Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-09-24
Republican Organ
Flags Roosevelt

( sress were under Republican control
THE foregoing partial summary oil
i the work of this Congress is oil itself
Mr.. Speaker, sufficiently creditable.
4 Tt represents but a portion OF the
laws actually passed and the reforms
actually affected, and it represents a
| far smaller portion of the work OF
this Democratic House. When TO II
we add the measures which the Hause
| has passed, but which for one reason
| or another have not yet become laws
the total is surprising. Let me &c
on with the enumeration and list
Isome of the further things the House
has struggled to effect:
| Five Efforts to Cheaper Clothing.
"22. Five times within a year the
! House has passed a bill to revise the
indefensible' Schedule X (the wooden
schedule) and reduce the cost OF
clothing to the people. Twice it has
reached the President, only to meet
his veto, and once his veto has been
overriden by vote of more than two
thirds of the House-a rebuke almost
without precedent in American his
tory.
"2S. We have passed bill to re
wise the cotton schedule, which the
President vetoed; and having been
passed a second time. it is now in
conference between the two Houses
"24. We have passed a bill to re-
wise the metal schedule which the
President vetoed, and his veto has
been oyerridden by two-thirds vote
Of the House.
"25 We have passed a bill to re-
wise the chemical schedule, which
. was defeated by the Republican Sen
ate.
"26. We have passed a bill to put
sugar on the free list, which was like
wise defeated in the Republican Sen
ate
"27. We passed the farmers free
list bill removing the tax on agricul.
tural implements, sewing machines,
fencing wire, lumber, shingles, leather
and shoes, which the President
| vetoed
cit is estimated that these several
bills, if enacted into law, would have
resulted in a saving to the people OF
this country of not less than S740,000,-
900 a year. Let the responsibility
Tor preventing such a reduction in
the high cost of living rest where 1t
belongs. In recent speech the
| distinguished gentleman from Ala
bama (Mr Underwood) well said:
"'The Democratic majority Tin the
| House) is 50. AS shown by the rec
| ord OF the passage votes, every Dem
ocratic bill except that revising the
| chemical schedule, received not only
the solid support of the Democrats
| in the House, but enlisted many Re-
| publicans While, as stated, the
Democratic majority is only 50, the
free-list bill passed with majority
of 1877; the wool bill of last session
by 120 majority and this session by
SO majority; the cotton bill by 112
majority at last session and by sc
| at this session; metal bill by 101 ma
| iority. and the excise bill by a major
ity of 212.
In vetoing the tariff-revision bills
of this Congress, Mr.. Taft makes it
| plain that he is determined that the
tariff shall not be revised except by
the Stand-Pat element of the Repub-
lican party
Tax on Big incomes.
| "2S. We passed the excise bill, put
ting a tax of / per cent on all in
4
from business. The object of this
bill was to distribute the burden OF
| taxation and place it upon the should
ers of those best able to bear it.
| The Republican Senate has attached
| TO it an amendment to repeal the
Canadian reciprocity act and continue
he present Tariff Board, and on
these amendments the two Houses
| have disagreed
| "29. The House has met the long
| standing complaint against the mis-
use of the writ of injunction and has
passed bill which, if it becomes a
law, Will prevent the unquestioned
abuses which have been INDUCED in.
| $50. There has also been passed
by the House bin providing for trial
by jury in certain cases of contempt,
which will do away with the charge
| mat the courts under the equity
power have invaded the criminal do
main and subjected parties to trial
for crime without jury.
This bill, as also the Injunction
bill, is now before the Senate for it's
action. @
For Laborers and Farmers.
81. In the platform of 1908 the
democratic party promised law
creating department of labor, rep
resented separately in the Presidents
Cabinet. The House has passed a
bill providing for such a department.
80 We passed the Bureau of
Mines bill, to widen the scope of the
Bureau of Mines so that it may be
better able to develop methods of pre-
venting accidents in mines and
nave greater efficiency in rescue
work when accidents occur, not only
IN the coal-mining industry, but in
The mineral and miscellaneous mines
as we'll
33. Recognizing the fact that the
prosperity of the people depends first
OF all upon agriculture, we have
passed bill to establish agricultural
extension departments in the various
states and bring to the farmer at his
nome the latest and most scientific
information with reference to his all.
important calling.
"a. We have passed various bills
having to do with court procedure and
intended to simplify the processes of