The National tribune., 1903-02-19

Secretary of the new Department Commerc
aud Labor.
or elected has been honored by his incum
bency, and there is no man in the North
west today who stands higher than Sen
ator Nelson in the estimation of all classe,
of citizens. Unpretentious and retiring il
disposition, he possesses an immense funt
of reserved intellectual force which is al
ways available in emergencies.
A VERSATILE AND USEFUL SENATOR AMI
coMRADE.
An illustration of his ready capacity
was given by Senator from the West OF
the occasi of the celebration of Senator
Nelson's Goth birthday few evenings
since. This colleague gave graphic de
scription of the enactment of the present
bankruptcy law few years ago. Sena.
tor Hoar, OF Massachusetts, Chairman OF
the Judiciary Committee representing that
Committee, with its long and thoughtful
labor reinforced by his own extended legal
experience, reported to the Senate bank
ruptcy bill which was deemed perfect Sc
far as human foresight could frame it.
The bill was submitted with great conf
dence on the part of its authors, but when
the time for action came Senator Nelson
quietly arose, moved to strike out all after
the enactIng clause, and to substitute a
bill which he had prepared, and which
was so manifestly superior to that pro-
posed by the Committee that it was cor
daily accepted, passed by the Senate al
most without alteration, became the law
Of the land, and has worked SO well that
in the five or six years of its operation
scarcely single important amendment
has been required.
In the bankruptcy legislation, as in his
last exploit in the Department of Com
merce bill and in many other episodes of
his Senatorial career, Mr.. Nelson has de-
monstrated his signal ability, his ready
grasp Of great questions, his wide legal
attainments, and has taken high rank
among his eminent colleagues for abso-
lutte reliability and unfailing usefulness.
Senator Nelson is comrade of the
Grand Army Of the Republic, a true vet
eran Of the rank and file of the Union
army, proud of his youthful service, and
in thorough sympathy with all the Just
demands OF the survivors of the war.
THE OLD BUREAU TRANSFERRED.
The bill has become law and the De-
partmcnt of Commerce and Labor goes in
to operation with Hon. George =. Cortel-
you as Secretary. 1t authorizes the
transfer of Bureaus by the President, pro-
viding that Statistical Bureaus may be
transferred from every Executive Depart
ment, except the Department of Asri-
what departments transfers may be made
is to prevent the transfer of either the
Interstate Commerce Commission or the
Bureau of Statistics of the Agricultural
Department. Besides the new Burea us
created, the new Department will consist
Of
The Department of Labor;
The Lighthouse Board and the Light.
house establishment;
The Steamboat Inspection Service;
The Bureau of Navigation;
The Bureau of Standards;
The Coast aid Geodetic Survey;
The Commissioner-General of Immigra.
ton; Commissioners of Immigration. the
Bureau of immigration and the Immigra.
ton Service;
The Bureau of Statistics Of the Treas.
ury Department;
The Shipping Commissioners;
The Bureau of Foreign Commerce, now
in the Department Of State;
The Census Bureau;
The Fish Commission.
These Bureaus carry their present or
CARNATIONS and clerical force bodily into
| the new Department. 1t is simply a mat
ter Of making up rosters, reprinting sta
| tionery, etc.-the officials and clerks will
remain where they are for the present
and merely transfer their allegiance to q
| new Depa rtment Chief.
Two entirely new Bureaus are created
by the law-that of Corporations" and
that of Manufactures"
THE BUREAU OF CORPORATIONS.
The latest and perhaps the most i'm.
portant addition to the bill creating the
Department Of Commerce and Labor was
the def handiwork Of its original author.
Senator Nelson scored q splendid victory
In securing the adoptiea o3 bis amsndment