American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1910-12-24
Projected Bill Would Reveal
Amounts of Cotton and
Wool in Cloth.
TAFT'S PLAN TO SAVE PARTY
President Wants Republicans to
Unite and Legalize a Genuine
Tariff Commission-Next Years
Budget Will Be Fully
One Billion.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

lngly GOOD authority tndt freSlQenL
Taft has given his sanction to a bill
far reaching in its effect which will
compel h afixing to cloths which
enter interstate commerce of a state
ment OF the mount of cotton n of
wool which they contain. This meas
ure is called here in Washington a
textile pure food bill" The Trainer
of b measure, Victor Murdoch of
Kansas. say 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 he
knows under the pure food law how
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
it arrived at it's station on 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.. Taft
might have worked nights as well as
days along the anne line Of endeavor
and at the end of "a hours he would
have been at the beginning, for the
regulars and insurgents were so hos
tile to n another that attempts to
patch a peace would have been met
not only sulkily, but %defiantly.
This year Mr.. Taft, SO the men close
to him say. has some real hope that
he can induce Mr.. Cummins, Mr.. La
Toilette, Mr.. Murdoch and others to
link arms with Mr.. Aldrich, Mr.. Hale,
Mr.. Boutelle 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
a 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 it casts a light
on one of the chief ends of the ad-
ministration'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 Fortify 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 If
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-
f1cation plan strongly in his annual
message, in which he says:
1T is also we'll known that one Of
the chief objects in the construction
of the canal has been to increase the
military effectiveness of our navy. By
convention we have indicated our de-
sire for, and indeed undertaken, it's
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 Wn chntld hn n0unrloSc 10 on
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 fortifica-
ton and all danger of the carfNs de-
struction in time of wal will 20 avert
ed"
Il - H. OiLASt all OQaCt VI 7
gun metal is worth a pound of neu- |
tralization. If a country at war with
the United States finds it to it's adj
vantage to blow up the canal, the
canal will be blown up. The promise
to keep the peace would be whistled
down the wind in a minute. The only
way to keep the enemy off is to stand
him off with a gun The canal cost
hundreds of millions. Under neutral.
ization it could be destroyed in a
Budget at Least a Billion.
At this stage of the session of on
gress some of the appropriation
bills have been little more than
s~keletonized, but it is perfectly
ever at this early date