Holbrook argus., 1912-04-16

ACcOFOlLR to oCIeIdry WISOu Ol the Department of Agriculture, Con- gressman Clark of Florida. who has stirred up the investigation of the Everglades, should be an object of pity. The general opinion in Washington is that the Florida Everglades, will be drained, represent one of the richest agricultural sections of the country. However, with the water on the land, it is practically valueless. The State of Florida has made an appropriation of several million dellars to redeem the land, and while some of the land sharks have taken advantage of this announc- ed policy to sell the Everglades on sight and unseen, before it is drained, yet people who appreciate the signific- ance of the great movement, have little sympathy with men like Clark who are standing in the way of great move ment in his own State. The time may come, although it may be considerably in the future, when the Florida Ever glades will be richly productive.
 The poison match must go. After a fight which was started by Represen- 1ative Esch of Wisconsin two years ago against the use of the white phos- phorous matches, the victory has f1nal- ly been won. MT. Towner of Iowa, MT. Longworth of Ohio and MT. Esch::,oi Wisconsin, were among those who made the principal speeches upon the mea- sure in the House. It appears that the new method by which matches are made, was originally controlled by the patents of the Diamond Match Com- pany, and this institutionnsurrendered all their rights to the exclusive control of this form of manufacture. The re- striction against the poison match. which produces what is known as ''phossy jaw, a terrible disease among the workmen, will operate in the same manner as the oleomargarine statute, which simply places a restrictive tax upon the manufacturer. In the case of the match people, this tax will be pro- I to the use of the new and harmless form of matches. Some objection was raised in the House, against this class of legislation, and such men as Under wood and Mann, leaders of their two parties, voted against it because of their general opposition to the principle involved. They hold, as did their op- ponents to the measure. that the states have entire power to legislate for the safety of their employees, and could without the act of Congress, control the situation. MT. Esch of Wisconsin, said that five have waited for forty years for the states to do this" He therefore believes that the government must take the matter in hand. He as- serted that every nation in Europe for bids the use of white phosphorous in the manufacture of matches, and said that the United States was even behind degenerate Russia in this matter. MT. Payne of New York, came to the defense of the legislation in the House, and helped to pass it. In the Senate, Senator Bailey of Texas, stubbornly opposed it on Constitutional grounds, and Sen tor Hepburn made the remarkable dis covery that the Senate itself has been using these "phossy" matches. The Senate, like the House, gave its sanction to the legislation.
 Mir. French of Idaho, has succeeded in telling his fellow Representatives in the House a little more about wool than most of them had known before. He comes from the country where there are sheep, and where sheep have wool on their backs, and where the owners of these animals regard them as a source of livelihood rather than a mere source of amusement for tariff makers. Mir. French introduced several amendments to the Underwood tariff measure, and made speech in behalf of sensible revision on the wool schedule. He called the attention of the Memb- CTS to his position last year when It be- came necessary for him to vote with the Democratic side of the House on the wool bill, and he showed wherein subsequent results, including the re- port of the Tariff Board, had warrant ed his course. The leaders of the House, including Mr Mann, gave their close attention to the Idaho Congressman, and asked him many questions, and he gained the entire Republican support.
 Some ladies have asked Federal leg islation for women suffrage. A bill has been introduced in the Senate for primary elections. Amid paternalistic innovations advocated by the Postal Department, many have forgotten that the Constitution reserves the rights to