Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-07-24
WASHINGTON LETTER
Weekly Letter From Our Special
Correspondent.
NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL.
Brief Items of Interest to Iowa Peo-
pie, Written by an Iowa
Man.

WASH tub is not going 10 appear very
strongly to the tight-skirted, peeka-
boo WASTED, silken hosed girl of to-
day.
Now the colored brethren of
Washington have reversed the de-
cision of the Bible students and say
there will be hell fire and birthstone
in the future life. The which puts
darker face on the matter.
The democratic caucus of the
house has elected Charles NJ. Rid
dell of Indiana sergeant-at-arms of
the house to fill the vancancy caus-
ed by the death of Stokes Jackson.
BY vote of 95 to % the house
has passed the Beall bill, which pro-
vides heavy penalties for gambling
in cotton futures. Efforts made to
amend the bill to include provisions
prohibiting gambling in grains were
unsuccessful.
The house committee on public
buildings and grounds has reported
favorably the bill to contribute S400-
900 toward the erection in Wash
ington of building to commemorate
the sacrifices of women during the
civil war.
The senate committee on agricul-
ture has recommended favorable
report on Senator Burnham's bill au-
h. nf 20
to create a horticultural commission
with powers to enforce quarantine
regulations against plant diseases
and insect pests.
Postmaster General Hitchcock has
recommended to the senate commit
tee on postoffices and post roads the
incorporation of a provision in the
postal appropriation bill which would
permit the payment at the Office of in
I itial mailing of postage on return
postal cards Business houses which
send out thousands of postal cards
with their return address on them
lose money on every card not return
ed by the recipient, and to obviate
this loss there has long been de-
mand for some system whereby the
postage might be paid upon the re-
turn of the card to the original mail
ing Office.
The Peters bill, providing for
''free smokes" for employees of cigar
factories, has passed the house. This
bill would relieve from the payment
of internal revenue the cigars smok-
ed by employees and not offered for
sale and would fix the number of
such tax-free cigars to each person
at three day and six on Saturday.
A resolution calling on the
economy and efficiency commission
to investigate the patent Office was
offered in the house by Representa-
tive Bulkely of Ohio and referred to
the committee on patents Mr.. Bulke-
ly believes that the patent system is
out of date and inefficient and that
a. new system should be instituted.
The house has passed the Sulzer
bill creating department OF labor
and adding a secretary of labor to the
presidents cabinet. This bill Will
change the present department OF
commerce and labor to a department
of commerce strictly and transfer
all bureaus relating in any way to
labor to the new department, includ-
ing the bureau of labor and the bur-
eau of immigration.
The senate has reached an agree
ment to vote late next week on the
three principal democratic tariff and
finance bills, namely, the wool tar
iff, the excise tariff bill, and the sug-
ar tariff. This agreement was reach
ed as result of filibuster started
by the democratic members against
the sundry civil appropriation bill
when they were thwarted in an at
tempt to have the wool tariff bill
taken up.
Four per cent Of the application:
for increase in pension as provided
in the pill passed May IL have beer
allowed, and the pension office Il
grinding away steadily in an attemp
to handle the 100000 application!
on file. No such congestion of worl
has ever before occurred in the Once
and it will require months to straigh
ten out and dispose OF the applica
tions. Most of the applicants accom-
pany their papers with letters, thes'
coming in at the rate of 10000 pc
day. but on account of the great pres
sure incident to the applications M
effort is made to reply to these let
ters.
The senate has passed without dis
cussion Senator Tillman's resolutio
proposing that the united Sta'e