The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-02-24
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National Topics interpreted A 2ea@aa
by William Bruekart pMNMIIZ
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CQln8S OF more reCeQC OaCc. 1UC
Commodity Credit corporation and
the two export-import banks, to
mention only three. Now, there is
no reason available for retention of
the skeletons of the World war, and
there appears to have been no rea-
son for creation of such things as
the export-import banks. I mean
there was no sound reason. Those
radicals who forced the diplomatic
recognition of Soviet Russia thought
there was reason for the export
import banks because they held
such banks would enable trade with
Russia. But Russian trade has
amounted to about the same as the
sale of mules in my home county Of
Missouri. E
Two other pieces of legislation
which Mr.. Barton seeks to repeal
are strictly New Deal. One is that
law which gave the President the
right to change the value Of the
dollar at will, within certain limi-
tations. I suppose there are some
who still believe that devaluation Of
the dollar has done or can do good
in aiding recovery. It seems to me,
however, that existence of that
power in the hands Of one man is
just another basis for uncertainty
among all of the people. In any
event, the failure Of that panacea
has been amply demonstrated.
The piece Of far-reaching New
Deal legislation concerned is the So
called Guffey coal law. That thing
is price fixing measure. It gave
authority to coal commission to
prescribe prices throughout the
country, and producers would be
violating law if they sold below
those figures; they would be sub
ject to fines and prison terms. Only
recently, the price fixing features
were enjoined by a circuit court Of
appeals and so at the moment they
are not operative. Yet the threat
exists. And attention should be
called to the fact also that the
three judges who granted an in
junction were appointed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt and supposed, there
fore to be very liberal in their
views. Mr.. Barton called the Guffey
coal act a piece of grand larceny
against the consumers" because,
he explained, the consumers are
made to pay the higher prices fixed
by the commission and they have
no word to say about 1t.
Among other laws which Mr.. Bar
ton wants to repal is the ill-starred
silver purchase act. That law was
another one which the inflationists
in congress forced through in 1894
when all Of the brain-trlst camp
followers were in their heyday. The
only result that can discover flow
ing from the silver purchase act Is
q grand outpouring Of cash for the
owners of silver mines. They OBJ
tanned two or three times what their
silver was really worth.
Analysis Of the limited number Of
laws, I believe, shows the trend Of
the Barton program. It may be
that he will never get to first base
with any Of them. Ny conviction,
however, is quite to the contrary. I
firmly expect to see growth in he
strength that such program will
muster.
Milestone In Army History
About the time you are reading
this column, there will be an Incl
dent taking place way off in Tient-
sin, China, that is milestone In the
history Of the United States army.
Late in February orders become
operative for the departure Of the
Fifteenth United States infantry
from Chinese soil. That, of itself.
Of course, does not provoke particu-
lar interest. But the famous Fiji
tenth has been on foreign duty for
26 years and that is the longest any
unit of the United States army ever
has been away from our shores.
It ought to be explained that very
few of the soldiers making up the
Fifteenth infantry were with the
outfit when it first was assigned
overseas. But the regiment has
been stationed abroad and the re-
cruits to its ranks have been dis
patched continuously to It as re-;
tirements and expiration Of enlist
ments have occurred. It Is now
coming back to American soil and
will be stationed at Fort Lewis.
The Fifteenth has a most honor
able record, beginning with its or
ganization in 1861. It won honors
at Shiloh and in the campaigns Of
1862 in Alabama and Kentucky. It
fought at Murfreesboro, at Chicka-
manga, Chattanooga, and at Allan
ia. In 1880, it was at the front in
the campaigns against Utes, and
again in the China relief expedition
of 1900, and these were followed by
action in the Philippine insurrec-
ton. There was a brief spell when
the regiment was on home soil, but
then it went to work in Cuba. Sub
u