Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-08

new measures and hearing something
| about new issues. These are being
carried away to the political cam
! paigns in the states. The Senate at
last has the revenue bill, which Demo-
Gratis resent being called war rev.
enue' bill. Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury A. J. Peters went to the
pains of a statement the other day.
explaining that this was really an adj
! justment Of the revenues and that the
people would have to pay no more
taxes anyway. The total required Of
them would be the same. The addi-
| tional money to be collected under
! special taxes was not for war pur-
poses
But Republican senators are ham,
mering in the idea that this addition
al revenue bill is to cover the failure
of the Underwood tariff law. They say
1t Is made necessary both by the fail
| ure of the Underwood law and also by
| the extravaganza of the Democratic
administration since March L. 1914.
/ Certain 1t is that the Democrats have
been voting money with great gener-
oslty. They claim some of it is on
obligations to which the Republicans,
when in power. committed them. But
II that were so it would not excuse
the great lavishnesS of the Demo-
cratic Congress in other ways
This story is to be fully told before
the Senate Republicans allow the rev
enue bill to come to a vote there The
Democrats are squirting over it but
there seems to be no escape. Debate
on the revenue bill was begun even be-
fore the bill was reported by the
finance committee. Republicans began
to sound the tocsin daily and this will
be kept up in an effort to show the
country just what is being done.
But administration Democrats have
been made to feel uncomfortable over
the final agreement as to the Clayton
antitrust bilLe That measure has
had long and stormy way through
the House, through the Senate, and
through the conference committee of
the two Legislative branches. 1t was
| charged that the teeth were taken
out OF it in the Senate and then some
more after the conferees took it in
hand. There are no penalties for vio-
lations and the measure is declared
innocuous as it is now proposed to en-
act in into law. Democrats reply that
/ eiO law 10 iSttily Out lUdI SOUlG
of the former provisions, which have
been eliminated, are covered in the
trade commission law, which Presi-
| dent Wilson recently signed Other
Democrats agree, however, that the
bill has been made of no use as now
fashioned. Vardaman of Mississippi;
Reed of Missouri; and MARITIME of New
Jersey, all Democrats have denounced
/ 'ha will
support and at times it has. seemed as
though the conference report might
be defeated in the Senate.
| There has probably been some bung-
! ling with the measure. 1t promised
to be law before many days have
| passed but in operation it will prob
| ably afford some surprises. Senator
| Weeks Of Massachusetts, pointed out
| that one result would likely be the
organization of great monopoly in
| the west for squeezing small shoe
manufacturers out of business. One
| thing after another has been cited of
| like character. Some of the best law
| yers Of the Senate have denounced the
| legislation. Senator Borah of Idaho, a
real progressive Republican has de-
voted hours to showing how the law
is unnecessary. He says if the admin
| istration would enforce the Sherman
| law no further enactment would be
needed. 1t has been much emphasized
| that this Congress is turning the gov
eminent over more and more to com
| missions. Everything is to be reguat-
| ed by some kind of commission at
Washington. These commissions, be
| 1t said. all carry a number of good fat
offices and, as the situation works out,
| the pay is not only large but the ten
ure Is long. Washington off1cialdom
now throbs with the talk Of Commits |
sioner This and Commissioner That |
and there is only a beginning. Then |
the commissioners inevitably and in
variably require great encourages and |
before anyone is aware what is hap
pening, their expenditures run into |
many millions of dollars.
On top of an Interstate Commerce
Commission and Federal Trade Com
mission and Federal Reserve Board,
there seems to be coming River Con-
servation Commission, with large pos
sibilities for spending money. Econ
omists throw up their hands in despair.
There Is good prospect that before five.I
years have gone, three Of these COM
missions will each be spending as
much or more money of the people
than any one Of the executive Depart
ments, save two or three of the larg-
est, are now spending. 1t all accounts
In some degree for the great jump in
the cost Of running the government
at Washington. And once the gov
eminent is committed to these enter
prises, 1t becomes practically impos-
sible to cut the enterprise off. In
deed, the larger the number of en-
pioyes with one Of these commissions
and the more money it is spending,
the mightier the opposition to discon-
tinuance. Some months ago Congress
voted money for the physical valuation
OF railroads. 1t is an enormous I'M
dertaking and will require several
years Immediately there were insti-
tuted efforts at intrenchment so as to
make this a permanent affair. This
Is being vigorously countered.
The Philinpiy,eS isc,,a has boa,. w