River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-04-21
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
BY James A. Frear, M. c.

The extra session opened with a
tremendous crowd welcoming the
presidents message. Following the
example of his predecessor, President
Harding read the message to Con-
gress in joint session. The largest
audience ever gathered in the house
greeted him, according to statements
of old timers. This does not mean a
large crowd comparatively because
the house only seats about $50 MEM
bers and hundred chairs were placed
around the outskirts of the hall while
two hundred people or more stood in
side the lobby doors. The galleries
which seat about one thousand more
were crowded but the entire audience
gathered in the hall was probably not
two thousand people. Five times that
number stoodoutside the Capitol wait
ing to get a glimpse of the President.
The message was plain and straight
forward statement for a man who
tried to invite confidence in his in
come administration. Among the heir
looms that have fallen to him comes
| the wreck of world nations brought
about by the war and ruined indust-
ries without definite commercial or
political plans abroad.
| The message suggests the world
must work out its own problem with
our help as asister nation, but we are
not responsible for the contract of
rehabilitation. That briefly is the
Presidents foreign policy. The dom
este questions including general bust
ness depression, particularly with the
railroads and agriculture were dis
cussed by him and Congress was in
vited to point the way toward better
days. Altogether the Presidents
words were we'll received, although it
is probable all will not be smooth
sailing because of many hard prob
lens, but he starts out with least two
members of tested craftsmanship and
ability. At this writing, predict the
present congress will be found here on
| the job until September or later, be-
fore the tariff, revenue and other nee
essary bills are passed.
The sales tax fight which / started
last session has brought about fruit,
although every member in common
with myself has received over 500 or
600 letters demanding the tax, coming
largely from those who pay luxury
taxes or those who seek to escape
| their tax burden. have asked for an
| investigation of the sales tax lobby to
raise great fund with which to push
over the sales tax. The problem of
laying tax burden of $1,250,00 an
nually now borne by those best able to
pay from their shoulders over to the
men, women and children Of the coun-
try with a tax on everything that
public eats, drinks and wears is to my
mind unthinkable and yet strong
propaganda and tremdous influences
have been behind the movement. In
fluential papers like the Wall Street
Journal, New York Times and other
papers have criticised my opposition
but knew the people back home who
will have to pay any such shift OF
taxes will approve my course. 1t was
| to oppose this taxation that went to
see Mr.. Harding in Florida on his in
vitation and although many rumors
are current in the newspapers that the
administration will favor the tax, l
still believe the movement has been
headed off, but in any event, no apol-
ogies are offered for opposition to
such bills.
A news item in state papers called
to my attention was to the effect that
different members of our delegation
| were lined up with and dependent
upon one or the other Of the senators
| for patronage. Such idle rumors
will not receive credence from people
back home. Members vote and act in
legislative matters without sugges-
tion from others but entirely on their
own Judgment. Those who profess
to see bias or partisanship in legis-
lative matters generally find the wish
father to the thought. 1t exists gen.
orally in the fertile imagination OF
news writers who must have some
thing to write about. Patronage has
not been discussed by members with
senator's so far as my knowledge goes
in any case.
The writer has been appointed on
the subcommittee Of three engaged
in preparing the agricultural tariff
schedule which will be submitted to
the general committee before it is
placed in the permanent tariff bill.
Sessions of the committee are had
every morning and afternoon in COM
mon with experts from the Tariff
Commission and Agricultural depart
ment, in order to fix duties on agri-
cultural products in an intelligent
way. In fixing the rates, there is
taken into consideration matters of
transportation, cost of production at
home and abroad, foreign exchange
and other matteds material to al just
determination of tariff rates. The
work invites many problems and it
will, be a matter of compromise, but
the country expects a tariff bill and
we are doing the best we can to pre-
pare bill that will meet present de-
plorable business conditions in this