Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-04-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST
AT NATIONS CAPITAL
SPECIAL ATTENTION GNFN
TO NEWS OF IOWA PEOPLE.
Special Representative VIII Keep
Public Opinion Readers Posted.
Interesting Developments of Ma.
tons Affairs Tersely Described
by Former Iowan for Iowa
Readers.
Public Opinion Bureau
A WaI That is Not War;

| WNlle country was Impatient.
waiting for the Senate of the United
States to pass a resolution uphold
| ing the action of the President in us
| ing armed force in Mexico, that grea
| body was deliberately choosing {
| pathway to be travelled which would
leave the record of Congress abso
lutely plain. The President haC
admonished Congress that it must
under no circumstances commit the
American government to war" up
on Mexico. The action of the Unit.
ed States was to be directed, accord
ing to the President, against the
Huerta pronounced Wherta) fac
ton, which Washington has refused
to recognize as a government. The
President told Congress in his
speech: Il come to ask your approx
al" And before that approval was
o. ,ained Vera Cruz was in the hands
of the American navy.
We sat in the Senate gallery
through the afternoon, and the long
night, and watched one of the great
est scenes enacted in that Chamber
since the Spanish-American war
Some people may say that the Re-
publicans sought to make a partisan
issue, and if such was the intention
they certainly have left clear
record. The Administration forces
stood firm for the resolution that
came from the Committee, and
which, it was charged, was writ
ten on White House typewriter.
This resolution Justified" the
President, because of the refusal of
nuerta to salute the Stars and
Stripes, and for two or three minor
instances of official insult by Huerta.
On this platform the Democrats
stood pat. The Republicans in their
resolutions-the principal one of
which was that introduced by Sen
ator Lodge, recited the generally
chaotic conditions of Mexico, and
form the basis of our action against
Huerta. Many asserted that the in
stances cited by the President did
not furnish a good reason for the
use of armed force, and several Sen
ators took the ground that the apol-
ogy in the form onered by General
Huerta, was all that the United
States should demand There was
no thought, or charge, in that
chamber, that the Senators were
quibbling, and when the minority
resolutions were all defeated, the
Republicans had made their point
plain that it was only the method of
approval for which they fought, and
the Senate at 1886 in the morning
sustained the President absolutely
only thirteen Members voting against
the resolution offered by the Admin
istration.
If the latest move in Mexico is
successful it will be said that a
united and patriotic Congress up
Mexican policy is failure then the
Republicans in the next campaign
will produce the record made by
them to lay all the blame on the
Democratic Administration. Call
this patriotism, politics, or what you
will Nevertheless that's the way it
was fixed in Congress.
The Funny Representatives.
Ninety-seven Congressman voted
to reduce their own salaries from
$500 to $4,000 a few days ago
but there were 205 in opposition, and
had there been any real danger of
this proposition going through,
about ninety Of the ninety-seven
would have found a speedy method
of changing their votes. The Repre-
sentatives as rule are very much
impressed with their own greatness,
and their confidential opinion is that
they are working" altogether too
% OF q n
throughout the country started in
to advocate cutting out railroad
passes, direct primaries, restricted
campaign contributions, and lot
of other things they never wanted.
But the public took up the sugges-
tions, and so thoroughly approved,
that the public servants had to car
ry the propositions through in order
to save their jobs. But the lesson
does not seem to have sunk home,
and the congressman who are still
tryingt to jolly the voters with the
notion that they are genuine reform
ers, will wake up some day to the
fact that the country thoroughly ap-
proves the idea of a cut In their sal
aries-and then they are going to be
very very sorry. Some of the Mem
bers will get so mad that they will
conclude they can't afford it," and
will go back home and practice law,
and if they are lucky many of them
will get about half of that six thou
sand when they have to depend on
the results of private real rustling.
The Milk of Human Kindness.
When the beautiful daughter of
Secretary McAdoo of the Treasury,
quit munching chocolates in the Sem
ate gallery, the night the Mexican
resolution was passed, and pulled
her daddy's coat tail so that he
would turn around, good many
people smiled pleasantly at the Incl
dent. When Bryan left the Senate
because Senator Fall was fiaying
him, most people were wondering
how the Secretary relished hearing
such things in place where he
could not talk back. These are mere
incidents in the lives of American
royalty" But the official family is
found to be very kind, and the wife
Of the President makes war upon the