The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-08-23


introduced bills III congress. to meet TIL
situation, following up the same befor
the committees of congress, the De
partment of the Interior, and on tn
floor of the house. The result of thi
work and that of others who wer
working with him was a sort of omni
bus or compromise bill, in each instance
that embodied the principles of til,
French bills. This was followed by
general civil rights bill, supported b,
Mr.. French, applicable to our soldier
during the period of the war, carrying
out still further the principles proposed
War Risk Insurance Bill.
This measure is one of the most i'm
portant that the congress considered
1t provides that soldiers may take out
insurance policies for those depedent
upon them and it provides system OF
compensation for injuries received in
service.
Mr.. French was one of the earnest
supporters of this measure
AS reported from the committee, this
bill contained a provision for commute
ton for disabilities incurred by soldiers
Mr.. Frnech saw that this communication
feature would open up the doors to
sharks and schemers- and, as we'll, open
up the opportunity for mistakes upon
the part of beneficiaries. He saw that
the bill in the form in which it was
reported would cause untold hardship
to soldiers and their families for years
and then would be followed by correct
i've legislation costing the government
millions of dollars.
Mr.. French worked out an amend
ment to correct this feature of the bill
which was adopted by the congress by
a three-fifths vote The amendment Of
Mr.. French stands second in impor-
lance only to the measure itself in safe
guarding the interests of soldiers and
their families and protecting the gov
ernment as WE'LL 1t is freely admitted
that the feature of the bill eliminated by
the French amendment today would not
receive more than handful of votes in
the house of representatives were it to
be again proposed
Convicts Should Perform Service for
the Government.
Another of the measures passed by |
he war congress was that providing for |
he manufacture of certain conmod- |
ties at the federal penitentiary at At
anita, Georgia, thereby using the labor
# hundreds of convicts.
Mr. French has long been identified
With the movement of utilizing convict
abor for state use and has opposed the
'lacing of convict labor in competition
With the labor of free men. 1t was the
french amendment that provided in
he foregoing bill that the productions
f the penitentiary should be sold only
0 the government - an amendment
which had much to do with eliminating
pposition to the measure and which
till further paves the way for the utili
alton of convict labor in matters that II
ill recompense the state and the gov ,
rnment for the crimes the convicts I
ave committed and at the same time, Z
ill bring health and efficiency to those I
prison service.
Price Fixing of Wheat. {
When the administration deemed it t
dvisable to fix the price of wheat at
20 at the primary markets, Represen- t
tive French, with others of the dele t
atoms from the northwest, recognized c
lat the differential on account of freight /
ltes would work tremendous hardship {
y which they represented who were t
llled upon to pay more for their ma 9
1inery and as much for labor as the 1t
Irmers near to the primary markets. b
Here, again, the team work of the &
embers from the northwest, partici c
tied in by Mr.. French, shows results 2
bringing to the attention of the food c
the factors that should be Q
nsidered in the fixing of the price at t
fferent points in the northwest that K
ill unquestionably mean the betterment t
conditions of the wheat-grower of Q
is region in bringing him more i
Iuitable price for his grain.
rejection Of Carey Act Entrymen. G
The government has taken over for In
clanation under the federal reclama- h
IN law certain lands whose reclama- g