The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1921-07-29


formed in the ways and means COM
mittee. Fordney. Nick Longworth
and other wealthy and reactionery
members OF this committee do not
want monopolists to pay for their
privileges and will use their power
to kill the Keller program with as
little discussion as possible.
I4add FavOrs Metric Measure
Senator Ladd has introduced bill
which provides for the use Of metric
system, after period of ten years,
in commercial transactions where
weights and measures are involved.
More than 100000 petitions from
leading national and state associa-
tions, firms and individuals, urging
Congress to take advantage of the
general use Of metric weights and
measures for the people of the United
States are on file at the Department
of Commerce. The metric system IS
far more convenient than the stand
ard OF weights and measures now
employed is this country and practi-
cally all scientists favor its adoption.
Aircraft Sink German Craft
The recent bombing tests conduct
ed OF Hampton Roads, where army
and navel flyers sunk several captur
cd Norroou wor ohjus hovo oor,,ipo
ed experts that battleships are prac
tically obsolete in modern warfare.
The aviators had no difficulty in To-
eating the German ships, and. once
located, they were showered with
INT bombs. The aircraft squadrons
attacked SO rapidly that 1t is very
doubtful whether anti-airship guns
would have availed to protect the
battleships. Despite the conclusive
character of the tests. strong efforts
are being made to make 1t appear
that battleships are still supreme.
The reason is plain. A modern bat
tleship costs fifty million dollars and
the patriots who manufacture
them don't want to be deprived Of
their profits merely because a $780,
900 flying machine can send the
monarch Of the seas" to the bottom
with one well-placed bomb.
Mexico Repeats Oil Tax
When Mexico increased its oil tax
by 25 per cent great howl went up
from the American oil interests
which have been trying to involve
this nation into war with It's neigh
Dor and several riots-probably in
cited by the oil profiteers-were
staged at Tampico. This govern
ment promptly dispatched couple
of battleships to Tampico "to pro-
tect American interests and after
this covert threat, coupled with
plenty of bellicose talk by the oil in
terests who seem to order our bat
tleships about much as they would
call taxicabs. President Obregon
was bluffed in resembling his tax in
crease. 1t Is more and more appar-
ent in Washington that the oil inter-
ests have the ear Of the Administra-
ton and that Mexico will have to
watch its step pretty carefully the
next four years II it is to avoid "in-
terventiOn"-Which means annex
alton.
AIilitarisln Absorbs Peoples Money
When General "Hell and Marie
Dawes was appointed budget director
1t was given out with great fanfare
Of trumpets that he intended to lor
one billion dollars OF the govern
ment's expenses. My letter Of that
date pointed out the extreme, i'm
probability Of any such saving.
showed that 80 per cent Of the gov
ernment's expenditures went to pay
for wars past, present and future
The Administration would stand fol
no reduction Of its military program
lin fact Harding and his secretaries
Of the war and navy demanded larg-
or appropriations than Congress was
willing to grant. This left less thar
1 $3.50. 900, 900 devoted to the upkeer
Of purely civil government and I was
somewhat puzzled as to how the
energetic General Dawes was goine
to accomplish his boosted billion dol
lars saving. Now that the fuss and
fury has ended it is quietly announc.
ed that the reductions by Mr.. Dawes
aggregate $112,e12,62s. This is con.
siderably less than a billion dollars
Hell anr Marie" started out to save
IS per cent Of the governments tota
expenses. but he found the militar
lists like adamant and all department.
heads very reluctant to give up an,
per0uisftes or patronage FIis vyiAa