Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-04-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Corresnondept.


Sharp Williams, Democratic leader OF
the House, played clever politics this
week when he showed up the hypocrisy
OF the so-called "Big Five" the little
coterie which, headed by Speaker Can
non, runs the House of Representatives.
Mr.. Williams put the Republicans on
record as opposed TO removing the duty
on wood-pulp, despite the President
earnest recommendation that this be
done; to law prohibiting injunctions
in certain labor cases, and to the
prompt enactment of an employers
liability law. 1t is perfectly obvious
to those who observe the course of the
House leaders from point of vantage
that Mr.. Cannon and his colleagues are
at heart opposed to every reform meas
ure advocated by the president. 1t is
true that they may try to enact some
halfway measures merely to save their
own faces at the polls next November,
but whatever they deem it necessary
as a matter of self-preservation to do
they will do with wry faces. Speaker
Cannon has himself, for instance intro
duced resolution calling on the Sec
rotary of Commerce and Labor to con-
duct an investigator of the comb ine
which makes wood-pulp papers and
keeps the price at an exorbitant figure
to every publisher in the land. But
this resolution is merely ''grand stand
play" bid to the uniformed, really
intended to gain time and avert the
necessity to action which would be Of
fensive to the wOod-pulp combine at
this session of Congress, Of course an
investigation will take time and while
an inquiry is being made the Speaker
and his friends will assure the House
and the country that it would be quite
improper for Congress to take any ac-
ton.
A little side light is thrown on the
hypocrisy Of the investigation resolu-
ton by the fact that Senators Foraker
and Crane and Speaker Cannon have
just been bending every energy to Sc
cure the election of the head of the wood
pulp combine as an anti-Taft delegate
to the Republican national convention
from Massachusetts.
Speaking of Cannon, Crane ct al,
Wednesday,, April l, proved a great
April FOOLS day for the reactionaries
in Massachusetts. Senator Crane had
been assuring the reactionary faction
of the Republican party that he would
place Massachusetts at the head and
front of the reactionary column with a
solid anti-Taft delegation to the nation
al convention. The voters, however,
thought otherwise and as a consequence
they elected twenty-five Taft delegates
out of total of thirty-two and made
such demonstration of their approval
of the Taft candidacy that it is now re-
garded as doubtfal if the ten anti-Taft
delegates will dare to vote against the
big Ohioan at Chicago.
The extent to which politics is inter-
ferring with legislation is appalling.
For instance, all this past week the
Senate has been ready to pass the Child
Labor bill for the District of Columbia
This is model bill and the opponents
of child labor regard it as of the utmost
importance that the national legisla-
ture should pass such a bill which will
prove most salutary example as well
as model TO every state III the Union.
Nothing has been done, however, be-
cause Senator Beveridge has been alb
sent attending the Republican state
convention in Indiana and before leav-
ing he asked that the bill be held until
his return, so that he might offer his
national child labor bill as an amend
ment. 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
few sincere and honest men who would
not like to SET child labor abolished,
but those who have the interest of the
Republic at heart are unwilling 10 see
such an overthrow of the rights of the
sovereign states as the Beveridge bill
implies and, moreover, it is SO obvious
from previous decisions of the Supreme
Court that the Beveridge bill would be
pronounced unconstitutional, as an in
reference with the police power of the
states, that sensible men question the
sincerity of the advocates of the Beve-
ridge measure. 70 pass it would mean
to subject the whole question to long
course of litigation with ultimate de-
feat for the measure and probably
would prove grave set back to the
movement in the various states to at
tend to this matter themselves.
Everyone who is interested IN the
seal herd of Alaska will learn with
pleasure that there is some prospect of
the question of the protection of the
seals from pelagic sealing being open
ed up by the Canadians. For years the
United States has been trying to reach
some agreement to stop this brutal
form of sealing but every time the