The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26
SERIOUS DEBATE
 ID BE AVOIDED President Taft Has Been Tipped Off" By Leaders QUESTION OF ECONOMY Congress Must Make a Record on 
Congress Must Make Record on Which to Go Before the People Next summer-Sincerity of
 Members Questioned.
By RopERIck CLIFFORD.

legislation of vital character is con- cerned he must not expect this session to pass any law that is liable to pro- yoke serious debate.
 The leaders say that the best record to make on which to go before the country is economy In public expenditures as ap- piled to the executive departments. The preliminary record is already made in the estimates submitted to Congress. The cuts made in the estimates by the heads of the departments was done at the order of the President. For this he is entitled to credit, but notwithstanding the fact that the estimates are millions of dollars less than the estimates of a year ago, there Is feeling among the members that the appropriations will be nearly as large as those of last year.
 But do the members of the House real ly believe in cutting down public expen- ditures? Are they sincere in their talks for publication, that this session will make a record for economy that will meet with the approval of the voters next November?
 Question of Honesty.
 If the members so believe they do not show 1t by their records. If they are honest with their constituents they are not honest with President Taft, for they cannot be both. If the democratic con gressional campaign committee keeps its promise, many 0 republican who seeks a renomination, will have hard work to explain why his acts do not correspond to his demand for economy. Bills intro- duoed by republican members during the extra session and since the opening of this session, involving charges on the public treasury if enacted into law would take from the taxpayers of the country at least a half billion dollars. This would be outside of the amount required to run the executive branch of the gov ernment.
 As an illustration, the legislation sought by ambitious members include National highways; pension of $1 day for all Mexican and Civil war veterans pensions of $2 day for each day con. fined for all soldiers and sailors who were in rebel prisons during the Civil war; to allow soldiers 160 acres of gov ernment land without requiring them to establish a residence thereon; to create and pay to the several states and territories and the District of Col umbia all moneys collected under the F direct tax act; a civil pension list; a E parcel post delivery; increase in pay 4 of letter carriers, rural delivery car riers, railway mail clerks and internal revenue gaugers; to establish a depart ment of education; to establish bu- reau of public highways as an adjunct i to the department of agriculture (bill for this purpose approprlates the mod est sum of s24,00o,0c0. of which $S,000. 900 is to be available each year); to establish a bureau of mines and min ing; to create a department of labor, and tc establish a court in connection with the interstate commerce commfs sion, which is one of President Taft's pet propositions.
 These are bills of national charac- ter. but they are not a circumstance to the bills of local character that have been introduced In the House.
 The Local Bills.
 The local bills, 1t should be borne in mind, carry appropriations of a suf- ficient amount to make trading" among the members most profitable. The explanation for the activity on the part of members to get their hands into Uncle Sans strong box, or per haps 1t were better to say to make the attempt is that next summer the mem- bers must appeal to their constituents for indorsement.
 And what Is a stronger card than the record which shows earnest effort to secure for their district their share of the "pork?'
 Democrats Blunder.
 You can always depend upon the dem- ocrats to bunder at the right time for the benefit of the republicans said a veteran member of the Rouse in discuss ing the fight of the insurgents on Speaker Cannon and Cannonlsm. You see, the democrats made a mistake In making an alliance with the insurgents" said he. Ut ought to have been very plain that the insurgents had everything to gain, while the democrats had everything to lose. If the democrats had been wise they would have told the insurgents that the majority were responsible to the country, and that they must make the fights within the ranks of the majority; that as a body the democrats would vote against the adop- ton of the rules and would vote to amend them. By keeping hands of the split in our party would have been accentuated. and the democrats by maintaining a solid front would have been benefited thereby
 But instead of that the democrats have weakened their position, and they are on record as favoring the proposition to take from the speaker the appointment of the committees of the House and place that work in the hands of a com mittee. as is done in the Senate.
 Anyone familiar with the history of the House of Representatives will tell you that If the democrats control the next House they will adopt the rules of this House. and the speaker, should he be Champ Clark, will appoint the com mittees."
 The Ship subsIdy.
 There is not the best feeling in tho world between Representatives Weeks and Greene of Massachusetts, although both arc republicans, and are regular. And all because of the ship subsidy. which has been recommended by Presf- don't Taft.
 Mir. Greene is chairman of the commit tee on merchant marine and fisheries, while MT. Weeks heads the committee mittees are claiming Jurisdiction of the proposed legislation. Strange to say, there are pending before the committee num- Dor of bills to promote the American merchant marine in foreign trade, and the question that worries tho chairmen is which committee will get there first with bill for consideration in the House.
 Chairman Greene thinks the subsidy should be provided for in . separate measure, while Chairman Weeks con- tends that 1t is necessarily part of the postoffice appropriation bill The fight for quick action promises to add to tho excitement of the occasion when the ques- tion of consideration is raised.
 Chairman Green is pretty sly, and he smiles whom told that Weeks will defeat him. Tho bill which gets through the House first, win be known in history by 1ho name Of tho man who reports 1t