The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-07

Oth," Good Men and True," etc. and write your Congressman protest ing against the expensive post flee in Birmingham, Alabama, your letter will excite little remark.
 But if you live in Binghamton, and write your congressman that $500,00O postoff1ce in Binghamton is a senseless extravagance, he may not be pleased but he will surely be startled. I think, myself. he will be agreeably surpris- ed. Most of the letters your Con- gressmen get are not that kind.
 As a fellow-laborer in this cause, venture to call to the attention of MT. Hughes a very sad case:
 "The Hon. George w. Fairchild, Re- publican, of Oneonta, represents the Thirty-fourth New York District in the Sixty-fourth Congress, and wants to represent 1t in the Sixty-ffth. Ac- cording to The Knickerbocker Press, he is paying for the publication and circulation of letter written by a MT. Barlow, who believes that the folks of Bfnghamton, in Broome Coun- ty and MT. Fairchild's district are anx- iously desirous of a New Postoff1ce, which means an expenditure of $500,- 000?' MT. Fairchild's letter writer says, with adorable directness and sim plicity:
 This is nice bunch of money for mechanics and laborers, and when dis tributed it certainly will help our mer1 chants and townsmen generally. Now, let's look this proposition over care fully. Could we expect 8 new man to go to Washington, regardless of what political party he might belong to. and accomplish anything for several years to come?'
 "Binghamton is a thriving, growing city. In 1915 it's population was 53,668. If it needs a new Post Office for other than political and poreine reasons, all right; and the proper cost of it need not here concern us. But $500.000 nakedlyi dangled before the voters as "a nice bunch of money for Binghamton 1aborers, mechanics, mer- chants and Binghamtonians generally looks too gross for this uplifted time."
 Here are few words from a widely copied editorial urging MT. Fairchild' s reelection: .J,4
 "And for a final consideration, his success in securing appropriations for public buildings in his district is evil dence of the confidence which the House feels in his judgment"
 This case of MT. Fairchild concerns MT. Hughes very directly. If Con- gress goes Republican and MT. Fair child goes to Congress, MT. Fairchild is slated for chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee.
 Colonel Roosevelt says that MT. Hughes is a man of 'austere courage" firm and outspoken." Here, as 1t seems to me, little austerity would not be entirely out of place; and a better chance for outspeaking would be hard to find. Any bets?
 After what MT. Hughes has SC, well said about ''pork-barreI' legislation. he cannot utter one word to favor the Fairchild candidacy. To do so would be a public confession by MT. Hughes that, in the matter of pork" he is total abstainer-but not entirely so. If MT. Hughes becomes President he will not remove Republican office holders and replace them by Demo- crats. He has. spoken very plainly to MT. Wilson on that subject.
 MT. Hughes has also made some frightful discoveries about the Will sonian appointment to diplomatic po- sitions of men who had never held diplomatic positions before. So we know what to expect from MT. Hughes under that head.
 A question: If MT. Hughes were a .clergyman would he refuse to marry anyone who had never been married before?
 For one thing Democrats, Republi- cans, Progressive and Retrogressive can be thankful. Preparedness Is not partisan issue. On this subject, wise and otherwise are scattered in all parties in fairly equal proportion. There is some difference of opinion, believe, as to what we are preparing for. But that is a mere detail-one of the merest on record.
 MT. Hughes wants a budget system. It might be a good thing, maybe. But I don't see how MT. Hughes can hope to get it. He is on record as bitterly opposed to Legislation before inves- tigation"-in the matter of the eight hour bill, the Adamson bill. Plainly, we can not investigate the working of a budget system. because we have no budget system to investigate, Just as he could not investigate the workings of an eight honr law because he had no eight-hour law to investigate. We will have to call 1t off, I guess. We don't want to try, anything new: it might not. work. ~ That brings us to the tariff.
 When the war is over. the nations of