The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-07-17
REPUBLICANS AIDED
DEMOCRATIC BILLS.
All of Five Important Legislative
B Measures of Wilson Administration
Voted for by Minority Members.
REP. MAMMALIAN is INCLUDED
Favored Underwood Tariff Bill
Steady Improvement in Labor
World, Says Senator Pou.
BY Congressman c. H. Tavenner.

Washington, July 1.-THE five
great legislative measures of the
Wilson administration thus far have
been the tariff and currency, the
trade commission bill, the Clayton
antitrust bill, and the Rayburn bill
regulating the issuing of stocks by
railroads. AS Representative Pou Of
North Carolina, pointing out in his
speech in the house, every one of
these bills received voting support
from the minority side of the legis-
lative charmber.
And yet the Republican orators of
slackness in business, and are blam-
ing the Wilson administration leg
islative program for conditions. Rep
resentative Pou confessed he could
not see how the Republicans recon-
cile their present criticism and their
past support.
He showed that even the Under
wood tariff bill, the traditional issue
between Democrats and Republicans,
attracted some non-Democratic votes.
He named Representative Kelly of
Pennsylvania, Progressive; Represen-
tative Macdonald of Michigan, Pro-
gressive; Representative Manahan of
Minnesota, Republican; Representa-
tive Ripley of Pennsylvania, Progress
sive, and Representative Stafford Of
Wisconsin, Republican, as compris-
ing the honor roll of non-Democrats
who voted for the Underwood tariff.
Mr.. Pou had a much longer list Of
Republicans and Progressives who
supported the currency bill. In fact
80 Republicans and Progressives
voted for the bill, while only IS in
all voted against it, a bare so per
cent of the minority strength in the
house.
The trust bills have attracted even
greater Republican and Progressive
support. The trade commission bill
passed the house unanimously with
out roll call. There were only Sd
votes against the Clayton bill, while
81 minority members voted with the
Democrats. The opposition to the
Rayburn bill was almost negative
quantity, there being but IL votes
against the bill, but 101 Republicans
and Progressives voted for it.
These figures were compiled by Mr..
Pou from the Congressional Record.
He declared it to be the height of
Republican Inconsistency to be now
charging this legislation for slack
ened business.
But" declared Mr.. Pou, in
great nation like ours there will
probably never be time when men
cannot be found out of employment
in the great cities. There will prob
ably never be week when some fail
ure in business is not announced. The
purpose of those gentlemen who have
been crying panic and hard times
is plain. They are striving to put
the old stand-pat Republican party
back in power.
They do not mention Roosevelt
in the panic of 1907. They tell us
men are out of employment in Chi
cago, for instance. The Democratic
party is in power, therefore the De-
mocratic party is responsible for the
failure of these Chicago men to get
work. These apostles of hard times
do not tell us that during the Roose-
welt administration and the Taft ad-
ministration men were also walking
the streets of Chicago in search of
employment.
AT no'time during the 16 months
of the Wilson administration has
there been condition which ap-
preached in seriousness the disas-
trous Roosevelt panic. On the con-
trary, there has been steady i'm
provement; and even those gentle
men who cry hard times will not
deny that the president and those
associated with him have done what
they could to make impossible the re-
currence of another Roosevelt panic -