The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-02-26


1t seems natural, however, that Mr.
Mann, to whom the president natural
ly would look for first aid. should pre-
fer to stand aloof because he has pre-
pared an interstate commerce meas
ure of his own which differs in goot
many respects from that which Mr.
Taft has caused to be introduced. Mr.
Manns bill, for instance, does MOI
provide for commerce court fol
speedy judgment on cases that may
come to it through the interstate com
merce commission by the process OF
appeal
1t is believed that the committee
which has the administration bill in
its keeping will report it fayorably
and win fail to report the Mann bill
This means that the committee must
override it's chairman, which is a most
unusual and not altogether COM
Portable proceeding. Mr.. Townsend
will champion the presidents bill on
the floor, but who will be his lieuten.
ant it is hard to tell, for no one of the
chief men of the party thus far has
done any volunteering.
In the senate, Mr. Elkins has intro
duced the presidents interstate COM
merce amendment measure. The West
Virginia senator is the chairman of
the senate committee on interstate
commerce and he is the proper per-
son to introduce the bill and to guide
its destinies. but not even Mr.. Elkins'
friends will claim that he is in any
sense debater or skillful hand in
plotting legislation through the shoal
waters and the rocks of trouble which
frequently are found in the senatorial
sea.
Postal Savings Bank Bill.
In the house the postal savings bank
bill has no great company of friends
among the leaders. The bill is in the
postoffice committee. and naturally
Representative Weeks, who is the
committees chairman, should be its
sponsor on the floor of the house, but
the chances are that Representative
Foss Of Illinois will undertake to do
the work that the president wishes to
have done. Mr.. Foss for years has
been the chairman of the house COM
mittee on naval affairs, and when he
undertakes the pilotage of the postal
savings bank bill he will be somewhat
out of his element
The presidents conservation rec
concentrations are likely to lack out
and-out champions in both house and
senate. The bills. when prepared and
introduced. probably win go through
because they seem to be immensely
popular with the country, but for
some reason or other they do not
seem to be at all popular with the Re-
publican leaders. The Republican
members of the committee on public
lands do not seem to care to stand
sponsor for Mr.. Taft's measures for
Who it is that will take
up the work no one can say, but the
Democrats say that good many Re-
publicans are losing a fine chance for
popularity with the country and to Sc
cure reelection for themselves, by this
holding back at time when the presi- |
1ent needs strong friends willing to |
stand in the open and to fight for him.
Ind not to be content merely to ex-
press willingness that the legisla-
ion should go through.
Tariff Very Much to the Front.
After a long, hard. hot wealth
r session of congress which end !
d in the passage of the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill. 1t is likely that most
ersons thought the tariff would be
Practically dead issue. Very like
the majority of the Republicans in
be house and senate thought that 1t
1ould be, but it now seems certain
hat the tariff is to raise its warlike
ront again in the campaign preceding
ext November's election, and that It
lay be formidable enough to brighten
lost of the other issues out of the
ED.
The leaders in congress recognize
ne power of the tariff as a continued
'ouble maker. Representatives of the
wo schools of tariff thought are pre-
airing for the fight that they know is
, come. The Democrats are going
} present the action of the Repub-
can congress as high protection"
ct which was unjustifiable, and the
epublicans are going to defend It as
he best tariff bill ever passed." [
ONE few of the Republicans, how
yer, those who belong in what is
nown as the insurgent camp, have
'oken their minds SO freely in oppo- ,
ton to some of the tariff schedules !
lat they probably will be contented
} forego any attempt at defense of
lat which previously they in part I
ave denounced
Both houses of congress have the ,
'ivilege of printing pretty much I
lything that they choose as a public i
'cument, 20 that it can be franked t
trough the mails. One of the re- /