Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-07-10
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.
Washington, d. c., July s, 1912

That sheep milk cure for badness
gets our goat
They may have stolen Bryan's side
form.
A New Jersey book agent has just
died at the age Of 100. Wonder how
he escaped so long.
The national flag now contains AS
stars, two additional emblems ap-
pearing July 4 to denote the entrance
of Arizona and Mexico to the union.
Since the army aviation school was
established year ago, the officers
attached to it have been 259 hours
in the air in total of 1,500 flights.
The famous Roosevelt physical
tests for army officers have gradual
mile horseback ride to a monthly
stroll of ten miles to be done in not
more than four nor less than three
hours.
Proposed new regulations, restric-
ting the dimensions of pieces OF bag
gage, were suspended by the Inter
state Commerce Commission from
July ! to October 90. The carriers
proposed further limit on the
amount of baggage transported free
and an increase of charges on excess
weights.
The senate has agreed to the joint
resolution appropriating $1,350,00o
for the encampments and maneuvers
of the organized militia of the states.
The appropriation was originally in
the army bill ald vetoed by the pres
ident. These maneuvers will for the
first time be conducted on a scale
similar to the annual demonstrations
of military by the European govern
ments.
Congress on Monday hurriedly pas
sed a continuing resolution for the
purpose of supplying the necessary
funds for conducting the business OF
the government pending the passage
of the various supply bills. The reso-
luton provides that there shall be
appropriated for the month of July
one-twelfth of the appropriations for
the current fiscal year.
The house chemical tariff revision
bill, amended to place dyes used in
coloring cheaper cotton goods on the
free list, has been defeated in the
senate by a vote of 80 to 26. The
NNs ~, Ne
many articles in the present chemical
schedule by about % per cent and
would have transferred others, in
Guiding paper, cinnamon, cloves, lie
orice and balsam, from the free list
to the dutiable.
The cloak of the civil service will
be thrown around ten thousand navy
yard mechanics if President Taft
signs an order now being prepared
by the navy department. Thcoreti-
cally, these men have been guarded
against the uncertainties incident to
political changes by system of reg
ulations governing the employment
boards at navy yards but they have
been subject to dismissal or change
at the will of the person at the head
of the department.
That great political bunco, the
congressional seed distribution, is in
bad way, and representatives from
districts in New York and other cit
les, who in years passed have sup
piled their urban constituents with
perfectly good garden seed for soup
making, see defeat rubbering at
them. All because congress delayed
so long in passing the agricultural al
appropriation bill that the depart
ment was prevented from making ad-
vance contracts and will probably not
lie able to secure anywhere near the
900 toas of seed distributed last
year.
Because of the refusal of congress
to furnish money for the continu-
anuce of its work, the tariff board
ceased its existence with the end of
the fiscal year. The members of the
board assembled at the white house
aud advised President Taft concern
ing their most recent work, consist
ing of a cursory examination OF the
leather industry, the coat of sugar
grown in houisiania and glossaries OF
the leather and silk industries, and
the uncompleted data were turaed
over to the president for tie use Of
sA4
tariff revision agencies. The board
was formed in October, 1909, and
has made investigations of the diff
ferences in cost at home and abroad
of wood pulp aad paper, wool and
cotton, and also compiled glosseries
Jof numerous sche iules.
A row in the United States Trcas-