Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-11-23
MEMBER or THE ASSOCIATED
pEEc
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 20. 1918
INFORMING MIR. SELIGMAN.


State Chairman Arthur Seligman
has sent out a circular letter to the
leading democrats of the state asking
for opinions as to why the democrats
lost out completely IN New Mexico
this year Although not asked for its
opinion on the subject the Journal
submits the following for Mr.. Selig-
mans consideration:
I. For six years the democrats of
the southern states, for the first time
since the civil war, have been in com
plete control Of every important com
mittee craftsmanship in the lower
house OF congress Except one and
that during the past two years. and
nearly all Of the important chairman
ships of the senate. For example,
simmons Of North Carolina has been
chairman of the all-powerful finance
committee OF the senate and Kitchin
of North Carolina has been chairman
of the equally powerful ways and
means committee of the house of rep
resentatives. For eight years Champ
Clark has been speaker Of the house.
Opposition TO War.
@ From these southern members
has come nearly all the opposition to
the war and its vigorous prosecution.
1t was Speaker Clark who said In
Missouri we see little difference be-
tween a conscript soldier and a con-
Wet" 1t was Kitchin who declared
over and over again that the news
papers and the capitalists brought on
the war and he framed legislation to
punish them for it. Also 1t was he
who caused Secretary of the Treasury
McAdoo so much trouble over Liberty
Loan legislation, Kitchin trying to
frame the bills so that the loans
would have no chance of succeeding.
All except three of the senators char
acteriaed by the president as the
''willful twelve" We're democrats hold
ing leading places on the great COM
mittees. Then there was the demo-
cratic chairman of the house military
committee who refused to take the
lead in putting through the adminiS-
tration's bills for the creation of an
army, two of the most important
measures being steered through the
house by julius Kahn, republican, of
California.
Cantonmcnts and Cotton.
3. While the south secured prac-
tically all Of the camps and canton
ments and grew so rich on contracts
that the chambers of commerce Of the
principal southern cities issued state
ments showing that their bank clear
ings were far greater than those OF
similar sized cities on the north and
the west Mr.. Kitchin announced
that he intended to so frame the rev.
enue bills that the north and the west
would have tp pay the taxes for the
carrying on of the war. He and
Simmons We're able to put the job
across.
4. While prices of all the great
staples of the north and the west
were regulated. and the people were
protected from extortion, the south
ern members of congress prevented
the touching Of cotton prices, al
though that great necessity of rich
and poor alike rose to seventy-five
cents pound, '7ntil within two
t1,a ,le4ff
signed. Also within two weeks from
the time of the armistice Holle Smith
and his southern associates had sue
ceeded in having the war industries
board lift the restrictions on cotton.
labor in the South.
5. While the labor vote of New
Mexico largely went to the democrat
ic candidates in New Mexico, such
was not the case in the eastern and
western states where leaders had
given thought TO the subject. For
years union labor has been fighting
against child labor. and, "a federal law
was passed (fought at every step by
practically every southern senator)
prohibiting the employment of chill
dren in the factories. a suit was
brought before Federal Judge Boyd
of North Carolina, testing the con-
stitutionality Of the child labor law,
and he declared Il unconstitutional
and issued an injunction prohibiting
IFS enforcement.
6. 1t is known to labor generally
that the labor Of the southern states
is BY far the lowest and poorest paid
the most poorly fed and clothed and
housed and less respected than any
where in North America outside OF