Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-04-10

original proposals to do this ver,
course the thousands Of acres Of Alas
ka coal lands are to be leased but
) thing were invariably defeated il
congress The lawmakers have beer
scared of the conservation issues fol
several wears and they have stood sc
straight on the question that they
have bent over backwards most OF
the time.
A good many people have wonder.
ed how it happened that a regular
Republican" like Congressman Burke
happened TO become the choice of
progressive" South Dakota, and the
answer seems to be in the persistent
night Mr.. Burke has carried on against
what he terms professional conser-
vatlonists.' He has been bitter
foe OF the government policies that
tied up homesteads and settlers in
reclamation projects. Results in the
Burke case demonstrate that the side
stepping of the conservation issue, as
was the case in the Montana instance.
is becoming unpopular with the peo-
| pie.
Financial Conditions of Railroads.
Inasmuch as the stockholders of
the railroads have been missing their
dividends, they have naturally been
rather persistent in asking the federal
government whether it is a fact that
the numerous shake-ups administer
ed by Uncle Sam are the reason. The
interstate commerce commission has
been spending weeks in the attempt
to determine whether the per cent
advance in rates asked by the rail-
roads should be granted. Most of
the "progressives" of the different po-
litical parties in congress hold to the
notion that the troubles of the rail-
roads are all of their own making
and they assert that the only reason
that the railroads are not paying is
because of the frenzied manner of
their capitalization and financing.
Senator Cummins has made a. big
speech going into the intricacies of
the question, while Senator La Fol-
lette has been interesting himself in
getting the results of the hearings of
the commission before the public.
Many public men take the position
that the biggest questions of govern
ment are involved in the final deter
mination fthe railroad rate prob
lem and they are closely following
its progress before the commission.
Advertising-By Governments.
On one or two occasions there has
been something of a shakeup in the
war department because of the allur-
ing copy that has been hung up in
posters and featured in magazine ad-
vertising, in the securing of recruits
for the army and navy. Washing
ton officials have been warned that
this copy should tell the truth"
rather than picture in poetical terms
the care-free visions of life in the
army and navy. Now England has
introduced similar advertising COM
paign and the old-fashioned British
ers feel that patriotism must have in
deed sunk to low ebb when its war
Office resorts to such methods in or
der to secure recruits. There is an
explanation forthcoming in defence
Of the British depression, to the effect
that the immigration agencies have
been securing the best young men
and in order to keep them at home
and get them into the service it has
been necessary for the war Office to
adopt competitive measures. There
fore, the British, in looking about for
pointers, have taken up the scheme
of the United State in advertising for
soldiers and sailors.
Dead Mems Salaries.
1t has been the custom for congress
to vote a years salary to the widow
and children of deceased members.
When Representative Pepper of Iowa
died, it was pointed out that he was
a bachelor but had been the main sup
port of his aged father. The house
was asked to apply the same rule as
obtains with the families of married
men who die while in congress and
to vote the usual $500 to the aged
father but the appropriation failed.
In the senate it was placed in the ap-
preparation bill at the insistence Of