The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1911-09-23

nv ade than perhaps ever ef
" before in the history OF
the country. AS q re-
suit of this members OF both houses
have been at times forced to show
plainly whether their sympathies
were with the masses or with the
great controlling interests 1t mas
been hard for them to counterfeit
loyalty to the peoples interests Some
of them have attempted 1t and have
been found out. and are now 10
private life. The conditions have
been such as to make congressional
actions within the last few years OF
special interest certainly to the on
locker In Washington.
After the Beverage beef-inspection
amendment had been tacked-tt was
hoped secureiy-upoD the agricultural
department appropriation bill the sen
ate awaited house action on the
amendment with manifest anxiety.
Now there were some members OF the
senate who 1t was supposed from the
very inception OF the matter had held
that the measure was altogether too
drastic and was In It's very nature an
invasion OF the right OF private COM
panies to conduct their business as
they saw fit. provided 1t was not con-
Quoted In q manner manifestly mimi
cal to the public welfare.
The upper house had sent the
Beyeridge amendment to passage
quickly, quietly and without dis
senting vote. but the feeling held
nevertheless that some Of the men,
bers voted as they did simply be-
cause they felt obliged SO to vote.
One Of those who In the public mind
1t was held had cast his vote In favor
6: the beefinspection law rather un-
willingly, was none other than Sen
ator Lodge OF Massachusetts.
Possibly It was Mr.. Lodges we'll
the old ways that impelled people to
think that he was in mind II not In
heart opposed to carrying government
inquiry into the business Of private
concerns to any greater lengths than
they had been carried.
The house changed the meat in
spection measure by transferring the
cost OF the work from the pocketbook
OF the packer to the pOcketbook Of
the government and by striking out
the clause which made obligatory the
placing Of the date upon the inspec.
ton stamp. When the measure came
back to the senate In its changed
form one OF the first senator's to get
upon his feet for the purpose Of de-
nouncing the changes was Senator
Lodge OF Massachusetts. and the
speech tina. he made upon a subject
matter no loftier than the dirt upon
a packing house floor and the conse-
Quent duty OF the government to force
the hand Of the packers to lay hold
on the broom Of cleanliness has been
declared since to be the greatest
speech made at the first session of the
Ftfty-ninth congress. and when this
statement was made by thoss who
have passed Judgment the speeches of
Bailey. Knox and Spooner upon the
constitutional question involved in the
railroad rate measure were not lost
to sight nor to memory.
There are often sneers at Massa-
chusetts, because. as the rest OF the
country has it. she arrogates to her.
self certain scholarly distinction
denied unto the other commonwealth
OF the country. Possibly the sneer
at times is justifiable. because the
old Bay State not only holds herself
distinguished above all others In mat
tiers intellectual. but she is too fond
OF letting the conceit spread into 9th.
er fields where she stands not even
second. nor yet perhaps twentieth
Massachusetts. however. generally
does send big men to the senate of
the United States. and in the main
big men to the house Of representa-
tives Of the nation. In the hearing of
such a speech as that of Henry Cabot
Lodge upon the Beverage amendment
to the agricultural bill the living
sheer OF the dead and gone Mark
mamma expends itself Intellectually
Hanna said that I'm Henry Cabot
Lodge a good historian was spoiled to
make q poor statesman"
Mr. Lodge was talking about the
pork packing industry. of corn beef
of sausages and Of bob veal. and yet
this man rose to the heights OF a
great orator. His speech was as
whitening as contempt for dishonesty
in business methods. coupled with a
mastery of the language of irony and
scorn and biting satire. could make 1t.
While the senator from Massa.
chusetts was speaking not q colleague
moved In his seat. not q whisper was