The Lamar register., 1918-04-17
WASHINGTON NOTES
T. R. Will Test 1t.


chance to test its constitutionality He
will not be alone in this; and there i.
little doubt what the courts will hold
In fact, there has already been litiga-
tion which fairly establishes the poin,
at issue. The suffragists who were
arrested and sent to Jail because they
stood at the White House gates ano
displayed banners bearing excerpt
from the Constitution and frem speech
es by well-known men, appe;.led then
case and were adjudged innocent Her,
superserviceable underlings at the cap
ital were responsible for the arrests
and there will be many more of then
all over the country who will seek t,
curry favor with their superiors i
the new law is enacted. We shall be
at the mercy of any petty officer whc
chooses to think that any criticism
of the administration is calculated
to aid the enemy or to retard the sal,
of Liberty Bonds.
The Man in The Iron Mask.
A New York newspaper is publish
ing installments of a biography o.
Col. House, which is to reveal "thC
real" Colonel. The advertising whici
preceded the publication was alluring
alleging among other things which go
to make superman of the Colonel, thai
he "foresaw the World War" In that
event, we wonder if he told the Presi-
dent of his vision; and if SO, why the
President did not act upon what tho
Colonel told him. Mr.. Wilson turn
ed deaf car to Roosevelt and to Wood
and to Gardner and to Weeks-but he
was supposed always to listen to the
Colonel. OF course, it may be that the
Colonel, foresceing this time the cas-
ualty lists which will soon begin to
come in and foreseeing also that
some one will be held responsible. Is
merely preparing an alibi.
A Mystery Measure.
1t is rather curious that, at the very
minute when Senator Ovcrman was
declaring the overwhelming necessity
of passing his bill to give the Presi-
dent unlimited power over all branches
of the government, the President was
naming Barney Baruch as chief pur-
chasing agent of all branches of the
service and was constituting him vir-
tually ministery of munitions in his
own person. 1t Is evident that the
Overman bill is to be used for nothing
which is extraordinarily essential end
that its real purpose has not yet been
disclosed. It is clearly piece of legis-
lation in the dark. The President al
ready had plenty of authority to dc
evrything necessary to carry on the
war and the Overman bill would be
in the nature of surplusage-if not
something worse.
No Crawfishing.
There will be a political campaign
this fall-just as there was in the fall
of 1862 and the fall of 1864. There
will be this difference, however-tho
minority party this year will be
war party. Back in Civil War days
the Democrats were trying to gair
possession Of Congress on the ground
that the war was failure and must
cease. Men who talk that way this
year stand good chance of going to
Jail instead Of going to Congress.
No Game in Sight.
Whether Heney resigned his job
with the Department of Justice or
whether he finished what he was hired
to do or whether he was just plain
fired Is not worth the space which
Chicago newspapers are giving to the
subject. The fact is that Heney has
quit prosecuting the beef packers and
the burning question is whether the
administration abandoned the case be-
cause there was no case.
The Case of Mooney.
The Presidents plea to the Governor
of California for mercy in the case of
Thomas ]. Mooney, convicted of muir
der in the case of the bomb outrage
at San Francisco at the time of the
preparedness parade two years ago, is
attracting attention because the inter-
national aspect which the case assum-
ed. 1t is argued that the execution
of Mooney would excite the Bolshe-
i