Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-06-16
Llttleton and Lafferty Suspected
of Political Cunning.
TWO RECORDS OF GOVERNOR
His Preachments as Professor and
Politician Brought Out in Debate
Facts and Figures From
British Report on American
Cost of Living.
BY WILLIS j, ABBOT.

OF Congressman Littleton of New
York attacking all three Of the prin-
cipals of direct egislation-initia-
tive, referendum and recall-has
sprung a dark suspicion of political
cunning. Mr.. Littleton emphasized his
argument by copious quotations from
the writings of Prof. Woodrow Will
son-"The State" Congressional Gov
eminent" and THE Constitution" To
students Of history and political phil
osophy these volumes are rich mines
Of argument Of the sort now called re-
dictionary, and dreaded by the poll
tician as a sort of political death war
rant for him who uses them But they
fitted IN well with LittIeton's plea
! against direct legislation and he was
rolling the PROFESSIONAL logic unctuous-
ly under his always eloquent tongue
when Lafferty of Oregon came to the
rescue Of New Jerseys favorite son.
NO react1onary is Lafferty, but a
progressive Republican, of so progress
sive type that he would like to see
senator Chamberlain of Oregon given
second place on the Democratic tick
ct, and predicts that if this were done
the Democrats would sweep the Pa
clnc coast. So Lafferty sprang into
the breach and demolished Prof. Will
son with heavy shots forged by
GOV. Wilson, presidential aspirant
MI. Llttleton quoted the professor as
declaring that direct legislation, gov
eminent by the people, would be in
effect government by newspapers. Mr..
Laherty came back with the govern
ors ringing plea for direct Iegisla-
ton In his Portland (Ore) speech.
In the end Mr.. Littleton was fain to
defend his own line of argument by
the declaration that he would rely
upon Tie student, the author, the his
eOrlan, the political philosopher, rath-
er than upon the ambitious politician
touring the country in search of
votes
This rather infelicitous line of de-
tense prompted Representative Henry
george to remark that it looked as
II Littleton and Lafferty had con-
sp1red to give Wilson the double
Cross. The same theory was main
tanned by half a dozen other Demo
c. attic congressman with whom 7 dis
cussed the matter. It was pointed
out that at the psychological moment
Lttleton paused in his speech as if
inviting Lafferty, who sits directly
across the aisle, to interrupt him:
that Laferty had his material ready
Tor the attack, and that the net re-
salt of the colloquy was to force upon
the country the knowledge Of lust
what the Wilsonites most want ig-
nored-the marked difference between
the PROFESSIONAL and the political
pfeachments Of their candidate.
American Cost of Livino.
IN the congressional dull DAYS. with
tue senate assiduously seeking the
pest way to renew Lorimer's coat of
whitewash and the house active chief
~ IN passing resolutions to adjourn.
both interest and profit may be OBJ.
tanned from study of some recent
congressional documents
Latest of these is senate document
22, being a reprint Of a report made
by the board of trade of London on
the cost of living in American towns.
and the relation it bears to the cost
OF living on a similar scale in the
United Kingdom. Presumably it is
wholly unprecedented, as the statistics
were gathered by a commission of
visiting Englishmen. But the bearing
OF It's conclusions on the pending tar.
III discussion is so very obvious that
the statesmen here exhausted the first
edition as soon as it was off the press
and resolution for the printing of
ooo extra copies is now before the
senate. | would not, however, advise
any constituent to send for one IN
less he has special claims to it's DOS
session, for in size and typographical
style II is one of the most EXPENSIVE
puohc documents, and will hardly be
distributed except to libraries and
recognized students of social statistics
The cost of living in twenty-eight
American cities, all east of the Mis-
slsslppl, except ST. Louis and ST. Paul
and Mlnneapolis-the two latter beine
regarded as one town on both banks
OF the rlver-is reported. The lives
the cost of which is computed in dol
lars and cents (the report being Eng
llsh puts it In pounds, shillings and
pence), are exclusively those of work
Ing people living in houses of from
three to six rooms. This is unfortu
nate. The gaiety Of the report would
have been enhanced and it's value not
lessened had it given us figures as to
the cost of living in Bar Harbor, New
port, Palm Beach in season, the Fifth
avenue district in New York, the Lake
Shore Drive in Chicago or the homes
OF the steel millionaires in Pittsburg.
however, like all social studies, it is
sonfned to the poor
Wages and Hours of Labor.
In their comparative summary of
conditions in the United States and
he United Kingdom the investigators
lake 100 to express the standard of
he lafte- Thus wages in the build