The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-03-11
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.

Washington, March TO- Special T.
Senator Kenyon of Iowa fred the FIRST
gun In the senate for the child labor
bill which passed the house 10y such Il
large vote. lie made a speech which
attracted considerable attention and
raised the constitutional question, the
ever present constitutional objection
which is always brought forward to
prevent the country from doing what
II wants to do.
However, ID was pretty evident hat
IL the bill Is ever allowed to come To a
vote II viii pass. There IL n much diff
ferent impression in the senate now
from when Beveridge of Indiana was
the champion of a similar measure.
Then the constitutional lawyers Were
quietly poking fun at Beveridge, and
nudging each other in the ribs, and
snickering at the eloquent young man
for his fantastic ideas.
Courts Change With Times.
Kenyon showed In a plain, matter of
fact way that as times change courts
change. lie said that seventy-flve
years ago the court would not have
sustained the lottery legislation and
intimated that at the time the child
labor bill was first brought forward
It might have been held unconstitutlon-
al, but there was n different public sen
timent.
"Do you mean 10 intimate that the
supreme court is governed by public
sentiment asked Senator 0verman I'm
an almost Mortified tone.
Sutherland of Utah had been i'm a col
loquy with Oyerman. and Kenyon re
piled:
well. IL Is this way. If the senator
from Utah was on the bench | would
feel sure of getting a favorable opinion
from him as to the law being constitu-
tional. IL the senator from North Car
olina was ON the bench / would expect
an adverse opinion"
Rights of Congress.
"Has congress the right to prescribe
directly the number of hours a child
shall work p asked Overman.
Il think not" replied Kenyon.
"Can congress do indirectly what 1t
cannot do directly" asked Overman as
n clineher.
"We have done It," replied Kenyon.
I'VE passed a bin regarding phossy
jaw, and there is the oleomargarine
act"
Kenyon later called attention TO the
law taxing state bank notes out of ex-
istence.
The North Pole.
That's not such a bad idea of
Smiths" remarked Congressman Mon
dell of Wyoming.
We were talking about a resolution
which Smith of New York had intro
duced directing hat congress should
determine whether an American had
discovered the north pole.
1T would require an investigation :
continued Mondell. 1--WE should have
to have a committee. / would be In
favor of a large committee made up
from the membership of the house.
Better still, include a large member
ship from the senate. Have that com
mittee make a personal investigations;
go TO the pole and see II II has been
discovered and by whom.
Just think how pleasant it would
be to select that committee! What a
lot OF fellows could be spared for such
an undertaking.
More Government Regulation.
TAp tSt 80 No..
land has introduced a resolution recit-
ing that 94.5 per cent Of the creameries
OF the country are insanitary. liz that
Is the case and the states are neglect
ing their duties there will be found n
way under the interstate commerce
clause OF the constitution for govern
ment regulation.
At Least Once a Day.
'.They must come here at least once
n day" remarked Senator Smoot Of
Utah in explaining why he mikes the
point of no quorum when the senate
%convenes. As ii Is, only about tifty-five
senators answer TO their names, the
other forty being absent.
Once In Awhile.
Former Speaker Cannon did not be
lieve the whole railroad system of the
country should be abused because
sometimes things went wrong with
one road. "Once in awhile" he said.
"a man given TO sharp practice gets
control of a railroad. Once in awhile a
mar given TO sharp practice wrecks a
bank. Once In awhile a preacher goes
wrong, and once in two whites a law
yer goes wrong. Once In three whites
a member of congress goes wrong.
What Is the use OF abusing a whole
system because somebody has gone
wrong3"
Not Quite Parliamentary.
Congressman Finley was explaining
to the house why the conferees on the
postofice bill did not do some particu-
lar thing In the last congress.
"Ch pshawt' That is all l1n.
combe.' remarked Jim Mann.