The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-07-20

tee appointment was taken from him
the beginning of the last session, by
the speaker, because he refused to
be dictated to by the Cannon organ
ization and was a strong advocate oil
so reforming the rules of the house
as to reduce the power of the speaker
which has been recently accom-.
plished.
His work in other directions has
also been conspicuous. AS chair
man of the militia committee he Sc
cured the passage through the House
of an act to increase the efficiency
of this branch of the national de-
fence, which act has met universal
approval and was especially com
mended in the last Republican plat
form as one of the most important
acts of Congress.
He was one of the first members
of Congress if not the very first, to
advocate the creation of tariff COM
mission, with authority to keep the
tariff so revised that the import
duties should cover the difference in
cost of production here and in for
e gn countries, tariff that would
protect the American manufacturer,
but not give him a chance to charge
the American consumer an unjust
margin of profit.
He has always looked after the
needs of the people of the district
very thoroughly. Not many people,
probably, have occasion to call for
help in getting something settled
in the government department at
Washington, but those who do,
appreciate such help as Mr.. Stever-
son has always been ready to
give them. The old soldiers have
found him a good friend and the
oottlere on -seuernraant-l lands
have always found him to lend a
helping hand. He has secured a
drainage survey of fine northern
part of the district, and took a
leading part in securing the pass
age of the present federal drainage
law, which allows of the assess
ment of government lands for
drainage, and by the help of which
several hundred miles of bitches
are being built in eastern Marshall
county, and right here we wish to
mention the fact that Prof. W. r.
Hoag, engineer in charge of the
big drainage work in eastern Mar
shall country has stated at differ
ent times, that without the prelim-
mary survey which Mr.. Stevenson
secured. this drainage work could
never have been undertaken or
successfully carried out. He has
secured survey of the headwaters
of all the rivers emptying into tn e
Red, with the object in view of
securing, if possible, reservoirs to
hold back the hoodwaters in these
rivers. and in the Red river, which
are being caused by the construct
ion of so many new drainage
bitches.
During the last days of the last
Congress Mr.. Stevenson took the
lead in opposition to the so.called
ship-subsidy bill, which contemplates
the appropriation from the postal
receipts of between three and four
million dollars per year for the es.
Enlistment of subsidized lines from
the Pacific coast to the Orient and
Australia, and from the Atlantic
coast to South America, and it was
defeated by narrow margin. He
thereby incurred the enmity of the
Merchants Marine League, com
posed largely of iron and stee]
manufacturers, including two direct
ors of the u. S. steel trust and sew
eral ship builders, who apparently
were directly interested in obtaining
the subsidy, When the present SEES
sion commenced the ship subsidy
fight was renewed, and when these
interests failed to pursuade Mr.
Stevenson to abandon the fight
they sought to intimidate him anc
other members who opposed their
bill. Mr.. Stevenson demanded
and after a hard fight secured ar
investigation which is now univer
sally conceded can have no Other
result than the killing of the subsid,
proposition "deader than a doc,