Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-10-09
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
Events Of Interest from the Seat
of Government.
BY j. Il. JONES.
"See What ! Got For You"
BY j. T.. JONES.

No one ought to deny but what
rivers and harbors appropriations
should be made. Although transpor-
tation by water has been on the wane
in the United States for quarter of
a century, yet it is up to the govern
ment to keep open the useful road
beds" for ships just as the railroads
accept the responsibility over their
lines of steel. In the case of the
Great Lakes and with the harbors Of
the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf, there
is no question but what the work
should be promptly done. For years
system has been growing up in
tions for streams which never were,
or never will be navigable-and if SO,
only in a very negative way. Con-
gressmen have successfully got to-
gether" many times and like papa
at Christmastime have boosted:
"cee what I got for you" And the
districts, gleeful over their gewgaws
and public monies spent in their
midst, have encouraged the plumber,
with little thought to the great dam
age inflicted. Senator Burton is an
expert in congress on rivers and har-
bors; he served for years as chairman
of the committee of the house and
was a member of the waterways COM
ter than any other man in public life
Although he Is a member of the OPP
posite party he won the president to
his support and brought his filibuster
to a success. The result was that the
appropriation was pared to the bone
and made in such way that there
will likely be only proper expendi-
lures and those will be made through
a board of engineers who know what
should be done. The dry runs" and
fishing streams will have to wait an
other congress for money to make
them navigable.
"BOOh!" Reed Wants Investigation.
1t is claimed that there are q mum.
Der of gentlemen in Washington who
represent the country's biggest bust
ness institutions and that they are
making their views known with ref
erence to antitrust legislation. It
would be far more strange If this
were not the case. but evidently SEN
ator Reed of Missouri believes that
such condition means that there is
lobby, and he has unsheathed
the sword and says that he will in
sist upon an investigation by the SEN
ate lobby committee. So far as the
capital itself knows there has been
no recent attempts on the part of any
interests to improperly influence leg
islation, but 1t is essential that all
sides to big public questions be heard
in reference to proposed legislation.
The result has been that a few sen.
ators have always showed they we're
peeved when people who differed
from them came to the capital to pre-
sent their views, and this is not the
first instance where they have been
charged with being lobbyists" or
have been threatened with investiga-
tons.
The South BeckOns.
A movement has been put up" to
the commercial clubs Of the South in
viting them to jon in an attempt to
direct immigration in their direction.
Time was when Horace Greeley adj
vised young men to "go west" and
they went in great numbers. The
present idea is that as soon as Euro
peans are played out with warfare
they will leave their Netherlands and
other kinds of foolish lands. and seelq
new homes, so the enterprising
Southerners are trying to awaken
their region to get busy. On the face
OF the thing 1t looks like real clever
idea. and should the early bird get
the worm the chances are that the
South may reap great benefits in set
Ting her broad acres.
Foreign Trade in War Time.
Since the boats are not running to
any extent the trade between the
United States and Europe is practi-
cally cut off. just as it would be be-
tween the eastern and western por-
lions of the United States il suddenly
the railroads were put out of busi-
ness. This means the readjustment
OF trade conditions and the loss Of
revenues for our customs houses.
Hence the appeal to congress by the
president for a special war tax,
The Cruelty of Uncle Sam.
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