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The Commoner
VOL. 13, NO. 29
22
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I WASHINGTON NEWS
Tho United States army board of
onglncoro rGCommonded to congress
a $20,000,000 lock canal between
'Delaware bay and Now York harbor
and further dovolopmont to a sea
lovol basis. Tho objoct of this pro-
f joct Is the dovolopmont of coastwlso
trade betwoon Now York, lJhlla
dolphla and Baltlmoro by means of
'Jntorcoaslal canals. Tho preliminary
report of tho board was submitted to
congross last year. On tho basis of
it congress 'has already appropriated
funds for tho purchase of tho Albe-
'cmarlo and Chosapeako canal connect
ing Norfolk and Now York by afe in
iland waterway route to tho North
Carolina sounds, and giving a safe
insido route beyond Capo Hatteras.
,Tho board recommends tho ultimate
'dovolopmont of this canal Into a 25-
lioot deep soa-lovol canal In co-opera
tion with Now Jersey and other
benefited states.
Philippine islands with ex-President
Taft when the latter was secretary
of war. He has a deep Interest In
the Philippine problem. At tho tlmo
of his appointment to this post, Rep
resentative Harrison was serving his
fifth term in congress. Ho was born
In 1873, and waB less than twenty
nine years old when elected for his
first torm. Ho is a graduate of Yale
and the New York law school. At
I tho beginning of tho war with Spain
he enlisted as a private in Troop A,
1 As a part of a campaign to elimi
nate red tape in his department,
Postmnster-Genoral Burleson issued
an order directing all employees of
the postofilco department to stop
UBlng unnecessary words In corres
pondence on official matters. Mr.
Burleson wants all communications
to bo as brief as possible. For ex
ample, ho has dlrectod that tho
names of tho officers of the depart
ment bo not used and that tho assis
tant postmasters-general be ad
dressed merely as "first assistant,"
"second-assistant," etc. Tho post-mastor-goneral
believes that by just
such attention to details along the
lines of business efficiency the gov
ernment will be saved thousands of
dollars annually.
1907 to 1913, a period of six years.
Tho increase in population from
1900 to 1910 was 15,977,691. Tho
threatened famine, together with the
unprecedented drouth of the past
summer in the west and southwest,
are expected to make meat prices
soar in the near future.
After October 1, when the new
federal laws for the protection of
migratory birds go into effect, all
shooting during those hours just
after sunset and before sunrise, the
best of tho day from the hunters'
point of view, is forbidden. Already
bills are being introduced to repeal
the law giving tho department of
agriculture the right to make regula
tions in such matters. Possibly the
woma prohibit the general inter
state movement of campaign fundi
,??uy T' Towne' oC N York
told the senate "lobby" committed"
that the national tariff association
has expended $39,000 on Washimr
ton work. b"
The arbitration treaty with Janan
expired by limitation August 23
and the senate failed to act upona'
supplementary convention intended
to furnish means for the peaceable
adjustment of disputes.
1
The commission on industrial re
lations has been confirmed by the
senate. On the commission is Frank
Walsh of Missouri.
John R. Commons of
"Wisconsin, Mrs. J.
Borden Harriman of
New York, Frederick
A. Delano of Illinois,
Harris Weinstock of
California, S. Thurs
ton Ballard of Ken
tucky, John B. Len
non of Illinois, James
O'Connell of Wash
ington, D. C, and
Austin B. Garretson
of Iowa.
Tho senate passed
the house resolution
appropriating $100,
000 to meet the ex
pense of bringing
destitute Americana
out of Mexico.
THE DOCTOR
(Tho President, having given Uncle Sam the tariff bitters, is now administering to him
the currency pill, while Secretary Bryan stands approvingly by. From Truth, Boston.)
Tho inspection of tho sanitary ar
rangements and safeguards iin rail
road stations and trains has been
ordered on a sweeping scale by Act
ing Secretary of the Treasury Allen.
The investigation will be made by
the Inspectors of public buildings
under orders from the supervising
architect of the treasury, and thoir
reports will bo turnod over to tho
public health service. The treasury
agents have been cautioned to go
about their task, which will extend
from coast to coast, with care and
tact and not to suggest nor attempt
any changes in sanitary methods or
apparatus.
New York volunteer cavalry, and be
came a captain and adjutant-general
of United States volunteers. In 1904
he was the democratic candidate for
lieutenant-governor of New York.
Mr. Harrison's father was private
secretary to President Jefferson
Davis, of the confe'eoate states, dur
ing the civil war.
Isaac Heldenhelmer, a Washing
ton pawnbroker, told tho house
"lobby" committee he had con
tributed 1,500 to .a fund of $3,750
used against tho "loan shark" bill,
and cashed advance pay warrants for
Representative McDermott and Mc
Michael, an ex-page.
Representative Ben Johnson of
Kentucky told the house lobby in
vestigating committee that the pas
sage of the federal loan shark law
was marked with dally threats
against his life. He introduced an
affidavit by a former capitol police
man who swore that another former
policeman claimed to have followed
Johnson three nights to kill him.
Testimony was also given that the
loan sharks fought this bill with a
slush fund of $10,000.
President Wilson's programme for
free sugar in 1916 carried the day
in the senate August 19, when demo
crats rallied to the support of the
tariff bill and defeated all amend
ments to tho sugar schedule. With
all democrats but Senators Ransdell
and Thornton of Louisiana, standing
firmly for the measure, the Brlstow
amendment for a compromise duty
was defeated, as were also the Norrls
amendment against free sugar and
the Gallanger amendment against
free maple sugar.
' Representative Francis Burton
Harrison of New York was nomi
nated foT governor-general of the
Philippine islands by President Wil
son, August 19. The appointment
was later confirmed by the senate.
Mr, Harrison made a trip to the
The government Is working on two
plans to check the shortage of beef,
but is thus far unable to tell whether
either will succeed. Dr. A. R. Mel
vin, chief of the bureau of animal in
dustry, department of agriculture,
made a trip to South America with
assistants to attempt to have regula
tions adopted that would permit of
tho admission from there of beef in
full compliance with the United
States inspection laws. Even if ad
mitted, however, it is stated that it
will take a long time to fix regula
tions that will allow that meat to
pass our inspection. This action was
brought about by the seriousness of
the scarcity of tho beef supply in the
United States. The population of
this country is increasing by leaps
and bounds, but according to figures
obtained from tho department of
agriculture, tho number of beef
cattle in the United States has de
creased more than 16,000,000 from
most important and far-reaching of
tho new regulations is the prohibi
tion of all spring shooting. A third
provision which is unpopular with
the hunters is the absolute prohibi
tion of all hunting on the Ohio, Mis
sissippi and Missouri rivers. Other
regulations adopted "by the depart
ment or agriculture for putting the
new law Into effect have to do for
the most part with making uniform
throughout the country tho laws al
ready existing in the various states.
Under statutes in force in 1912, more
than fifty separate seasons for mi
gratory birds were provided. It is
believed by the government experts
that, better results will follow the
adoption of the fewest possible num-
Der or zones and so regulate the
season in each as to include the time
when each species is the most abun
dant. For this reason the country
has been divided Into two zones, one
to include the states in which the
migratory birds breed, and the
other the states in which they win
ter. Tho department announces
that it is willing to give a hearing
to any objectors between now and
the first of October, the date the
regulations are to become effective.
According to bureau officials, it is
areuea mat tne protection of the
birds undertaken by the new regula
tions means in the end conserving
game for the hunter.
A United Press dis
patch, under date of
September 13, says:
President Wilson's
charge that an "in
sidious lobby" has
been operating at tho
national capital will
be sustained by tho
reports of the senato
and house investigating committees.
A canvass of the members indicates
that the democrats, at least, are a
unit in the belief that evidence de
veloped so far backs up the presi
dent. The house committee planned
to close its hearings and begin prepa
ration of its report. Only two more
witnesses remain to bo heard, For
mer Representatives Llttleflelu of
Maine and Cole of Ohio. The sena
torial investigators have enough wit
nesses summoned to keep them busy
for possibly two weeks more. Then
their report will be submitted. "All
angles of the lobbies discovered have
not been 'insidious' in every degree,"
said a member of one of the investi
gating committees, "but in general
the term exactly fits the case." For
mer Representative Watson's charge
that the senate democratic Investi
gators were pre-judging the case
when they gave Interviews holding
that the lobby charge by Colonel
Mulhall had been proven, caused all
members to refuse to be quoted on
the case.
to stop tho
states with
Senator Clapp's bill
flooding of doubtful
money for national elections or pre
conventlon campaigns was reported
to tho senate, August 23, with a
recommendation for passage by the
elections committee. This measure
would permit a national committee
to pay expenses of speaking cam
paigns, advertisements marked "paid
for" and other specified items, but
The democratic caucus of the
house unanimously adopted an
amendment to the Owen-Glass cur
rency bill, August 25, placing agri
cultural securities on a parity witn
commercial paper for banking pur
poses. It also extends the maturity
of notes and bills admitted to dis
count under the amendment to ninety
days, instead of the originally pro
posed forty-five days. This action
disposed of the last of the main con
troversial issues of the administra
tion currency bill. It closed tho con
sideration of the rediscount section
of the bill in a manner that was in
dorsed by Chairman Glass, of tne
banking and currency committee,
and Floor Leader Underwood, ana
finally proved acceptable to itepre-
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