Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-18
Funnv Thinas You See by Looking.


sion for month or two after the Ma
tional conventions have adjourned, L
may not be altogether bad thing fol
either party if it is so. 1t may be es-
peciaIly good for the Republicans Il
this happens. The Democratic House
will continue its struggle for doing
things 10 catch unwary voters, and
with the attention of the country nc
longer upon the presidential nenina-
ton contest, ii will not be So difficult
to focus public sentiment upon the pc
culiar performances that are in pro-
gress at the south end Of the Capitol
one Of these is the investigation of
the ..Money Trust as to which the
country has been hearing much. That
investigation however. promises to be-
come a feature of the presidential
campaign. Mr.. Business nlaa in every
state of the Union will probab bly, want
to know all about what the Democrats
House means by this investigation. For
instance the committee on banking and
currency sent out requests. which
amounted to demands. that every ma
tional bank furnish the committee with
information about all its loans, the Sc
eurity therefor and the names of the
borrowers.
To be sure. as soon as this was well
under way it was discovered chat the
House of Representatives did not have
authority to do that The controller of
the currency has. but no bills have
been introduced to give Congress or
either of its houses authority to look
banks. When those bills come up for
discussion and consideration, as it is
quite probable they will, the Rcpubli-
cans propose to ask some questions
and put some emphasis on what the
Democrats are proposing 20 do.
The business men of every town and
city of the United States will not take
very kindly to any project for making
public the amount of loans they have
banking officials Such Il procedure will
naturally arouse the ire of the business
world. And Just why the Democrats
should rush into such fool procedure,
from their own standpoint is not easily
understood. But Bryan has been clam
oring fer such an investigation and
he seems to be having his way about a
lot of things, although Democrats say
he is not running the party any longer.
the Democratic House turned a few
days ago had to do with the tenue of
government clerks in Washington A
provision had been brought in on the
Legislative, executive and judicial APP
preparation bill that government clerks
should be allowed to serve five year
terms and their reappointment should
be required for longer service than
that. OF course it was a sop TO the
erful among the party lientenants, par
ticularly the men who get out and do
the work in long, hafd campaigns. n
All in all it was an outrageous pro-
vision and, should it ever get through
on an appropriation bill. would proba
biz beavetoed by President TAFT. Bui
even Speaker Champ Clark thought the
provision was little too rantankerous
lie passed the word TO the chairman OF
appropriations that the provision
should not be allowed to become Law
till July 1. 1917. That is long way of
but Speaker Clark is credited with hav
ing observed that IL he were to be Pres
ident he did not care to have such pat
ronage troubles upon his hands as tina
kind of a law would involve. Not
that If Mr.. Clark should be nominated
and elected President, his term would
end March 3. 1917, some four month";
before this limitation upon the opera
tion Of the proposed law as to govern
ment clerks. &F
The thing however, is so ridisulou
that it win hardly become law. But tn
word viii go out that the attitude o
the Democratic party, as exemplihed il
the House. is for five-year terms 70
government clerks. That is about al
the most of the party workers wi
eyer hear about it and such state
ment can be substantiated by the act
uai vote of the Democrats. The fac
that the Republican Senate declined t
assent to the provision will cut no fig
ure. The Democrats will get the polit
ical benefit and that happens to
what they are after.
'.The record Of the Democrat
House. is being tremendously Owe
worked this session and will be ovei
worked all through the presidents
campaign. The record of the Dem'
cratic House upon this or that does nj