The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-05-11
WHAT CONGRESS IS DOING

Final legislative action was taken
Tuesday on the sedition bill. giving
the government broad new powers to
punish disloyal acts and utterances.
Adopting conference report already
approved by the senate, the house
sent to the president for his sigma
ture the measure which has been be-
fore congress for weeks, assailed as
menace to free speech and cham
pioned as essential to order at home
during the war.
Representative Young of North Da-
kota has introduced a resolution to
commemorate 100 years of disarma-
ment on the Great Lakes by the erec-
ton of statues at Duluth, Mimi, of
Richard Rush and Carl S. Baggot,
negotiators of the treaty. between the
United States and Great Britain. An
appropriation of $4,000 is provided.
On the grounds that "a reflection
was cast on members Of the senate"
the house refused to permit the in
sertion in the Record of a telegram
from the San Francisco Labor Coun-
ell, charging that Senators Phelan and
Poindexter had misrepresented the
labor movement of San Francisco in
their recent speeches in the senate
on the Mooney case.
The senate i: postoffice committee
has begun a hearing on the question
of second-class mail rates. The ef-
fort of witnesses is directed toward
obtaining a repeal or modification of
the rates established in the existing
war tariff bill.
Representative Harrison of Missis-
sippi has introduced bill providing
that disabled soldiers and sailors be
given preference in filling government
| civil-service places. Under the bill
the man most seriously wounded
would be given first opportunity for
| the position. Other applicants would
be placed on the list according to the
degree of their disability.
The house has passed the admins
tration bill authorizing government
control over production and distribu-
! ton of ores essential in the manu-
/ facture of war materials. It removed
the grant of arbitrary powers to the
president to fix prices and reduced the
proposed revolving fund from $780,
100000 to $1o,o00,o00. The bill now
goes to the senate.
| The house judiciary committee has
taken up the Overman bill, recently
passed by the senate. Chairman
| Webb predicts early action on the
measure.
! Rep. Rogers of Massachusetts, be.
fore the Interstate commerce com.
mittee of the house urged adoption
of a bill introduced by !, i'm providing
that officers be required to pay one.
half of their salaries to their wives
This is now mandatory upon enlisted
men.
Under the terms of a resolution in.
troduced by Rep. Swift of New York
: thorough auditing Of the expendi-
lures of the. $640,000,000 for the
aviation service voted last July would
be required. 80"
After discussion of two days the
senate passed the $60,000,O00 housing
bill. 1t included $10,o0e,ooo for the
housing of government employees in
the city Of Washington.
/ Last Wednesday A. c. Towley, pres.
ident Of the Nonpartisan league, ap.
! peared before the senate military
committee to deny charges of dis.
loyalty made against officers of that
| organization.
! Profiteers who defraud the govern
ment on war contracts would be heav-
| lily penalized under the terms Of a
bill favorably reported by the house
! judiciary committee. The bill, which
| is drawn by Chairman Webb, provides
that any one guilty of defrauding any
| corporation in which the government
| is interested shall be subject to 10
years Imprisonment or a $4,000 fine.
Representative Hicks, of New York
has introduced bill under which all
| frst-c class mail for officers and en-
listed men and nurses serving abroad
! would be forwarded free OF postage.