Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-12-22

Washington, Dec. 2Oth, 1904.
Editor Press
Again the dreadful cotton boil
weevil invates the hall of Con-
gress. 1t is now asserted that in
five years it has eaten up $50, ,0O0.-
900 worth of cotton; that it now
requires more land to produce
bale; that it has destroyed the
credit of the small farmer; that it
is driving the Negro laborer from
the cotton districts; and that in
Texas for the past five years the
crop has decreased annually. A
quarter of million of dollars is
asked for with which to conduct
campaign against the weevil. Mr..
Roberts, of Mass, wants 100000
to help exterminate the gypsy and
brown tail moth in his state.
Secy. Wilson opposes this on the
ground that Massachusetts should
do this work at her own expense.
Mr.. Roberts wishes to know why
the same rule is not applied to
Texas? Possibly Congress will
make grant of So, 900 to enable
some of the Government entomolo-
gists to discover what they can find
out about the moths.
The chief interest in Washing
ton the past week has been the
work of Congress, what it will do
and what it cannot do for the want
of time. A committee of Republi-
can Senators has held a meeting
and decided that general legisla-
ton for this session of Congress
must be confined to the Statehood
and Philippine bills. If this reso-
luton is maintained many pet
schemes will go over until next
December, including the bills for
the proposed new apportionment
of Representatives on account of
Southern disfranchisement; and the
Cooper-Quarles bill which would
give the Interstate Commerce Com
mission power to regulate railroad
rates and fares. The President
claims the sole responsibility for
having recommended this enlarge
ment of the powers of the Commits
sion. \ hearing upon this bill be-
gan yesterday. The representa-
tives of the Shippers Association,
a strong western organization,
were present and in favor of the
bill. Mr.. Hepburn remarked that
so august body as the Supreme
Court had decided that it could
not pass upon the reasonableness
of a rate fixed for the future.
The inference was that the Inter-
state Commission could not do
what the Supreme Court cannot.
If Congress approves of the
President ; recommendation for a
Federal inspection service of all
railway rolling stock, to ascertain
if it is provided with the best kind
of brakes, and if they are in work
ing order, it is pointed out that
the inspectors will have to examine
l,5OO, 600 freight cars, 10000 pas
senger cars and $4,000 engines.
This would give employment to a
vast number of men and cause
some travelling. So, too, if there
is to be a Federal inquiry into ac-
cidents where there has been loss
of life, there must be, at the pres
ent rate of slaughter, some 5000
inquests annually. Add to this
inspectors for the proposed block
signal service, and a small army of
men will be required to keep the
railroad safe and sound. But as
many great railways have Sena-
tors in Congress these propositions
will hardly be enacted into laws
Immediately, although it is GER
tain that the people approve of
their spirit.
Next week, when Secretary Taft
returns from Panama, he will, at
the request of the President, take
up the case of the widows and de-
pendents of soldiers in Philadel-
phia, who for many years have
been making soldiers uniforms,
but are now deprived of the work
by contractors. An exhaustive
study of the whole question is de-
sired. The Quartermaster Gen.