The Topeka state journal., 1908-06-01

| permit the consideration of the ques-
tion at this session.
President Roosevelt asked congress
| to enact national child labor law ana
received a child labor law for the Dis
trict of Columbia which cannot be
adopted as a pattern for state legisla-
lures because of peculiar provisions to
meet unusual conditions existing IN the
| district.
Instead of four battleships, as rec
commended congress reluctantly gave
the president two battleships, with
promise from the Republican leaders
that party policy would In the future
be an appropriation for two battleships
each wear, a compromise victory for the
president. inasmuch as the naval pro-
1ramme has heretofore been one bat
tleship annually.
A Tariff Promise.
Tariff revision sentiment through
out the country received the party
response of promises to do something
in the future, after the elections.
Whether the tariff shall be revised
upward or downward or at all viii be
decided by the ways and means COM
mittee of the house and the finance
committee of the senate, both OF
which have been authorized by their
respective bodies to sit during the
recess for the purpose of recon-
mending to the next session what
shall be done after an lnveSt1gatlon
has been made.
Measures for the enlargement of
| the powers of the Interstate Com
merce commission met with uniform
| failure. No action was taken upon
| the proposition to authorize the COM
| mission to ascertain the physical
valuation of railroads. nor to give it
power to suspend proposed increase
| in rates pending an investigation as
| to their reasonableness. On the
other hand. the proposition to per-
nit railroads to pool, in compensa-
| ton for restrictions that have been
| imposed, awaits consideration at the
next session, after the elections have
been held. Another piece OF proposed
| legislation of benefit to railroads. the
| suspension of the commodity clause
| of the new rate law. remains pending.
Leaders Could Not Agree.
Antitrust legislation. for the pur-
| pose of revising the laws for the
| benefit of labor, failed largely be-
cause the labor leaders themselves
| could not agree upon what they
| wanted.
| Measures for the conservation of our
! national resources, so close to the pres
| ident and emphasized by the meeting
| of governors held in Washington. fail
| ed. Bills for the preservation of for
ests and the creation Of reserves. for
an annual appropriation of $50.000.0 600
measures were defeated by inactiOn.
but the president was authorized to
continue the inland water ways COM
mission as a compromise.
President Roosevelt is pleased with
the legislation he has received from
congress during the session relating to
foreign affairs, the army and the navy.
Thirty-seven treaties were approved by
the senate, more than at any previous
session during the last 20 years. Arbi-
fTaff0n rx-tfh d.
ing Japan, were ratified, long standing
disputes were settled by treaty with
Great Britain and the scope of extra
dition was extended.
The effect of the treaties which have
been concluded will. it is predicted by
Secretary Root go far toward preserv-
ing our friendly relations with the ma
tiOns of the world.
Aside from the compromise naval
programme for the up-building of the
navy congress has been liberal in the
matter of pay for officers and men.
Substantial increases were made also
| in the pay Of officers and men of the
| army and of the marine CORPS. ~
A Conspicuous Failure.
Probably most conspicuous of the
failures of congress. at least so far
as the stump speeches of the coming
fall will emphasize, was the campaign
publicity bill The house, coupling
the bill with the Crumpacker propo-
Sition, in amended form, aimed to re-
duce the southern representation in
congress. passed the measure, but 1t
| is by general consent doomed to die
in the senate. Had the publicity pro-
position been submitted on Its own
| merits. uninvolved, it would have be-
come law by an overwhelming ma
| jority vote in both houses.
Once again the ship subsidy bill was
defeated. 1t was inserted as an amend
| ment, in abridged form, in the postof-
| fee appropriation bill, but after sew
eral adverse votes in the house it An
| ally was stricken out.
To prevent a strike OF telegraphers
| in the fall the senate has authorized
an investigation of the causes which
| led up to the recent strike.
The house has postponed until next
session final disposition of the question
whether wood pulp and print paper
| should be placed upon the free list,
| after receiving from its special COM
mitteee a report preliminary in form
stating that no evidence has yet been
produced to disclose the existence of
an unlawful combination among the
manufacturers.
| The Lilley investigation into charges
brought by that congressman from
Connecticut resulted in the mouse
voting itself innocent.
| The most important pension legisla-
| ton of the session was the enactment
of a bill increasing the rate of PEN
| sions for widows from So a month to
$12.
| A further reorganization of the con-
sular service along lines recommends
ed by Secretary Root, has been author
lied and that official is greatly pleased
kwith the cooperation he has received
from congress in the improvement OF