The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-01-28
GOVERNORS TO
MEET YEARLY.
viii Constitute a New Factor In
American Affairs.
THE STEP MARKS AN EPOCH.
Six Nations Headed by Great Britain
Favored by Minimum Tariff-Inter-
state Commerce Commission May In
vestisate Railway Mail Pay-Senator
Aldrich Goes to Florida.

state Commerce Commission May In
vestisate Railway Mail Pay-Senator
AIdrieh Goes to Florida.
Washington, Jan! 24.-The meeting
of the governors and of the other bod.
les favoring uniform legislation leaves
little doubt in anybody's mind that
the chief executives of our states are
going to get together at least once a
year hereafter and that by so doing
they will constitute new and impor.
tant factor In American affairs. The
idea of house of governors appeals
to the imagination. There is not a
single rational objection offered to it
on any hand. 1t fills a great gap be-
tween the federal government and the
individual states, furnishes an avenue
through which the states may act to-
gether on matters affecting all and
makes for better feeling and national
solidarity. Those who witnessed the
sessions of last week feel that they
have seen the beginnings of a great
historic entity and that the occasion
was not unlike that which witnessed
the meeting of the first congress or
the Inauguration of the first president.
Six Favored Nations.
America is not to have tariff wal
with at least six nations. Tke presi'
dents proclamation placing in force
the minimum schedules as to Italy,
England, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey
and Spain assures us commercial peace
so far as they are concerned. A num-
Der of other nations will doubtless be
added to the list, but the situation
with relation to countries like Ger
many and France is still uncertain,
with chances favoring a tariff war at
least with Germany. 1t is somewhat
striking that the two nations, which
by their size and commercial progress
are the two most conspicuous high
protection countries, should thus be
involved in a tariff contest.
Railway Mail Inquiry.
The presence of a postal deficit, the
recommendation of the president that
the rates on certain classes of second
GLASS IldllCl DS dhN dHCCu TIC It.
tort from the publications to be af-
fected charging the deficit to railway
mail graft may lead to an investiga-
ton of the entire subject by the in
terstate commerce commission. Con-
gressional inquiries have already been
held, but these have not been salts
factory. 1t is thought that the com
NIT Ia In haitian 70
at the truth of the matter and might
not be so easily inundated or influ-
enced by the railroads. The amount
now paid to the roads, steamships and
star routes for carrying the mails is
In excess of $S0,000000 annually. 1t
has been charged in the public prints
that considerable part of this is
graft, some of the allegations going
to the length of intimating that at
least half of the entire amount is
fraudulent. In addition, specific abuses
have been pointed out in the weigh
ing Of the mails the rental of postal
cars, the mileage of steamship lines
and the like. Under the circumstances
thorough and impartial investiga-
ton would seem to be demanded.
Aldrieh Goes South.
Senator Aldrich has gone to Florida
for two weeks on the advice of his
physician. Bronchial troubles have
forced the senate leader to cancel one
or two Of his speaking engagements
and he still has several dates ahead
in various parts of the country. 1t is
not intimated that his speaking tour
before commercial bodies has been
the cause of his vocal breakdown, but |
rather the Washington climate, and it |
is thought that with a little rest the |
head Of the finance committee and |
monetary commission will be able to /
I'LL the remainder Of his dates.
Constructive Democracy.
The letter recently written by Sen |
ator Newlands Of Nevada to his state |
committee is still creating talk in Dem
ocratic circles in Washington. The one /
Newlands phrase that will stick and |
that Is a sermon in itself was his ref |
erence to constructive democracy"
Signing by Proxy.
n AtEpOAASlNt was SlIuth the
breasts Of the colleagues ofshe secre- /
tary of the treasury recently by his
suggestion that congress should au-
thOrize members of the cabinet to des-
ignate secretary to sign for them the
mass Of routine papers the signing OF .
which occupies so much valuable time
and makes such irksome labor. The
joke about the secretary who once in
quired the contents of a paper present
ed for his signature and was told by
an imperious negro messenger to put
your name on the bottom line-that
Is all you need to do, Mr.. Secretary"
while possibly an exaggeration, was
founded on fact There are few MEM
bers OF the cabinet who have any ade-
quate idea of the contents of docu-
ments to which they attach their sig
natures. They are compelled by the
great number OF these papers TO rely
almost entirely on the initials of the
to whom their prepara-
tioh h htrusted, and there seems to
be no good reason why a signing sec
retsry" should not be clothed with au-
thority to sign the name Of the head