Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-08
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Special to The Bulletin, )

iAoH Ol what can best be done with disabled soldiers on their return from Trance. A corps of experts are at work finding out just what effect cer- tain permanent disabilities have on certain "occlpational opportunities" as they express it. That is, if a man ilas lest 2 leg. in what occupation will ne least feel it's loss. If both legs have been left behind on 1he battle fields of France, and his arms and eyesight are good as ever, in what field Will he be of the most service kpth to himself and to his country. And if blind. what can he still do. And so CT. down depiorably long list of casualties to which our boys are subjected: The department of labor selected New England with it's great industries as the field of investiga- tion, and sent delegation of experts to Massachusetts to study the prob lem by locking into the law of that state which provides for eompensa- tion and reinstatement sf employees and which has statistics at hand to show the length of time it takes a normal case to recover from certain casualties and the work for which the restored men seemed best fitted. The replacement of the injured soldiers and sailors into civil life with assured employment for such as are able to work, is one of the greatest questions confronting the country, and various plans have already been suggested on the floor of congress, although no defi- 1 mite scheMeEs before it for consdepa : ton. The war department has many plans in view for the rehabilitation of l the soldiers. and Secretary Lane of the 1 department Of the interior is adVocst- l ing that the spare and waste lands 1 of the government shall be turned over to the men for cultivation, but what will really result is still entirely conjecture.
 The certain delay until after elee- l ton of the passage of the wartime
 prohibition bill and the probable de lay on the revenue bill are giving the l chance to say T told you so' to q good many republicans who have felt ] from the first that the party in power preferred to get the campaign out ot
 the way before the votes were record l ed in either case. Suffrage had neer put in the same class, but that hold l Up fell through with the result thai i the measure was hopelessly defeated To be sure certain administration
 leaders are urging the revenue bi. l b rushed through, but certain others
 just as strong and as near the top are holding back. In this tug Of wal between democratic factions, it look, at this moment as though the hold
 lacks had the strongest team an, would win out.
 The reconstruction resolution intro dueed by Senator Weeks of Massa 1 chusetts called for a purely non-par 1 tisan committee, which should con
 slider the tremendous questions whicl will come with peace The Week
 resolution puts the consideration c
 those questions into the hands ,ot
 congress. Now Senator Overman o North Carolina, Q firmly grounded ol fashioned Southern democrat, come
 along with a resolution giving tE
 president power to appoint a commis
 sion to consider those questions an
 which would take the matter frcr
 congress and put it in the hands c
 the executive. The Oyernan reso i, lution will meet with vigorous oppo sition by the republicans, who ha unanimously endorsed the Weeks res olution at party conference. Tn republicans have announced that un der no circumstances will they ae
 nuiesce in any proposition that take
 the reconstruction problem away froI congress, Making bt appointive l would not only take it away from ii proper place. but is strongly tinge
 with partisanship. Republicans an democrats have pulled together i
 congress on all matters pertaining {
 the war. And we must see that con gress, which will have to make tn l reconstruction laws when peace is de z elared, IS the body which shall stud { in advance the problems which wi , arise. The functions of congress mu:
 not be taken from it and given ove
 to the executive nor to a federal con mission said one of the leaders tC day.
 Washington took time by the fore 3 lock and prepared to meet the ir l f1uenza epidemic by closing all tf : schools, theaters. churches and otht [ places where people gather.
 Staggered" the hours of opening u ! great government departments Whel ; more than 100 ,G00 persons are en ployed and where the universal opeI iEg hour of g a. m. crowded the stre i cars to their utmost and increase = the danger. Tine uniform hours tpening and closing resulted in |, rush that huddled thousands into u + lily ventilated spaces intended f, hundreds Now the departmen
 open at varying hours between z. 5 and 9.30 and close with correspondiI difference. The stores are forbidd' it by the city authorities to open befe c 1d a. m. so the workers are out $ the way before the shoppers begin
 ride. Thus far there has been no er
 demie, but there are enough cas . and deaths on record to put the heal II authorities on guard. The city is = eNercrowded that it is an exceptio | al 1Hr :- sort. In many instances three a, W four persons are occupying a slee s ing room intended for one Hots T close their narlors at an early ho ,t and put in as many cots as the roc 'l Will hold. The lunch rooms are lF crowded that there is no more elbt
 room than straightjacket would 6
 ford. As result of these stringe
 orders Washington on Sunday was
 silent city. Not only was it a ga S, less Sunday, and not a henk hea le on the streets. but the churches we
 closed and the vaudeville and nov ,t which run the same Sundays as wee Y days out here, were shut tight | drums. The Catholic churches h'
 mass on the lawns, other denomin J. tions held prayer and song servie m in the open; otherwise there "
 scarcely sound to be heard in u z city of 100000 people, AiFplanes frS E the nearby training ground flew co r stantly overhead. and the hum
 their motors was about the or g, sound that broke the abnormal sti h ness of the day.
 Among the bills which passed t at house this week was one providi is for the purchase of uniforms, aeeo
 tFements and equipment by officers .n the marine corps, coast guard a 7, navy; the midshipmen of the Ns7 .e Academy at Annapolis and the cads is at the Coast Guard Academy at N