| OCR Text |
Show I if' JUDGE POWERS II WILL IT TELL ;: His Opinion of Smoot Case a Secret. , I Testified as to Conditions ; ; in Utah Without Regard ( : ': to Individuals, j )') ' ffhinks Snlaries of Congressmen i I ''j'U Ought to Be Doubled, and Gives 1 . j Reasons "Why. 1 v .'j i', i . -rUDGE O. W. POWERS has come 1 j 11 j I back from Washington with a few "; t fl opinions some for publication and ; j , j some not. i' ' "I regret very much," said the Judge. I when asked who would be the next ". "President, how the war In Asia, is going 1 lo terminate, when the National debt '. , jwas going to he paid and a few other ' , , simple questions, "that I have not the ( i ij facility of gathering infonnation which i t j 1 , enables a man to remain in Waahlng- 1 ton one day and learn all about the past, present and future of the world." , ' "Have you an opinion as to the out- , ! (i come of the Smoot case?" was asked. I i 1 'j ! "I have, but not for publication. It 1 ' 5s onlj' my opinion and would be of no ii i more value than any other man's opln- ' t ion." ' , ;j ' Situation in Utah. U j ' j 'j i Speaking of his testimony before the I' ' jn. I 1 Elections committee, Judge Powers ' ' ' ! ' eald: I 'j ! T told of conditions in Utah exactly ' i, ', as I believe them to exist. I tried to : ,i f answer every question without a i i '! ' thought as to what effect it would have ,! ' , on Smoot or any other individual. My i desire was to let the comlnltteo under- lj stand exactly what the situation Jn ' 1 Utah is, that the members might be In ,j a position to give an intelligent verdict. ! I If anything T aid hurt Senator Smoot I ' it was not said with that purpose, but I I- with a view to giving the exact facts." 1 ! "What of the Hearst boom?" . : , "j "I had but little opportunity to talk ! with prominent Democrats and those ' , I whom I did meot know little more than I we do out here. Hearst has grown won- 1 j j fclerfully in political strength and has 1 ;' become a political nightmare to the j trusts and combines. They are spend- , ; ing- money like water to encompass his 1 . ' i defeat. While he is a wealthy man, his i . money is a bagatelle compared with the , j 'I I wealth that Is arrayed against him. I I , I believe that the interests which oppose J i j him are as anxious to defeat his nomi- J ; nation and Insuro the nomination of 01 j i ' I Judge Parker as they would be to de- i . feat him for the Presidency. 1 V Honey Interests for Parker. ; "Since the so-called New York' plat- I ( form Parker has been regarded as a , j 1 safer man than Roosevelt and if he i were nominated the money interests , "'! - would no doubt use their power in hl3 p ' favor. oNt that Roosevelt is against I f ' j ; the trusts: but he is jmch a variable I 'i , , , quantity that they cannot tell on one , I,; , day where he will be the next. Just hi ' I row the Mormons are very enthusiastic l, ' i about Roosevelt, believing that he is . with them, but as soon xus he srets their ; ' j: electoral vote he is just as likely to be l' i i' . against them, i , ' I "it looks as if the light between l I . Hearst and Parker would defeat both I 1 of them and i-csult in the nomination L of someone else. Who that 'someone II' t . . else' will be, I haven't the faintest idea. Iji ''it, I believe, however, that Hearst will Il .li control the convention to such an ex- I;, 1 ; tent that no man whom he opposes can I 1 I 1 be nominated. These stories that Bry- I'' ( an and Hearst arc v.-orking together are H , ' , ! not ti-ue. Cleveland is regarded as a III ' ' ' Parker man and the same objections if ' .(,) 1 that apply to Parker would apply to i; ''j,1 ) liim. He is not generally considered a '! 1 T; possibility in the East." '' 1 ' I ; More Salary for Congressmen. ' j " Judge Powers expressed himself on the matter of Congressional saluries. i , 1 j rt "I told a Congressman whom I met ' ' on my way home," Jie naid, "that they i ! were cowards not to increase the saJa- j 1' rles of Senators and Representatives. ( j It I were in Congress the first thing I would do would be to introduce a bill i I doubling the salaries. A man cannot (i .'j' live in Washington and exercise any " :r, Influence at all on JoOOO a year. That , may have been adequate when fixed by j '', law, but 55000 went further then than l I, J i,; 510,000 docs today. The present salary '4(1 works to the disadvantage of poor ' 1 men. Unless a man has a private for- I j i , tune or is in the employ of a corpora- L , j tion he cannot afford to go to Congress , ' ) ,.! and if he does go he cannot be of much I 1 ! 'i service to h'5 constituents." I , "In what manner Is he obliged to ii jspend bo much money?" L j "Well, in the first place, he must I ! j donate at least ?500 to' the campaign I i.i expenses of his party. That leaves I 1 1 ?4u00. Then he must live at a good ho- j . tel If he is to meet the people whom it I r helps? him to know. He cannot do that I , , i H ln Washington for less than $4 per duy. B ' 1 : He must give constantly to all sorts of lil 1 charitable affairs. He must be a good I 1 i ! i fellow with the newspaper men. He I 1 , ! : must entertain his constituents occa- I ! -i slonally at dinner or take them to the 1 1 j p theater. Then there arc a thousand I j other demands that are made on his I 'I1 purae because of his position, so that he l I J can readily spend from twice to three I' i ' ! times the amount of his salary without II ' 1 1 : being extravagant. If the salary were 11 " adequate many a good man of small 1 . means would be Induced to serve the I ,'i li ; people who now refuses the honor." It L'l i, |
