River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-07-06
Frear'S Comments
From Washington
BY James A. FreaF, M. c.


newspaper enterprise shines. Star
ing headlines over one column will
announce what the President is
going to do and say that war with
Mexico is a certainty, while in an
adjoining column waiting public is
advised that everything is moving
satisfactorily and peace is sure to
follow. Because of the fact that To-
cal papers are near the seat of gov
eminent it may be assumed that
they are reasonably informed as to
government conditions but sensa-
tional headlines and war extras have
become so common that people re-
fuse to become excited and are wait
ing for defnate policy to be an
nounced.
It may be decided upon before
this reaches you but at this writing
rumors are so varied and press state
ments as differing as they were six
months ago.
Chairman Hay Of the House Mill
tary Committee introduced reso-
luton last week which passed the
House, giving the Secretary of War
authority to help needy dependents
Of National Guardsmen who have
suddenly been ordered to Mexico.
When the resolution reached the
Senate, Chamberlain, Chairman of
the Committee at the other end of
the capitol, refused to permit the
resolution to go through while con-
tanning any relief provision. That
portion permitting the President to
draft the National Guard was pass
ed by both Houses but the relief
provision will have to be introduced
as a separate bill. Chamberlain is
Senator who voted for the SAB, 900,
600 rive. and harbor pork grab, over
half Of which is always wasted, and
Chamberlain gets 81, 100000, in the
1916 bill, for the Columbia river is
in his state, more than was carried
in the resolution to aid dependents
of guardsmen Local pork is still
popular with some statesmen but it
is growing more notorious and OBJ
iectionable every day.
Two Washington papers contained
editorials on Ripon, Wisconsin, last
week, commencing the action of the
little city in passing resolutions re-
fusing to accept a public building
for which an appropriation was
made several years ago, and asking
that the appropriation be turned
into the treasury for use in national
defense. The writer received a copy
of the resolution with commencing
words for personal efforts in Cong
ress to prevent extravaganza. An
emaculated public building bill may
be reported by the Committee in a
few days but it will never get
through Congress at this session
and move has already been made
to change the present system which
is vicious and indefensible grab at
the public treasury for political
ends. 1t will have a pretty fair ex-
posure this session when reached for
discussion.
One of the most important mea-
sures to be discussed this week will
be the new revenue bill Appro-
priations have passed the billion
mark and may reach a billion and
half this year-the largest bills in
the history of the government will
have to be met by increased reve-
nues. 1t has been estimated that
$500. 900, 900 more can be raised by
amendments increasing the income
tax, inheritance tax and tax on mu-
nitions of war. Just what form the
bill will take before it is enacted in
to law is hard to predict but the
man who cannot understand that he
contributes to the tax directly or in
directly will awaken to the fact that
Government is taxing it's people di-
rect for these increased expendi-
lures. I am reminded of this be-
cause of a letter received asking
what benefit accrued to taxpayers by
saving SAP, 900, 900 on river and har-
Dor expenditures and $24 ,000,0 900
on the Muscle Shoals nitrate plant,
or in fighting against an Infamous
S50.000,000 land reclamation steal.
The same proportionate saving oc-