Gilpin observer., 1911-06-22
WASHINGTON NEWS

Washington, June 2O.-As often as it
occurs to any citizen of this broad and
bounteous land that each executive de-
partment of the government is a domain
In itself and presided over by Car in
the person of cabinet officer, who
reigns in awful might and disdains di-
rect allegiance to the people, let him
take passage for Washington. He will
discover that if any one cabinet officer
Is successful in demonstrating that he is
the "whole show" it is because party
which loug has been in power is control
both the House, the Senate and the Ex-
ecutive branch of the government.
With the Democrats in charge of that
part of Congress which halls directly
from the people, the Republicans are
finding in their administration of the
Senate and the executive departments
that they have decidedly inquisitive
neighbor looking over their back fence,
and that said neighbor is entitled to ask
questions which must be answered.
This is decided change from what has
been the case during the past sixteen
years. Now that the democrats have
mounted to power in the House the Rep
ublican senate is powerless to protect
the Republican cabinet officers from
the inquisitiveness of that body. At
torney- General Wickersham and Secre-
tary of State Knox have had their days
before House committees. Other cabi-
net officers are to step forward just as
soon as it occurs to the House Demo-
Gratis that enlightenment from them is
needed.
Mr.. Wickersham told frankly of his
plans for trust prosecutions and even
disclosed the amount of pay he received
as attorney for the sugar trust before
becoming member of president Taft g
cabinet. Mr.. Knox tartly compliment
ed Cairman Hamlin of the committee on
Expenditures in the state department
on the large attendance of enthus-
iastic newepapermen he had summoned
to meet him and then proceeded to tell
all he knew about the peculiar circum-
stances surrounding the lost voucher in
the State Department
Every cabinet officer in Washington
realizes at the present moment that
there is not line of writing or trans
action in his department which the DEM
ocrats of the House are not entitled to
drag forth to the white of publicity if
the expediency for such action occurs to
them. AS "a matter of fact, many things
are occurring to them every day and the
probing of the executive departments
is going deeper and deeper. While the
Canadian reciprocity agreement is being
debated in the Senate and while tariff
revision is proceeding in the House, vol
uHfs Of interesting information are be.
ing drawn out and compiled by the sew.
eral investigating committees. Pay dirt
in plenty is being brought up by the
steel and sugar. inquisitions. There
would have been no investigating com.
mittees had the House gone Republican
last fall instead of Democratic.
Arranged in neat steel drawers in the
Document Room of the House, and in.
stantly available to any person who
cares to investigate, are the bills which
each member has introduced in the cur.
rent session.
A well filled compartment in the series
is stamped 'Hon. E. T. Taylor. With.
in, in graphic array, is the complete
budget of business which the industrious
Colorado congressman has laid out fol
himself during the present congress.
1t is an imposing list of measures--many
more than one lone congressman woulc
be allowed to have passed. Taylor how.
ever believes in laying out plenty Of
work for oneself and disposing of a.
much as possible. To him it is positive
satisfaction to keep on keeping on.
His pet measure, bill to grant Colo
rado an additional one million acres o.
land under the Carey act, lies on top Of
the heap. If there is any opportunit,
to get miscellaneous bills through Al
this extra session of congress! Mr.. Tay
lor will vigorously push his Carey projec
which means SO much to Colorado. Al
a member of the Committee on Publi
lands he will be in position to deman,
action upon it.
Scattered through the pile there ma.
be seen at a glance all the interesting
and important measures which Repre-
sentantative Taylor has thought out an,
put forward in behalf of Colorado--th
various bills for the relief of settler
under irrigation projects and minera
land claimants. bills to erect post office
in all prominent Colorado towns, to es
tablish agricultural and mining expert
ment stations on the western slope, +
facilitate subscriptions to the Congress