The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-25
Senators and Representatives
 Are Criticised Freely
.LAFOLLETTE GETS PRAISE
Cummins and LaFollette Do Not Fol- low Aldrich and Cannon's. Meth ods So They Retain Their
 Hold Upon the People.
BY PATTERSON sTEALEY.

BY PATTERSON STEAlEY. Washington. July 24.-(Special. )-Almost
 everywhere west of the Allegheny moun- tains the present tariff measure seems
 to- be unpopular with the people. From
 Ohio comes the report that Senator Bur ton Is being subjected to a bombardment of criticism because he has so uniformly stood with the finance committee. The senator recently went out to his state and made explanation of his course. He
 pointed out that the real business in hand was to get the bill to conference, and he
 gave his constituents assurance that it would be very different from the one which passed the Senate, and would be generally satisfactory.
 To this some of. Burton's and other
 critics have replied that even if the bill were really to- be made in conference
 Ohio tariff reformers would have been glad to see their new senator cast votes
 which would give encouragement, rather than Encouragement, to the idea of down. ward revision.
 Senator Burton's persistent loyalty to
 the organization has been the particular
 
 devout party and organization man, i and good many of his supporters have | felt that he rather overdid it during the tariff discussion. They protest that the
 organization ought not to be so sacred that 1 its followers must agree with 1t as to all
 the details of so big and varied a measure
 as tariff bill
 laFollette Is Satisfied. Senator LaFollette has just returned from his state, where the reception &C.,
 corded to him made it evident that the l opposition to his reelection next year has
 received hard blow because of the gen.
 eral indorsement of his attitude on the 1 tariff
 Hundreds of persons who never sup
 ported him. and who have ordinarily been known as high tariff advocates, have sent assurance that they have been won
 over to LaFollette because of their dis l affection with the bill
 Senator Cummins' neighbors at Des- l Moines are getting ready to give him d. l huge reception when he gets there. There | Is going to be music by all the bands in central Iowa, special trains will be run
 Into the town, and there will be all the varieties of oratory except the unfriend-
 ly. The reception is to be made a state
 affair rather than local, with the view to giving a demonstration of the general ap- proval of the senator's course during his l first service In Congress.
 l Reception for Bristow. l Kansas also is getting ready to do some l stunts when Senator Joseph L. Bristow | n Iot l,o 1 there that Bristow. who till about year 1 ago was never suspected of being an or 1 ator. has turned out to be hot platform 1 talker, and they are insisting that he give 1 them a sample. The senator is going to be compelled to comply, too The com
 mittee on arrangements has it all set up | to force him.
 1 The two Minnesota senators, who have
 been of the most radical wing of insur- l gents, are likewise to receive the test- l monial of big reception. Senator Nell
 son lives at the little town of Alexandria.
 and 1t is planned that St. Paul, where | MT. Clapp resides, will ask the privilege 1 of entertaining both men together on their 1 return home and handling the ceremony | in behalf of the entire state.
 Stones Views.
 'I do not know of any greater ques- l ton confronting us as a people than the 1 development of the waterways in order that river commerce may bring about
 reduction in freight rates.'' said Senator l Stone of Missouri today. He added: We have been most prodigal of our natural resources. and the piece-meal appropria- i Vors in Congress for river and harbor i'm. | provements have in many cases been | worse than useless. What we need is a
 comprehensive system of waterway de- velopment, and by that l mean not ap- | propriations for every little creek and stream, but fixed policy on the part of l the government to bring the rivers that once carried the commerce of the United ] States again Into close relationship with l the traffic that originates along their l courses. What want to see accomplished is the project looking to improving the waters l from the lakes to the gulf. I want to see 1 the Missouri navigable from its mouth to | Fort Benton I want to see the Ohio ] harnessed by locks and dams it's entire length. l want to see the Columbia inn 1 proved and the intercostal canals built and the only way to accomplish this is, | as strongly urged by the National Rivers and Harbors congress, the adoption of | comprehensive plan on the part of the government looking to the improvement 1 and yearly appropriations made in order that the work may be carried to suc- l cessful finish.'
 Open Letter To Taft. In an open letter to President Taft, 1 published in the Manufacturers Record, | the editor, R. H. Edmonds, makes l plea against free raw material in the products of the south He says: "Its (the south's) prosperity is now se- | riously threatened by tarin legislation. | If asks for no favors not granted to 1 other sections. but 1t earnestly protests | at being sacrificed for the heneft of | special interests in other sections. It Is l a producer of things erroneously called l raw materials, such as iron ore, coal. lumber, etc. To the miners of ore an.i