The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-08-16
Washington Letter.

correspondence Before casting his
vote for the Spanish and Philippine
war widows pension bill Congressman
James S. Parker of New York took
the precaution of having the language
interpreted by those in charge of the
measure so that there would be no
uncertainty at the Bureau of Pensions
regarding the intention of Congress.
Mr.. Parker has had called to his at
tention two cases where both the vet
eran and his wife are dead, leaving
children under the age of 16. There
was some doubt in the Congressman's
mind whether the surviving children
would get the pension of So provided
for minors of that age, or whether
they would receive the rate to which
the mother would have been entitled.
Mr.. Parker was assured that in such
cases the children would receive the
full pension of $12 that would have
gone to the mother had she lived
The matter of the alien slackers in
our country has occupied the atten-
tion of Congressman Roscoe G. ,McCul-
Those people have been outside of
the jurisdiction of their own countries,
and exempt under our draft law be-
cause of their alienage, hence they
have been entirely immune from mil
itary service. The attitude of the
alien slackers towards our own boys
liable to military duty has been very
obnoxious in many sections of the
country, and Mr.. McCulloch has no
ticed it particularly in his own dis
trict. So impressed was the Con-
gresham with the injustice of feat
ures Of the draft law favorable to
foreign citizens within our borders
the subject and personally presented
it to the President, at the same time
urging him to recommend corrective
legislation. Mr. McCulloch is much
gratified at the recent success of the
draft treaties between the United
States and Great Britain, by which
we will be able to draft British citi-
zens of military age who may be re-
siding in this country.
The enactment of the Spanish war
widows pension bill into law was ma
terially expedited by Representative
Simon D. Fess of Ohio when he asked
his colleagues to refrain from offer
ing amendment to the measure and
thus delay final action upon it. The
bill came to the House from the SEN
ate where it was originated, and was
reported from the House committee
without amendment. Several Mem
bers attempted to have the language
of the bill changed in minor particu-
lars, but after listening to the pleas
of Mr.. Fess and his friends the House
rejected all amendments without even
a record vote being taken on them.
By so doing a conference with the
Senate was avoided and the bill be-
came law many days and possibly
weeks earlier than it otherwise would.
Claude Kitchin, chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee, is the
gentleman charged with steering rev.
enue measures through the House of
Representatives By Constitutional
mandate all bills for raising revenue
originate in that body, and are re-
ferred to Kitchin's committee to be
drafted. Provided, of course, Crown
Prince McAdoo does not see fit to set
aside the Charter of American Liber-
ty and have the bill drafted in his
own office. 1t has been Mr.. Kitchin's
acknowledged policy to make the
North pay for the war. His idea is
that the South should supply the leg
islation and the North the funds. In
this way both sections will be doing
their bit, and the South is to be re-
warded by exempting her cotton from
any war burdens, prohibiting importa
tions of rice, so that southern rice
growers may enjoy higher prices, and
constructing the army cantonments,
nitrate plants, ETC., in Southern States.
The north is to forego earthly rewards
or compensations, but is to reap spir-
itual rewards on the field of battle,
honor, courage, bloody sacrifice, and
the bubble reputation at the can
mons mouth" Check up one thous-
and casualties, to strike an average,
U
lieves this to be an equitable division
of the spoils of modern farfare, and
perhaps those who hold good name
to be greater than riches may agree
with him.
1t happened recently that one E. L.
Travis, described as prominent in
North Carolina politics, got loop of
the law around his neck on charges
of conspiracy to defraud the U. S.
Government out of large sum of
money on a shipping contract. Possi-
bly, the receipts from taxing the North
were not being spent fast enough, be-
cause it is alleged that Travis was to
get his hook in for 100000 for land
ing the contract for his principals to
build ships for the Emergency Fleet
Corporation. Travis is said to have
been a member of Kitchin's law firm.
! Kitchin says he was in the firm some
years ago. He is also said to have
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