The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-11-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Next week the regular session of
congress opens and President Wilson
and the democratic majority in con-
gress will start in earnest to enact
the comprehensive legislative pro-
gram planned by the administration.
President Wilson regrets greatly
that it was not possible to pass the
currency bill at the special session.
but the hard summers work, which
carried the special session over un-
til it Tapped into the regular session,
has not been without result. The
currency law will pass, and that
early in the session, to be followed
by an all embracing plan Of anti
trust legislation which will provide
means for effectually checking COM
binations and monopolies, and pun
ishing personal guilt
Another item of legislation plan
ned by President Wilson and Secre-
tary Houston of the department of
agriculture is an extension Of the
policy of giving federal aid to the
farmers, with the plan eventually Of
carrying agricultural extension work
into every county in the United
States. Through the bureau of edu-
cation it is hoped to find some basis
of cooperation for the establishment
of county high schools and secondary
schools by which the movements
of boys and girls from country to
town in search of education will be
checked. The postotfice department !
is gradually extending the parcel |
post with the certainty that it will |
be made a wonderfully effective |
transportation agency.
In the other government depart
ments there is the same ambitious |
program designed to put the govern
mental agencies to work in the in
terests of the people! The question
of setting the army engineers at !
work when they have completed the
building of the Panama canal on the |
great task of river improvement, SO
as to prevent costly river overt1oWs,
the erection of government-oWned
armor plants that will permit the
United States to save millions every
year while maintaining the strength
of the navy, the use of commercial
ENJOYS abroad to widen the field of
operations for the American manu-
facturer, the extension of the work
of the federal mediation, which al
ready has been successful in prevent
ing scores of railroad strikes, and
the furtherance Of good roads meas
ures-all these are among the
things President Wilson and his adj
ministration have planned and these |
matters will be taken up one at a
time and brought to fruition.
Political observers predict that
the special republican national con-
vention which it is planned to call
for next spring will fail in it's mis-
sion of providing means for unit
ing the republican factions. Recent |
election results fail to give any indi- |
cation that the factions wish to be
united Some of the progressive re-
publicans want to take action that
will deprive the national committee
of it's power. The national commit
tee is controlled by the old guard,
and they will not be shorn of their
power and turn control over to the
progressive faction, which is in the
minority in the party, to further the
presidential booms of Senator Cum
Minis, Senator Borah, Gov. Hadley
and others who have never given
their support to the conservative
factions. Acting on the assumption
that it will be useless to call a con-
vention without adopting set of
principles on which to go before the
people. Senator LaFollette is said
to be preparing to fight for the adop-
ton of a radical platform by the
special convention. That party
still controlled in a national conven-
ton by Root and Barnes and Penrose
h1 etc 10 nf
by Gov. Carroll, Late Young and
George D. Perkins will consent with
out a fight to the adoption Of plat
form to which they could not sub
scribe does not strike the old guard
leaders in Washington as being a
proposition over which they can
grow enthusiastic. The fact that the
meeting of the National Conserva-
ton Congress in Washington last
week could not pass without a re-
newal of the old Ballinger-Pinchot
fight in the republican party is taken
to be the surest indicatio that peace |
in the troubled republican ranks is
as far off as ever.
News of the sudden illness of Con-
gresham Irwin Pepper: who was
stricken while on visit to Iowa, was
received by the Iowa congressman S |
colleagues. Mr.. Peppers friends
have been telling him for months
nat he has been working too hard.
During the long summer session Mr..
Pepper was working all hours, at his
office. on the floor and in committee
and for some time past he has been
near a breakdown Extra burdens
have been placed on Congressman ,
Pepper, Connolly and Kirkpatrick,
the three Iowa democratic members,
because they have been called upon
not only to look after the interests
of their districts, but the democrats
of the state have looked to them to
provide for their wants. The three
Iowa members have complied will