Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1911-01-06
How Lawmakers of Nation
Waste Time as Aldermen for
City of Washington.
SYSTEM RIDICULED BY ABBOT
Old Guard Democrats In House ObJect
to Surrendering Power to Newly
Elected Members in Caucus
Called BY Champ Clark.

" LIS Cllys taO SophN~N
city Of the United States, is chafng
today under probably the most ex-
traordinary system Of government
that was ever imposed upon any mu-
nicipality.
Furthermore, the congress of the
United States IL equally embarrassed
and annoyed by being made to act as
the board of aldermen Of the City OF
Washington.
OF course this all dates back to the
time of those eminent gentlemen
whom we call the Fathers Of the Con-
stitution. They said that Washing
ton should be city without politics
of It's own, without government OF
tts own and should be governed by the
representatives Of the country at
large. If you will read the history of
the debates at that time you will find
that the arguments then seemed good.
II you will visit Washington today
you will find the results seem bad.
And when say bad do not mean so
much for the people Of Washington as
I do for the people Of the rest of the
United States.
Congress as City Aldermen.
Tuesday Of every week in the
house Of representatives Is known as
District day. That means that 391
members Of the house, each one Of
whom, roughly speaking, draws $4,000
a year in salary and perquisites, is on
hot tn oiu hiS of
ton to the affairs Of a city of less
than 100000 people. The City Of Chi
cago has 2,225,OOO people and it pays
It's common councilmen $4,000 year,
They legislate for one city. The
congress of the United States legis-
lates for the entire nation. It seems
almost intolerable that the United
States congress should be called upon
to act as a board of aldermen Or a
common council for the City of Wash
ington.
Time Given Civic Trifes.
Here, for example, is what happen
ed the other day in the house Of rep
resentatives. The question arose as
to what should be the new rate of pay
for the mounted policemen in Wash
ington at certain street crossings. 1t
wasn't debated very long, but it will
come up again. Such men as Mr.
Smith Of Michigan, Mr.. Mann Of ILL
nois, Speaker Cannon and Mr. Stat
ford Of Illinois spent nearly two hours
discussing the question whether the
matter should be taken up for action
In the end it was set aside.
Again, Immediately following this,
came the very serious question to the
people of Washington, supposedly, as
to the erection of new bridge across
certain gully which is called Rock
Creek. The erection OF this bridge is
Of no interest to anybody outside of
Washington, but find that the gentle
men already mentioned, plus Mr.. Fos-
ter Of Illinois and Mr. Campbell of
Ohio, got into the deba+e. It took an
other hour or SO CT the time of the
house.
Big Men On Small Jobs.
Following that there came a PROPOSE
ton which nobody outside of Congress
or outside Of the District of Columbia
would understand, and I do not men
ton 1t either with any purpose of ap-
proving Or disappearing. AS they say
IN the house, I reserve my right to
object, But it was this "An act to
incorporate the Washington Sanitary
Housing company" Looking down
the list Of speakers recorded in the
Congressional Record on one side or
the other, l find the names of Mr..
Fitzgerald of New York, Mr.. Smith Of
Michigan, Mr.. Kahn Of California, Mr..
Cox of Indiana, Mr. Mann of Illinois
and Mr.. Madden of Illinois. After
about an hours discussion of this bill
action was finally deferred by the OBJ
lection of Mr.. Madden.
Immediately following came I'D the
important question Of licensing driy-
ers of hacks, carriages, taxfcabs or
any other kind of public vehicle in the
District of Columbia. Speaker Can
non was in the chair. Again one gen
teman from California, one from
Michigan and one from Illinois argued
this serious question, which should
have been left absolutely to statesmen
of the type who make up the Chicago
common council or the common conn
ell of any other city. There was long
argument Of the question as to who
would stand for the spelling of the
word "chauffeur"-a argument which
hardly seems to justify the amount of
time spent In the discussion of the
bill. think 1t would be worth while
to show the country, even at the risk
of being dull, how this important mat
ter was discussed in a session which
has barely sixty days left of business
l quote from the Record:
The Licensing of cabmen.
MIR. Mann, Illinois: | would like to
ask another question. Whose smelling
Of the word chauffeur is adopted in
this bill? Is that the reformed SMELL
ing?
Mr.. Kahn. California: would not
be surprised II it is the reformed
spelling.
"Mr Mann. r. II Ia 0o{ro o., p. >..x