The copper era and Morenci leader., 1912-05-24
AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON
Matters Concerning the Law Makers and Events of importance at the
 National Capital.

Senators Will Have to Hustle Votes
 to the states since the House has fin ally concurred in the direct election bill as it passed the Senate last July. This measure has travelled a lOaS journey, as direct election of Senators was first taken up by the Congress of 1926. From time to time recurring attempts have been made to make the Senate a popular body, but the resolu- tions have usually died in committee rooms, or the Strangle hold has been applied at some subsequent stage of the proceedings. The measure as passed, is distinctly a Republican pro- amendment" which was adopted by the Senate in July, and which threw the bill into conference between the two Houses, is simply reiteration of the Republican position which was clearly defined in the Lower House last summer. When the present mea- sure first came before the House of
 representatives, the Republican mem bers insisted that the control of cleo tionS of Senators should remain with the Federal Government, but the southern Democrats aided by their
 northern brethren, hardened to the
 ancient doctrine of states rights, and decried that the states, and not the
 government, should control elections of Senators. In this form the meas
 ure passed the Lower House almost year ago; but the Senate, while con-
 curing in the principal of direct cleo tiOnS, refused to surrender the pre-
 rogative of control to the states. On
 July 5th, 1911, conference committees
 of the two Houses met, and the result
 is that the Republican as emphasized by the Senate action in amending the
 House bill has finally been sustained.
 In receding from the position taken 1 by the House in behalf of States
 rights every Republican member vot- | ed for the Senate bill, and most of the | Democrats swung into line; but there
 were thirty-nine of the old-@ime Demo
 crats who are still fighting the Civil
 War, and these could not give up their
 pet theory of state supremacy. The passage of the direct election proposition in the House is univel-
 sally regarded as a wonderful vic
 tory for popular government. Direct
 elections has not yet been accomplish
 co; bat instead ConstitutionaI amendment has simply been submitted
 to the states, and the people will have
 to determine for themselves whether
 or not they wish, by their own ballots, to elect their representatives to the Upper House.
 Rural Finance.
 Rural finance is a question of mem ent to the world. It is probable that the suggestion of Mir. David B. Lubin, American delegate to the National Institute of Agriculture, which meets in Rome in May, that the Southern
 Commercial Congress Commission should meet in Rome at the same time, will be adopted. It will be re- called that Representative Norris of
 Nebraska, sometime ago introduced . bill seeking to bring about the adoD- tion of the RiaffeiSon system of rural finance, and he has urged, inasmuch as the Monetary Commission has given such extensive attention to the needs of commercial and industrial life in
 the way of legislation, that the agri- cultural interests be given similar at tention.
 Protests Against Democratic Penuri- ousness.
 Representative Pray made a vigor- ouS speech in opposition to the policy
 of discontinuing the United States
 hints and assay offices as was con
 templated by the Democratic policy
 in the House, and he pointed out that
 the discontinuing of the Helena assay office would be unw1Se, inasmuch as
 it accommodates from 800 to 1000 de-
 positors, and the bulf1on produced an
 nually within the radius of the office
 amounts to $2,000,000. He showed | that the office, which was established
 in 1874, had at all times demonstrated i it's usefulness, and he vigorously protested against the recommendation
 by the Treasury Department and the
 Committee on Appropriations which
 proposed to discontinue the office.
 The Steam Roller and lnjunctions. If ever a steam roller was effectual- ly operated anywhere, then it must be
 conceded that the best experts in the business are the forces of Champ Clark Oscar Underwood, and other Demo
 cratic heroes of the House of Repre- sentativeS. The minority of the House have repeatedly submitted to
 the gag rule, but there was real out burst when the anti-injunction bill came up for passage. Representa- tive Clayton from Alabama, attempted to shove through his Dill, which pro- hihited the issuance of injunctionS eX- cept on notification and full investi-
 gaton unless public peace was threat ened and would limit to seven days the life of each injunction Repre- sentative Dalzell of New York, declar- ed with some bitterness that the pro- posed bill was so framed as to oppose the Sherman law and set aside the laws against conspiracy. He declar ed that the purpose to limit debate to three hours was an assumption and
 abuse of tyrannicaI power never known before in the House. The minority leader, MT. Mann, Representative Nor { riS of Nebraska, and Canon of Illinois were among those who assailed the
 attempt to shut off the minority, and the result was that the measure was discussed and amended and in it's final form provides that there shall be no issue of injunctions without notice be
 i,,.r 1 aT@ T,,S, tions, when issued, would be effective for seven days only, and renewal