Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-04-03
Temperance Cause Advanced
When Committee Reported
McCumber Bill
MEASURE is EXPECTED TO PASS
Bill Would Prevent Sale of Liquors on
All Government Property-Senator
Davis Fails to Make Good His Boast
Civil War Veterans May Secure
Aid.

Especial Washington Correspondence
Washington, April 3.-Prohibition
took another step forward, under fed
eral government auspices, when the
committee on education and labor OF
the upper Iowa house reported the
bill by Mr.. McCumber, of North Da-
kota, to outlaw all liquor dealings
from the possessions of Uncle Sam.
The bill provides that hereafter 1t
shall be unlawful to sell Intoxicating
liquors in any ship, ship yard, navy
yard, naval stations, buildings or
premises owned by the government. All
heads OF government departments are
directed to see that this act is en-
forced.
In actual effect such a law would
cut off the liquor supply from great
number of establishments which are
now allowed to operate on government
premises. 1t is believed there is ex-
.cellent chance Of dts passage, partly
because ullGIJ Is ItStl StllCllllSA1S LA AebS VI
of it. and partly because there is gen
eral disposition to make some con-
cession at this session to the wide
spread sentiment in favor of further
suppression of this traffic. The fed
eral government is going to refuse, at
this time at least, to grant important
extensions of police power to the state
in the matter of increasing their con-
troll over liquors imported within their
bounds. Something must be done, the
politicians feel, to placate the proh1bt-
ton sentiment; and it is as likely as
not to come in the form of passage
Of the McCumber bill.
The awful suspicion has lately been
borne in on Washington, that maybe
arch-enenly Of the octopus, isn't going
to be abba to convince his own home
state that the establishment of a
Davis dictatorship down there is the
one thing that the country needs in
order to assume its salvation. Sena-
tor Davis seemed to have Arkansas
hypnotized so long as he was gov
ernor. He was elected senator. He
made a trust-busting speech in the
first week of the senatorial session,
thereby busting all precedents, but no
trusts so far as was observed. He
managed, very early in his career, to
get three members of his own family
attached to the senate payroll, but this
caused so much protest among narrow
minded and sordid persons in Arkansas
that some Of them Were soon removed
from the roll
Then Senator jeff set himself about
the business Of reforming the state.
He presently left Washington, and In
fact has been here very little this WIN
ter. He entered a red-hot campaign
to have certain adherents Of his nom
mated for the state offices, and to es-
tablish Davis dynasty. Report comes
that the people at the recent primar-
les rejected these patriotic overtures
and that the Davis ticket was turned
down in the primaries.
Senator Davis is quite the most pic
.turesque figure that had landed in the
senate in recent years. To Tillman that
distinction used to be conceded. But
Tillman presently convinced the senate
that he had rather more brains and
ability than most Of his colleagues. He
got results. He said things that went
to the point. He was effective. He
placed his imprint on a vast amount of
legislation. He ceased to be regarded
as in any wise a freak; and turning
about to seek really picturesque
character, Washington found one in
Davis. Davis is going to be here six
years, anyhow; but after that it isn't
SO certain. He doesn't seem to be re-
garded so highly at home as he used
to be. The Davis dynasty appears
doomed.
Nobody seems to have figured how
much it would cost, but there is a
strong and expanding movement in
favor Of paying to the surviving SOL
diers of the civil war the amounts
which would represent the difference
between the value Of the greenbacks
which were paid to them as wages, and
the amount they would have secured
If they had been paid thruout in gold.
For many years past this proposal
has come up from time to time. Just
now a great many petitions are pre-
scented in its favor, and some Of the
arguments are conceded by the legis-
latorsst be hard to answer. For in
stance, it is suggested that bonds, is
sued during the war and sold for de-
preciated greenbacks, were paid in
gold: Principal and interest. Query:
Why should not the soldier who was
paid in greenbacks now get the diff
ference, too?
The proposition to place commits
stoned officers on the retired list. and