Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-06-23
NEW ENGLAND LAW
MAKERS NARROW VIEWS

WASHINGTON. June Ex-senator
pIatt of Connecticut is wise and
GOOD man, but has lived too long in
New England to take broad view
of proposition. He does an inius-
t'ce to himself. to the Hawaiian peo.
ple and his colleagues in the senate
when he objects to the committee on
Hawaiian affairs making trip to
those islands this summer If a Con-
necticut factory, owned by Connect
cut people. had a board of directors
hVlng IN Chicago who never went near
IT. and had no personal knowledge of
It's condition and management. he
would consider them grossly negli-
cent of the responsibilities they had
assumed, and would probably go into
court and apply for some sort of relief
for the stockholders. But when a
committee of the senate. which stands
in the position of board of directors
of the Hawaiian islands, wants to go
out there and look into things so as
to legislate with knowledge and intel
Itgence. Senator Platt and other New
England men object. This omnis-
cience is confined to the representa-
tives of New England and to Senator
Benjamin Ryan Tillman of South Caro-.
lima There have been other men
similarly endowed. but they were not
reelected to the senate. Senator
Tillman is always ready and willing
to give advice and furnish any auan-
tity of information on any matter that
comes up in the senate. whether he
knows anything about it or not. So
are the senators rom New England.
But. if business principles should
be applied to national legislation.
there would be a good deal less talk
in% upon the front seats. Such men
as Senator Platt and Senator Hoar.
who nave have great regulations for
learning and wisdom are disqualified
from leeislatiug concerning public
lands, the territories. the Indians. ir-
rigation forestry and other purely
western affairs. because neither of
them have even been west of Chicago,
and know nothing whatever about the
needs and conditions of that section
of the country. They would be very
much astonished and very indignant
if Senator Hansbrough of North Da-
kota and Senator Warren of Wyoming
should insist upon drawing bills to
regulate affairs in Massachusetts, and
Connecticut.
There ought to be a number of
''junkets,' as the opposition newspa-
pers call them. The Hawaiian commit
tee ought to go to Honolulu, the Phil
ippine committee to Mainland there
is memorial before the senate sign
ed by Mr. Carnegie. Mr.. Schurz and
several other mugwumps for that pur-
pose-the Porto Rico committee
should go to San Juan and Ponce. and
the Cuban committee to Cuba. to look
into things themselves, to talk with
the people and see what they need
and how the welfare can be promoted
by legislation. 1t would not cost a
great deal of money and whatever it
would cost would be well spent.
When the committees return they can
legislate in an intelligent manner. in
stead of depending upon lot of in.
terested persons who come to Wash.
ington for the distinct purpose of in.
fuencing legislation. Sometimes such
persons are wise and patriotic, but of
ten they are not When a person is
directly interested he is not always
the best Judge of a matter.
The discussion over the reciprocity
bin for Cuba is a good illustration
The committee in charge of that meas
ure should have gone down there and
made an investigation. Some of the
members did, and they know what
they are talking about, but the rest
don't; they are influenced one way OF
another by the statements of inter
ested persons who have come to
Washington expressly to assist in
passing or defeating the bill.
1t would be a good thing II there
were an appropriation each year to
pay the travelling expenses of senators
and members of the house to different
parts of the country that are affected
by the the Legislation of which they
nave charge. 1t would be In the in
terest OF economy and Justice