Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-02
THE WAR is ON
IN WASHINGTON
House Fights the Senate and
Congress Disagrees With the
President-Muddle Over
Appropriations
Special Correspondence Eyening Ledger

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, Mining was also put to a severe test. why?
Because these so-called war emergency
measures carried large powers to depart
ments operating under the President-for
the President cannot possibly give personal
attention to all these detalls-and because,
| they carried large appropriations In addi-
| tion TO appropriations already made. The
explosives bill was designed to authorize
the President to make laws involving fine
and imprisonment by proclamation II had
to do with the manufacture. control and
storage Of powder and other explosives used
In war and for blasting and other peace
purposes and was said to be necessary be-
! cause Of the possible misuse Of these mate
rials by designing persons The bill dele
gated certain war powers 10 the Bureau
Of Mines and asked for S25O,OO0 for the
employment Of inspectors and others and
for the purchase Of automobiles and horse
drawn vehicles. Objection to this measure
was based largely upon its invasion Of the
police powers Of the States and its creation
Of new offices in violation Of the civil
service rules. It was harshly criticized.
A Come-Down in Figures
The House scrutiny of the first big food
conservation bill resulted IN significant
| revision OF figures. Originally the Secre-
tary of Agriculture had asked for $4,000
| 600, in addition TO existing appropria-
tiOhs. for the employment Of thousands of
| new experts educators demonstrators, in
hDetlOTR. ana so tOrtn, 10 make n war SUR
vey" Of the farms, storage warehouses and
| other food-prOduCng and food-holding
agencies. but the Committee on AgriCul-
| ture brought In a bill cutting the total
down TO about $4,000 900. As this was in
addition TO an annual appropriation OF
| about S25 0O0, 900, which already cares for
| about 1900 employees including experts
| and demonstrators in the Department of
! Agriculture, members Of the House became
| inquisitive as to whether the increase was
| for war purposes" or to Increase the peace
| establishment. The outcome of It all was
! that the Committee on Agriculture finally
offered certain amendments reducing the
| salary items so that when the bill was
! passed II carried only about $4,000 900. |
| Query: II $25,O0O,OOO was the extra
| amount needed for "war purposes why did
the committee itself concede that $4,000, 600
was sufficient? The difference between
| S2j 600, 900 asked for and $4,000, 600 "ac- |
| cepted" was the exact difference between
| the war plans" of the Administration as
! at first laid down and the result Of the
| deliberations Of Congress which Is supposed |
| TO keep an eye on the public treasury In |
| the course Of the debate 1t was freely |
| stated that there no real necessity for !
| the expenditure Of so large a sum of money |
| to make the food survey desired one Demo-
| cratic economist declaring that the work |
| could be done by the rural letters carriers !
! without any extra expense to the Govern !
| ment II was also intimated that the |
| bureaucrats were taking advantage Of the |
]
ence for all time.
The sweeping changes which the Senate |
Committee on Finance has been making in |
the House war-taY bill threaten to prolong /
the session Of Congress The House Com
mttee on Ways and Means made up its |
1906, 600, 900 bill under the impression that
the Senate might act upon II In time for an
adjournment early In June but the Senate
committee has been so radical In its cuts
and has rejected so many Of the House bill
nTut pf ma
see Congress in session with its work un-
finished. The two chairmen, Simmons of
the Senate Finance Committee and KitChin,
Of the House Ways and Means Committee,
hail from the same State, North Carolina,
but that does not bring them into harmony
on this bill Kitchn is a fighter and IL
popular In the House. 1t is not likely that
he will yield TO Simmons without a con-
test. II is true that KitChn had to cham
pion an unpopular bill-probably the most
unpopular ever presented TO the House of
Representatives but he won In the House.
having the Democrats with him and some
Republicans who thought II their duty ITO
go along with the President war meas
ures," As the bill will finally land In con-
ference between the two houses and Kitchn
and Simmons will be Of the conferees the
North Carolina tug-of-war will be worth |
watching. Ktchin believes the Treasury
needs the full 81 100000 900 asked for by
the Administration to meet its war obliga-
$1,000 900 900 will be sufficient. In this
instance Kitchin also stands with the Presi-
dent and Secretary McAdoo who insist that
the present generation shall bear a fair pro-
portion of the war taxes,
Sugar to Take Part
1t is evident the difference between the
two houses Is to be about $500 900 900 in
the aggregate. II the Administration is
right in its estimates Of war expenditures
the Senate is not providing enough money
according to the Kitchin theory. But this Is
not the only point of difference. The Senate
has stirred up n hornets nest on the sugar
question, for which II will have to account
to certain Republicans of the House The
ranking Republican of the Ways and Means
Committee is Mr.. Fordney, OF Michigan. He
has been the champion of domestic sugar
production and is opposed to the so-called
consumption tax on sugar In fact, Mr.
Fordney fought this proposition out OF the
House bill He Is supported by the do
nestle sugar producers, including the beet
sugar Industry and the Louisiana planters
When the 10 per cent horizontal tariff was
added 10 the House bill the domestic sugar
growers were well pleased but the Senate
proposal TO dispense with the tariff and
add consumption taxes has aroused their
Indignation. 1t Is safe to say the sugar
question as presented by the Senate will
provoke fight and this will be but one of
mnny which the rejection of the tariff
clause and other items Of the original biz
may occasion before a war tax bill is agreed
upon by both houses
As registration approaches many new and
interesting questions present themselves,
Young men who applied in regular order
ask why they were not accepted for the ofB.
GERS training camps, There is one gen.
eral answer: The department saws there
was not room that there is to be another
camp in August, when the hod.over appll-
cants will have another chance. The de-
partment urges registration without regard
to future camps All those who register. II
Is said, will be treated fairly and without
prejudica That's about all there is 10 saw
to Congressman or others who seek in
formation. The department is swamped
with work and applications and asks the
public to be patient--but TO conform 10 the
law.
Another side OF conscripton affects the
workers engaged on Government contracts
There is great concern among contractors
and material men as to this II relates 10
shipbuidng in particular. The Government
expects the private shipbuilders TO speed
up" The Government is using its own EN-
ployes In the navy yards to compe.s with nri-
vate shipbuilders. These Government en-
nil NJ |