River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-03-14
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
(By James A. Frear, M. Co.


by the Government after the war
has been debated, Postmaster Cen
eraI Burleson offers to have his de-
partment take over the telephone
system of the District and guaran-
tees lower rates and better efficien-
CIV. Applications are pending before
the Utilities Commission for an in
crease in rates so that the effect OF
Burleson's proposal is to challenge
private management with promise
to furnish better service under Gov
eminent ownership d manage
ment. In his signed statement Mr..
Burleson agrees first to operate the
entire District system without IN
creased charges to the patrons, Sc
cond without reducing salaries, third
to pay for the system out OF surplus
revenues of the Postal Service, and
lastly he agrees to remove the pre-
sent congestion and cause for COM
plant, by giving better service. The
movement for Government control
and ownership has taken vigorous
hold since the outbreak of the war,
and has opened ne eyes of the pub
lie to comparative cost and efficiency
of private and public management.
Washington is known as the seat
Of government and yet there is no
city of Washington according t Q
facts presented before the House in
debate last week. In 1870 the Ma
tons Capitol was in New York and
compromise was agreed to per-
hitting the removal Of the Capitol
to Philadelphia for ten years and
thereafter to remain in the District
Of Columbia. A charter was issued
by the Government to the city OF
Washington in 1902 but no municip-
al limits were fixed, a t h u g h
Georgetown, a small city adjoining
Washington in the District limits
was Incorporated under the British
Crown in 1850 or a quarter Of cent
ury before the revolution. By an
act passed February Fl, 1871 the
charter of the city of Washington
was repealed and thereafter h e
District of Columbia provided for in
the 1890 act, because the seat Of
Government. In words of Repre-
sentative Johnson of Kentucky, in
debate there is no city of Wash
ington" and when asked by Mem
Der where are we at" he answered
in the d S t RI c of Columbia, "
President Wilson is understood to
have officially recognized this fact
by changing proclamations so that
they now read, Done in the Dist
riot of Columbia instead of "at the
City of Washington.
Party politics had day off in the
House when "Uncle" Joe Cannon,
on the shady side of eighty years
took the floor to pay his respects to
Speaker Clark. Formerly these two
old time antagonists occupied re-
verse positions with Cannon in the
Chair and Clark leader of the Demo
cratic minority on the F loor, but
last Thursday. Cannon congratulate
ulated Clark on his 6Sth birthday
and declared he ought to be humid
red years old and then win O O
race, Intellectually and physical
ly. Every Member of h e House
rose TO his feet when Speaker Clark
responded and he was greeted with
applause and laughter when he said
Mr.. Cannon and | have had some
right hot times n this House to-
gether and they were not glove con-
tests but wi h bare knuckles. .
Clark further expressed his graft
tude for good wife, good children,
boy in the Army and fine grand
son Is months old who looks like his
grandad. In days of hot political
debate when charges a nd counter
charges are passed across the aisle,
it is relief to find all the Members
doing homage for a few brief mo-
ments to the quaint, lovable figure
in the Speakers chair, whose fair
ness in rulings has never been ques-
toned by the most bitter political
opponents.
A bill approved by the War De-
partment passed the House last Fri.
day authorizing furloughs for farm