The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-02-16
NEWS NOTES OF
NATIONS CAPITAL
(From F. J. DYER.)
Especial to the Silver State.)

WAoHlNGION, FeD l0.-Ihe buga-
boo of an extra session has peen cast
ing its shadow over congress ever
since the opening day in December
Nobody apparently, wants to see an
extra session, and yet nearly every
lone seems to fear that one will be
lcalled.~ Whether President Taft was
blufiing or not when he declared that
in certain event he would reconvene
congress almost Immediately after
March 4 no one is able to say, and
while some members of congress are
disposed to think that the waving of
the big stick was not really done in
earnest, the intentions has made both
Republicans and Democrats very un-
easy.
OF course the question of congress
sional apportionment has been settled,
and that is off the minds Of the
house. Reciprocity, however, at this
writing, seems likely to remain vital
issue until near the end of the session.
The Democrats, strangely enough, are
backing up the president in this mat
| ter, and most of them think that
Champ Clark did a mighty clever
thing when he lined his followers up
solidly for closer trade relations with
our northern neighbors. Probably
$50 good and true citizens took the
trouble to write to Mr. Clark in ap-
proval Oh his course, but it is not like
ly that one of these was a member of
the majority in the house. The senate
also is against reciprocity in this case,
and it is highly probable that if the
senate consents to vote on the ques-
tion, the treaty will be defeated.
There has been not little oratory on
the subject already, and the presi
dent s chef 'oeuvre has come in for
some pretty hot shots. 1t is hard to
see what some of this opposition is
founded on. California, for instance,
would seem to be a large prospective
gamer if the treaty should go into
effect because it will find an enlarged
market for it's fruit output, yet two
congressman from that state, Messrs.
Kahn and Hayes, who represent San
Francisco and the country contiguous
to it on the south, announce that they
are against the treaty. Mr.. Hayes
goes so far as to say that if adopted
it would ruin the Republican party.
The Progressive Party.
The birth of new political party is
always an event attended with a great
deal of interest. The country at large
is watching to see what comes of the
creation of Senators Bourne, Cum
Minis, LaFollette, Bristow and others,
aided and abbetted by Congressman
elect Kent, and such eminent private
citizens as Rudolph Spreckels and
Clifford Pinchot The gentlemen an
nounce that they have been flooded
with letters approving the movement,
and while they are not making anv
considerable display of said letters,
the fact that there are numerous patri-
otic citizens scattered over the coun
have shown a perfect willingness to be
labeled Insurgents or Progressives or
anything else, just so that they could
make themselves felt in the affairs of
government and aid in correcting what
they deem to be rather serious abuses,
gives sufficient grounds for believing
that this movement will actually re
suit in new national party, and as a
Moses is needed, in every case of this
sort, it is likely that the self-appointed
leaders will continue to lead, as long,
at least, as they find it advantageous
to keep the treasury in a solvent con-
dition.
OF course there are some things
about the reforms which the new
party has espoused which will need
to be more thoroughly tried out before
the country at large will wish to see
existing methods overturned. Take
the election of senators by the people
and the question of the state wide
primary. 1t would look very much as
if the election of senator as in Cali
fornia, where they have the state wide
primary, would necessarily become
such an expensive thing that only
men of great wealth, or those backed
by the big interests, could enter the
race. In Wisconsin, for instance,
Senator Stephenson made oath that
he spent 100000 in his last campaign,
and if there had not been another dol !
lar spent for him, and he says that he
does not know that there was, is is
evident that a poor man, no matter
how worthy he might be, would be de-
barred at the very outset from getting
into the contest. Lewis, one of LaFol- 1
lette's candidates for governor In the
last election, spent $4,000 in the pri-
maries and was defeated. OF course.
this may be a considerable improve
ment on the system it supersedes, but
perhaps it is not asking too much to
have it tested little longer before it
is accepted universally.
Mr.. Hitchcock and the Postal Deficit.
The postmaster-general has been
making great claims of economy be-
cause several million dollars have
been deducted from the annual deficit
of the department. Whether economy
is the most praiseworthy thing in the
world, however, is certainly a debat
able question. and if it were merely
matter of saving money possibly a
great deal could be saved by abolish
ing the postoffice department entire
ly Members Of congress have recent
ly had some very drastic criticisms t.
offer regarding the postmaster gene
al g economies. They have remarke
that the service during the Hitchcock i
regime has deteriorated, and that this |
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