The Washington times., 1918-03-02
By w. v. BYARS.

backed up against the wall, OF bank
ruptcy, everything else would have to
fall first, and even then there was no
certainty that they would be the
worse for it. AS for relief where 1t
was most needed by the average
man" the average man could not
get within a thousand miles Of it"
under the bill.
When Senators, who had made up
their minds to vote for the bill,
whether they liked It or not, found
one OF their number actually Saying
something" they seemed to enjoy II.
Sherman asked them to feel in their
pockets and see If they could find a
gold certificate among their paper
money. He invited them further to
go to any bank in Washington and
see II they could get a check cashed
in gold certificates. He suspected
that banking experts we're "impound-
ing" all the gold surplus OF the coun-
try and gold certificates with 1t, so
that as soon as suffering million
aires" were relieved by war finance
bonds, they could use the bonds in
issuing more paper money, with pos
sibilities up to a maximum of seven
and half billions Of it He refused
to be party to putting such power
as the bill gave into the hands Of
any man alive or of any man who
ever did live. And IL millionaires
we're in distress, he would not be a
party to relieving suffering poverty"
Of that kind.
After this highly enjoyable out
burst. the Senate proceeded in the
compulsory labor Of amending the
bill in detail, with view to its
passage. Several valuable amend
ments were incorporated for routine
Operations, including one against "in-
terlocking directorates." Another
inserted the word adequate" before
security" under the section, author
izing the relief Of distressed public
utility corporations, which may have
lcapitalized their franchises beyond
their power to eXtort surplus from
the public. The process OF amend
ment was not completed before ad-
jjournment.
Under a Military Committee bill
passed by the Senate, the executive
department, in dealing with con-
scripts, registered but not yet called
out, is authorized to ignore existing
classes, and to call into service
among others those who are trained
in agriculture and the industries.
The word military" inserted before
'"service" makes it harder to construe
| the bill in favor of compulsory labor
on farms or elsewhere.
The House began debate on the
legislative and executive appropria-
tion bill, and debated the State OF
the Union" The House has several
philanthropists who come close as
they dare TO advocating the nullifica-
| ton of the Thirteenth Amendment
against involuntary servitude on
farms. In discussing that issue, Hon.
Simeon d. Fess of Ohio was con-
servative. He favored organizing
farmworkers from the public schools,
but did not advocate compulsion. He
was in favor of letting" them work
for the suffering farmers who, in
1917, raised so much more corn than
they could get TO market, that a
great deal Of it was reported as still
ungathered in the field.
In pushing the river and harbor
bill on toward passage Chairman
Small again called attention to its
provision for terminal facilities and
other means of operating rivers and
railroads together. AS the Govern
ment has always owned the wafer
ways, privately owned railroads put
them out of business" when they
competed. With both rivers and rail-
roads under Government control it is
hoped that they can be operated to-
gether.