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Show PURE FABRIC LI IDEA 0F1RD0CK Projected Bill Would Reveal Amounts of Cotton and Wool in Cloth. TAFT'S PLAN TO SAVE PARTY President Wants Republicans to Unite and Legalize a Genuine Tariff Commission Next Year's Budget Will Be Fully One Billion. By GEORGE CLINTON. Washington. It is said on seemingly seem-ingly good authority that President Taft has given his sanction to a bill far reaching in Its effect which will compel the affixing to cloths which enter interstate commerce of a statement state-ment of the amount of cotton and of wool which they contain. This measure meas-ure Is called here in Washington a "textile pure food bill." The framer of the measure, Victor Murdock of Kansas, says that no reason exists why the consumer should not know how much wool and how much cotton he is getting in his clothes Just as he knows under the pure food law how much adulteration he is getting. An effort is being made to get the two Republican factions in congress to pass a measure of this kind. It is expected that there will be a good deal of opposition and it may be that the "pure fabric law" will have as long a Journey to passage as that which the pure food law took before that the expense! of the government for the next fiscal year will be at least $1,000,000,000. Years ago represents-tlves represents-tlves of the party in opposition used to speak of the extravagances of their opponents, and say that they were bent on giving the country a "billion dollar congress." At the time this charge was considered consid-ered to be one of the highest flights of rhetorical extravagance, and it is doubtful if even those who made it thought that the day would come for scores of years when congress would be called upon to appropriate $1,000,-000,000 $1,000,-000,000 in a single year for the expenses ex-penses of the government. Natural growth is responsible in a measure for the vast increase in the expense of running Uncle Sam's household. Twenty years ago the navy cost us each year about $30,000,-000; $30,000,-000; now it costs about $140,000,000. The acquisition of the Philippines necessitated ne-cessitated an increase in the army, and the army appropriation bill is bigger big-ger than ever. Naturally all departments depart-ments have grown at a pace in keeping keep-ing with the growth in population, and so today, much sooner than was expected, the "billion dollar congress" is an accomplished fact. The presidents of the United States one after another always have urged economy. It made no difference whether it was Cleveland, Democrat, or Harrison, or any other president, Republican, Re-publican, the plea for economy went from the White House to Capitol hill each year. In the past year perhaps the saving admonition has been more sharp and pointed than before, for apparently ap-parently the president, with other American citizens, has been somewhat some-what staggered by the mere sight of the figures in the government's expense ex-pense account, Taft Wants Just Debts Paid. No president, however, no matter to which party he has belonged, ever has asked congress to refuse to authorize au-thorize the payment of Uncle Sam's Inof Hohta "Pi-oclHoTifr Toft Tina nrp-pH economy constantly, but like other presidents before him he this year has urged strongly that congress do Justice Jus-tice to the persons who have valid claims against the government and who cannot Bet their money. Uncle Sam has a court of claims. The judges are as hard worked as, and perhaps harder worked than, any of the other federal Jurists. They are obliged to pass judgment on the validity valid-ity of claims made against the United States by private Individuals. If the courtfinds that the claims are just, all it can do is to say so and to inform in-form congress that the United States owes Henry Nelson or Phillip Stuy-vesant Stuy-vesant such and such a sum of money. Then Henry Nelson and Phillip Phil-lip Stuyvesant go to congress and ask that the money which really belongs to them shall be paid, and congress usually turns a deaf ear. Of course claims are paid from time to time, but many a man with a bill which the courts have O. K'd waits many a long year before he gets his money and then he does not get all he deserves, for no interest is allowed. In his message to congress this year it arrived at its station on the statute books. Taft's Tariff Commission Plan. As a fixed dally task President Taft is laboring to bring together togeth-er the Republican factions in congress con-gress in order that he may secure legislation legalizing a genuine tariff commission. One year ago Mr. Taft might have worked nights as well as days along the same line of endeavor and at the end of 24 hours he would have been at the beginning, for the regulars and insurgents were so hostile hos-tile to one another that attempts to patch a peace would have been met not only sulkily, but defiantly. This year Mr. Taft, so the men close to him say, has some real hope that he can induce Mr. Cummins, Mr. La Follette, Mr. Murdock and others to link arm with Mr. Aldrich, Mr. Hale, Mr. Boutelle and others and to present a united effort on behalf of a tariff commission. It remains yet to be seen whether the president will be successful, success-ful, but the politicians say he thinks if a genuine tariff commission is sanctioned sanc-tioned and is allowed to go to work in a businesslike way to pass on "proper and improper duties," that the Democrats Demo-crats next year when they are in control con-trol of the house will not think it wise to upset the . legislation. All this is mere speculation, but it casts a light on one of the chief ends of the administration's ad-ministration's winter endeavor and on the views of some of the Republicans of what they must do in order to save the presidential election to their President Taft urged the payment of the just indebtedness of Uncle Sam. He says this pointedly: "The delay that occurs in the payment of the money due under the claims injures the reputation of the government as an honest debtor, and I earnestly recommend re-commend that these claims which come to congress with the judgment and approval of the court of claims HhmilH he nrnmntlv naid." Two Cavalry Leaders Die. , Recently two officers of high rank on the retired list of the United States army have died, one in this city, and one in Virginia, just across the Potomac Poto-mac river. Major UJenerals Wesley Merritt and Eugene A. Carr died on the same day. Both were cavalry leaders and one of them, Merritt, died within sight of a battlefield on which he won fame and the stars of a major general when he was only twenty-five years of age. Both Merritt and Carr were buried a few days ago in the cadet cemetery at West Point on the Hudson river, where they lie close to another famous fam-ous cavalry leader, George A. Custer, who was killed in a fight with the Sioux Indians on the Little Rosebud June 26, 1976. Custer, like Merritt, was a major general of volunteers at the age of twenty-five years. General Merritt was one of the familiar fa-miliar figures on Pennsylvania avenue ave-nue and on the streets about Lafayette Lafay-ette Square. Despite his age his frame was well knit and erect, his eye was alert and his cheeks had the red hue nf oarlv vmith Wnf lnnp npn T pnw Shall We Fortify the Canal? The layman who is neither a legislator legis-lator nor an army officer would find himself unquestionably confused, but probably interested, if he were here in Washington to listen to the arguments argu-ments for and against the erection of fortifications by Uncle Sam to guard the Panama Canal. A great many of the legislators are opposed to fortifying forti-fying the waterway, while virtually all the army officers are in favor of it. President Taft has endorsed the fortification forti-fication plan strongly in his annual message, in which he says: "It is also well known that one f the ;hief objects in the construction of the canal has been to increase the military effectiveness of our navy. By convention we have indicated our desire de-sire for, and indeed undertaken, its universal and equal use. Failure to fortify the canal would leave the attainments at-tainments of both these aims in the position of rights and obligations which we should be powerless to enforce en-force and which could never in any other way be absolutely safeguarded against, a desperate and irresponsible enemy." The arguments which pass between the legislator and the army officer on the general standing in a driving snow storm outside the little Episcopal church of St. John's where many presidents pres-idents have worshiped'. The general was waiting his turn patiently until that part of the services were reached when persons who are not pew holders hold-ers are allowed to enter the sanctu-ory. sanctu-ory. lie paid no more attention to the howling elements than if he were r boy of twenty-one and he looked as i." he were good for a quarter of a century more of life, and yet today he Is dead. Carr Famous Indian Fighter. Eugene A. Carr, like Merritt, was the question of whether or not big guns ought to be placed on the isthmus isth-mus run something like this: The legislator says: "The canal should be neutralized, and all nations should be asked to bind themselves to preserve its neutrality. In this way we will be saved the expense of fortification fortifica-tion and all danger of the canal's do-f-'ruclion in time of war will be avert-e avert-e !." The army oir.cer says: "An ounce of gun metal is worth a pound of neutralization. neu-tralization. If a country at war with the United States finds It to, its advantage ad-vantage to blow up the canal, the canal will be blown up. The promise to keep the peace would be whistled down the wind in a minute. The only way to keep the enemy off is to stand him off with a gun. The canal cost hundreds of millions. Under neutralization neutral-ization it could be destroyed in a night." Budget at Least a Billion. At this stage of the session of congress con-gress some of the appropriation bills have been little more than skeletonized, but it Is perfectly apparent even at this early date a West Pointer. His rise was rapid and he was one of the few officers of the United States army who received commissions by acts of congress because be-cause of conspicuous personal gallantry gallan-try In the fieid. Carr stayed In the regular service at the close of the civil war and was sent to the plains to begin the untried duty of fighting Indians. Like General Gen-eral Miles, Carr developed a remarkable remark-able plainsmen's sense. They won perhaps even more fame as Indian fighters than came to them as fighters against men of thier own color. |