River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-12-15
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington


attendance of both Houses and all the
guests the gallery could accommodate,
there were present foreign represen-
tatives who are here attending the dis
armament conference. They occupied
seats immediately in front OF the
Sneakers desk, and seemed greatly
interested in the occasion. At the be-
ginning of his address the President
said to Congress and the country that
he would give assurances OF peace ana
at the end Of the message assurance
was renwed that the conference would
be successful. Other subjects were
discussed at length, but to the aver
age listener, this word of promise was
one on which public interest focused
because of conflicting reports accord
ing to the press coming from confer
ance committee rooms to the e1fecI
that Jaranese were making unusual
demands for their navy and tnat
France insisted on maintaining under
arms its present great army or ooo,..
200. The President gave feeling OF
confidence that he knows inside con-
ejitions in the armament conference
and the trust Of the country is placed
with him and the American delegates
who are certain to do all that they
can to bring about a meeting OF minds
81, what has ever been a great proc
lem of the ages.
When leaving the hall passed out
with Uncle Joe Cannon, sage OF the
House and asked him if it was not
Good message and the ex-Speaker
Turned around and said yes, spoke IN
high terms of it's general purport, but
added that some new work urged by
the President could be done only by
heavy taxation. / asked him If he re-
ferred to land reclamation which was
mentioned in the message and Uncle
Toe said IL was. The plan was only
outlined in the message and is urged
by Secretary Fall who on the same
dav suggested through the press a
tremendous program Of reclamation.
Without questioning the value OF re-
clamation projects, there are many
millions of acres of unimproved land
in the West, including the fertile cut
over lands of our own state that await
development, and as the President
we'll said i'm his message, one of the
great problems of the day is to pre-
vent men from leaving the farms they
now occupy.
In the message early action was
urged on the tariff bill and on the
hin to refund the eleven billion dollar
foreign loans. These matters passed
through our committee and through
the House last session with the re-
funding bill carrying several amend
ments that the writer offered IN COM
nlittee which with some slight chang
es were accepted by the House. The.
amendments provided for commits
sion to negotiate settlements, that
no debts shall be cancelled by the
commission, that no bonds or securit-
les Of other governments be exchang-
ed and two amendments providing
for publicity and limitation of time
in which the commission is to act.
The Senate is expected to accept some
OF the amendments.
The most unjust criticism noted
anywhere among echoes OF the adop-
ton by the House of the Senate sur
tax amendment. came from New
York paper that twisted my remarks
as shown by the record and mispres-
ented to give an excuse for ar edit
orial since quoted in the district. The
wealthy publishers of this paper | am
told are hit by the Senate tax amend
ment which they hoped to over turn
in the House, but no comment is here
offered to such editorials beyond say
ing that the entire Wisconsin delega-
ton in both Senate and House were
for the Senate income surtax of 80
per cent instead of 80 per cent House
rate and they so voted. A majority OF
members of state delegations from
California, Nebraska, Kansas, Min
nesota, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and scat
tering votes in other states voted for
the Senate amendment which had
been unanimously adopted by the SEN
ate. The affect of the amendment
agreed to by the House is to continue
higher income taxes to incomes of
100000 and over and relieves smaller
tax payers of the country from max
ing up $40,000,000 in annual taxes ac-
cording to treasury estimates, that
will still be paid by large incomes.
General Orlando Holway, who with
his $500 prize drilling Wausau COM
pany opened up Camp Douglas some
thirty years ago reached the city last
week. ACCOMPANIED by Major Williams
his right hand man. The latter has
been a prize quartermaster since
early colonial days. Under the new
assignment, Wisconsin has more cav
airy IMAM dflN OlIlCI STATE III Tie COutl-
try, Texas alone excepted, and now
has her full complement of infantry,
cavalry, artillery and other branches
Of service all raised to the high stan
dard that is ever maintained by our
state. Speaking of state armories,
General Hoiway made the surprising
statement that the Hudson armory
has more floor space than any other
in the state and l am ra'ninded that
years ago John Bashford. B. ]. Price
and the writer as committee dis
covered new provision of law which
enabled Hudson to build much need
ed citv hall and armory that has now
been fully paid for through receints
largely from state rentals. 1t was the
first armorv so built in the state ac-
sording to General Holway and if the
dove of peace secures total disarma-
ment these old armo-ies will be cher
ished in memories of hv gone davs.
Among Capitol visitors last week
were Rev, Wilson, Hudson: Rev