs that
these tendencies are at work In this na
tion of ours. But very fortunately we
see now what never 'befuro was seen In
any civilization an aroused and alert
public Interest In the problem, a recog
nition of Its gravity and a desire to at
tempt tts solution.
The problem does not consist merely
In the growth of the city. Such a growth
In Itself Is a good thing and not a bad
thing for tha country. The problem con
sists In the growth of the city at the ex
pense of the country; and, even where
this Is nof the rase. In so great an equal
ity of growth In power aid Interest as to
make the city mora attractive than the
country, and therefore apt to drain the
country of the people who ought to live
therein.
The human side of the rural life prob
lem la to make the career of the farmer
and the career of the farm laborers as at
tractive and as remunerative as corre
sponding curers In the city. Now, I am
well aware that the farmer must himself
take the lead In bringing this about. A
century and a quarter ago the wise Eng
lish farmer, Arthur Young, wrote of the
efforts to Improve French wool: "A culti
vator at the head of a sheep farm of 1,000
or 4,000 acres would In a few years do
more for their wools than all the aca
demicians anil philosophers will effect In
tan centuries." It is absurd to think that
any man who has studied the subject on
ly theoretically is fit to direct those who
practically work at the matter. But,
friends. I wish to Insist to you here to
you practical men, who own and work
your farrs that It Is an equally perni
cious absurdity for the practical man to
refuse to benefit by the work of the stu
dent The Kng'.lsh farmer I have quoted.
Young, was a practical farmer, but he
was also a scientific farmer. One reason
why the great business men of today
the great ;ndustrlal leadershave gone
ahead, while the farmer has tended to
sag behind I'hers. Is that they are far
more wilKrir. and Indeed eager, to profit
by expert :ird technical knnwlddgrt the
knowledge ihat can only come as a re
sult of the highest education. From
railways to factories no great Industrial
concern car nowadays be carried on
save by the aid of a swarm of men who
have received a high technical educa
tion In cbem'stry. In engineering. In elec
tricity. In ittw nr more of scores of spe
cial subjects. The big business man, the
big railway man, doe nut ask college
trained experts to tell him how to run
his business: but he does ask numbers of
th am each t- give him expert advice and
aid on some one point Indispensable to
bis business. He finds this man usually
Effect of Sound and Color.
Every one Is familiar with the ef
fects of sound upon the nervous. Har
monious sounds please and gratify. In
harmonious sounds displease and Ir
ritate. Sweet music, the singing of
birds, the purling of a brook, fall
pleasantly upon the ear, soothing and
delighting the hearer. The screeching
of a rusty hinge, the banging of a
door, the sound of a discordant piano.
Irritate and annoy the hearer. If
long enough continued, such sounds
will produce an evil condition of
nervousness.
In some graduate of a technical school or
college In which ho has keen trained for
his life work.
rrmr Needs Technical Advise.
In lust the same way the farmers
should benefit by the advice or the tech
nical men who have been traiaed In
phsses of the very work the termer gees.
I am not now speaking of tho man who
has had an ordinary general training,
whether In school or college. While there
should undoubtedly be such a training as
a foundation (the extent differing aacord
Ing to the kind of work eaoh boy intends
to do as a man). It Is nevertheless true
that our educational system should more
and more be turned In tho direction of
educating men towards, and not awsy
from, the farm and the shop. During
the last half-century we have begun to
develop a system of agricultural educa
tion at once practical and scientific, and
we must go on developing It. But, after
developing It, It must be used. The rich
man who spends a fortune upon a fancv
farm, with entire Indifference to cost,
does not do much good to farming: but,
on the other hand. Just as little Is done
by tho working farmer who stolidly re
fuses to profit by the knowledge of the
day; who treats any effort at Improve
ment as absurd on Its face, refuses to
countenance what he regards as new
fangled Ideas and contrivances, and Jeers
at all "book . farming." I wish I could
take representatives of this type of farm,
er down to Ixing Island, where I live, to
have them see what has been done, not
as philanthropy but aa a plain business
proposition, by men connected with the
Ix)ng Island railroad, who believe It pays
to encourage the development of farms
along tha line of that railway. They have
put practical men In charge of experi
mental farms, cultivating them Intensive
ly, and using the best modern methods,
not only In raising crops, but In securing
the best market for the crops when
raised. The growth has been astounding,
and land only fifty miles from New York,
which during our entire National lifetime
has been treated as worthless, hos within
the last three or four years been proved
to possess a really high value.
The farmer, however, must not only
make his land pay, but he must make
country life Interesting for himself and
for his wife and his sons and daughters.
Farmers should learn how to combine
effectively, aa has been done In Industry.
I am particularly glad to speak to the
Orange, for I heartily believe in farmers
organisations; and we should all welcome
every step taken towards an Increasing
co-operation among farmers. The Impor
tance of such movements cannot be over
estimated; and through such Intelligent
Joint action It will be possible to Improve
the market Just as much as the farm.
Country life should be as attractive
as city life, and the country people
should Insist upon having their full
representation when It comes to deal
ing with all great public questions. In
other words, country folks should de
mand that they work on equal terms
with city folks In all such matters.
They should have their share In the
memberships of commissions and coun
cils; In short, of all the organized bod
ies for laying plans for great enter
prises affecting all the people. I am
glad to see on such bodies the names
that represent financial Interests, but
those Interests should not have the
right-of-way, and In all enterprises
and movements ln which the social
condition of the country Is Involved,
the agricultural country the open
country should he as well represented
as the city. The man of tho open
country Is apt to have certain qualities
which the city man has lost. These
qualities offset those which the city
man has and ha himself has not. The
two should be put on equal terms, and
the country talent be given the same
opportunity as the city talent to ex
press Itself and to contribute to tho
welfare of the world In which we live.
The country church should be made
a true social centre, alive to every need
of the community, standing for a broad
individual outlook and development,
taking the lead ln work and in recrea
tion, caring more for conduct than for
dogma, more for ethical, spiritual,
practical betterment than for merely
formal piety. The country fair offers
f.ir greater possibilities for continuous
and healthy usefulness than It at pres
ent affords. The country school should
be made a vital center for economic,
social, and educational co-operation: It
Is naturally fitted to be such a center
for those engaged in commercial farm
ing, and still more for those engaged
In domestic farming, for those who live
on and by the small farms they them
selves own. The problem of the farm
Is really the problem of the family thai
lives on the farm. On all thesn ques
tions there is need of Intelligent study,
such as marks the books of Professor
Bailey, of Cornell, and of Sir Horace
Vlunkett's book on the "Rural Life
Problems of the United States."
Conditions of Farm I.lfe.
One feature of the problem should
be recognized by the farmer at once,
and an effort made to deal with it. It
Is our duty and our business to con
sider the farm laborer exactly as we
consider the farmer. No country life
can be satisfactory when the owners of
farms tend, for whatever reason, to
go away to live in cities Instead of
working their farms; and, moreover.
It cannot be really satisfactory when
the labor system is so managed that
there la for part of tbe year a demand
for labor which cannot be met, and
during another part of tho year no de
mand for labor at all, so that the farm
era tend to rely on migratory laborers
who come out to work ln the country
with no permanent Interest in It and
with no prospect of steady employ
ment. It Is exceedingly difficult to
make a good citizen out of a man who
can't count upon some steadiness and
continuity In the work which means
to him his livelihood. Kconomic con
ditions on the farm In variety and
kind of crop-growing, especially as
distributed ln lime, and In bousing for
the men must be so shaped as to ren
der It possible for the man who labors
for the farmer to be steadily employed
under conditions which foster his self
respeot and tend for his development.
Above all. the conditions of farm
life must always be shaped with a
view to the welfare of the farmer's
wife and the farm laborer's wife, quite
as much aa to the wejfare of the farm
er and tha farm laborer. To have the
woman a mere drudge la at least aa
bad as to have the man a mere drudge.
It is every whit as Important to Intro
duce new machines to economize her
labor within tha house, as It is to In
troduce machinery to Increase tho ef
fectiveness of his labor outside the
house. I haven't the slightest sympa
thy with any movement which looks
to excusing men and women for the
non-performance of duty and fixes at
tention only on rights and not on du
ties. Tho woman who shirks her duty
as housewife, as mother, is a con
temptible creature; Just aa the corre
sponding man la a contemptible crea
ture. But the welfare of the woman Is
even more Important than the welfare
of the man, for the mother la the real
Atlaj. who bears aloft in her strong
and tender arms the destiny of the
world. She daaervea honor and con
sideration such aa no man should re
ceive. Sho forfeits all claim to this
houor and consideration if she shirks
her duties. But the average American
woman does not shirk thrm: and It la
a matter of the highest obligation for
us to see that they are performed un
der conditions which mak for her
welfare and happiness and for the wel
fare a il happiness of the children shs
brings Into the world.
A 8trang Fatality.
An unusual Zatsil accident happened
at New York when a sheet of window
glass knocked from Its frame fell five
stories and killed Miss Lena Fallllpa.
She waa almost decapitated. The pane
of glass, which became unfastened
while being washed, sailed obliquely
through the air and struck the neck
of Miss Phillips, who was walkUg
on tbe street below.
Rats as Human Food.
Rata are eaten by tbe natlvos !
Northern Australia.
-fi
Reprinted from an article by Theodore Roosevelt In The Outlook, by special
arrangement with The Outlook, of which Theodore Hoosevelt is Contributing"
Editor. Copyright. 110, by The Outlook. Co.npany. All Rights Reserved.
ijHE August number of the
Worlds Work contains an
J I .. 1 ... 1. I .. V. t Intnront
'k'lw Yt to all who are concerned In
. w , ..
.-5 to vital eV.nct tr which
" WWW - I Ll. D I" J V - .W . . ...
L ' we give the somewhat
foggy title of "Political Reform." The
article, for obvious reasons anony
mous, is written by a member of con
gress who, the editors of the World's
Work say, has served for more than
ten years ln the house of representa
tives, has acted on many important
committees, and has been successful
ln "getting things" for his constitu
ency. The article is described as
"showing the reason why the 'pork
barrel,' sieclal tariff favors, and pri
vate pension WUs become law," the
reason being, to quote the words of
the author, that "the dictum of the
constituency to the congressman Is,
'Get all you can for US.' There are
no restrictions placed upon his meth
od of getting It. . '.
Until the American people themselves
become more' national and less local,
until constituences cease to regard
their congressmen as solicitors at tbe
national treasury, congress will con
tinue to enact iniquitous groups of lo
cal favors Into national legislation."
This serious charge against the
American people fr 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
how the average constituency does In
actual practise treat Its congressman.
The writer sets forth the fact that,
ln 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,
directly or indirectly, from the United
States treasury. For instance, while
the Payne-Aldrlch tariff law was un
der discussion, this particular con
gressman received ln May, 1909, the
following letter from the secretary of
a powerful commercial association in
his district:
"I have been instructed by the board
of 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 ln congress to
use every endeavor to have the pres
ent tariff in (mentioning three of the
preducts 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 us that he
will take care of this matter in the
senate."
When the bill was finally passed,
the congressman succeeded ln adding
half a cent a pound to the duty on two
of these products and In preventing
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 con
gressman denouncing the bill as "the
most Iniquitous measure ever enacted
by congress" and requesting him to ex
plain by letter why he had voted with
"the Reactionaries" to pass the bill.
When It was pointed out to the asso
ciation that it had urged the congress
man to. obtain an increase of, duty on
tlV products in which it was inter
ested, It dropped its demand for an
explanation. An Influential newspa
per published ln his district editorial
ly commended him while the bill waa
under debate for his "Intelligent ef
forts" to increase the duty on manu
factured articles in which the district
waa 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-Aldrlch measure."
o o
River and harbor legislation is an
other field ln which local selfishness
busies 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 represent
atives. "There is," says the frank
writer of this article, "figuratively
speaking, between $50,000,000 and
$60,000,000 on the table to be divided.
The committee divides It so that ev
ery one is satisfied, at leaBt to a rea
sonable 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 that of Europe.
Nor are all the requests for legis
lation merely. One constituent desired
to have this particular congressman
put his name on the free mailing list
for all public documents. That this
would be Impossible, because It would
mean delivering to the applicant sev
eral tons of documents every month,
does not ln the slightest detract from
tbe 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-
Cut off.
"We were sweethearts when we
were little chaps."
"And did something come between
your
"Yes; her father built a fence
around his back yard seven feet high."
Papa's Turn Then.
Wife (reproachfully) Before we
were married you used to Ilk to have
ine caress you.
Hub Well, every caress didn't call
for a new dress or s new bat then.
TBI
9
mnDrteFVFiT
n iiiiifii irityi v . n
A Remedy for Some
Forms of
Selfish Legislation
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, H 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 tbe constituent last named
who wished public documents U use
in his private paper business. Re
quests like this merely mean that in
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""1
them, i,
e e e e
Congress has now, and hns 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 or such sub
jects as tariff legislation, river ood.
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 passng
of any pension bill save the pension
legislation recommended by the Com
missioner of pensions (this of course
to be rejected or amended as congress
saw fit, but not so amended as to
include any special or private Digis
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 sarue time guarantee proper
treatment for the veteraa who really
does deserve to have everything done
for him that the country can afford,
e e e e e e
In the case of the tariff and the
river and harbor legislation, what is
needed in each case is ample provis
ion 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, aa 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 ln public life.
Such a river and harbor commission
could report, and probably would re
port, a great and comprehensive nat
ional scheme for river and harbor im
provements fit to be considered by
tbe 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 ln each of many
score congressional, districts. Such
a tariff commission could get at 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 ln 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
ers for whom the tariff is passed get
labor, so as to insure that the labor
the full benefit of it; for tbe major
part of the benefit of a protective
tariff should unquestionably go to th
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 tbe need of gratifying pri
vate selfishness.
It Is only in this way that larlff
legislation, river and harbor legisla
tion, vand 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 lenders 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 which
makes some executive suspicious
about delegating their work to any
subordinate, and which makes many
vo'ers, who have not pondered the
matter deeply, desire to elect great
numbers of people on a ticket of such
length that it is out of the quentlon
for any except professional poll f ichtns
to know much about them.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Punishment to Fit Crime.
"What do you think ought to be
done with persons who give short
v eights ln trade?"
"I think they ought to be given long
waits In jail."
Training Her.
"Our new servant can't speak a
word of English."
"However do you get along?"
"Splendidly. Hy next week we ex
pect she'll be able to tell callers we ro
not at boinw and look the twrt"