The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-05-21


d fbese csncsffs inse ~ sbsps q pro-
possd ieeai enarfments md hsvs asked
conerow - xfse fhen serious oouAtdeFnftos-
Tor ehlis senator Ingalls, dfvsdsd hi
tims tstwssn neuspeper interyiews richly
ls1sn NTH eloquens fnlminaffons. which
we're snxs conk1nsfions of novelty snd
fncohsFsnce On ~ one hand. and The peo-
fuse infroducffon 81 bills redoIens u crude
Kansan freakjness On the o<her. And no
sooner he'd this brilliant gentleman taken
brisf resp5te from thess Iaboss than his
more solid snd evenly balanced colleague
ssepped ints TIE breach And INSIDE up for
Loss time By pouring dsiugs Of like meas
uses into the senate. Among the bills thus
submitted b. these Two senator's there +
perhaps every form and phase Of ram
fanker0as wrOnxheetsdness. Some Of
them are marve.s in their way.
One Of the latest Of the bills introduced
By Senator psnmb proposes that the Sec
retsry Of Agriculture shalt, AS speedily -
possible. esssbiish : public farm in each
county within the limits OF the United
States These farms must be operated at
cost. This il believed to be the usual
plan Of operating farms. though 'cost."
even on adjoining farms. h somewhat
variable quantity Nobody shall Be en-
ployed on The pnbiic farms except they Be
employed By the Republic and assigned
to duty by the President. through the
Secretary Of the Department Of Labor"
which latter provision would nullify the
objects Of the scr and forbid the employ
ment OF anybody on the farms. for the
reason that there IL no Secretary Of the
Department Of labor through" whom
the President might alone make assign
ments TO duty. It's hardly possible that
the astute reformers who drew this bill had
not stopped TO consider the cost Of buying
Z farm In each county OF the moro popu-
Ious Eastern states, or of the cost and In
evitabie appropriateness Of operating" .
farm IN each county Of Nevada, Colorado.
Montana and many other states. But
Plumb introduced the bill, and by fair In
ference either desired its passage or offers
an insult 10 the Eenats or 70 his constitu-
ents.
Another Kansas bill which Senator
Plumb has fathered is An Act to organize
Grand Army Of Labor" The President
Is directed 10 issue = call--not for three
hundred thousand niorer-for all citizens
over twenty-one years Of age to enlist in
the grand army Of labor. The condition Of
enlistment shall be that their hours Of labor
shall not exceed four per day for not moro
than i've days per week. nor for more than
sion OF two weeks, for which they shall re-
ceivc four dollars per day. payable weekly
lin the decIaratory full legal tender silk
threaded grecnback paper money Of the
United States Of America exclusively"
The tenure Of Office In the grand army Of
labor Is to be Exclusively ct the pleasure"
Of the volunteers. and not "at the pleasure
OF some spoilsmen who may happen 10
hold commission issued by the Presi-
dent" The inference Is that these volun-
teers are 70 be the only appointees Of the
President who will not BE- sspoilsmen."
1t would seem that Senators might find
better use for their time than in the
preparation or introduction Of such bills ~
these. II does not comport with decent
respect for the body Of which they are
members TO cunber its tiles with such
crazy maunderings. Such practices can
only commend the Senate 70 the derision
and contempt Of oil sensible people, at
home and abroad. II intended for humor
1t Il Of very coarse quality, and certainly
il has not the fainsest trace OF dignity.