Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1905-08-17
From Washington City.
SPECIAL ORRESPO NDENCE OF
The Press.

0Jtn congress 10 90. on tnc adEIct
of Acknowledgement Moody he will
add to his recommendation to the
extra session the subject Of the re,
vision of the criminal law Of the
United States. This, undoubtedly
comes from the fact that there
seems to be nothing in the crimi-
nal law as it now stands to catch
and punish this fellow Holmes, for
leaking the cotton figures to the
cotton gamblers in New York from
the agricultural department. y
law to cover such transactions as
that may well be passed, but what
is the use revising the criminal law
when there is whole lot of crimi-
nal law on the statutes to-day that
is not being enforced by this holler-
than-thou republican administration.
If it were enforced there would be
no use for the railroad legislation
that he is so strenuOusly y asking fer
because there is not q SINGLE case Of
railroad discrimination, or rebate
that could not be checked If the law
now on the books We're honestly
and vigorously enforced, and that
is about the only thing that the
people of the country are com
planning of. No man, who knows
what he IS talking about, believes
that the freight rates are too high.
They are kicking because some fel-
low like the Standard Oil trust or
the beet trust is getting cheaper
rates than they are, thus putting
the little fellow out of business.
Place everybody on the same plane
and guarantee to every shipper the
same rates and there will be no
need of placing the rates of the rail
roads in the hands Of a partizan
commission that knows no more
about making rates than | do ofl
navigating ship. What's the use
of revising criminal laws that are
not going to be enforced after they
are revised? That's the way the re-
publican party always is pulling the
wool over the eyes of the people. |
Its leaders clamor loudly for reforms
and for laws to enforce them and
then with a great flourish of trum
pets they pass these laws which are
to remain dead letters on the statutes
as have the Sherman antitrust law
and the Elkins railroad law.
The presidents demand for all
these things that shall be accomplish
ed by the extra session is simply rot.
It is grandstand play to the people. !
He knows that the extra Session can
not accomplish anything and that
he won't get what he asks for from
the regular session, but it looks we'll
In print to ask for them and then
pose as the great champion Of the
people. His program for the extra
session already includes legislation
covering Federal control of railroad
rates and of the insurance business
and the Panama Canal. Possibly
also tariff revision, ifhe has the cour-
age to go against the wishes of the
''stand-patters." Already they are
trying to dissuade him. Speaker
Cannon is preparing to descend on
Oyster Bay. Senator CuIlom and
others are circulating arguments
thru the newspapers. They have
driven the president to cover before.
Why should they now despair of
success?
The president started out with a
dash and shout to call an extra ses-
sion last spring. The politicians saw
him and it was postponed until Sep
ten,ber, then until Octo Der and then,
fearing it might interfere with some
of the plans Of the politicians during
the election, he postponed it until
after the election, to November IL.
Ifthe house organizes its committees
by the time the regular session be-
gins in December, it will be doing
better than it usually does.
Mr.. Roosevelt has abandoned the
substance for the shadow. His
special session is a sham and & fraud.
If he is playing for another term,
delay in pressing tariff reform will
not strengthen him with the people,
The impression had gotabroad that
he was a fighter, that he never reck
oned the odds. ga bully fight was
precisely what he said he liked best
That reputation appealed to the peo
pie. His dilatory policy appeals tc
the politicians 1t fits in with theil
plans. Not improbably it may
strengthen him for denomination
Has he that purpose in mind?
Mr.. Rooseveltis the apostle of th
strenuous life. There never was
hetter time 10 give congress and tn