The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-12-28
Projected Bill Would Reveal
Amounts of Cotton and
Wool in Cloth.
TAFT'S PLAN TO SAVE PARTY
President Wants Republicans &c
Unite and Lesallze a Genuine
Tariff Commission-Next Years
Budget VIII Be Fully
One Billion.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

Washington.-It is said on seem
fngly good authority that President
Taft has given his sanction to a bill
far reaching in its effect which Will
compel the afixing to cloths which
enter interstate commerce OF a state
ment of the amount of cotton n OF
wool which they contain. This meas
ure is called here in Washington a
textile pure food bill" The Trainer
Of the measure, Victor Murdoch OF
Kansas, a y that no reason exists
why the consumer should not know
how much wool and how much cotton
he Is getting in his clothes just as ne
knows under the pure food law no"
much adulteration he is getting.
An effort Is being made to get the
two Republican factions in congress
to pass a measure of this kind. 1t Is
expected that there will be a good
deal Of opposition and it may be that
the pure fabric law" will have as
long a journey to passage as that
which the pure food law took before
1t arrived at its station OF the statute
books.
Taft's Tariff Commission Plan.
AS a fixed daily task President
Taft is laboring to bring togeth-
er the Republican factions IN con-
gress in order that he may secure
legislation legalizing a genuine tariff
commission. One year ago Mr.. Tart
might have worked nights as well as
days along the same line of endeaVor
and at the end Of "a hours he would
have been at the beginning, for the
regulars and insurgents were 80 hos
tile to one another that attempts to
patch a peace would have been met
not only sulkily, but defantly.
This year MI. Taft, so the men close
to him say, has some real hope that
he can induce MI. Cummins, Mr.. La
Toilette, MI. Murdoch and others to
link arms with Mr.. Aldrich, Mr.. Hale,
Mr. BouteIle and others and to present
a united effort on behalf Of a tariff
commission. 1t remains yet to be seen
whether the president will be success
full, but the politicians say he thinks
If a genuine tariff commission Is sane
toned and Is allowed to go to work in
q businesslike way to pass on proper
and improper duties" that the Demo
Gratis next year when they are in con-
troll Of the house will not think it wise
to upset the legislation. All this is
mere speculation, but 1t casts a light
on one Of the chief ends Of the adj
m~inistration's winter endeavor and on
the views of some of the Republicans
Of what they must do in order to save
the presidential election to their
party.
Shall We Fortlfy the Canal7
The layman who is neither a legis-
lator nor an army officer would find
himself unquestionably confused, but
probably interested, If he were here
in Washington to listen to the argu-
ments for and against the erection Of
Notifications by Uncle Sam to guard
the Panama Canal. A great many of
the legislators are opposed to forti-
flying the waterway, while virtually all
the army officers are in favor of it.
President Taft has endorsed the forti-
fcation plan strongly in his annual
message, in which he says:
1T is also we'll known hat one Of
the chief objects in the construction
OF. the canal has been to increase the
military effectiveness Of our navy. By
sire for, and indeed undertaken, its
universal and equal use. Failure to
fortify the canal would leave the at
tainments of both these aims in the
position Of rights and obligations
which we should be powerless to en-
force and which could never in any
other way be absolutely safeguarded
against a desperate and irresponsible
enemy"
The arguments which pass between
the legislator and the army officer on
the question Of whether or not big
guns ought to be placed on the 18TH
mus run something like this:
The legislator says: The canal
should be neutralized, and all nations
should be asked to bind themselves to
preserve its neutrality. In this way we
will be saved the expense of fortified.
ton and all danger of the canals de.
struction in time Of war will be avert.
ed"
The army officer says: AN ounce of
gun metal is worth a pound Of neu.
t%ralization. If a country at war with