The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-03-13

Ii Is possible that the president Of the
United States has a better view OF
what is going on throughout the whole
country than any other man. lie ought
to have, because everything OF inpor-
lance is taken to him in the bricfest
possible form and only salient facts
presented. Perhaps on this account
the president has thoroughly realized
that the people do not want war. Tie
impression of horrors of the slaughter
OF men, women aud children lii Ecu
rope, together with the vast destrue-
ton Of property, followed by the hun
pie and the extraordinary price OF food,
has convinced most people IN the
United States that they do not want
war, and many Of them have told the
president SO In plain terms. 1t il quite
probable that one reason why SO many
men toward the closing days Of the
Sixty-fourth congress asserted that
they were willing to trust the presi
dent to keep up out of war Is that They
knew what they were talking about
and felt assured that the president was
mo- going tp bring abort hostilities II
he could avoid 1t.
Impression From Newspapers.
1t also became evident that senators
and representatives were generally i'm.
pressed from what they saw I'm the
newspapers hat there was IA real war
spirit In tbs country and that the
newspapers Were helping 20 build up
a war feeling. Notice has been made
of the remarks Of j. Hampton Moore
OF Philadelphia, who several times
told the house that the newspapers
were bringing about war. Senator
Kirby of Arkansas. IA comparatively
new man in the senate, in discussing
the resolution giving the president
power made the assertion that the
country had been Unframed by a hire
ing sensational press"
or curse most newspapers in the
country have heard that "hireling
press" stuff for many years. but the
condition of most newspapers through
odt iht AOuitAa - u sunni ASAiL 1RIlNA
that they have received financial aid
One Of Heflin's Stories.
During the discussion Of the Reed
"bone dry" amendment to the p~ostoliee
appropriation bin Tom Helm of Ala
bama, who IL a good story teller, ex-
planned why 1t was that a lot of men
did not want their states TO go "bone
dry" This is Helms story:
Il am reminded of a story about an
old fellow who wanted 90 lie rid of
the barrooms. but who did not want to
sever his connection with the privilege
of getting a small smidgen OF spirits
now and then. lie was sitting in the
amen corner at church on Sunday. aud
when the preacher said i hope to see
the day when there viii be no whisky
sold In this town the old fellow said
Amen And when the preacher said
Il hope to see the time when 1t will
be impossible to get a drop In the
whole United States the old fellow
said, "Um, um, parson; You are going
a leetle too fast for me-"
Would Come Too Late.
An investigation into the cost of liv.
ing at the present time would come
too late to do any particular good. By
the time the facts were known the
situation would change and the coun.
try would not get the benefit OF the In
vestigation If legislation was the OBJ
ject. Chairman Fitzgerald Of the ap-
preparations committee called the pro
posed Investigation under an expendi
ture OF 100000 a humhug. The sen
ate committee agreed with Fitzgerald
and cut out the appropriation without
any objection. The fact is that the
extraordinarily high cos of living at
the present time Is cauSed by the con
troll of foodstuffs In the hands of a
few people. who are holding it In the
hope that the European war and the
possible participation of the United
States in that war will still further In
crease prices.
Has Very Few Friends.
The manner in which the senate
treated the Underwood amendment to
reduce the tax ON oleomargarine to .
cents a pound shows that poor old
oleo has mighty few friends In con
eress. Although the city population
has been increasing and the rural pop
ulation decreasing, the friends of the
American COW are always able to see
that any substitute for butter has not
much OF a chance in congress-.
Two Parliamentarians.
1t was observed during the last SEES
sion Of congress when there was
something Of very great importance TO
consider in the house of representa-
tiyes that Speaker Clark would choose
either John Garner of Texas or
Charles r. Crisp of Georgia as CHAIR
man OF the committee of the whole.
Champ has absolute confidence i'm both
OF these men as parliamentary experts
and as men who can be depended
upon to be absolutely fair.