Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-29
MESSAGE HABIT OF
ROOSEVELT CURED
CRITICISM DlSGRUNTLES THE
PRESIDENT
Short Session Of Congress Memorable
for Storm Of orders from the
White House-Washing-
ton Gossip.
Special Correspondence Of The Herald.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24-The short
session of the fifty-ninth congress, or
at least the first half of the short ses-
sion, will go down in history as one
in which the representatives and sen
ators fought in a binding storm of
messages from the White House.
Probably never before I'm the same
space of time has a chief executive
pointed to the law makers the manner
i'm which he wished the legislative mills
to grind
However President Roosevelt's mes
sage habit is cured, according to all
reports He has come in for such an
amount of adverse criticism because
of the activity of his pen that 1t Is
said he is decidedly disgruntled and
that when congress reconvenes there
will be as great a dearth of presiden-
tial pronunclamentos as there was a
plenitude before.
The president realizes that a too free
use of the presidential message to call
to the attention of congress and the
country important legislation depre-
ciates the value of his official utter
ances. This realization, as well as his
resentment of the criticism, has prompt
ed him practically to put a stop to this
form of admonition.
Senate is Not Hard-Hearted
IF bill introduced this week by Sen
ator Burkett becomes law the United
States mails will be open for the free
transportation of all reading matter for
the use of the blind. The Nebraska
senator's measure is as poetical as a
senate bill can be made.
1t touches tenderly upon the inability
of the blind to see the works of nature
and of art and dwells sympa athetically
to spend in idleness and in darkness.
The bill offers as a reason for thus
giving free carriage through the mails
to reading matter for the blind that
the cost of embossed matter is many
times the cost of ink-printed or writ
ten manuscript, that they are heavier
and require greater outlay for postage
when mailed and for this reason the
blind a vast majority of whom are
not in affluent circumstances, are un-
able to exchange these works as they
might if the postal regulations were
waived.
The senate is not the hard-hearted,
corporation-pledged body that the
"muck-rakers'' would have the country
believe.
Rivers and Harbors Bill Important
Congress will gather again on Janu-
The ways have been creased with the
launching of the big appropriation
bills The first of these to be reported
after the recess will be the fortifica-d
tion measure, which practically is
ready for the consideration of the
house. After that will come the dis
trict bill, the sundry civil and the
pension bills.
The appropriation bills for the army
and the navy likely will be offered
about the middle of the month and the
latter is expected to evoke the usual
debate between the advocates and OPP
ponents of a greater navy. The entire
plan is to have the Legislative slate
clean as early as possible to permit of
full consideration of the rivers and
harbors bill. 1t is expected to carry
between fifty and sixty million dollars.
This bill is regarded as the most i'm
portant of all the appropriation bills,
as It is the first intimation in years
that the government has awakened to
the necessity for a vigorous campaign
in the development of the waterways
of the country.
The convention of the National Rivers
and Harbors congress, held here early
in December, opened the eyes of con-
gress to the necessity for making ade-
quate appropriations for the needs of
lHe lHdL THESE
appropriations should be made was
strengthened by the congestion of traf-
fic in all sections of the country.
In the south the cotton crop Is tied
up. in the northwest towns and cities
are suffering for the lack of coal and
the financial condition of the west is
shaken because the farmers are un-
able to move their great crops to
market through the inability of the
railroads to furnish cars.
Had the government in the past
made provision for the development Of
the country's natural resources the
rivers of the interior could have trans
ported practically all this heavy freight
and the railroad congestion never
would have resulted. 1t is the temper
of the present congress that the United
States should make amends for its IN
activity of the past by providing for
a wideawake crusade in the future.
Legal Battle Between States
A pretty fight is being waged in the
United States supreme court between
Kansas and Colorado. The case grows
out Of the use of the waters of the
Arkansas river and the Sunflower
state claims that Colorado has appro-
priated water in the last fifteen years
to the value Of not less than $4,000, 900.
The Kansas attorneys claim on be-
half of their state that Colorado Is
taking practically all of the water for
irrigation purposes and they demand
that a fair division be made.
On the other hand, Colorado's attor-
neys declare emphatically that there is
enough water for all and deny that
their drain on the river has worked
to the disadvantage of their sister
state.
A formidable array of legal talent
is arrayed on both sides of the ques-
tion and from present appearances the
supreme court has very hard nut to
crack.
jeff Davis viii Roar in Senate
An extanf "a oerlv 1oOlxad forward ~