Middletown transcript., 1907-04-27
WASHINGTON LETTER


= fresh sensation can rest quite satisfied.
They have it in the proposition the Presi-
dent has advanced to cut off all election
contributions and have the legitimate
election expenses of all parties paid by the
national government. This might raise
wall from the anti-paternalists, Tor 1t
would be paternaism of sort, in fact OF
Of the most pronounced sort. BIT 1t
would be fair to all parties and it ought
to result in freeing elections from the
taint and suspicion of morey iIleg 'timat-ly
used. The plan has not yet been PIT
forth officially, but it has been talked
over at the White House and the Presl-
dent is understood to be decidedly IN
favor of it. So far as the details have
been worked out, it is that the several
parties should be apportioned tunds for
legitimate election expenses in proportion
to the vote that they pol'ed at the last
preceding similar election. This would
keep the government disbursement from
being all in the hands of the t~o big
parties. The funds would be as carefully
audited as any of the other disbursements
of the government. and not only would
the people know where each dollar OF the
money had gone, but they would see to 1t
that election expenses were kept down
within something like reasonable limits.
1t would settle the question OF corporate
campaign contribution, would relieve the
corporations from being held up" by en-
terprising campaign solicitors and would
assure all candidates of sufficient funds to
meet their legitimate outlay. II is just
the sort OF an unpleasant proposal for the
President to make, one that the machine
politicians on neither side will relish, and
yet one that nobody could honestly and
reasonably oppose 1t wouli make the
election cease to depend on the size OF tie
''Bar !" and would throw hosts of ward
heelers out OF a job. 1t will be delightful
if the suggestion is submitted to Congress
to see the number of ways in which the
professional politicians will try to get out
of fairly facing the issue. 1t is almost
sensation enough for one week, and will
give number of statesmen" something
to think about between now and the next
session of Congress.
~
DR.. L. O. Howard, known all over the
| United States as ''the mosquito man" Of
the Department of Agriculture, has sailed
for Europe on rather curious mission.
| He is going to bring back a large assort-
ment of small insects which are parasites
of the gypsy moth that for years past has
been spreading over eastern Massachusetts
| and seriously threatens the shade trees
| and shrubbery Of much Of the state. The
history of the gypsy moth and its near
| relative the brown tailed moth is rather
romatic. They were accidentally let
| loose in Massachusetts, bv scientist who
i had some live ones in his collection.
They are very destructive to shade trees
and shrubbery of all sorts, but fortunately
| they are slow spreading insec and though
it is years since they we're first turned
loose, they have spread over only about
| quarter Of the state Various methods
have been tried of extermilrating them,
but none have been successful in more
than temporarily checking them, and the
state of Massachusetts, has spent over
ST 100000 already in fighting the pest.
1t happened year ago that in southern
Russia Dr. Howard found number of
insect parasites that re- ri ~ tie two
moths and kept them Ill CHECK III the re-
gions OF which they are natives. He sent
some of the parasites home and the ex-
periments with them were so successful
that he has gone abroad again, this time
largely assisted by funds from Massa-
chusetts and expects to send home some
hundred thousand OF the moth killing in
sects. This will be released in tile moth
ridden area, and it is believed will do
more toward checking the pest than any,
thing that has yet been tried. 1t is ex-
pected that forestry will be benefited in
the future by the known fact that "heas
have other f4as to bite 'em" and so it is
ad infnitum.
~
The State Department received this
week another $50, 900 in aid Of the Chinese
famine fund. This has been forwarded
to the Missionary relief committees in