Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-02
CONGRESSMAN MOORE'S
LETTER
Some Doubt About the Center OF
Political Power In Washington.
Big Men In the Lincoln Club.
What Carleton e. Davis
Is Doing
Washington, July 2.

ANY ONE who can tell whether the Rcpub
4 licans or the Democrats, as such, have a
political advantage in Washington just now,
will deserve n d. S. medal. Mr.. Wilson is
the President and grouped around him are
the most strongly entrenchcd bunch of
office holders the country has ever seen. They
are in power and need only legislation and
appropriations to continue. They know
their chief has the veto power and can
block almost anything an avowedly Repub-
ican House and very dubious Senate
may do. In the House of Representatives,
thus far, under the guidance of the speaker
and steering committee which has been
working in measurable harmony with the
main body of the House, the Republicans
have met most problems as they have arisen
intelligently and with an eye to economy;
but on some questions. due to geographical
and other conditions, differences have arisen.
On the Senate side the league of nations
discussion has bored holes into Republican
harmony. In both bodies the Democrats.
shorn of their dictatorship, have been lying
low like ''b'rer Rabbit" waiting for the Re
publicans to disagree and chuckling over
such differences as have arisen. In the
House they have begun to make light of
Republican claims of economy, seeing that
what the House does to effectuate economy
is offset TO large degree by riders attached
to appropriation bills in the Senate, all the
while knowing that those Senate riders
demonstrate the influence of the Wilson
bureaucrats to perpetuate their influence
through the Senate when they cannot obtain
al they want through the House. And the
Democrats likewise observe signs of Repub-
lican dissension with respect to land bills
soldiers pay, salary increases and SO forth
while the effort is being made to reduce
taxes. The rock upon which most Repub-
licans rest their case with the public is
economy, lessening of the frightful expense
bills incurred by the preceding Democratic
Congress. But there Republicans, and
there are big interests. and there are expen-
sive labor claims for continuance of large
appropriations and the creation of new
governmental agencies And they are strong
enough to justify the taxpayer putting to
himself the plain, blunt question. "How
can Congress, any nation, successfully
continue to increase its expenses and at the
same time meet the popular demand for a
reduction of taxcs?'
JOSIAH MARVEL, whose name Is a house
hold word among the Blue Hens Chick
ems is Democrat, but despite the fact he
is to be president of the Lincoln Club of
Philadelphia. a hitherto decidedly Repub
lican organization. Associated with him
on the executive committee are such men
as John II. Mason, of Victory Loan fame;
James Fl. Eckersley, of Germantown, the
granddaddy of the organization George
Stuart Patterson, the Pennsylvania Rail
roads legal luminary: William c. Sproul,
whose pen that signed the new charter law
is now the proud possession of one John
{. Winston Murdoch Kendrick, who has
so adjusted his legal affairs as to spend n
month in New England; William I. Shaffer.
whose fame as attorney general may or NAV
not rest upon a certain state sedition bill
Charles X. Hamilton who has n horse which
now and then takes a blue ribbon; Samuel
NJ. Clement Jr.. whose opinions as n pub-
nc utility commissioner may ultmatel shake
the foundations of n commonwealth William
j. Conlen. who is revising the port of
Philadelphia through the medium of the
Chamber of Commerce as to make it (the
port) n deservcdly potential adjunct To the
national welfare. and Howard B. Lewis.
who acts and talks as Abraham Lincoln
Is said to have done in his serious moods.
TO such a galaxy have recently been added
Elisha Lee. of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
and Samuel NJ Vauclain, head Of the Bald
win Locomotive Works, with the thought
that ninety eight other Americans of eoual
distinction, if they can be found, shall make
up the sum total of the clubs membership
And when that is accomplished. according
to Senator Wolcott, the youthful but i'm
pressive Delawarean in Congress. the club
under Mr.. Marvers direction, will be able
to induce President Wilson and other die
nitaries to put their legs under the clnb
mahogany. And so the Philadelphia club
| idea continues to develop It Is mn ,ssat
| which progressive citizens may well en-
| courage.
'NHERE were three happy men in the Phil
- adelphla congressional delegation last week
-Eeorge L. barrow, who made real fpht
on the floor and got through an amendment
| increasing the allowance provided for dis.
| abled soldieS in the vocational educational
Dill refer r. Costello, who assisted in
| having restored on the Senate side an ammo
| priation to encourage the manufacture of
| small arms ammunition the Frankford
Arsenal in mind, and George W. Edmonds
| he of the merchant marine and fisheries COM
mittee, whose legislative wrinkles were en-
| tirely ironed out on the arrival of Mrs
! George w. Edmonds. who has so many
friend in Washington that the Honorable
George was compelled to forget all about
Mr.. Hurley and the shipbuiding program
| in order to complete round of social engage
ments too long postponed. And not the least
| Oh the matter was little tete- a tete with
the new president of Brazil and certain other
notabilities who have been in our midst
OUR Philadelphia Water Bureaus chief.
" Carleton f. Davis, is also president of
the American Water Works Association, and
that association is endeavoring to have Con
gress authorize the compilation of official
statistics with regard to municipal owned
water works the country over At present.
however, owing to the state of the treasury.
Director Sam L. Rogers, of the Census
Bureau, is not inclined to ask for any extra
Nmoney. The American Water Works Asso