The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-04-10
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Cen
eral Topics from
the Capital.
April 4. 1908.

clever politics this week when he
showed up the hypocrisy of the
80 called "Big Five" the little
coterie, which headed by Speaker
Cannon, now runs the House of
Representatives. Mr.. Williams
put the Republicans on record as
opposed to removing the duty on
wood pulp, despite the Presi-
dents earnest recommendation
that this be done; to law prohib-
iting all injunctions in certain
labor eases, and to the prompt
enactment of an Employers Liza
bility Law. 1t Ia perfectly OBJ
vious to those that observe the
course of the House leaders from
a point of vantage that Mr.. Can
non and his colleagues are at
heart opposed to every reform
measure advocated by the Presl
dent. 1t Is true that they may
try to enact some halfway meas
nres merely to serve their own
faces at the polls next November,
but whatever they deem it nee
essary as matter of self pres
ervation to do they will do with
wry faces. Speaker Cannon has
himself, for instance, introduced
a resolution calling on the Secre
tary of Commerce and Labor to
conduct an Investigation of the
combine which makes wood pulp
papers and keeps the price at an
exorbitant figure to every pub
Usher iu the land. But this res
Olution is ''grand stand play"
a bid to the uniformed, really
intended to gain time and avert
the necessity of action which
would be offensive to the wood
pulp combine at this session of
Congress. OF course an investi-
cation will take some time and
while an inquiry is being made
the Speaker will assure the House
and the coultry that it would be
quite improper for Congress to
take any action.
A little side light is thrown
upon the hypocrisy of the inves-
tigatiOn resolution by the fact
that Senators Foraker and Crane
and Speaker Cannon have jus;
been bending every energy to Sc
cure the election of the head of
the wood pulp combine as an
anti Taft delegate to the Repub-
lican National Convention from
Massachusetts,.
Speaking of Cannon, Crane, ct
al, Wednesday, April 1, proved
a great April FOOLS day for the
reactionaries in Massachusetts.
Senator Crane had been assuring
the reactionary faction of the Re-
publican party that he would
place Massachusetts at the head
and front of the reactionary col
umn with "a solid anti-Taft dele
cation to the National Conven
tion. The voters, however, thought
otherwise, and as consequence
they elected twenty-five Taft
delegates out of a total of thirty
two, and made such demOnstra-
tion of their approval of the Taft
candidacy that it is now regard
ed as doubtful if the ten anti
Taft delegates will dare to vote
against the big Ohioan at Chic.
ago.
The extent to which politics is
interfering with legislation is
appalling. For instance. all of
the past week the Senate has
been ready to pass the Child
Labor Bill for the District of
Columbia. This is a model bill
and the opponents of child labor
regard it as of the utmost import
ance that the National Legisla.
ture should pass such a bill which
will prove most salutary exam
pie as well as a model to every
State in the Union. Nothing has
been done, however, because Sen.
ator Beveridge has been attend
ing the Republican State Con.
vention in Indiana, and before
leaving he asked that the bill he
held until his return so that he
might offer his National Child
Labor Bill as an amendment.
OF course the matter has been
held up at his request, despite
the fact that there is not the
slightest chance of its being
adopted. Probably there are a
few sincere and honest men who
would not like to see child labor
abolished, but those who have
the interest of the Republic at
heart are unwilling to see such
an overthrow of the rights Of the
sovereign States as the Bever-
idge bill implies and, moreover,
it is obvious from previous decis
ions of the Supreme Court that
the Beveridge Bill would be pro-
nounced unconstitutional, as an
| interference with the police power
of the States, that sensible men
question the sincerity of the ad-