The Irish standard., 1910-05-21
Travelling Expenses of the
Highest Judges.
Improvement in the House
of Railway Bill.
Statehood For Arizona and
For New Mexico.
to the Irish Standard:

tive government almost-but not quite
prevails in the national House Of
Representatives.
Although still Objectionable as passed
by the House, the railroad regulation
bill was discussed, amended and i'm
proved And it was all done in the
open.
The entire membership of the House,
for a change, was permitted to vote on
the question of rejecting undesirable
sections. The Improvement of the bill
by amendment was also allowed.
Heretofore these privileges have to
all practical ends been enjoyed almost
exclusively by the representatives OF
the tariff trusts, the railroads, Wall
street and other forms of special priv
ilege which dominate the Republican
party through either the control of To-
cal politics or colossal campaign con-
tributions.
Had the Cannon machine been work.
ing smoothly the railroad bill would
have been prepared by committee In
the exact form it would have become
law. That is, a few men would nave
done the legislating instead of the en-
tire membership of the House. Had
Cannonism prevailed, the railroad bill
would have been reported from COM
mittee under rule prohibiting the
-, p
for or against amendment Bad fea-
lures of the bill could not have been
eliminated The entire measure, jok-
ers and all, would have been forced
down the throat of the House just as
submitted by "Unole Joe's" committee
on interstate and foreign commerce.
which is generously packed with men
friendly to the railroads.
The Improvement of the railroad bill
in the House through a coalition of the
Democrats and Progressives is a cause
for rejoicing. But it does not mean
that the people have really wrested
control Of the national law making ma
chinery from the special privilege ring
For this reason:
The House is only the lower branch
of Congress. The railroad bill will not
become a law as passed by the House.
The Senate is the dominating branch
of Congress. and it Is still controlled
absolutely by the greedy corporate in
terests. The Senate will pass bill
containing some of the very features
stricken from the measure in the
House as being against the welfare of
the people. Both the Senate and House
bills will then be sent to a conference
committee composed of either three or
five members Of each branch of Con-
gress. AS the majority of the con-
ferees will be regular" Republicans,
non, it goes without saying that much
of the good work accomplished by the
House Democrats and Progressives
will be reversed.
The finale of the railroad bill prom
Uses to be the tariff fiasco all over
again.
Representative government will have
given special privilege tight race,
but in the finish Aldrichism and Can
nonism will win by a nose! But why
should such result be considered
strange? For what purpose do the
railroads make $26O,00O contributions
to the Republican campaign fund If it
is not to control the Republican par
tvs legislation?
The Mccall campaign publicity bill
has been SO amended as to provide for
s the publication Of campaign contribu-
tions after election, instead of before
and after election. Publicity of con-
tributions after elections is regarded
q by Democrats as something like lock-
Il ing the door of the stable after tho
q horse has been stolen. Senator Bur-
rows of Michigan, chairman of the
i elections, very kind ~ explained why
u the provision for publicity of contribu-
tons before election had been stricken
y from the Mccall bill. "If,'' said Sem
Ii ator Burrows, 1--WE were to give out
" the list of contributors prior to an
+ election it would mean that unscrup u-
lous newspapers and persons would
n take advantage of the information thus
disclosed and proceed to denounce the
candidate on the strength of the char
" acter of the contributions made to his
campaign In other words, if the
Fl voters were permitted to know who
was putting up the money for. the can
didate's campaign they might defeat
q him. C0uld stronger argument be
presented for publicity before election
ssa as well as after election? Think it
& oyer.