Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-05-02

Lieutenant Bowers. Is leaders, final
ly routed their savage assailants. It
IA this fight which presented the
strongest argument to the government
for arming the constabulaSy. with
Krag-Jorgensen rifles and bayonets.
Must Spend Huge Sums.
Congress is trying to be economi
ieal, but 1t is pretty nearly GER
tain that Uncle Sam may consider
himself lucky II he gets on with a
drain on his purse Of only n billion
dollars as the result OF appropriation
legislation at this session.
in the face of present conditions OF
cost Of government, a billion dollar
congress sounds like the acme OF
economy. The expression was used
at one time to frighten the country In
to an attempt to persuade senators
and representatives to retrench. 1t
is not probable that the people would
be satisfied today with a congress that
stopped its expenditures at the bill
lion mark. The country needs many
things, and 1t can't get all or nearly all
for the amount named. Tie billion
dollar was succeeded by the two bill
lion dollar congress, and now the peo-
pie are on the way to meeting with a
three billion dollar congress.
Congress is not to blame for the
huge sums that must be spent for the
support of the government industries.
Or course there is some waste at
times. Some OF the public buildings
authorized serve no particular purpose
except that of making pleasant the
ways of the congressman OF the fav-
ored districts. 1t is likely also that
some Of the river and harbor surveys
and the subsequent improvements are
not worth the money expended upon
them. In the main. however, money
voted by congress goes to pay for
things without which the country can
not get along.
Always Want the "Pork Barrel"
The army must be supported, and
then there is the Panama canal, to say
nothing of expenditures for mainte-
nance of governmental institutions,
which are with US year in and year
out and cannot be classed as extraor-
binary. There is no reason to doubt
that because Of the probable absence
Of a public buildings bill this year the
pressure for one next year will be
strong. The representatives always
are urgent for an appropriation for
public buildings, voted in the form Of
a bill which to the reverent and IT.
reverent alike is known as the pork
barrel" The ordinary public build
ings bill carries about 10000 900.
Every new member who comes to
Washington in March is determined
to vote against extravaganza. His con-
%stituents have drilled into him the
necessity of stopping ONE of the Jaw
full waste that goes on yearly in Wash
ington," but he soon learns that the
legitimate expenses Of a government
ERE heavy and that what the const1t-
uents considered extravaganza was
merely money put into big ships, high
er pay for officers and men of the
army and navy, the canal and other
things without which the government
could not progress. When the mem
bers become accustomed to dealing
with huge figures it is not so hard to
get their minds fixed on the little ad.
ditional" it will require to erect struc-
lures in various parts OF the Union.
Public. Mourning Dropped.
Visitors to Washington who hap
pen to get here at a time when
some officer of high rank in the
government has died express surprise
that the department building in which
he was employed or the war or the
naval office which he may have served
in the field are not draped In mourn
ing. 1t is no longer the custom in
Washington to drape the department
buildings In black when a chief official
or some former official dies. The only
sign Of mourning in the capital at the
time when the Maine heroes were bur
led and at the time, say, when AID
, miral Robley D. Evans died. was the
half-masted flags.
For years it was the custom tc
drape the buildings In black when any
man of present or past government
/ service died. When the death Of
, former Secretary of War Redfield proc
tor of Vermont was announced, no or
der was issued for the display o.
mourning emblems on the war depart
ment. This was the first time in tbs
/ history of the country that black was
, not displayed on such an occasion. Il
there was no exterior symbo
of sorrow there was sorrow II
, the interior, for the enlisted mer
, Of the army, and the officers, too
! for that matter, held Proctor's memory
grateful, for he did much for TIT
service.
} 1t was under the Proctor regime
| that the canteen vas established ir
the army. but as is well known, thu
canteen 10 longer exists, the opposi
I ton of the temperance organization!
Of the country having been successful
in inducing congress to take bee
off the daily bill of fare Of the serv
7 ice. Proctor himself at heart ma
S not have been in favor Of theecanteen
: but he thought 1t was better than thu
3 old suffers store system, and he sue
: ceeded in removing the latter from thu
service.
The village is situated high in thu
air upon a huge, f%lat-topped Mcl
many acres in extent and ertirel.
bare of soil. In order to create tn,