River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-02-15
THE TORCH And
The POWDER
President Has Right To Determine Di-
uIomatic Relations But Only Con-
gress May Declare War
THE FREE SEED PORK BARREL
Farm Loans Systems viii Take Year
In Organization

If one recklessly waves torch
and scatters fire brands around a
powder magazine, he is called mad
man. A sunken ship at Havana pre-
cipitated the Spanish American war.
"A Servian murder started the Euro
pean war. Powder was lying around
and torch scattered brands that de-
stroved millions OF lives Editorials
on Nat onol honor and inalienable
rights Of American citizens, mingled
with protests against war, are piled
high on the desks Of every Member.
Last year President Wilson demand
ed that a resolution warning citizens
Of danger on the seas be taken from
the committee and killed because the
seas were free to travel. Warnings
Of danger in Mexico were proper but
not on the high seas, yet last week
Secretary Lansing issued just that
kind Of warning at the gu t
Of the Administration and refused
passports to all applicants. Humid
reds Of American lives have been
lost in Mexico without war being de-
clared, but today the lists Of Ordin-
airy seamon are closely scanned to
discover sons reckless American
who has lost his life on a belligerent
vessel. Verify the torch is close to
the magazine. President Wilson
has been chosen to carry official bur-
dens and every patriotic citizen will
support him in the present crisis.
Whether right or wrong, he is the
only one to determine diplomatic re-
Iations but Congress alone, can de-
clare war
A caustic democratic paper not
many miles from Chippewa County,
editorially criticizes the writer for
permitting the free seed pork bar
rel'' to exist. Odinarily such COM
ments are ignored but for many
wears a Democratic Congress has
been in control and must be held re
sponsible for existing law. Every
one of the 435 Members of the house
is equally responsible for the law.
Ninety-six United States Senators
are also directly responsible and on
that point Senator Husting and
majority o f Democratic Senators
voted in favor Of the free seed law
on February 9TH, Of last week, Re-
cord page 3071. | am not criticiz-
ing that vote because strong argu
ments are offered both ways on free
seeds, but the Wisconsin Senator has
signally served his free seed critic
and responsibility for the law is be
tween the Senator and his critic.
$4,000 was saved by defeat Of
the two bills last season, or more
than would pay for free seeds for
one hundred and fifty years to cone,
at present rates. Again two bills
of $38. 000,00 each, one for rivers
and harbors, the other for public
buildings this session carried total
Of three hundred times the amount
set apart in the Agricultural Bill for
garden seeds The writer tried to
defeat both bills and the Senate
probably will finish the job. Good
words come to the writer from men
at both ends of the Capitol and also
from the press. A strong Wisconsin
Democratic journal in praising the
fight, recently said that SIT 900 had
been saved in one single item, to the
State of Wisconsin, by the writer,
while serving S st at e Auditor.
Hundreds of other items were re-
jected or reduced during that same
period and some of these claims
were infinitely more Objectionable
in principle than the free seed item
passed by the Senate last week. Of
fetal records could many interesting
tales unfold.
X
Letters have been received asking
for information regarding the Fe-
deral Farm Loan Act Pre- bably a
year or more will elapse before any
organized effort to make loans gen
orally will be put into effort. In
order to become operative, machin-
cry for administration must be pro-