The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-09-12
COUNTER CLAIMS
BY THE LEADERS
EACH PARTY TRYING TO BLAME
THE OTHER FOR THE BIG
APPROPRIATIONS
DIFFERENCE IN THE VIEWPOINT
Geography has a Whole Lot to do With
What People Think of Connections
Between Politics and Business.

(From Our Washington Correspondent
At the beginning of the recent ses
sion the democratic majority of the
house was particularly anxious to
make a record for economy, and to
get below the former mark of billion
dollar sessions But the figures as
completed show that congress spent
81, 019, 900, 600, and Representative
Fitzgerald, chairman of the appropria-
tons committee of the house, blames
Mr.. Taft, saying that the president
was not frank in submitting estimates
and that he administration figures
had to be raised, in order to carry on
the different branches of the govern
nent. If Mr.. Fitzgerald is right, the
boosting of the estimates was done
by the senate, and we are told that
the house was guiltless. Mr.. Fitz-
gerald's party associates sustain all
he says. To make it more emphatic
that the democratic majority did good
work during the past two years.
Speaker Clark has been down in New
England, making speeches in which
the accomplishments of the house
have been set forth in complimentary
terms. The retort however, comes
from many republican sources, and
former Speaker Cannon charges that
the democrats denied appropriations
in many instances at the expense of
efficiency. He points out that while
the democrats have persistently criti-
cized the republicans for ~extravag-
ance, that they have gone way beyond
the billion dollar mark. Republican
Leader Mann is the most severe Of
all the house critics, and he credits
only one good bill to the session. He
refers to the Panama canal admins
tration bill And MAN." says Mr..
Mann, that was a bill prepared by
me in a prior congress" In speaking
of the rules Mr.. Mann said: The
claimed reformation of the rules has
proven a farce. That the house has
been inefficient Is shown by the fact
that over two hundred senate bills,
which passed the senate, remain I'M
inacted on in the house. 1t is a con-
slant boast that the democrats at
this session, passed a law providing
for publicity of campaign contribu-
tons. Such is not the fact. They
only passed an amendment to the law
which had previously been passed by
a republican house"
1t appears that geography has a
whole lot to 20 with what people may
think of the connections between poll
teal committees, party managers and
corporation money bags, because I'M
less it a be proven that the in
terests" arc out of politics this year,
Washington will incline to the belief
that "the usual" is happening; since it
can doubtless be established that
every candidate for a century who
has aspired to the presidency, has
had financial support from the coun-
try's biggest corporations. 1t has
almost been an axiom that no man
can run for the presidency without
the support of a trust" and usually
it is pretty easy to locate them. 1t is
pointed out in the case Of that Simon
pure reformer," Woodrow Wilson,
that Mr.. McAdoo, the great New York
subway constructor. is apt to be con.
fused as an offshoot of several trusts,
and is at the same time the head and
front of the Wilson campaign. In the
cases of President Taft's and Colonel
R~oosevelt's campaigns. the opponents
OF either Of them. have no difficulty in
assigning long arrays Of interests"
to the respective causes. AS a matter
Of fact these two latter candidates ap-
pear to have plenty Of financial am
muntion for the campaign.