The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-03-28
DOWN At WASHINGTON
Interesting Notes from the National
Capital by G. A. Wood, Special
Reporter Correspondent.

how to Spend
Senator Cummins has introduced
bill providing for a comprehensive
system for the retirement of govern
ment employees.
The President has nominated
Samuel l.. Daniels, Of Iowa, to be
surveyor of customs for the port of
Burlington.
The Sims bill to abolish the Com
MERGE Court has been favorably re-
ported by the house committee on
Interstate and foreign commerce.
The river and harbors bill, carry
ing $26,250,0O0, passed the house
by unanimous vote after only three
hours of consideration.
Captain Morrison Welliver, form
erly of Cherokee, Iowa, and father
of the we'll known newspaper CORES
pondent, Judson G. Welliver, died at
the latter's home near Washington
during the week.
A Mexican wag has very pertinent
ly wired, anent the recent outbreak
of lawlessness in Virginia, asking if
revolution has broken out in the
state.
Washington and New York street
car companies have acceded to the
demands of tight skirted women and
are planning to lower their car steps
to accommodate the unbending knee.
With view to lettering the moral
conditions now existing in Washing
ton, Senator Kenyon will introduce
a bill embodying the features of
what is known as the Cosson law of
Iowa to apply to the District of COL
umbia.
The democratic free sugar bill
passed the house by a vote of 1913 to
13, tWenty-four republicans, includ-
ing Good and Prouty Of Iowa, voting
with the majority in favor of the
measure.
The democratic members of the
ways and means committee will re-
Introduce in the house the same wool
tariff revision bill that was intro
duced and passed last summer and
vetoed by President Taft.
Secretary Fisher of the Interior
Department has a plan for the util-
ization, in the construction of a gov
eminent railway in Alaska, of the
men and equipment soon to be re-
leased from service on the Panama
Canal
The executive committee of the
democratic national committee has
unanimously declared it's belief that,
in view of all the circumstances, the
rates charged by Baltimore hotels
for convention week are reasonable.
In a special recommendation to
congress, Postmaster General Hitch
cock urges immediate extension to
rural letter carriers who may be in
jured in the line of duty the same
privileges and compensation as are
now provided by law for injured
railway mail clerks. pr
BY vote of ESQ to 40, with eighty
republicans, regular and progressive,
voting with the democrats, the house
passed the income tax bill imposing
tax of l per cent on all net earn
ings in excess of $1,000 Among the
republicans voting for the measure
were Good, Green, Haugen, Kendall,
Kennedy, Pickett, Prouty, and
Woods, of Iowa.
The house committee on expendi-
lures in the State Department have
had their attention called to what
they believe is another transaction
"off-color" in that department. Rep
resentative Hamlin makes the state
ment that a colored man carried on
the rolls of the department at 81 200
year and ostensibly employed in
the mailing room, is in fact devoting
q large part of his time to personal
services to Secretary Knox and is at
present with the Secretary in South
America in the capacity of valet.
Sacred senatorial precedent has
been given a severe shock by Senator
Luke Lea of Tennessee, backed by
Senator Kenyon, who have served
notice of motions for reconsidera-
ton of the public buildings bill re-
Gently passed. Older senators are
peeved by this remarkable transgres-
sion of their prerogatives and strong
pressure has been put upon the re-
calcitrants to remove the embargo
on the "pork-barrel," but so far to
no avail. Scanning the bill in ques-
ton, Senator Lea noticed that $751;
900 was asked for public building
at Sundance, Wyo., village of very
small proportions; $67,5O0 for New
castle, in the same state and scarce
ly large enough to deserve the west
ern courtesy title of town." and
$4,000 for Thermopolis, just bor-
dering on the "city" class with I 500
besides number of
other cases equally ridiculous in
proportions of people and appropria-
tions. Heretofore a senator DESTROYS
of placing himself fright" with his
people has been able to put public
building appropriation through a
complaisant senate without trouble,
and the junior senator's in going
counter to tradition and precedent
are probably jeopardizing their own
legislative interests and laying up
lot of trouble for themselves. How
ever, they seem to be inspired by a
weird idea that they are in congress
to serve all the people and have no
thought of conserving their political
interests by building elaborate and
costly postoff1ces in jerkwater vii
lagos.
Senator Cummins has introduced
primary elections bill providing
for national primary on July 8, to
be followed each four years by
similar election on the second Mon