THE 
National Capital 
Events of Interest from the Seat of 
Government 
By J. E. Jones 
The Breeze Bureau 
Washington, Oct. 24, 1913. 
Foss, MASSACHUSETTS AND THE 
MANAGERS : 
Considerable interest is felt in 
Washington in the Massachusetts 
election, especially in view of the at- 
titude of Governor Foss, who has 
carried out in Massachusetts the 
reputation he established while in 
Congress, of doing things entirely in 
his own way. While the different. par- 
ty national campaign committees are 
+ ore or less inactive, yet there is 
plenty of evidence about the head- 
cuarters that the managers are dip- 
ping into the Massachusetts fight in 
the interest of the several candidates. 
‘here seems to be a feeling among 
politicians that an unusual amount of 
attention is being given by the people 
throughout the country to elections in 
an off year, and according to the man- 
agers’ viewpoint the indecision sup- 
posed to exist among the voters is be- 
ing influenced more at this time 
through the reshaping of national 
legislation and political methods than 
at any period in a quarter of a cen- 
turv.* Therefore, they view it as im- 
portant that ‘‘every little movement” 
should be directed in such a way as to 
benefit their political interests if they 
expect to remain in power, or return 
to the cherished seats of the mighty. 
THe Currency BILL 
President Wilson is preparing to 
take the bits in his teeth and force 
Democratic recalcitrants to get busy. 
He has been holding conferences 
with Senators O©O’Gorman, Reed, 
Hitchcock, and others who have not 
found it convenient to walk the ad- 
ministration track. Mr. Hitchcock 
makes the astonishing statement that 
over three hundred amendments are 
necessary to the House bill. While 
this is rather startling, yet more than 
twice that number were tacked on to 
the tariff bill before it finally be- 
came a law. The President has been 
very cordial with his visitors, but he 
has been emphatic that he expects 
the measure to be passed at the spec- 
jal session of Congress, and he makes 
it plain to members of his party that 
failure to do so will be a violation of 
the pledges given by the Democratic 
party to the people of the country. 
On the other hand, it is clear that the 
’ with the 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
opponents of the currency bill are 
leaving no stone unturned to prevent 
its passage at the special session. 
A Mixep Trio 
According to the Washington view- 
point, the appearance simultaneously 
of Secretary Bryan, Senator Cum- 
mins, and former Senator Beveridge 
upon the public platform in Iowa is 
of a good deal of significance. It is 
said that these three have been dis- 
cussing matters in lowa with the idea 
that their utterances are to be re- 
garded more or less as “key notes” for 
the lesser lights. There is every in- 
dication that the three political par- 
ties are very carefully preparing the 
ground work for a fierce struggle to 
capture the Congressional elections 
next year, and the political activities 
of Bryan, Cummins, and Beveridge 
have doubtless been partially approv- 
ed by the managers of the different 
political organizations, who are care- 
fully interesting themselves in every- 
thing that is being pulled off. 
INDEPENDENCE BY PIECEMEAL 
It has been made clear by the ad- 
ministration that independence for 
the Philippines is not to be accorded 
in a hurry, and Governor General 
Harrison upon his arrival at Manila 
gave out a document in behalf of 
President Wilson to the effect that 
the people of the islands should be 
content to be granted additional lib- 
erties by easy stages. ‘The President 
proposes to give the Filipinos the ma- 
jority control in both Houses of the 
legislature, but when it comes to ab- 
solute independence as provided by 
the Democratic measure known as the 
Jones bill, it is clear that the admin- 
istration, while seeking to comply 
Baltimore platform, will 
proceed cautiously. 
WHERE ARE THE CaBrnet Days? 
Some of the sleuths of the pen who 
“cover” the Executive Mansion in 
large numbers have finally discovered 
that there has been no meeting of the 
President’s cabinet for several 
months, and it has just dawned upon 
these knights of the pen that Presi- 
dent Wilson stated some time ago 
that there would be a suspension of 
that function as he preferred to con- 
sult his advisers individually. So far 
as is known absolute harmony exists 
in the Presidential family, but in tak- 
ing up the tariff and currency legis- 
lation, as well as in the treatment of 
all the other great problems of gov- 
ernment, it turns out that President 
Wilson has been in the habit of con- 
sulting the members of his official 
cabinet one at a time instead of col- 
lectively. The former conferences in 
the state room upon which the eyes 
of the nation were turned twice a 
week or oftener have about ceased to 
be, and now some people are begin- 
ning to say that the nation’s chief 
wants to be the whole show himself. 
“ADULTERATED FABrics” 
The principle applied in the “pure 
food” law passed in 1906 seems likely 
to be extended to “pure fabrics.” 
Bills with this in view have been in- 
troduced in Congress from time to 
time, but as they have commanded no 
particular public support they have 
not progressed very far. It is now 
said that President Wilson is very 
inuch in favor of some sort of legis- 
lation such as that presented by Rep- 
resentative Lindquist of Minnesota. 
This bill provides for the regulation 
in interstate commerce of all “adul- 
terated fabrics.” It is common know- 
ledge that the consumer is frequently 
worsted in the purchase of silks, lin- 
ens, woolens, and even cottons, and 
unless the purchaser be a good judge 
of goods there are no laws to prevent 
adulteration of all kinds of fabrics. 
The remedy proposed is to compel 
manufacturers to label their goods, 
showing of just what material they 
are made. 
THINKS TREATY Is VERY Bap 
Senator Martine of New Jersey 
entertains small respect for the Hay- 
Paunceforte treaty, under which he 
declares that “we were told a year or 
so ago that the treaty forbade us 
from fixing canal tolls that favor our 
own ships.” Now, according to the 
senator, “under this treaty ‘we can- 
not rebate to shippers freighting out 
own ships.’” ‘The senator adds that 
he believes that if some diplomat or 
foreign sympathizer would carefully 
examine the Hay-Paunceforte treaty — 
“it might be discovered that the Uni- 
ted States had no right to exist at 
all.” He voiced the belief in the 
course of his speech that the United 
States should “stand pat” on its act- 
ion in reference to American shipping 
and canal tolls and asserted that 
‘‘when it comes to the management 
of our own internal affairs, I say to 
the world, ‘hands off.’ ” 
SEGREGATION OF THE RACES 
Representative Rogers of Massa- 
chusetts has taken the initiative to 
start an investigation of the rumors 
that some of the cabinet officers have 
been segregating the races in their de- 
partments. While there has been no 
formal issue, in regard to segrega- 
tion, there is a lot of talk to the effect 
that Postmaster General Burleson can 
F 
