The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-08-18
Washington. News Letter.


Reporter.)
Washington, D. c., Aug. 6th.-All
over the land the republican candi-
dates for congress are preparing to
ask for election or reelection on the
record of President Taft and the last
congress.
Aside from the tariff revision, with
which the public is already familiar,
the predominating features of the
platform on which the standpatters
will make their final desperate stand
are the postal bank bill and the So
called railroad regulation bill
The railroad bill as passed was
better than the existing law, improve
ments having been forced by demo-
Gratis and insurgents. The original
draft was one Of the most vicious
pieces of legislation proposed in con-
gress for years. President Taft sent
this bill to congress with his personal
Endorsement and asked that it be
passed without amendment.
1t provided for a commerce court
which would have destroyed the use
fulness of the interstate commerce
commission, and made appeal to the
higher tribunals impossible.
1t took the railroads from under
the antitrust law, and would have
permitted them to make what rates
they pleased without any effective
check
1t legalized existing mergers be-
tween existing lines; it contained
joke provision to regulate the issuing
of railroad securities
The democrats and insurgents
forced some improvements, but were
prevented by administration influ-
ences from putting in provisions
which would have been of real value
to the people, such as physical valu-
alton of the roads as basis of rate
regulation.
would have become law had Presi-
dent Taft had his way.
As to Postal Banks.
Congress passed the kind of postal
savings bank bill that Mr.. Taft
wanted The effect will be, it is
thought by those who have given
study to the act as passed, to drain
local communities of the money de-
posted in postal savings banks Had
the democrats and insurgents had
their way, postal bank bill such as
was desired by the people, would
have been passed. But through the
influence of the administration, AL
drich was able to thwart the will of
the people, and to secure the passage
Of bill which will give Wall street
the control of the peoples money as
never before.
The Tariff Commission.
Still another feature of the Taft
record is the tariff commission law.
also a gold brick. 1t creates a COM
mission without powers, and gives
the special interests $250,000 of the
peoples money to carry on the cam
paisn against honest revision of the
tariff on the basis of equalization of
the cost of production at home and
| abroad.
| Pinchot Wise to Protection.
Ex-Forester Clifford Pinchot has
ideas on other things beside conser-
| walton. At dinner given recently
| he declared that the nation had lost
confidence in congress because it
represented special interests rather
than the people. Continuing he said
And Of this there could be no
better illustration than the tariff The
tariff, under the policy of protection
was originally means to raise the
rate of wages. 1t has been made a
tool to increase the cost of living
THE cotton cloth schedule was in
creased in the face of the uncon-
tradicted public testimony OF the
manufacturers themselves that i,
ought to remain unchanged.
The steel interests by a trick
secured an indefensible increase in
the tariff on structural steel.
THE sugar trust stole from the
government like petty thief YET
congress, by means of a dishonest
schedule, continues to protect it in
bleeding the public (Republicar
papers please copy)
A Frank Admission.
Representative Charles E. Little
field, of Maine, now admits that the
plank in the last republican nationa
platform regarding injunctions wa.
put there to placate the labor leaders
and with no intention of its being
carried out. He carries his frank
HeSS W dill even Greater extent duC
says the plank is perfectly non.
committal" and means nothing, be
ing simply dishonest trick TO lure
the unwary Workingman and delude
him with the belief that the republi
can party was his friend. If the
truth was told, it would no doub'
reveal that the tariff plank was an
other dishonest plank, never intend
ed for fulfillment, and that the whole
platform was a tissue of falsehoot
and false pretense.
Street Publicity.
| The bill providing publicity fol
campaign expenditures and contribu
tons passed at the last session ant
signed by President Taft is not wha
the people have for years been de
handing.
The house provided for publicity
before election, but the senate re
| fused to pass such measure and a!
a result of conference publicity viii
not be made until after the election!
have taken place.
ny I, %S..4 I, MINT