Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1911-05-04
GENERAL NEWS OF NATIONAL HAPPENINGS

Washington, April 27.-A sensation
was sprung in the house today, wher
Gardner, of Massachusetts,, introduced
resolutions of inquiry in response to a
charge by Diffendorfer of Pennsylvan-
ia, that money and influence were be-
ing used to give an Eastern manufac-
turing concern a monopoly in the con-
tracts for shoes for the army and navy.
Diffendorfer said he could prove his
assertion, and as result Gardner
called upon the secretary Of war and
the secretary of the navy for all pos
sible information concerning the shoe
contracts.
Diffendorfer interrupted Gardner in
his speech on the free list bill yester-
day while discussing government
prices for army shoes. "Is it not a
fact" he asked, "that Herman & Co.,
of Boston, absolutely control, after
freezing out every other competitor in
the United States, the manufacture of
shoes for the army and navy of the
United States?" Gardner said that
he had never heard of such firm.
Il shall be at liberty, then, in the
near future" Diffendorfer said, to
show to the gentleman that they have
absolute control of the shoes manu-
factured in this country for the army
and navy. and that they have frozen
out competitors that l know of who
have lost out and today ggare bankrupt,
owing to the fact that this firm of
Herman & Co. has used its influence
with the representatives of the United
States, or those in control of the Uni
ted States government have used their
influence, ito freeze out competitors
and have placed them on the black
list, so to speak, and have even gone
so far as to give money so that other
firms may not be competitors after
freezing them out ("
Washington, Apr. 27-A bill provid-
ing for the enlargement of the nation
al house of representatives from 391 to
433 members and the apportionment
of these members to the different
states on the basis Of the population
shown by the recent Federal census
passed the house early this evening
after vain efforts of members of both
political parties to amend it.
The proposed size of the house is
identical with that provided for in
the Crumpacker bill passed by the
house at the last session of congress,
but not acted upon by the senate.
The Houston bill, passed today, leaves
to the legislatures of the different
states the power to rearrange the con-
gressional districts in their respective
states on the new population basis of
one member for each 211,877 inhabi
tants.
The two important amendments pro-
posed and defeated today were to put
the re-districting power in the hand
of the governors of states when the
legislature had failed to act; and to
limit the house in the future to a
membership of 430 or 433, leaving fu-
ture reapportionments to the secretary
of commerce and labor Each amend
ment was vigorously championed by
the Republicans and had some Demo
cratic support.
Washington, April 26.-After day
of caucuses, conferences and secret
meetings, in which the Democrats of
the progressive" Republicans of the
senate were blocked by the regular
senator's, the two factions tonight are
resting on their arms.
Whether the fight of the "progres-
sives" for more appointments to COM
mittees of Importance will be trans
ferred to the senate floor rests with a
meeting of the progressives in the
morning.
The skirmish began in the meeting
of the Republican committee on CONS
mittees early in the day. Ballinger
reported the list of committees.
Immediately La Toilette objected,
insisting that the "progressives"
were being treated "unjustly and un-
fairly" He said he would reserve
the right to oppose further in his own
time. The Ballinger list was adopted,
the four insurgents voting no.
Washington, April 27.-Victor Ber-
ger, of Milwaukee, the Socialist mem
Der of congress, in resolution intro
duced today, not only proposes to abol-
ish the senate, but aims to strike from
the hand of the president the veto
power and take from the courts author
ity to invalidate legislation enacted
by the house of representatives. All
this is proposed as an amendment to
the constitution, which, if petitioned |
for by 5 per cent of the voters in each
state, shall be submitted to a general
referendum.
"The senate has run its course,
said Mr.. Berger, after his threatening
document had been dropped into the
hopper on the speakers desk.
at must some day, as with the
British house of lords, yield to the
popular demand for its reformation or