Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-03-11
STONE IS IN LINE
missoURIAN LIKELY TO BE
CHAIRMAN OF FOREIGN RELA.
TIoNs COMMITTEE.
PLACE OF HIGH IMPORTANCE
Patriotism, Rather Than Politics, Gov
ems the Deliberations of This Body
OF .he Senate Which Deals
With Big Affairs.
BIZ GEORGE CLINTON.

By GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Th death of Senator
Augustus o. Bacon of Georgia caused
d vacancy in the craftsmanship of the
senate committee on foreign relations.
Senator Bacon succeeded Senator Cul-
lon as presiding officer of the COM
mittee last March. He had been a
member of the foreign relations body
for great many years, and therefore
was thoroughly familiar with ali the
work with which it is charged. SEN
ator Bacon was a conservative man.
able and forcefCl, and he had the re-
spect of all The senators. no mat
ter what were their political afiilia-
tons.
The position of chairman of the for
eign relations committee of the SEN
ate is one of high importance. The
duties Of this committee frequently
are of the most delicate character,
involving as they do on occasion the
issues of war and peace. Senator Will
liam j. Stone OF Missouri probably
will succeed to the position of presid-
ing officer of the committee. for he is
the ranking Democrat holding men,
bership In that body. Mr.. Stone is
known as a politician and as an in
tense partisan, but unquestionably he
will shed politics and partisanship
when he takes Mr.. Bacon's seat at the
head of the foreign relations table.
Some men have called William j,
Stone Gum Shoe Bill" for a good
many years. and the name is not sug-
gestive Of high capabilities, but there
are such things as misnomers. The
Missouri senator is known to his col
leagues regardless Of party as a man
of brain and corresponding under
standing, and, moreover, he always
has held that patriotism ranks poll
tics, although the latter has been his
close companion.
President Took His Advice.
President Wilson, to considerable
extent. has been viewing legislation as
party matter. Seemingly he has
given little thought to the probability
that Republicans and Progressives
might help in putting through bills
which appeal to their judgment Mr..
Wilson made his partisan position
clear when he told the suffragists
who called on him that he could not
do anything for them because their
cause was not party one.
While Washington understood pref
ty well Mr. Wilson's views along these
lines, it nevertheless was puzzled
when in the early days OF his admins.
tration he made an attempt to deal
with foreign affairs solely through the
Democratic members of the senate
committee on foreign relations. The
Republican members of the committee
were astonished and perhaps hurt.
Senator Lodge probably knows more
about the intricacies of our foreign
affairs than does any other member
of the committee.
Senator Root was once secretary OF
state. Today he is a member of the
foreign relations committee. His
knowledge of Central and South Amer
lean affairs is greater than that of
Senator Lodge, and on European and
Eastern matters his knowledge prob
ably is equal to that of the Massa-
chusetts senator. When Senator Ba-
con. Democrat, who succeeded Sena-
tor Cu1lom as chairman of the com
mittee, found out that it was Presi-
dent Wilson's intention to consult on
foreign affairs only the Democratic
members of the committee, he told his
party chieftain frankly that he vas
making a mistake, and that he had
better unmake il as soon as possible.
Mr.. Wilson followed the Georgian's
advice instantly and every member
of the senate committee was invited
to the White House to the nrst great
Mexican conference, and has been in
vited to every other conference OF i'm
portance since that time.
Why Are So Many Out of Work.
When the federal industrial com
mission began its inquiry in New
York city to discover the rea.
son why so many men and women
were out of work, the administration
waited with interest for the first word
fl@m the commissions chairman,
Frank p Walsh. Tie Democratic ma
jority IN congress also awaited the
word with interest. while the Repub-
licans and Progressives awaited it
with interest supplemented by keen
curiosity.
One of the first reports which came
from the commission was to the effect
that its chairman declared bluntly
that there were 100000 persons out of
work in New York city. This state
ment without adequate explanation
was wired to Washington and IT
created disturbance, and caused the