The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-03-26
WHEN SOLONS RAGE
SUGGESTIONS OF LUXURY ARE
LOOKED ON AS ENpANGERINe
DEMOCRACY OF PEOPLE.
MAKE MUCH OF TRIvIALITIEs
For Home Consumption Lawmakers
Point to Little Things as Danger
Signals Of Coming Crash and
Overlook Big Ones.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

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Observation-Disclosures OF congress,
especially when they make speeches
in the capitol on what may seem to
be trivial subjects, make every eff
fort to show that they are determined
this country shall continue to be a
democracy, "a place of continued rule
by the plain people with no frills on
the ruled or the rulers"
1t is a curious fact that senators and
representatives frequently show more
alarm lest the democracy OF the peo-
pie be undermined by some little
thing suggestive of luxury or Of de-
cadence of taste than they do over
what appears to be the rapid growth
Of class conditions in this country and
the rapid concentration Of wealth in
the hands Of the few. The big things
which threaten democracy are over
looked, but the little things are taken
up on high plane and pointed to as
danger signals of a coming crash in
the affairs Of the republic.
They have just been having tre-
mendous debate in the senate over
the use Of automobiles by government
officials. Congress, Of course, sup
plies the working tools" OF the men
in executive official life here in the
District of Columbia. 1t always has
been the custom to vote money to
pay for horses and vehicles for the
commissioners OF the District OF Co
lumbia who are compelled to ride
here and there on overseeing duty.
Other officials have been voted horses
and carriages, or rather, as is usually
the case, buggies, without a question.
In these days of automobiles and the
quicker transportation facilities which
they offer. naturally enough congress
was asked to change horses and bug
gies to automobiles and then came
the protest and the great debate.
Like Nero Of Rome.
One would think from what was
said by more or less eminent senators
OF the United States from the floor Of
the senate that an official who rides in
an automobile is tainted with all the
vicious luxuriousness Of Nero, Cmper-
or Of the Romans. On hearing the
philippics one would think that every
official who uses an automobile has
under his seat a fiddle and bow
which he is anxiously waiting Oppor
tunities to use for the making OF
music while Washington burns. These
things make one laugh, and yet they
are taken tremendously seriously by
the congress of the United States, and
what makes them absolutely absurd is
that all this talk is for home con-
sumption only, for the nature and aim
of every senator and representative is
to let the people of his district think
that he is a plain man who infinitely
prefers to ride in street car to trust
ing himself to one of those devils OF
modernism. an automobile.
People remember probably what a
time there was when Mr.. Taft, then
president of the United States, sug
gested that he would prefer an auto.
mobile to a carriage for his off
use as president. Theodore Roosevelt
always preferred horses. The automo
bile was to him for a long time almost
anathema, and so he never would ask
congress for a change. Mr. Taft, how
! ever, wanted an automobile, and he
asked for it. Congress gave it to him
after suggesting that the sight Of the
president riding in a conveyance un
drawn by horses would be a forecast
in nIi nf thu Of hn rttln M
the people Of these United States.
The automobile debate in congress
which has just been held, as has been
said, was on the question of provid
ing automobiles for the use of some
minor officials who have to move here
there and everywhere quickly in order
to do their work. One senator of the
United States in a speech said thai
he found he could get along with the
street cars as well as with an auto
mobile, and that ordinarily he coulC
get along more rapidly, and then he
intimated that his preference for the
street cars was due to his democ
| racy, the word, Of course, being useC
in its party sense.
Feared Home Folks.
There probably is not a senator Of
representative in either house of con
gress who does not frequently use
an automobile. II is known that two
or three members refused for a Ions
time to get into one of the machines
for fear that the people back home
would resent IL
| There has been another long debate
in the senate over the question d
changing the name of the Avenue o.
the Presidents back TO its. origin a
name Sixteenth street. The Change
back" will be made properly. FOL, tbs
! changing OF the name of Sixteenth
street to the Avenue of the Presidents
was forced by a number Of womer
who thought the change would b
grand" and by men who thought tina
lots on an Avenue OF the Presidents
would sell for higher sums than lott
on Sixteenth street.
Sixteenth street, as II was known
until about a year ago. and as II will
I betknown hereafter, runs straight on
fromithe White House north. II fs ,
4 ra.s~ 80. 49,. -