Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-18
CONGRESSMAN MooRE'S
LETTER
How Presidential Interference. has
Delayed the Work Of Congress.
Gossip About Thomas Devlln,
Or. Risley and Others
Washington. Oct. Is.

Washington, Oct. 1S.
CONGRESS is coming in for good deal
of criticism for the manner in which 1t Is
proceeding with business, but there is good
excuse for some of the delays that have oc-
Cured with respect to important legislation.
In the first place, everybody knew the sen
ate'would debate the treaty for months ana
that any legislation passed by the House
would be held up until the treaty was DIS
posed of The House of Representatives. ,had
members, knowing the conditions in the
Senate. prepared to adjourn so that the
important committees having in charge the
railroad legislation, the shipping bills ana
the war expenditure investigations might
be permitted to go on with their work uh
hampered. A day or two before adjourn
ment, which was to be had with the consent
of the Senate the President stepped in with
his strike troubles and insisted that the
House remain in session. The result was
bad humor all along the line. The com
mittee members, who might haYe done their
work and had it ready by October, were
was in session and because under the rules
any member could break up an important
committee meeting by demanding q call OF
the roll. Absentceism became general. tile
committees fell back in their work every
body got more or less tcsty. and now that
cool weather is coming again, the Senate is
still in session and the treaty discussion is
still on. To make matters worse, the Pres'
dent is sick and Colonel House, the next best
posted man on the treaty has come home
with the ''iiu." Members of Congress admit
that progress in the House has been slow,
but they disclaim entire responsibility for
what has happened. The Pennsylvania
members talked this situation over at the
dinner to discuss congressional procedure
with National Congressional Committeeman
George S. Graham.
A GOOD many Delaware politicians put in
"A an appearance at the celebration of the
taking over of the Chesapeake and Della
ware Canal. Both of the big parties were
represented by their big men. Governor
Townsend was on hand with o word of vel
come, and Senator Salisbury, who was
president pro TEN. of the Senate last year
presided, and his successor. United States
Senator Ball, was among the speakers
waterway matters. Its geographical situa-
tion makes it an important maritime state
Hiram L. Burton of Lewes. former con
gresham. was one of the early proponents
of the taking over of the Chesapeake and
Delaware Canal. as was ex Justice George
Gray formerly United States senator and
l'r caleb IL. Layton, who casts the
entire vote in the House of Representa-
tives for the Delaware delegation fthis is a
standing joke of the Blue Hens Chickens),
has become a member of the rivers and
harbors committee. Altogether, Delaware
ans had right to rejoice at what took
place on the banks of the canal at Delaware
City. Even the old lock tenders who had
worked with the canal company were happy
since they found Uncle Sam good employer
even though he intends ultimately to remove
the locks and deepen the canal Other
prominent Delawareans present included
Supervising Inspector General George Uhler,
OF the United States steamboat inspection
service; Captain Philip Reybold, whose
torebears operated the canal, and Colonel
Higgins. brother of the late Anthony Hie-
gins. United States senator
DHILADELPHTA women are certainly
blazing away for good government. Or
CARNATIONS are springug up on every hand,
which gently admonish mere man that
woman is coming into her own; that she
intends to figure in politics, and that her
voice, if not ultimately her vote, will be
heard or cast for the good of the order.
Witness the speech Of Mrs. II s. Prentiss
Nichols at the recent Academy of Music
meeting, the civic talks of Mrs Margo)is.
head of the Philadelphia section of the
Council of Jewish Women, and the effective
literary work of Mrs Cornelius N
Stevenson. The Woman's League for Good
Government is another of the Philadelnbia
organizations now attracting attention. Mrs.
Frank Miles Day is the chairman of this
league and a part Of her work recentlv
has been to give aid to the civic associations
which are building up to help the citv
administration.
THOMAS DEYLIN, who conducts his ex-
= l. tensive maleable iron works at Burlinr-
ton, New Jersey, has a big idea concerning
the treatment of public officials. He con.
tends that the salared man in the public
service has not been squarely dealt with and
that he should receive better financial assist
ance Mr.. Devln points 10 the hiyb cost
of living, which has borne most heavily unon
the man whose pay is fixed. business mon
have advanced wages, he argues WHY NOT
municipalities? There is a good deal of
truth in what Mr.. Devln says. and he is
probably speaking by the card since cir
cular sent out to the trade in which he 10
interested indicates that the average ad-
vance in labor producing hardware since
1909 is over 172 per cent. Day molders
according to this authority have advanced
during that period $50 per cent tool makers
157 per cent and laborers 233 per cent. Mr.
Devlin refers to all this as explaining wbv
the cost of goods has gone up, and to tho
labor cost he adds war taxes. increased
municipal taxes and other causes
DR. SAMUEL d. RISLEY, who belongs
~ to that little group of mariners who
dine at the Union League and who include
DIR, f, L. Vansant. and DIR. G. Dram Ring
president of the Medical Club of PhiladeI.
phia, tells a pretty little story about what
we might call the modesty of the individuoI