The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1905-12-15
TIE WORK Of. CONGRESS,
Hevburn Pure Food Bill is
Very Important. u
FIGHT ON PARCELS POST.
Postal Savings Bank-Govern
ment Clerks are Improvident.

ment Clerks are lmpr0vldent.
WEEKLY LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Now that the Presidents message
bas gone to Congress, the way Is
ceured for the great legislative fight
tb,t is sure to ensue. There have
b.eu something over 5000 bills al
ready introduced, but there are few
~ them that either stand any show
~ RAISING or that are of general in
tercst to the country. The Panama
Canal Rlll has already been taken up
in the House by unanimous consent
and will tie in shape to 80 to the
Senate IN Il week or a little more.
After that the rate bill will he the
most pressing business of the House.
The President was wise enough not
Ia raise an issue over this in his mes
sage. There have already been no
less than six rate bills introduced
and there will be more. The Presi
dent has declared for none of them.
lie has appointed out what ''rate
control" ought tn accomplish and his
influence viii be thron'to the meas
ures that comes nearest to his stan
dard.
One of the very important minor
bills which as vet has had very little
attention paid to it is the Heyburn
Pure Food Bill. Five or six Of the
individual states have passed pure
food laws and they have proved
valuable SO far as those particular
states were concerned, but they have
failed to reach many of the big cor
purations and manufacturers engaged
in interstate commerce. For several
years Congress has been asked for
federal measure of this sort and II
looks now as though it. would be
passed. The enforcement of the bill
will lay between the Department OF
Justice aud the Agricultural Depart
ment, but the Department of Com
merce and Labor and the Treasury
Department will also be represented
in the federal board thus created and
Will deal particularly with pure food
in interstate transactions and with
the importation of foodstufs from
abroad. The measure is one that
the Department of Agriculture has
been anxious to see in force for long
time and one that will make for the
health Of every community ana VIII
assure the average CITIZEN OF getting
what he pays for when he puts down
his money in the market or the
grocery store.
The bill for the creation of a par
Gel post will also come up strongly a.
the present session. 1t Is pointed
out that this country alone Of all the
great powers mas 40 parcel post sys-
TEN and that this leaves the private
citizen practically at the mercy OF Cn'
express companies, postage rates DC
ing prohibitive on parcels overa very
small weight. The big department
stores are of course in favor OF th'
measure because it will lmmensel,
aid their mail order business, 0ut th'
small retailers are solldly against
as they declare it will drive many y
them out Of business. The expires
companies naturally will fight IL AM
there is u strong lobby already az vi
Capital hoping to either kill the o'i
Ia committee or on the floors.
One of the bills that is OF etea
interest all over the country Is ~
the establishment ola postal saVius
bank. This measure Of course inco'
the antagonism OF all the oapA'u
interests OF the country 'ro" w
start. 1t is somewhat in line never
t1eless with a Recommendation :
Secretary Shaw's annual message ~
the creation of Departmental ''s
,pgs Bank especially for the oeneu
Of government clerks all over ~ ~
country. This matter OF car'ns ;, :,
the old clerks or those dlsapleu W..
10 the service has been growing e'o"
ly OF late. Il has heen the suoJec'
chapter in cverv reportof the o,s ~,
Service Commission for ten yea'9 | p-s
lnd there is now q nationa' e'