The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-03-08
LATE CONGRESS NOTABLE FOR ITS
ACTS FOR NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS
Provided for Great Increases Navy and for Enlargement and
Reorganization of Army-Shp Purchase Child Labor and
Other Momentous Laws Also Passed.

Inc snip purchase Dill eStaDllSneu
a government shipping board to su-
pervise shipping matters generally. 1t
appropriated $5O.0OO,OOO to be OBJ
tanned from the sale of Panama canal
bonds for the purchase or construction
of ships to be leased to private indi-
viduaIs In an effort to restore the
American merchant marine.
The Adamson eight-hour railroad
law was enacted on the eve of ad-
journment of the first session of the
last congress. The enactment of
the measure prevented nation.
wide railroad strike. 1t, however,
has never become effective. Be
tween the time of its enactment and
the time for the commencement of its
operation. January 1 last, the constitu-
tionality of the measure was chal-
lenged by the railroads, and the whole
matter is now pending In the Supreme
court.
Supplemental railroad legislation,
proposed by President Wilson In his
annual message last December, failed
of enactment. This legislation would
have provided for the prevention of
strikes by compulsory legislation. II
was heartily opposed by all of the
bodies of organized labor which had
previously sought the eight-hour rail-
road law.
Child Labor and immigration.
The child labor law barred from in.
terstate commerce all products of chill
dren under sixteen years of age In
mines or of children under fourteen In
factories.
The passage of the immigration bill
with its literacy test was accomplished
over President Wilson's second Veto
The literacy feature had been a
subject of controversy between the ex-
ecutive and legislative branches of the
government for the past twenty years.
Presidents Taft and Cleveland both We
toed immigration measures because
they carried the literacy feature,
which all three presidents thought was
not a proper measure of the fitness OF
aliens for admission to the United
States.
The federal farm-loan act, commonly
called the rural-credits bill. created
- federal land banks with s75O,OOO
capital each. The bill provides sys-
TEN whereby loans may be made to
farmers for productive purposes
through national farm-loan associa-
tlons. 1t will meet more particularly
the needs of agricultMists in the West
and South.
Under the vocational educational act
the federal government on gradually
increasing scale covers every state ap-
preparation dollar for dollar for secon-
dairy school instruction in agriculture
and the mechanical and Industrial arts.
On the eve of adjournment congress
passed the post-office appropriation
bill, with an amendment making "bone
dry" all states having prohibitory laws.
This measure was introduced in the
senate by Senator Reed of Missouri.
Its unexpected enactment had the ef-
feet of absolutely prohibiting the ship
ment in interstate commerce of intoxi-
cants into states or territories which
forbid the manufacture or sale of
liquor.
1t also closes the mails to all liquor
advertising, including newspaper ad-
vertising. Neither can letters solicit
Ing liquor orders be carried In the
mails.
Sixteen Senators Retire.
Sixteen senators have now discarded
their togas and prefixed their titles
with Sex" This disturbance of per-
vol h,,S -.
Democratic control of the upper house.
The Democratic majority of 16 is cut
to IL, leaving out of consideration such
senators and senators-elect as La Fol-
lette. Hiram Johnson, Poindexter and
Norris, officially classed us Republic
ans but not always voting according to
classification.
Among the nationally known sena-
tors now retired to private life are
Clarence d. Clark of Wyoming, who
has served in the senate continuously
since January %, 1885, Moses E. Clapp
of Minnesota, one of the original Pro-
gressives; Luke Lea of Tennessee, now
only thirty-seven years old, known as
the Baby SENATOR" James f. MARITIME
of New Jersey, who acquired fame
early in his senatorial career by his
stanch defense Of applejack as bev-
erage. and John w. Kern of Indiana,
who has been Democratic leader of the
senate.
Needing no Introduction" among the
new senators are Hiram johnson Of
California, Frank b. Kellogg, trust
buster" Of Minnesota, and Philander
G. Knox of Pennsylvania. Unlike the
rest Of the senators-elect, "their repu-
tations are made" all they need to do
Is to "live up to EN-
Thomas Jefferson's dinner, on the
day when he signed the Declaration