The National tribune., 1910-04-07

ne mas appointed Representatives VI
cott. of New York; Longworth, of Ohio;
Hawley, of oregon; Humphrey, of Mis-
sissippi, and Garrett, of Tennessee, as
members of the special committee Great
ed by the StCenerSon resolution TO IN
vestigate the ship subsidy scandal.
Mr.. Olcott is Chairman of the COM
mittee. He is a member of the Naval
and District of Columbia Committees
and was Chairman of the special COM
nittee which Investigated the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane.
Senator Lodge. of Massachusetts,. has
filed petitions from 40 Posts of the
Grand Army of the Republic, Depart
ment of Massachusetts, protesting
against the presence of the statue OF
Robert f. Lee in SJatuary Hall. Only
n few days ago Senator Lodge nled pro-
tests from so other Posts from his State.
1Iost of the United States Senators are
hearing from their constituents, and
they are forced to file petitions of con-
gratulations for Senator Hepburn for
his heroic and lonely stand against the
loan Of Government tents for the Con-
federate Reunion held at Mobile, over
which the Confederate flag is to fly.
Labor legislation thruout the country
has become more uniform, and has
reached higher standards, according to
a review of such legislation, just issued
by the Bureau of Labor as supple
ment to its annual report. Thirty-two
States passed new laws or amended old
ones affecting child labor and the en-
ployment of women.
Representative Cox. of Indiana, is 60
ing TO earn for himself the earnest scorn
and Indignation of the $50 other mem
bers of the House. He has introduced
a bill cutting down the present rate of
20 cents mile allowed each member
for transportation and substituting
therefor five cents a mile. To-day men
can travel for two cents mile IN q
.1ong haul'' anywhere in the United
States, but since the beginning of the
Government it has been paying 20 cents
mile each way for its Representatives
when they come to Congress or when
they go home after the conclusion of
the business. Prince Cupid, who trav-
els all the way from Hawaii under the
20 cents a mile clause, draws in the
neighborhood of $4,000 for his travelling
expenses, whereas the nearby Senators,
from Maryland, for instance, only draw
about IS. 1t will be seen that mileage
is an important matter to a good many
of the Representatives, and they will be
heroic, indeed, if they vote to cut down
this $500 or s4O0 year.
Mrs Andrew c. Wheelwright, of Bos-
ton, has offered to put chime of heavy
bells in the tower of the new custom
house at Boston. According to the
Comptroller of the Treasury, the Gov
-ernment cannot receive such a gift or
permit any physical dominion over its
property.
Senators Lodge and Crane, of Massa-
chusetts, will take the matter up in
Congress. Mrs. Wheelwright offered
also to endow a guild of bell ringers to
care for the bells. The Treasury De-
partment would like to accept the gifts,
but cannot unless Congress passes a
special act.
Oh. my goodness gracious. and the
Egyptians do not have bit better man
ners than TO hoot our former President
of the United States, and this, too, on
his return from Elba.' 1t will be re-
membered that Col. Roosevelt mixed
himself all up in the politics down
there, and seems to have got in bad
with not only the Egyptians, but the
English. 1t doesn't make much differ
ence what he said, we may be sure he
said the right thing; but whether he
said ii at the right time is another prop
osition. He seems not to have said it
at the right time, however and that is
where the trouble came it. They are
not much used to hearing the plain un-
vanished truth down there and prob
ably that is why they hissed him and
wanted to throw brickbats and overripe
eggs at him. But they didn't.
The condition of Senator Daniel. of
Virginia, does not improve. He is in a
comatose condition most of the time.
and his friends fear that his end is near.
Senator Tillman is able to discuss
politics with his friends. or at least he
is able to talk. and insists upon talking
politics, whether or no.
Br. Carnegie has decided to build a
library in New York which shall cost
$4,000, and is TO be named the Fran
ces Folsom Cleveland Library" in honor
of President Cleveland's wife.
The vacancy on the Supreme Court
bench reminds us again that President
Taft would rather have a seat on the
bench of the Supreme Court of the
United States than to be President of
the whole American people. 1t is not
3 little odd that he has been called upon
q second time to make an appointment
which he would much rather have TAX
en- himself, and which would probably
hsve been the case had he not been
elected President. President Roosevelt
told Mr.. Taft that he could not have
the Office, because his services were
needed in the Philippines. Seeing his
duty clearly. Mr.. Taft put away the
ambition of his life, and that heroic
sacrifice to duty had much to do with
his becoming President.
Strange TO say, the Indian. instead Of
passing out of life and into history, has
come to the point where there is an in
crease in births over deaths. During
the fiscal year of 1909 there were 1895
births and 3,l7S deaths among IO1, ,717
Indians.
While these statistics indicated a
slight excess of births over deaths, they
do not compare favorably with the rec
ords of all races. In the calendar year
1908 the death rate of all races was 1874
per 1000, based on the registration area
of the United States with an estimated
population Of 45,O2S,767 A conpari- |
son with these figures shows that while
the birth rate OF the Indians was nearly |
equal 10 the average of all races. the |
death rate was almost twice as great
1t was estimated there were 3OO.545
Indians in the United States exclusive
of Alaska, during the last fiscal year.
Some funny things happen when
someone tackles theN elevator on the
Senate side of the Capitol and gives the
Senatorial ring-three quick, sharp
touches on the electric bell, which are
supposed TO indicate that Senator has
N IN Il