Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-02-21

| hioAO iHoh q iuiIiiol II Wei Y dlo-
tributed to state commissioners and
more than six million fry to foreign
countries.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion has ordered the railroads not to
put into effect the proposed increas-
ed freight rates on butter and eggs
from st. Paul, Minneapolis and Du-
luth to Buffalo and Pittsburg. The
| commission also held up proposed
increases in freight rates on apples
from the apple districts of the west
to points in the east.
The special committee of the SEN
ate q vestigating the election of Sen
ato. e: inner has agreed to take up
Marc. I'd the consideration of a
report Te e senate and vote upon
it at thA ne. Attorney Haney,
representa-. y uator Lorimer, was
given to Mat 4 st in which to file
brief of ars 1T on the point
that the senator 'gibility to the
seat having been :, Led upon once
by the committee, it could not be
considered a second time.
The democratic majority of the
house committee on interstate and
foreign commerce is considering a
favorable report on a bill to fix the
maximum rates which express COM
panies may charge. The proposed
bill would cut the rates almost in
half. The charges for a package
weighing more than eleven pounds
would be as follows: For distances
greater than 1000 miles, $1.25;
from 1900 to 1000 miles, rs cents;
from 700 to 1900 miles, SO cents;
from 500 to 700 miles, 20 cents;
less than so miles, % cents.
According to the crop reporter of
the Department of Agriculture, Aus
tralia is the greatest meat eating
country, the per capita consumption
being 208 pounds. England con-
sumes lis pounds and the United
States 1876 pounds per capita. The
same report also estimates that on
January /, 1912, there were 9,6S9,~
600 hogs in the state of Iowa, more
than twice as many as in Illinois,
which comes second in the list with
4,640, 900.
Because the United States has no
plant quarantine regulations, Can
ada is preparing to bar potatoes
grown in this country. A potato dis
ease known as ''black war is caus-
ing great deal of damage in Eu-
rope, and, although the disease has
not yet appeared on this side, Can
ada is afraid that it may be import
ed at any time. The California hor-
ticultural commissioner recently is
sued a quarantine order against Ne.
vada potatoes because of the prevail
ence in certain irrigated sections Of
the latter state Of potato disease
known locally as the "eel-worm.
This disease is caused by a minute,
thread-like worm, which enters the
roots of certain plants and feeds OH
the juices.
The Smoot pension bill, as a sub
stitute for the Sherwood dollar-a-
day bill, has been reported favorably
TO the senate. This bill will involve
an annual expenditure of $4,000
600, while the Sherwood measure
would have cost about $75,000,O00.
The Smoot bill provides for the pen
sioning of civil war veterans sixty
two years old who served ninety days
or more, and any Mexican war vet
eran who served sixty days or more.
These Mexican veterans would re-
ceive $50 a month, and the civil war
veterans would be put on a gradual
scale OF from $50 a month for vet
erans seventy-five years old who
served three years or more.
why cry economy only when the
old soldier is involved?" asked Sem
ator Kenyon in speech in favor of
the Sherwood pension bill. He point
ed out that congress had raised the
salaries OF its own members and of
the president, had entered into an
expense of hundreds of millions in
the construction of the Panama can
al, and had even retired a naval Off
Ger on rear admiral's pay for discov-
ering something known as the North
Pole, which no one cares anything
about. Then there are the free bar
ber shops and the free baths in the
capitol here" he said. They might
possibly be abolished although /
realize that | am treading on sacred
and dangerous ground in making
! this revolutionary recommendation
A republican senator a few months
ago said one thing that is absolutely
true, and that is that this govern
ment can be conducted for $780,
100000 less per year than it is now.
One-seventh Of this sum would carry
the pensions provided nv tho Cbar