The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-04-04

from Washington relative to tbs
work of Senator Fletcher:
little of the big legislation enacted
by the national congress is perman
emily associated with its author, not
withstanding the pride of authorship
that dominates some senators and
Representatives in the national as
sembly. The explanation is puzzling
Various reasons have been advanced
to account for the fact that so few
important laws are permanently as
sociated with the name of a man
who was in public life during their
enactment
Doubtless one explanation is that
in recent years Their has been a grow.
administration much of the import.
! tant legislation. Thus, we hear of
this administration bill, and that ad-
minstration bill, ETC., etc.
There is still another plausible rea-
So, also, and that is pride of author
ship itsef-a disposition among some
legislators to have a finger in the
pie. even if the facts have decreed
fhnv ghall hau al 4
even if their ambitions deprive the
real author of the credit coming to
him.
There is the currency law. How
many people in Georgia have the re-
hottest idea as to the identity of its
authorize man who wrote the bill,
and pressed it, first, through he low
er house of congress? The identity
OF the author of this legislation, re
garded by many as the biggest
achievement of the Wilson admin
stration, is known to comparatively
few persons outside of congress. The
public generally is satisfied to &C.
cept It as an administration law and
credit the Wilson administrator. And
the administration, more especially
the president himself and his bril-
liant secretary of the treasury, is de-
serving of much praise for the leg.
T iglDtinp It,t
ginia, is entitled also, to lots Of
credit AS chairman of the banking
and currency committee of the house,
he was the author of the law, and
there are few men in America to.
day, bankers included, who under
stand the law half SO well as Glass.
Ordinarily. the currency law should
md would bear the name of GLASS"
but for some reason it is being
passed down to posterity as a name
less though afIicacious waif.
Inc rural credits legislation, 9th
erwise and more properly known as
the farm credits law, furnished still
another and even more glazing dis
elimination against worthy egis-
lator, or. more properly, the denial
TO him OF his due modicum Of credit.
Duncan U. Fletcher. of Florida, lit
orally is the father of the farm cred
lar
associated with it, except by persons
intimately familiar with its history,
and this legislation has been capita
lied by many men in public life.
In Justice to the many who have
sought political capital out OF rural
credits, II is only fair to say that
many senator's and representatives
did contribute to its enactment. How
ever, except for the persistence of
the Florida senator, the chances are
that rural credits would not have
been one of the assets of the EN-. !
ocrauc party in the last campaign !
or a political help TO many members !
of congress in their campaigns for
reelection.
Senator Fletcher started the aeita. {
ton for rural credits legislation. and |
he Kept at il with a neyer-sav-die I
spirit until he witnessed the approv. /
al of the law by the president and re. I
ceived from the president. in recoe.
milton of his work. the pen with
which il was approved.
Although he holds some of the
most important committee assign.
ments in the senate organization
among them the Craftsmanship of The
commerce committee, il was Senator
fietcher's misfortune not to be
member of the currency committee
of the senate when his agitation fo,
rural credits finally forced the Issue
In congress. He was given a plaee
on the committee. however. during
h. 49,,