THE 7 
Nati »nal Capital 
Events of ee from the Seat of 
overnment 
By J. E. Jones 
The Breeze Bureau 
Washington, Oct. 17, 1913. 
BANKERS ARE Harb oO PLEASE 
It is recalled in connection with the 
excitable happenings of the bankers 
gathering at Boston that the opposi- 
tion of the bankers to pioneer legisla- 
tion is not new. When the postal 
savings bank was being urged 
throughout the country, the bankers 
were tearing their hair in the sane 
made manner as now. ‘The Banking 
and Currency committee of the Sen- 
ate has been holding protracted hear- 
ings, and there is no concealing the 
tact that the president and his closest 
advisers are becoming uneasy lest the 
Glass-Owen measure will fail to go 
through the special session of Con- 
gress. ‘Ihe situation in the Senate 
committee is voiced by Senator 
©’Gorman, who said: “I do not ex- 
aggerate when I say that no member 
ot this committee is in favor of this 
bill as..it stands today.” Lest there 
should be misunderstanding, Chatr- 
man Owen explained that the state- 
ment merely meant that there were 
amendments which should be incor- 
porated in the bill and he states that 
the bill as a whole is satisfactory to 
the Democrats of the committee. 
Senators Hitchcock and Reed are the 
“insurging” ones, but it is altogether 
likely that these two gentlemen will 
follow in line behind the administra- 
tion policy when the time comes for 
action, the same as did all other 
De nocrats in the passage of the tariff 
bill. While there is a lot of fuss and 
bluster it is nevertheless fairly clear 
{o the observing mind that the Demo- 
cratic program of this session which 
calls for tariff and currency legisla- 
tion will be completed, although it 
may develop into more or less of a 
rough and tumble affair the latter 
part of November, during the closing 
days of the special session. 
VocatTIONAL EDUCATION 
‘There are a few men in Congress 
who have been fighting constantly for 
several years for a vocational educa- 
tional bill in order that agricultural 
extension work may be better carried 
on in the different states. Repre- 
sentative McLaughlin of Michigan 
has been one of the foremost of the 
northern men to further this legisla- 
tion, and he has finally brought to his 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
support as the result of dogged perse- 
verance a great many of his fellow 
members. A few days ago Represen- 
tatives Willis of Ohio, Powers of 
Kentucky, ‘Towner of Iowa, and Fess 
of Ohio, spoke in support of this 
class of legislation. Representative 
Hardy of ‘Texas raised a discordant 
note because of the belief that such 
matters belong to the states rather 
than to the federal government, 
which brought the rejoiner from 
Treadway of Massachusetts that Re- 
publicans, Democrats and Progres- 
sives should lose sight of unconse- 
quential prejudice in order to further 
educational advantages for the ris- 
ing generation. 
Tre New Haven Rarroap 
The New Haven Railroad ought to 
be busily engaged in congratulating 
itself because the Attorney General 
has announced that he prefers to en- 
tertain proposals from the road that 
will lead to the dissolution of the 
New England transportation mono- 
poly, rather than to press litigation to 
that end. The new president of the 
road, Mr. Elliott, has informed the 
government officials that his corpora- 
tion has no desire to retain its invest- 
ments except in conformity to the 
law, and consistent with sound public 
policy. While the affairs of the New 
Haven control of the Boston and 
Maine, its operating agreement with 
the Boston and Albany, and its con- 
trol of steamship lines and_ trolley 
rights are a subject of much concern, 
it may be that litigation is the only 
method to insure reconstruction but 
if reorganization can be effected with- 
out pushing the matter through the 
courts, then the federal officials will 
be satisfied, 
THE SITUATION IN WASHINGTON 
The questions of revenue and tariff 
have successfully passed the light of 
danger and the ship of state is now 
abreast the green light of caution, 
while the administration declares that 
the white light of safety is just 
around the corner. And there is add- 
ed to this the promise of better con- 
ditions for the people who inhabit 
the broad acres of the Golden Re- 
public, insofar as the party in power 
can afford it. Every effort is now be- 
ing directed by the administration 
and its forces to secure the passage 
of the currency bill, and simmered 
down the principal opposition against 
the measure is the fact that the offi- 
cials who will control the federal 
board and the regional banks will be 
selected by the president. It is fur- 
ther claimed that the greatest finan- 
cial interests of the country have not 
been taken into the confidence o 
President Wilson, and therefore th 
feelings of Midas et al have been so 
badly hurt that they “will not play.” 
Those who have studied the new cur- 
rency measure are agreed that it can- 
not succeed without the co-operation 
of the banking interests of the coun- 
try and many criticisms from  dis- 
tricts removed from all the larger cit- 
ies are to the effect that the so-called — 
country bankers do not carry a large 
amount of short time paper, which is 
essential if they are to co-operate in — 
the benefit of the new legislation, — 
which is designed to place the re- 
sources of the central or regional 
banks at the disposal of the local 
banks. ‘To the critics the administra- 
tion leaders retort that anyone can go 
to an oculist and get glasses that will 
make the world look topsy turvy and 
the observation is supplemented by 
the statement that a great many peo- 
ple have this class of glasses. Never- 
theless, the currency legislation has 
not been considered entirely as a par- 
tisan measure, although the president. 
declares that Democrats who are not — 
“rebels” will support him. At pres- 
ent the greatest concern is whether ~ 
the dilatory Senate can be stirred up © 
sufficiently to enact a bill before the — 
regular sessions in December, 
Tur ALLURING CHAUTAUQUA 
It would seem that Champ Clark is-— 
always obliged to cancel his Chautau- — 
qua lecture engagements. Last year — 
and the year before he had to de- 
prive himself of this grand source of 
profit, and now hot upon the heels of 
the announcement that Secretary)9 
Bryan has “cleaned up” $6500, the 
venerable statesman from Pike ~ 
county, Missouri, has let it be known 
that he must stay most of the time — 
in Washington, looking after the af- — 
fairs of the nation, and thereby de- 
prive the Chautauqua patrons of the 
luxury of listening to his eloquence. 
As a substitute Mr. Clark will make 
a number of addresses in nearby cit- 
ies during the short recesses of the 
House of Representatives. 
Improve THE TALKING MACHINE 
Out of the large number of inven- 
tions pertaining to talking machines, — 
there has appeared in the Patent Of- — 
fice a simple clarifying, articulating, 
amplifying attachment for these ma-— 
chines, which M, B. Claussen, the in- 
ventor says was discovered by the 
accidental touching of a fine needle — 
with the finger while a record was_ 
being played. Mr. Claussen in his 
statement for the benefit of the 
Scientific American said that “he i 
mediately conceived the idea that if 
