Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-08
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Identification Wanted.

"uhtSu'
Note: II the contributor signing
the nom de plume Donald McPher-
son" will identify himself, his letter
will have consideration.
Silver Creek, Neb., Dec 5.-To the
Editor of The Bee: There are two
letters in The Bee to which l wish
briefly to refer, one by Jasper Blines
on Mexico and the other by George
Liggett jr., on limiting the number Of
bills introduced in the legislature.
Br, Blines says the Mexicans are
"of themselves incapable Of selfgov-
eminent" and sets that up as a rea
son why the United States should take
possession of Mexico and establish
a protectorate over that inferior peo-
ple."
But is it not true that the people
of the United States are incapable Of
government as shown by their
, history for 140 years? Is 1t not true
that up to March 4, 1913, they made
a bad stagger at self-government;
that since then Woodrow Wilson has
governed them, and that they have
had no self-government at all? Who
dare deny that since that time the
congress at Washington, which the
trainers of our constitution looked
upon as being the more important Of
our three so-called coordinate de-
partments of government, has been
nothing but figurehead, and that
all real power, no matter how un-
constitutional, has been exercised by
the president? If we cannot to bet
ter purpose govern ourselves, what
justification could we find in setting
ourselves up to govern others?
To correct the eVil--and | am not
sure that it is an evil--of so many
bills being introduced in the legisla-
ture Mr.. Liggett proposes the adop-
ton of rule limiting each member
to five bills.
see nothing whatever to commend
such rule. 1t is purely arbitrary
and if honestly adhered to might pre-
vent the Introduction of many good
measures. The trouble is not in the
multiplicity of bills, but in the fact
that they are taken up in committee
of the whole in regular order as they
appear on the general file without ref
erence to merit and thus days are
spent in defeating bills or in pass
ing those of minor or no Importance:
whereas, the bills of prime Importance
Importance should be taken up first
and finally disposed of. For instance,
l recall that in the house in 1897
nearly one whole afternoon was taken
up in discussing a bill on chicken
stealing and another afternoon on an
other bill prohibiting foot ball-both
being defeated. Later a sitting COM
mittee was appointed by the speaker
not an impartial committee of the
best men, but evidently one intended
OF serve his own and other personal
interests This committee would often
report for advancement poor bills that
could not command the support of
majority of the committee itself and
was, of course, a failure so far as all
good purposes were concerned.
Instead of trying to limit the num-
Der OF bills introduced, l propose two
think would be entirely effective:
/. Taking the work of the president
and congress as a precedent and a
pattern, let the governor propose such
bills as he may think best and then
let him see that the legislature even
with some wry faces, passes them.
2. Let each house at the beginning
of the session--not near the end-ap-
point sitting committee of not more
than five members with instructions
to report for advancement only the
more important bills or bills relating
to the more important matters of
legislation, this committee to hold at
the pleasure of the house, bills COM
ing over from the other house in each
case generally taking precedence
This second proposition, which is
not intended to be slam at anybody,
has for twenty years been a steadfast
conviction. CHARLES WOOSTER.
Meaning OF the "Solid South"
Chicago, Dec. 6.-To the Editor Of
The Bee: 1t is gratifying to note that
the other sections of the country are
becoming alive to the fact that while
refusing the colored men of the south
the right to vote, that section Is I'M
fairly voting them in the electoral col
lege and in congress. That is to say
the south, on account of its negro
population, has apportioned to 1t more
than forty members of congress, and
of course the same number of addi-
tional electoral votes, and, as I have
already stated, and the fact is not dis
puted, the colored vote in that section
is suppressed practically en- masse.
In this connection l would call at
tention to section 2, article xiv, Of the
United States constitution, clause
which reads as follows:
When the right to vote at any cleo
ton for the choice Of electors for pres
ident and vice president Of the United
States, representatives in congress, the
executive and judicial officers of