Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-03-05


which response was instant. The state
OF Indiana voted a large sum of money
for monument to its soldier son. 1t
was decided, however, to erect it in
the city of Indianapolis
Congress Acts at Last.
For eleven years attempts have been
made to get congress f1ttingly to rec
ognize the services of Lawton The
senate has just done its duty in the
matter and in a few days the house
will follow suit. While at present there
is no stone except the little govern
ment tablet to mark Lawton's grave,
there is a portrait in bronze of the
soldier not far distant 1t appears in
the panel which has been let into the
stone which marks the resting place
Of Maj. Gen. George Crook, the Indian
fighter. On this panel there are por
traits in bronze of the officers who
were present at the capture of Geroni-
mo, the Apache. Lawton was one Of
them
In the spring of 1886 Lawton, who
was then captain of cavalry, was Sc
lected ito lead picked body of troops
into Mexico in pursuit Of the murder
Gus Geronimo. For three months,
with saltless mule meat and sometimes
little Of that, for rations, he marched
his command 1896 miles through
parched and barren deserts until the
Apache and his band were captured.
In the Spanish war Lawton COM
manded the second division Of the
Fifth army corps before Santiago, and
he was in the thick of the fighting pre-
ceding the capture of San Juan Hill.
1t is said that history eventually will
know him as the Hero of Ell Caney."
1t has been definitely decided that
Rear Admiral Charles Edgar Clark,
who commanded the Oregon in its trip
around the Horn and in the fight off
Santiago, shall be on the bridge of his
old ship when it leads the procession
of war vessels through the Panama
canal next January. Admiral Clark is
expected in Washington again to con-
fer finally with the naval authorities
upon matters in preparation for the
day.
May Enlarge Commerce Board.
1t is believed in Washington that
soon congress will largely increase the
membership of the interstate COM
merce commission and that the duties
Of the enlarged body will be so ar
ranged that members will sit stimuli
taneously in different cities of the
country in order that proceedings
may be expedited. The commission
is being overworked Its members
are at their tasks all day and not in
frequently far into the night.
Senators and representatives seem
ingly are awakening to a sense of the
need of relieving individual members
of the present commission of a part
Of their duties by increasing the
boards membership and spreading the
work out territorially.
Recently Senator Luke Lea of Ten
nessee has been engaged in an at
tempt to secure the appointment Of
senate committee to act with the COM
mission in connection with the in
vestigation of certain matters affect
ing the Louisville & Nashville rail-
road. Senator Brandegee has pro-
nounced Senator LEAFS plan an "at-
tempt to scare" the railroad into sub
mission. This may be true or it may
not be true, but the proposal to give
the commission lot Of senators as
aids in its work is looked on in Wash
ington as one which would handicap
rather than help the commissioners.
1t is said it would result in a scat
tering of authority, would clog the
records and delay proceedings.
This proposal Of Senator Lea is
mentioned here simply as an example
of one of the many attempts made
from time to time to decentralize, SO
to speak, the labors Of the board.
Business Men Suffer.
Business men of different parts OF
the United States have been put to
inconvenience and to loss because of
the sIowness with which decisions in
cases important to them are given by
the commission. When body of men
is engaged in works of such magni-
tude as trying to determine whether
freight rates shall be increased and
trying to determine the physical valu
alton of the railroads of the country
it is little to be wondered perhaps
that it must of necessity delay rem
dering rulings in matters admittedly
minor to those mentioned but never
Cf hi RI 1IJCi
ness men directly Interested.
1t is known definitely that members
of the interstate commerce commits
sion work late into the night; that
their secretaries and some members
Of the Office force break union rules"
in an over-working attempt to keep
pace with the mass of business which
has come before the commission for
consideration. Instead of decreasing
the work is increasing all the time
It's rapid development has attracted
attention in congress, and from the
very nature of things it must be that
soon some legislation for the relief
of the condition will be enacted.
It has been suggested that the
membership of the commission should
be enlarged, and that it should main
tain branch offices in large cities of
the country, the cities chosen to be
the focal business points for the sec
ton for which, in a sense, they are
the capitals.
It is known in Washington that
some of the railroads of the country
are delaying work along certain lines,
presumably legitimate and which
would benefit shippers and consumers,
the delay being due solely to the ina
bility of the interstate commerce com
mission to take up the cases and to
give them prompt decision.
New One.
do you owe your downfall to De,
mon RUM" asked the prison visitor