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DECEMBER 29,- 1906
The Commoner.
A
NOZES FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL I
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That
Canal
Appropriation
Washington, D. C, Dec. 26'. The democrats
have every reason to he proud of the record
made for the party during the few days that
congress remained in session hefore taking the
usual holiday recess. If nothing else had heen
accomplished they would have satisfaction enough
in realizing that a compact, earnest, and indus
trious minority in both branches of the national
legislature early in the session by their aggres
sive and enlightening speeches caused a powerful
majority, at first disposed to resort to sledge
hammer tactics, to cut down the" Panama emer
gency appropriation $5,500,000. In bringing about
this saving there was not the slightest intention
on the part of the democrats to in any way
retard the progress of the canal. But they simply
as representatives of the taxpayers of the coun
try would not submit to the proposition to rush
through a measure that the republicans were
forced to admit had not been properly investigat
ed, and which called for the expenditure of mil
lions of the people's money without' any guaranteo
that the greater part of the large sum originally
asked for would be economically applied on the
isthmus.
As is well known this measure was first
brought forward in the house of representatives,
where all appropriation bills
under our constitution are
supposed to originate. With
their overwhelming majority
and with the pugnacious Col.
"Pete" Hepburn, of Iowa, in charge of the Pan
ama matter, it seemed as if the republicans had
determined in advance to brush aside the demo
crats as though a minority no longer had any
rights in the United States congress. But the
democrats entered the fight with a courage and
perseverence that was most admirable. To the
gallery visitors it might have seemed as if a
David was going out to meet a Goliath, and per
haps they, like the Philistines of old may have
laughed at the nervy minority, but for all practi
cal purposes what the democrats achieved equalled
in a certain sense the ending of the combat
between David and Goliath. The democrats not
only prevented an unnecessary extravagance;
they not only compelled the republicans to con
fess to the public that they were wrong in their
methods, that they were voting away millions
without knowing how and where It would be
spent, but they virtually extracted a promise that
not again during this congress would such another
attempt be made. The democratic speeches in
reality caused an insurrection over on the repub
lican side. Mr. Hepburn and the republican man
agers generally feared an uprising in their own
ranks, for quite a number of republicans served
. notice that the democratic exposures were too
severe for them to satisfactorily explain to their
constituents. ...
The house republicans, after this lesson, will
not be apt to rush through another appropriation
bill this session without the
They Must fullest investigation. The
Give senate republicans heeded the
the Details . warning, and although Speak
er Cannon and his lieutenants
in the house fretted and complained over the de
lay at that end of the building the senate made
a careful investigation and took its time in
reaching a vote on the proposition.
The democrats are throwing no obstacles in
the way of the Panama canal. They are making
no captious or partisan opposition in supplying
the necessary money for this mighty and expen
Blve undertaking. Some whose private heller
is strong that the Panama route is an impossioie
one and that eventually this- government will nave
to fall back on Nicaragua, would .not let tneii
private opinions influence them. They are w inng
to give President Roosevelt, and all the eminent
engineers and others he has designated Jo carry
on the work, the fairest trial imaginable; but tney
do insist that something tangible must be brougiit
out before the people's money is poured Into tne
isthmus by the millions and the information witn
held as to how it is to be spent. ,
During the week preceding the date or tne
holiday recess the house managers permitted u
' wide latitude of debate. Ob-
Debate on- the tensibly the subject under
Insurance discussion was that portion
Question of President Roosevelt's - an
nual message relating to the
regulation of insurance. A great many speeches
were delivered more by democrats than repub
licans. Not many of the republicans recognized
talked long about Insurance. They preferred oth
er topics. Several of the best reasoners on the
democratic side in view of the fact that the
supreme court has rendered a decision to the
effect that insurance can not be regarded prop- -erly
as interstate business hesitate to commit
themselves fully, holding rather that perhaps It
would be better to refer the question to the
judiciary committee for careful investigation,
with instructions to make a report to the house
later in the session. Others contend stoutly that
where companies do business in various states
it is interstate business and can not be regarded
in any other light.
Speaker Cannon fairly beamed with delight
because it suited his purpose and that of his
republican associates on the rules committee to
allow so much time for speech-making. The
speaker is bending all his energy to so shape
things that an early adjournment can be brought
about. He feels that the more speeches are made
at the beginning of the session the fewer requests
for time will be made later on. Aud it was a
noteworthy fact that during the discussion the
republicans were wonderfully accommodating in
permitting the democrats to get the floor. It
might have been that the republicans in addition
to getting the speeches out of the way wished
to get an idea as to the tactics of their opponents
on- the railroad rate question.
At this writing it is uncertain as to which
branch of congress will take the initiative in the
railroad rate problem. At the
Railroad short session of the last con-
Rate gress it will be remembered
Problem that the house passed what
was known as the Esch
Townsend bill. The senate refused to accept it,
and congress came to its constitutional end witli
the matter hanging in the air so far as the sen
ate was concerned. .That august body, however,
did delegate power to the committee over which
Mr Elkins presides to hold sessions last spring,
and the hearings continued for several we"eks,
with the understanding and belief that by the
time this congress assembled the senate inter
state and foreign commerce committee would
have a bill perfected. But the republicans of the
committee were divided when they obtained au
thority to pursue the investigation, and they are
still divided. Worse than that they are almost
at their wits' ends to determine how to get to
eether On a proposition that will satisfy the
country, please the president, and at the same
time please the railroads.
In this congress a new senator has been
nlaced on the interstate and foreign commerce
Sommittee-Mr. Crane, of Massachusetts. Onto
tora differ as to where he really stands on the
aH absorbing question. Senator Crane takes the
P ace of Senator Millard of Nebraska, transferred
to the chairmanship of the inter-oceanlc canals
committee He has been heralded as a friend
STe president on the theory that his colleague
Mr Lodse is such a boon companion of the chief
fxe'cuUv! On the other hand the claim is freely
SalZnl in qenator Crane comes from New Eng-
?a5V Qt be Seed as a "conservative" with
land he must be classea as
aKSSi Lin ana FoSer are credited with hay
Aldrich, Kean ana j . committee, for it
ing had him assigned to republicans are un
is a recognize d tnw tne
certain as to their -am my republican
reports the major ty tu a and prevent
Mr r,ao? tSeir men from either voting with the
several of tneir ,?Hln" the third report.
deXa! queation thc
house democrat aro waiting to boo what tho
republicans of that body will
It is a do. Several democratic bills
Democratic on tho subject have boon pro
Measure pared. In the speeches de
livered so far this session a
number of democrats have in ado it plain Hint if
the republicans do not moot tho expectations of
President Roosevelt, and there is n prospect of
still further bofogglng tho situation, they will in
sist that a democratic measure be brought into
tho house as a minority roport. Mr. Clnyton, of
Alabama, in his address to tho house pointed
'out in forcible language that the democratic plat
forms of 189G and 1900 and again in 1901 unequiv
ocally declared for the regulation of railroad
rates. He has contended that during the first
ten years of the operations of thc present inter
state commerce law tho railroads wore not guilty
of such gross discriminations. But he declares
that after the supreme court decided the com
mission had not sufficient power to enforce rates
the railroads have been unfair to shippers, re
sulting In the present movement for stringent
legislation. The republicans in their national
platforms have been silent on the subject. They
did not have a word to say on tho subject, not
oven in the platform on which Mr. Roosovelt
was elected in 1904, and it was not until his
message was sent to congress at tho beginning
of tho short session jot the last congress that
tho republicans were disposed to make oven a
faint effort in the direction of legislation recom
mended by tho president.
In view of the record and the undisputed acts
that have been brought to light since thc present
congress assembled the demo-
Republicans crats have vehemently assert-
Are Artful ed in the discussions that
Dodgers their out-spoken declarations
and nothing else are really
responsible for the partial awakening at last on
the part of the republicans. They charge that
the republicans had to be driven to action, and
that now they are striving to concoct some
scheme by which a law will be put on the statute
books that may turn out to have neither "teeth
nor claws" unless the democrats uphold the pres
ident in the demands made by him in his
message.
The ultra protectionists of the republican
party are as determined as ever that there shall
be no appreciable revision of tho tariff during
this congress, but they will not be able to pre
vent a discussion of the burdens that thc people
complain of in many sections of the United
States. The Philippine bill will furnish an op
portunity for well directed attackb against the
prevailing system, and if the house managers are
not disposed to grant sufficient time the demo
crats and "insurgent" republicans of the senate
can present their views without fear of the gag
rule The house republicans do not want the Hgnt
shed on the iniquities of the Dingley law, nor do
they, if they can help it, care to have too much
said about the retaliatory measures being taken
by Germany and France to exclude American
iroods from those countries on account of the
high duties levied against the products of the
""TseSTamaU matter, and yet the Mto
of the tobacco and Butrusts are ; ojje U
The Tobacco accused of opposing the ef-
and forts of the American citl-
Sugar Trusts zens in the Isle of Pines to
0 induce congress and the state
department to investigate and determine whether
w Island belong? to Cuba or to the United
States Mr. Edward F. Ryan, the duly accredited
debate from the island who seeks to be recog
nized as a representative on the floor of the house
and accorded the same rights as those enjoyed
b? the commissioner from Porto Rico and toe
elevate from Hawaii, and several other Ameri
22i sent here from the Isle of Pines, say that
Sey have encountered at almost every turn the
power of the tobacco trust The island .has a
(Continued on gage 1)
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