64 NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 
THE ; 
National Capital 
Events of Interest from the Seat of 
Government 
By J. E. Jones 
The Breeze Bureau 
Washington, May 12, 1914. 
“Gert ToGETHER AND Pray Batt.” 
Democratic Leader Underwood 
comes from the White House, bring- 
ing the announcement that Congress 
will adjourn July Ist, after passing 
several big Administration bills. -The 
program takes in the anti-trust bill, 
which has been marked out by a num- 
ber of Congressmen, so that it will 
“bust” all the bad trusts. The inter- 
state trade commission bill, the bill to 
regulate issuances of stock, as well as 
ulate issuances of stock, as well as 
a rural credits bill, are all to be fin- 
ished by fire-cracker time. Under- 
wood says it can be done “if we all 
get together and play ball.” A Dem- 
ocratic House caucus is tobe called 
to grease the way. The interstate 
trade commission bill provides for a 
permanent commission of three, who 
will have power to conduct all sorts 
of investigations into corporate or 
private business, in order to better 
determine what the relations of gov- 
ernment should be towards the varied 
industries and activities in commerce. 
The bill to regulate issuance of stock 
endeavors to check a good many of 
the evils that have grown up in our 
federal system, including the ‘“water- 
ing’ processes, and other forms of 
juggling. Rural credits is the panacea 
for small farmers who often finance 
their work at ruinous rates of in- 
terest. Of course, since the Presi- 
dent and Mr. Underwood have said 
so, these bills will be speedily passed 
by the House, and so far as that body 
is concerned the slate could be clean- 
ed and adjournment reached. by June 
1. The edict, the caucus and the 
stop-watch on debate have a way of 
doing things up quickly and that is 
why the course of Legislation in the 
House can be so definitely deter- 
mined. 
But the rules of the Senate pro- 
vide for unlimited debate. Suppose 
ninety Senators stay on the job. Each 
will make a speech on each of these 
four bills—that makes 360 speeches. 
Besides this there will be long “hear- 
ings” taking up weeks of time in the 
committees having these bills in 
charge. And you may believe that all 
this is long-winded stuff! 
In view of the Mexican matter, the 
appropriations bills, the Panama 
Canal tolls question, and a half dozen 
other great questions before the Sen- 
ate, which all come along with the 
Administration plan, Washington 1s 
skeptical—and even though the Pres- 
ident and Mr. Underwood are opti- 
mistic, the Capital itself does not ex- 
pect Congress to finish in July, and 
possibly not in August. It is sure 
that nothing short of the fall elec- 
tions could induce Congress to quit 
at all. 
Therefore, the advice of the cor- 
respondent who writes this, is for 
candidates for the postoffices to fig- 
ure on making their dates to meet 
their Congressmen at home along 
about the first of September. 
THe A. B. C. Meprators. 
©f course, the A. B. C. Mediators 
did not expect an easy job when they 
took up the matter of restoring peace 
in Mexico—but it might be pertinent 
to inquire why some of the great 
newspapers of the country have been 
daily predicting failure for the rep- 
resentatives of Argentine, Brazil and 
Chili, who engaged in a great human- 
itarian undertaking. Washington has 
felt that inasmuch as it gave the 
Mexicans an emphatic object-lesson 
at Vera Cruz, that nothing was to 
be lost in resuming “watchful wait- 
ing,” while South American diplo- 
mats were trying their hands in 
bringing order out of chaos. The de- 
mands for a war of conquest have 
fallen on deaf ears in Washington, 
and nothwithstanding the happenings 
in Mexcio this nation has given ample 
evidence of late that our people pre- 
fer peace and soft methods. Since 
North and South America have been 
brought in closer sympathy as a re- 
sult of the acceptance of plans sug- 
gested by the mediators, long-lasting 
results are certain, no matter whether 
or not the peace plans of the A. B. 
C.’s are accomplished. 
Tue ISSUE OF THE RAILROADS. 
Every person who “dabbles in 
stocks” or isan investor in any 
kind of railroad securities, appears to 
be lending influence to the demand 
of the ratlroads for a five per cent. 
increase in freight rates, and since 
indications have been pointing rather 
strongly toward a favorable verdict 
for the railroads from the Interstate 
Commerce Commission, there has 
been ‘an advance in the “market.” The 
railroads were successful browbeaters 
of state legislatures and federal bu- 
reaus for many years, but in the pres- 
ent instance they have got down on 
their knees and begged to be allowed 
to exist. They have been so penitent 
that many of their old enemies have 
been won by their arguments. How- 
ever, it must not be supposed that 
because a large part of officialdom has 
been converted that there has been 
any real surrender to railroad inter- 
ests, as there is plenty of evidence 
that a large contingency in Congress, 
especially in the Senate, is ready to 
turn the machinery of official govern- 
ment inside out rather than yield one 
iota from the position already taken 
in regulating railroads—and inciden- 
tally their rates. The theory of this 
opposition is based upon the presump- 
tion that while the railroad companies 
may have made a prima facie case 
before the Interstate Commerce Com- 
mission, that their real troubles are 
the results of financial jitsi jutsi, such 
as has recently come to light in the af- 
fairs of the New Haven and Rock 
Island railroads. 
CoupoNS AND TAGs. 
Savers of tobacco coupons and the 
tobacco tobacco trust, have been given 
a new lease until December, since 
Congress has voted not to take up the 
consideration of the anti-coupon bill 
until the next session of Congress. 
The testimony introduced at Wash- 
ington goes to show that part of the 
great measure of success achieved by 
the so-called trust was due to the 
preiums given out for tags and cou- 
pons. In this matter the small deal- 
er is unable to compete. 
‘Tue Literary TEs. 
While there has been a good deal 
of talk to the effect that immigrants 
coming to the United States ought 
to be required to submit to a literary 
test, it must be apparent that there 
are two sides to this question, and 
Mary Antin, Hebrew immigrant from 
Russia voices the opposition. “Is no 
Hebrew refugee to be received in the 
United States unless he can read 
thirty words of the Constitution?” 
she asks, and then adds; “They would 
not realize how such restriction could 
be imposed in great and glorious free 
America, which has always stood for 
absolute freedom in their eyes.” 
Armstrong lake, within the Bear- 
tooth national forest, Montana, is 
said to rival the famed Lake Louise 
of the Canadian Rockies. It lies at 
an elevation of 7,000 feet surround- 
ed by towering mountains. A good 
road which can be traveled in half a 
day by automobile connects it with 
the railroad at Billings. A rustic 
hotel has recently been completed, 
and many trails make the surround- 
ing region accessible. 
Last year the fire loss) onmene 
Canadian timber reserves was the?) 
smallest ever known, only one fiftieth 
of one per cent. of the area being 
burned over. 
