The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-07-06
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gen.
eraI Topics from
the Capital.
June 80, 1906,

PIE with belated requests, most of
which ii was impossible to grant
or even lay before the President,
and scores of Senators and Rep
reSentatives wishing to pay their
final calls.
congressman were decidedly
ready TO congratulate themselves
on the amount of work that had
been accomplished, but as a
matter of tact. tie most that was
done was to arrive at number of
compromises on important pieces
of legislation. The one thing in
which the White House had its
way was the settlement of the
Panama Canal problem. That this
was settled at all was a victory
since the railroad interests want
ed to keep the matter in the air
and ii possible prevent action
for another session.
The Rate Bill was a decided
compromise. The Pipe Line
Amendment was knocked out and
Senator Tillmau, in charge of
the bill would not even sign the
final report. The Pure Food Bill
was robbed Ui most of its good
features 10y the insiStence of the
patent medicine firms and the
various special interests all of
which feared to be exposed 10y
the search light of ublicity.
The Department of Agriculture
expresses the hope that some
good may be accomplished by the
bill as it stands on the theory
that any sort of Federal legiSla
ton Is better than "a lot of con.
tlicting State laws combined with
the situation presented by many
States that have no food laws at
all.
In the same way the Meat In
spection Law WAS a clear Law
down to the packing interests.
In spite of the exposure and the
endless injury to trade that the
packers forced on themselves by
their refusal to submit to the
warnings of the President. they
have managed to rid tue inspcc
ton law OF what was to them
some of the most objectionable
features. Worst of all they
shouldered the expense Of the
Inspection on the government.
They have done a very good joh
OF work for themselves. whatever
may be thought of is moral as.
pect or its effect upon the public.
AS for the various in,estiga.
tons and exposures that have
taken place and are taking place.
their effect has been more moral
than actual. The prosecution
against the Standard Oil Com
pany have been undertaken with
the express announcements by the
Attorney General that it would
be impossible to convict any of
the higher officials OF the com
pany And so long az these go
uuscathed, it is a safe bet that
the methods of the corporations
will not be much changed.
In the last hours of the session
Senator Tillman made a final
attack on the Pipe Line Amend
ment and paid back in "a measure
some of the things that he had
suffered earlier in the rate fight
when the SO,called "AllisOn
Amendment" was accepted. He
said that the Allison Amend.
ment was the place where the
Big Stick and the Pitchfork had
parted company. He wanted to
do something for the people and
10 break down the monopoly
that the great Standard Oil
he'd fastened upon the people of
the country, but he said that he
had been left alone on the firing
line and that all the threats of
what was to be done immediately
to the oil monopoly has now turn
ed to what was 10 be done to
it at some future date when the
prosecutions instituted by the De.
partment of Justice were com.
pleted. Thus, he said, the farce
went on, the people were fooled,
and the promise was always of
what was to be done tomorrow
while there was never any ac-
compliShment to show for the
work of today.
In connection with the Stand
ard Oil prosecutions, it may he
said that the most of the final
cabinet meeting this week was
devoted to considering the sub.
ject. Attorney General Moody
arrived early at the White House
with a bundle of documents that
were understood to bear on the
case. This was not the first con
ference this week either. There
was a meeting on Thursday when
the Attorney.General presented
his assistant, Mr.. Purdy, and the
special counsel that has been en-
gagged. MeSsrS MorriSon and Kol