Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1912-09-19

less tnan Tor the year 1917, at all
which times both branches of Con-
gress were under Republican control.
THE foregoing partial summary of
the work of this Congress is OF itself,
Mr.. Speaker, sufficiently creditable.
1t represents but a portion OF the
laws actually passed and the reforms
actually affected, and 1t represents a
far smaller portion of the work of
this Democratic House. When to it
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 go
on with the enumeration and list
some of the further things the House
has struggled to effect; 1855
Five Efforts to Cheaper Ct6tIiIng.
| "22. Five times within a year the
House has passed a bill to revise the
I'indefensible' Schedule K (the wooden
schedule) and reduce the cost of
clothing to the people. Twice it has
ItRa1hed the President, only to meet
This veto, and once his veto has been
0verriden by vote of more than two
thirds of the House, rebuke almost
without precedent in American his
| tory
a23. We have passed a 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 bill to re-
wise the metal schedule which the
President vetoed, and his veto has
been overridden by two-thirds vote
of the House.
.25. We have passed bill to re-
wise the chemical schedule, which
was defeated by the Republican Sen
s.56. We have passed a bill to put
sugar on the free list, which was like
wise defeated in the Republican Sen
ate. as~ ,aa
"27. We passed the farmers free
list bill removing the tax on agricul-
tural implements, sewing MACHINES.
lfencing wire, lumber, shingles, leather
and shoes, which the President
vetoed.
| at is estimated that these several
| bills, IL enacted into law, would have
resulted in a saving to the people OF
l this country of not less than $74O,00O,-
900 year. Let the responsibility
flor preventing such a reduction In
the high cost Of living rest where 1t
L belongs. In a recent speech the
/ distinguished gentleman from Ala
bama (Mr. Underwood) we'll said:
The Democratic majority Tin the
j House) is So. AS shown by the rec
ord of the passage votes, every Dem
focratic bill except that revising the
/ chemical schedule, received not only
the solid support of the Democrats
in the House, but enlisted many Re
E,pub1icans. While, as stated, the
Democratic majority is only So, the
lfree-hst bill passed with majority
i OF f27; the wool bill of last session
by 100 majority and this session by
i SO majority; the cotton bill by liz
majority at last session and by 81
at this session; metal bill by 101 ma
iority, and the excise bill by major
ity of 212.
~ In vetoing the tariff-revision bills
of this Congress-, Mr. Taft makes j
| 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 Dig Incomes.
"28. We passed the excise bill, put
ting tax of / per cent on all in
comes in excess of $1,000 derived
from business. The object of this
bill was to distribute the burden Of
ltaxation and place it upon the should
ers of those best able to bear it
The Republican Senate has attached
to 1t an amendment to repeal the
Canadian reciprocity act and continue
the present Tariff Board, and or
these amendments the two Houses
have disagreed.
"29. The House has met the long
Istanding complaint against the mis-
use of the writ of injunction and has
passed bill which, fit becomes 9
law, will prevent the unquestioned
abuses which have been INDUCED in
go. There has also been passed
by the House bill providing for tria
by jury in certain cases of contempt
which will do away with the charge
that the courts under the equity
power have invaded the criminal do
main and subjected parties to tria
for crime without jury.
"This bill, as also the injunction
bill, is now before the Senate for its
action.
For Laborers and Farmers. -
"31. In the platform of 1908 the
Democratic party promised a law
creating a department of labor, rep
resented separately in the Presidents
ECabfnet. The House has passed 9
bill providing for such a department
"32. 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
have 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 a bill to establish agricultural
lextension departments in the various
States and bring to the farmer at his
home the latest and most scientific
information with reference to his all.
important calling.
..34. We have passed various bills
having to do with court procedure and
INTENDED to simplify the processes OF
the courts and to hasten the. admin,
i istration of Justice. =