The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-18
ONE WORD LOSES
j. s. MILLIONS
Authorities Admit Mistake in
Construction of Feder-
al Law.
SENATORS ARE IN DOUBT.
NOT so SURE HOW COUNTRY
WILL LOOK AT THEIR ACTION
ON CHILD LAsOR-BRlGHT Cos
SIP FROM WASHINGTON, D. c.
(By Ralph M. Whiteside.


ment that the United States has lost
somewhere between sixty and one
hundred million dollars during the
last decade through the omission of
one word in the construction of a fed
eral law
The authorities have confessed the
error OF course it was not discover
ed until after the administration in
the particular department where it
originated had changed.
Minimum" was the word that caus-
ed all the trouble. Minimum" was
left out of law when it should have
been inserted. This fact was great
luck to those who bought timber land
in Oregon and Washington, but it
worked sadly against the government
revenue.
1t was this way: The timber and
stone act of 1878 provided that land
not valuable for agricultural purposes
but of some worth because of timber
and stone, should be sold for the
minimum" price of $3.50 per acre.
The department was supposed to fix
the price above the minimum as it
should deem proper.
Representative Hitchcock says that
the department of the interior began
the administration of the law without
using the word minimum" AS
consequence. great areas of forest
the best woods in the world-were
sold for precisely $3.50 an acre. That's
how the government lost quite a sum-
Several senators are not quite sure
how the country will regard their OBJ
servance of the child labor bill, if it
becomes a law. A question of moral
lily has arisen.
A number of bright boys are en-
ployed in the senate chamber as
pages. Their duties are many and the
senators find them Indispensable. If
the child labor bill becomes a law,
these boys will have to be turned out,
most of them being under fourteen
years of age.
Senator Nelson has pointed out that
If the bill should pass an exception
will have to be made. so far as the
boys in the senate are concerned. 1t
IS necessary to re tain them.
Senator Dolliver is quite willing
that such an exception be made He
tried to reach the moral and intellec-
tual problem with his bill and he does
not believe that the boys will be In
jured either morally or intellectually
by working as pages
Senator Nelson called attention to
the fact that here are a good many
people who will not agree with Sena-
tor Dolliver-there are some who al
ways will be glad of the opportunity
to point at the page boys
Senator Dolliver said he realized
all that which was the reason he hest
tated in making the exception in draft
ing the bills.
The boys are rather worried as to
the outcome OF their case.
The gathering of governors at
Washington, or congress of governors
as 1t will some day be called, was an
achievement of President Roosevelt s
administration. Statesmen recognize
that some day, the congress will be
a regular thing. a splendid feature in
the system of national government
and that the credit for the same must
refer back to the present administra.
ton.
The president does not expect i'm
mediate results Of sweeping import
ance from this first gathering of the
governors, but he is sure that it will
bring about a public interest in, and
appreciation of, the problems of pre-
serving the natural wealth of the
country. which in time will produce
results of vast significance.
This Is not the first time congress
OF governors has been thought Of anC
advocated Many statesmen realize
the great good that would result from
regular congress. Some of the mos
perplexing problems the national con
gress has to deal with would be sim
plified II the governors would tall
them over together.
There Is the question of interstat,
commerce, railroad legislation. will
some degree of uniformity. uniform
divorce laws and dozens of other knot
" questions. All these will surely b,
handled il a different manner in tn,
future The governors of the state
can simplify matters a great deal b.
talking over proposed legislation il
their various states. 1t would be
sort Of clearing house.
There's senator from one of tn,
southwestern states who can us,
more picturesque language when he i
riled than any man who was eve
sent to Washington. He has no curl
bit on his tongue and often, when hi
patience is taxed in argument OUTSIDE
of the senate chamber. he sort of boil
over
Recently he was driven to his hote
in cab and. arriving there. was in
formed that the charge was two do
lars. The senator knew the reguls
lions governing cab hire, as we'll a
the prices, and he gave the driver tn
proper amount-one dollar.
The cab driver then exploded
string Of high-sounding words tina
fairly took the senator's breath away
no.