Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-02-05

The pork barrel commission Gre
| ated under the Taft administration il
ready TO report. 1t remains to be seen
whether its findings VIII check the
| activities Of the four hundred and
t thirty-five representatives and the
ninety-fFe senators there is one va
| cant seat who daily are dropping
| bills into the hopper. hoping that they
viii be ground out in the form OF pub
/ lie buildings for the towns. little and
| big. in the home states.
/ Sherman Allen. former assistant
secretary OF the treasury. was named
/ by the commission appointed under
/ the Taft administration to make IN
investigation OF the public building
necessities" of the country. Mr.. Al
len has completed his work and the
i'commission is about to report.
Some OF the things which this COM
mission has ascertained ought TO fix
the attention and perhaps ought TO get
the support Of the country. but will
/ they? Every town in the land which
mas none wants public buildings, and
| the plea always is that another town
| no bigger and no more important has
| one, so why the discrimination?
Great Waste of Money.
It has been learned by the invest
| gators that it will be six years before
the public buildings already author
lied by congress will be completed
| Congress will be told. with facts and
| figures 10 support the telling. that
there has been an enormous waste OF
| money because Of the haphazard sys-
| tenn of appropriating for post Offices,
| custom houses and the like.
One OF the discoveries of the COM
mission is that the cheapest OF the
buildings costs at least $1,000 a year
for maintenance and that buildings Of
the kind usually erected in the county
seat towns cost 81. 800 a year for main
tenance As against these figures the
post Office department shows that it
is able to rent quarters for from $500
to $1,000 year, and the owners Shout
| der maintenance charges
Congress will be told in a few days
that there should be a permanent
tribunal authorized to see whether a
goVernment-oWned post office building
is necessary in the town or city which
through its congressman asks for it,
The commission will recommend that
such tribunal be established
Says Business Is Safe.
Democratic senators and representa-
tiVes hold that President Wilson's
| conviction, as expressed in his recent
address, that no harm is to come to
the business of the country from the
legislative work which is to be done. is
the most striking feature OF his mes
| sage to congress and to the people.
The presidents recent address has
been productive OF more comment in
this city than anything else which has
come from his pen or his tongue since
he became president of the United
| States.
The business world has read MT.
Wilson's address and probably has
| studied it as every member of congress
has done. Mr. Wilson took occasion
to make it plain that he takes 1t fo<
granted no possible harm can come
TO the commercial interests from the
| legislation which the Democrats have
before them.
III bis address the president. speak
ing fcr the best informed men OF the
business world" as if he had certain
| knowledge of his right so to speak.
| SAID: we shall now he their spokes-
man. That is the strength OF our pc
sition and a sure prophFsy of what
| will eGsue when our reasonable work
is dcne."
PROFESSIONALLY President Wilson ex-
poets the antitrust legislation for
which, with congress, he will be re-
spansible. to De greeted with cordial
ity like that which he seems to be
convinced has been accorded currency
legislation.
Where difficulty May Gene.
It is some distance, however, from
a presidents message t. p federal
law. Congress yet has to act in these
matters concerning the trusts Of the
country. The leaders must TAXI held
of matters and frame the legislation
which ultimately shall to passed.
| From present Indications the Demo
| cratic chieftains intend to follow
closely the lines Of TIE presidents
recommendation, but that attempts
will be made to divert them from
these lines is certain.
The chief difficulty perhaps which
| the Democratic majority will have to
Ineet is that of framing the Measure
which will make guilt personal The
president in his address said, Every
act Of business is dcne at the com
mand or upon the initiative Of some
ascertainable person Or persons.
These should be held Individually re-
sponsible and the punishment should
fall upon them. not upon the business
organization of which they make 4.
legal use
Mr. Wilson thinks that one OF the
main objects of the legislation should
be to divest such persons Of their cor
porate cloaks and deal with them as
with those who do not represent
their corporations. but who deliberate
~ break the law. Several times be
fore this presidents Of the United
States have said that the big guilty
man should suffer and not the little
tool of the guilty man. Heretofore
usually the big fellows have esca ped.
Mr. Wilson's hardest work probably
will be to get legislation that not only
will make guilt personal. but will
make punishment personal. It is said
in Washington that the president long
the hardest duty which he was likely
to encounter during his term as CHIEF
| executive.
The Power of Reason.
Reasoning with fifteen-year-old
boy is fully as effective as talking to a
/ door that doesn't stay latched.