The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-04-20
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, D. c. April 18th, 1906

MR. EDIToR:-If the Senate is marking
time on the rate bill and finding excuses
for not speaking. the House is 10y no
means talked cut. Rnurke Cochran this
week had an hour of time granted him in
which to express his views, and thy were
we'll expresse and went to the point az
is usual with his speeches. What he adj
vised was for the House 20 stand pat" on
the rate bill and allow No amendments
from the Senate He said that in com
mon with good many other members
he had gone over the Hepburn bill, hop
ing to strengthen it by amendment, but
he found that in every case he had been
anticipated by the trainers of the bill and
he thought that the best thing to do was
to pass the bill as it stood and not allow
the Senate to saddle it with amendments.
In the matter If court review prsvis
| ion, MIR. Cochran took the very common
sense view that if any railroad were not
satisfied with the ruling of the Commits
sion, all it had to do to secure court re-
view was to fail to enforce the order.
| This would at once throw the matter into
the courts and get tho ruling that all the
court review amendments purported to
seek. 1t was quite a simple, homely
speech and rs notice had been given that
it was to occur, the galleries we're crowd.
ed. Of course SO long as the bill is under
consideration in the Senate. the talk on
the House end is rather beside the mark,
but it is an indication to the Senate that
the House for ence intends to stand on
its rights and that if the bill comes back
from the Senate in any considerably
amended shape. it is likely to have hard
time before it gets to conference and af-
terward.
| Almost as old as the proposal to change
the date of the President ial inauguration
is the proposal ts elect Senators by a pop
ular vote But the measure has been in
troduced again by Mr. Norris of Nebras-
ka and in spite Of the fact that the bill
has four times passed the House and has
been killed in the Senate, there is renew
ed talk of its passing. There i incerpo
rated with the bill proposal t" make the
term of members of the House four wears
instead of two The object of this, tie
report says, is to give more importance to
the primaries and prevent the pr"fs ssion-
al boodler from living ever frunI term to
term on the proceeds Of his unh"lv work
at one election. THE people are tired
the rel OFT says, "of this contiI. u,us drama
| and as result are inclined To give little
attention to the primarit S and the conven
| tions which are the very foundation of
our political system. and are the times
at which the countrys interest can te
best protected"
| The change in the order of elections
would have to be accomplished by a con-
stitutional amendment, but the Trainer Of
the bill is convinced that it is good one
and it has at least had favorable report
to the House.
1t will not be long before the Pure Food
Bill will come to a vote. Matters are in
such shape that it can at any time be
made the unfinished business and vote
on it may be arranged at any day. 1t is
possible that the measure may pass at
this session and it is almost certainty
that if it does not it will pass and be sign
ed by the President at the next session.
DR.. Wiley Of the Department Of Agricul-
ture is Of course the father Of the bill and
he has lot Of "arguments" in the shape
of adulterated foods of one sort and an
other spread out on two big trays at the
Department which he intends to send up
to the Capitol to back his declaration that
a pure food bill is an absolute necessity.
The custom house inspectors in New
York played into his hands this week too
and furnished him with what he has told
a number of friends Is another COED argu-
mont. 1t 10 to the effect that the market
Of the eastern states is being flooded with
spurious "puro olive OIL" This oil is Of
two sorts. One Of them il imported right
enough, but it is imported free and costs
40 cents gallon. 1t comes In free under
the declaration that 1t is purely for me-
ohanical uses And that 10 ali it Is 1T for.
1t is the lowest grade Of refuse from tho
oil factories. When it gets into this
country, however, 1t Is filtered to remevs
tho dirt, a little potash added to take out
the rancid taste, for it 10 all Of it rancid,
and then is bottled and put on the mar
ket as ''pure lucca oil" This stuff, DR.
Wiley declares, is entirely unfit for hu.
man consumption. Yet it is largely sold
and there is no federal law under which
the vendors can be prosecuted.
| The other device is even more barefac-
ed, though less harmful. Tho Depart
ment found recently that tho eastern eud
of the country was being flooded with
cheap "sive oil'' for which there was no