The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1913-07-04
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Cen
eral Topics from
the Capital.
Washington. D. c. June 40. 1913.


livered his message. This time his sub
lect was currency legislation, and in Z
forceiul. convincing and vigorous man
ner, the President gave his views on cur
| rency legislation and strongly endorsed
the bill which has been framed by hi.
/ Democratic colleagues in Congress
The people OF this country appear to like
the Presidents wav Of delivering hi.
messages to Congress- When it wa,
| first announced that he would break a
precedent that had been in existence foi
! more than one hundred years and per.
sonally appear before Congress to de.
liver his message, it was feared that the
| people might resent such a course. The
| situation, however at the present time is
! different. A vast majority of the people
| like this way of doing things better than
| they die the old, haCkneyed way of the
! President writing his message in the
/ White House, and then sending it dowu
! to the Capitol to be read As is very
well known, little or no attention was
paid to the reading Of the Presidents
message. The attitude taken by Presi-
! dent Wilson and his administration has
considerably aroused the financial situa-
| ton. According to reports from all over
the courtry, the financial market is much
stronger and better today than it has
been for many weeks, and it is believed
| that this steady Improvement will CON
tlnue. While the United States Senate
IS considering the Democratic Tariff Bill.
the House of Representatives will have
under consideration the currency legisla-
ton. and it is expected that, when the
tariff bill Is finally passed by the Senate.
the Currency Bill will be passed by the
House and then sent to the Senate.
These two measures will be passed dur
ing the extraordinary session of Con-
gresS and will be the only two problems
to be solved at this session All other
promises and policies of the Democratic
party will be put through during the reg
ular session which will begin on the first
Monday in December next.
The people of the District of Columbia
were particularly interested in a decision
which YVES recently handed down by the
United States Supreme Court. The
Federal Civil Rights Act was pronounced
unconstitutional by the United States
Supreme Court. The opinion was unan-
lmouS. 1t was read by Judge Van De-
vanter. This decision removes the last
slender barrier sanding between the ne
groes and discrimination in the matter of
public utilities. II was the only legisla-
tive thread upon which they could con
tend for equal Accommodations when trav
cling by train and boat. in seeking hotel
quarters, in desiring to be served in res
taurants, drug stores and other places
and in demanding other equal privileges
with white persons. Some years ago the
Supreme Court held that Congress had
exceeded in powers in passing the Civil
Rights Act, and declared that so far as
ii ntertered with the rights of a State it
was 'repugnant." That opinion in real
ity left the act operative alone as far as
it concerned the District of Columbia.
the various territories and the high seas.
The cases at issue involved extending the
Civil Rights Act to the high seas, and
this the court refused TO do Mary +.
Butts, a negress, bought a first-class
ticket on the MetChantS and Miners
transportation lines from Boston to Nor
folk. She went from Boston on one boat
and returned from Norfolk on another
vessel of the same line. During the
round trip it was claimed that she had
twelve times been denied equal accom-
modations under the Civil Rights Act.
She brought suit to recover $4,000 She
had been refused the same sleeping ac-
commodationS and also was denied the
right to the same meals as the white pas
sengers, and was required to take her
meals at second table and to sleep on
the lower deck. In Washington CITY
more than one-third of the population
consists of negroes. They have as
sumed to possess equal rights with the
white persons under the Civil Rights
Law. For years the rule here has been
that if a negro seated himself in a fash
ionable eating house, and gave an order
he was very politely informed that
small steak would cost him $50. Under
the recent opinion the negro will be
plainly advised that his trade is not de-
sired. No subterfuge to avoid serving
him will be necessary hereafter, either in
Washington or elsewhere
The leaders OF the House are begin
ming to fear that Congress may SIT
through until next summer. The date
Of adjournment appears to be right up TO
the Senate
The House of Representatives has dis
posed of the Tariff Bill Early next
week the Currency Bill will be laid be.
fore the committee, and it is believed that
deciding to report il favorably without
anv vital changes. 1t is believed that it
! will then be put through the caucus
| About two weeks Of debate will follow.
| The bill should be on its way to the Sen
ate by August
The Tariff Bill will probably be brought
! from the committee to the Senate next
| Monday. An almost intermnabe de-
bate is expected to ensue The only
way to choke it off is by keeping the Sen
ators in their seats from 10 O'Clock in the
morning until II O'Clock at night
This is the plan of the Senate leaders
hoping to break the issue of oratory BY
wearing out the Senators. The date o
the passage of the bill is problematica
but after il is passed it must be taken tC
conference. where at least two weeks
probably viii be consumed in straight
ening out differences.
If the bill is passed BY the latter par
Of August the debate on the Currenc
Bill will begin. If the prognostcation
OF the optimistic members are realized
CONGRESS- may adjourn by October 9Th
but if the oratory runs rampant this ses
sion is expected to run into and lap tn
regular session which begins in De
cember
The plan for dlssolving the Union Ps
cIhc and the Southern Pacific Railroa
merger, which Attorney-General Mt
/ Reynolds, with the approval OF Presider
/ Wilson, has agreed upon with the O
t ficials of the railroads was presented I
: the Federal Court at Saint Paul, Mimi,
: sofa, on Monday last.
4 II hnf,at11e lrpnut, cavaro1 Iax,e a,v1. st,