The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-02-07
from the National Capitol
By Stanton
Standard.)
BY Stanton Lawton
Special Correspondence to the Irish

Standard.)
Pensions for Mothers Proposed.
Representative George German of
Illinois has introduced bill in the
house, which would provide pensions
for the mothers of the United States
Under the bill, all mothers of one
or more children under eighteen years
of age, made dependent by the death
or disability of their husbands, would
be placed upon the pension roll. Moth
ers of from one to three minor chill
dren would receive $40 month, and
mothers of four or more children
would receive SIS month.
F, What's in a Name.
This congress has quite an array OF
unique names. One can find in the
list two Youngs, one Elder, three
Greens, three Browns, a Bacon, Colt
one White, one Gray, a Glass, Moon
a Pepper, a Church, Sabbath, an
Underhill and an Underwood, Post,
a Key, Bell, Cooper, Dyer, q
Weaver, {. Webb, two Stones and a
Rubey, Root, Reed, Sharp, a
Fields, Moore and Woods.
President Against Free Use Of Canal.
1t is asserted at the Capitol by
those who know what took place at
the conference held recently at the
White House, between the president
and the senate foreign relations COM
mittee that President Wilson is op.
posed to the exemption of American
coastwise ships from Panama canal
tolls.
This is not party question and the
Democrats as well as Republicans
voted for free coastwise shipping.
The change of party control did not
hinge upon this question in the remot-
est degree, the foremost defender of
the free tolls provision in the senate
being Senator James A. O'Gorman of
New York, Democrat and stalwart
friend and adviser of the president.
The people of this country heartily
approved of the declaration of the last
administration that exemption of our
coastwise shipping did not violate the
letter or spirit of the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty, and they concurred in the re-
lection of the British demand for arbi-
tration.
g Three courses are now open TO con-
gress-1st, Arbitration, which the ma
jority in congress oppose, maintain
ing that the United States should set
tie the issue for itself. Another
course is to carry into effect the reso
luton submitted by Representative
Adamson, chairman of the interstate
and foreign commerce committee
which would suspend for two years
the operation of the provision exempt
ing American ships from the paymen
of tolls. Should this be adopted, dip
lomatic negotiations could continue II
the meantime.
The third proposal is that congress
repeal the free toll provision, recoe
nizing that it is in violation Of tn
Hay.Pauncefote treaty. Represents
tive Adamson has said that his CON
mittee undoubtedly would report tn
free tolls suspension bill to the hous
favorably, but that this action wopl
be held up pending definite word frol
President Wilson.
Opposed Appropriation for Peace Cell
bration.
Petitions are coming in to congress
from all over the country, protestin
+. against the appropriation of money fl
the purpose of celebrating the comir
centennial of peace among Englis
speaking nations.
The petitions come for the mo
part from an organization known
the Continental League of Amertc
composed of Irish-Americans, al
state in the preface that the propose
celebration would result In excittl
the i'll feeling of many nations whi'
were uniformly friendly to the Unit
States when England was bitterly he
tile. -
1.-THE hundred years of peace" 81
the petitions, "have not been years
friendship on the part of England.
to the settlement of the Venezue
question, after President Cleveland
historic message, England lost no
portunity of showing her enmity
this country. During the civil war, h
government, the great majority of h
people and practically her whole pre-
were most inimical to the north,
from real sympathy with the sou
4, but in the hope of breaking up
great republic which had grown
from the thirteen colonies which b
thrown off the tyrannical yoke.
"For two years the British COVE
ment conspired with the Emperor
poleon to bring about armed interv
ton, and the fitting out, arming 9
manning of the swift cruisers VIII
swept American commerce from
y seas, was the most shameful evas
Of international obligations in all m
D. ern history.