Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-05-20
Vital Washington News.
By TAvENNER,
Special Correspondent of The Sentinel.
Washington, D. c., May 10, 1910.

Washington, d. C., May 10, 1910.
Representative government almost t. 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 improved.
And it was all done in the open.
The entire membership in the House, for
a change. was permitted to vote on the
question of rejecting undesirable sections.
The improvement of the bill by amend
ment was also allowed.
Had the Cannon machine been working
smoothly the railroad bill would have been
prepared by the committee in the exact
form il would have become law. That is.
a few men would have done the legislat-
ing instead of the entire membership of
the House. Had Cannonism prevailed,
the railroad bill would have been reported
from committee under a rule prohibiting
the membership Of the House from voting
for or against amendment. Bad features Of
the bill could not have been eliminated.
The entire measure. jokers and all. would
have been forced down the throat Of the
House just as submitted by Uncle Joes"
Committee on Interstate and Foreign Conf
merce, which is generously packed with
hleH lTlenuly 10 tne rallrOauS
The improvement of the railroad bill in
the House through a coalition of the Demo-
Gratis and Progressives is cause for re-
joicing. But il does not mean that the
people have really wrested control of the
national law-making machinery 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 interests. 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 conference committee COM
posed of three or five members of each
branch of Congress. AS the majority Of
the conferees will be regular" Republicans.
specially selected by Aldrich and Cannon.
ii goes without saying that much Of the
good work accomplished by the House
Democrats and PrOgressives will be re-
versed.
The finale of the railroad bill promises
to be the tariff fasco all over again.
| Representative government will have
| given special privilege a tight race but in
the finish Aldrichism and CannOnism will
win by nose. But why should such a
result be considered strange For what
purpose do the railroads make 100000
contributions TO the Republican campaign
fund If ii is not to control the Republican
party's legislation
PUBLICITY OF CONTRIBUTIONS.
The Mccall Campaign Publicity bill has
/ bRRn nmRnna6 nrnUiHa Inr the
publication of campaign contributions after
election instead of before and after cleo
ton. Publicity of contributions after cleo
ton is regarded as something like locking
the door Of the stable after the horse has
been stolen. Senator Burrow, of Michigan,
Chairman Of the Senate Committee on
Privileges and Elections, very kindly ex-
planned why the provision for publicity Of
contributions before election had been
stricken from the Mccall bill. If said
Senator Burrows, I'VE were to give out the
list OF contributors prior to an election II
would mean that INSCRIPTIONS newspapers
and persons would take advantage Of the
| information thus disclosed and proceed to
denounce the candidate on the strength Of
the character of the contribution made to
his campaign" In other words, il the vOt-
ers were permitted to know who was put
ting up the money for the candidates cam
naien thew miabt defea, him Could a
stronger argument be presented for pub
licity BEFORE election as well as after cleo
ton Think it over.
Mopr ExrpAvAeAncp
,, 20 -, -.
san ,S' oaa 900 U1 SaViS any por'ion ~ t'le
Soooi y mn,el I %an n,ul,en as.
onn,,aIlv tbroush .,ohsoJe,e hns;noss rna,h
DDS" the Taft administration threatens to
break all records in the history of the gov
eminent in the enormous expenditure of
money. II looks now as if the appropria-
lions for this session of CONGRESS- would
exceed the appropriations of the last regu-
lar session TO the extent of about 500 O0O.-
| 600. This will be billion dollar session
and more.
DRIVEN Our or CONGRESS
cooarassman Chorles + Rorc,ov ospan,
sIvvania a Cannon ReonhIican has aIIovUed