The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-05-16
DOWN AT WASHINGTON
interesting Notes from the National
Capital by G. A. Wood, Special
Reporter Correspondent.
Washington, D. c., May II, 1912

! A CONGRESSMAN has recently made
a trip in an aeroplane. There will
probably be others "up in the air.
before the campaign is over.
Now that Jerry Simpsons spirit
has said that Champ Clark is to be
nominated and elected, what's the
use of all this fuss?
| The one-hundredth anniversary of
the general land office, one of the
oldest bureaus of the government,
was celebrated during the past week.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" being
about the only air we can recognize,
we are immensely pleased that 1t has
been proved to be an American tune
and not of English origin.
, The senate has passed bill for
the regulation of wireless teleg-
raphy, giving the secretary of COM
merce authority over all wireless
stations and providing for licensing
them.
| New York's supply of domestics is
100000 short of the demand, yet
there are a million, more or less,
girls working at starvation wages in
stores, sweat shops, and millinery es-
Establishments in the city.
To minimize the loss of life in
event of shipwreck, the house has
passed a bill appropriating 100000
to equip all army transports with
sufficient lifeboats and RATS to &C
commodate every person carried on
board.
The report of the confcrees of the
two houses of congress on the gen.
eral pension bill has been agreed to
by the senate. The bill will cause an
average increase of appropriations
of $22,0OO,O00 a year for the next
five years.
The crop report of the department
of agriculture for May shows de-
cidedly unfavorable condition with
regard to winter wheat, which, oW-
ing to an unusually hard winter, will
produce a crop estimated at about
6O,OOO,OO0 bushels less than that of
last year.
The bill of Representative Bulke-
ley, of Ohio, providing for the is
suance of Scent and IL -cent pieces
has been passed by the house, with
an amendment providing that the di-
proposed shall be identical with any
other United States coin in general
circulation.
The agricultural appropriation
bill as reported to the senate carries
total of S17,956,967, an increase
of $1,723,61O as passed by the house
and nearly 100000 in excess of
the estimates. The increases are
distributed among the several bu-
reaus, but the forest service is given
100000 for emergency, freight
ing, and patrol
The house committee on expendi-
lures in the department of agricul-
ture has begun hearings on the res
olution of Representative Nelson, of
Wisconsin, authorizing an investi-
cation of the meat inspection service.
Representative Nelson asserts that
the meat inspection service is con-
Quoted in the interests of the meat
packers. Secretary Wilson has is
sued a statement refuting in strong
terms the charges of the Nelson res
olution and declaring that the meat
inspection service is conceded to be
the best in the world.
Under the provisions of resolu-
ton passing the house by unanimous
vote, the president is authorized to
open negotiations for an interna-
tional maritime conference to meet
at Washington for the purpose of
formulating plans for properly safe
guarding ocean travel. The presi-
dent is authorized to issue call for
a conference to ascertain the opinion
of maritime nations upon the desira-
bility of adopting laws for the great
er security of life and property on
merchant vessels at sea, including,
if practicable, regulations to estab-
lish standards of efficiency of officers
and crews at sea. Uniform regula-
tions for the construction of bulls,
machinery, and boilers, and the ad-
equate equipment of all vessels with
apparatus designed to save life in
times of emergency will also be con-
sidered
Amid great excitement, the house,
sitting as a committee of the whole,
Thursday night completed it's consid-
Grafton of the legislative, judicial,
and executive bill, and the measure,
retaining the provision abolishing
the court of commerce and with the
sections calling for reforms in the
civil service greatly modified, will
probably pass the house proper. The
vote on the abolition of the court of
commerce was 100 to 40, many re-
publicans, including Prouty, Towner,
Good, and Greene, of Iowa, voting
with the majority The provision
for. the merger of the bureau of sta
tistics of the department of COM
merce and labor and the bureau of
trade relations of the state depart
ment into one bureau under COM
MERGE and labor was adopted.
President Taft has submitted to
Congress a special message urging
the enactment of early legislation to
put into effect the plan suggested by
his commission on economy and eff
ficiency to retire government en-
ployees when they reach the age of
70 years. The plan would automat-
ically retire employees at 70 years
on an annuity, with the provision
that no person should receive more
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