The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 30, 1916, Page 8

302 Riggs Building . Washington, March 28.—Agitation is commencing in Washington to. ad-. vance the Cary bill to regulate the cold storage of food eproducts. The bill is in the house committee on agriculture, which is being urged to hold, hearings on the measure. At the same time letters are beginning to come to congressmen asking their favorable consideration of the bill. The Cary measure prohibits the transportation of articles of food af- ter they have been held in cold stor- age beyond specified periods. The re-~ markable phase of the legislaton is the short perod of storage it would permit. Beef products are permitted to be sold after storage of seven. monthks, but all other preducts. can be stored only for much shorter periods. Veal is permitted to be stored for four months; pork and sheep, four months; while lambs, poultry, game, fish, eggs and butter cannot be legally trans- ported in interstate commerce if they have been: in cold storage more than three months. There may or may not be signifi- cance in the fact that most of the letters urging congressmen to support the bill- specifically mention butter as a product which should be prohibited from enjaying long storage. It is the first time that some of the congress- men ever heard that it injures butter to store it for a longer period than three months. It is conceded - that cold storage, especially of butter and eggs, is of benefit to the farmer by giving stability-to the market at the times of moximum production. No doubt the manufacturers of oleomargerine would be glad to see the government Iirohibit the storage of butter for longer than three months, for this would mean certain seasons when butter would be practic- ally out of the market, forcing the public to substitutes. It is not charged here that the Cary bill was inspired by the oleomargerine manufacturers, or that its author had any idca of benefitting them. It does seem, however, that the bill will bear watching. HELGESEN EXPLAINS VOTE ON McLEMORE RESOLUTION The members of the North Dakota delegation in the house are taking a great deal of pains to explain to their constituents their votes against ta- bling the McLemore resolution warn- ing Americans not to ride on the armed merchant ships of belligerent nations. The members claim that the newspapers of the northwest have misrepresented the situation. Sever- al North Daketans Lave written to the congressmen asking them whether they “support the president or the kaiser.” The congressmen reply with the truth—that no such question was presented in tke McLemore resolution. - Representative Hegelsen has made public a letter by him to E. C. Geary Jr., of Fargo, replying to the charge that his vote against tabling the reso- lution was unpatriotic. The other North Dakota members indorse the stand taken by Helgesen in this letter, which read, in part: “The issue was forced on the house by the president. He was offered a vote of confidence, but this he would not agcept, as he said that he wanted the house to go on record as to whether or not it favored warning our citizens not to travel on armed bellig- erent ships, He soon discovered that if the house were allowed to draw its own conclusions on this subjeet, it would adopt the warning resolution by an overwhelming majority. After getting this information he executed one of his characteristic somersaults by insisting that no other resolution was to be allowed to come before the house than the McLemore resolution, which was so im;wssxble of passage. “The press immediately published broadcast that all those who voted against tabling the resolution were in favor of giving up every right we have on the sea. A more dastardly, premeditated and mialiciouge lie was never uttered, for during the-debate we stated that if we were allowed to amend we would wipe out practically the whole McLemore resolution and substitute for it a statement that, ‘while we proposed to maintain our existing rights, we nevertheless would advise our citizens not to take pas- sage on armed belligerent ships dur- ing the present world’s crisis, THE REAL ISSUE ‘MATTER OF AUTHORITY “But the real issue was this: “Whether the president has the exclus- ‘ive right net only to represent this: <country in- oun dealings with foreign nations, but whether ie also has the exelusive right to determine our N drawn 33 to make it THE NONPARTISAN LEADER " Who Fathers This Cary Bill ? Nonpartisan Leader Bureau Anxiety to Prevent Long Storage of Butter Seems Strange Circumstance to Observers foreign policy, and therefore congress has no right to ‘butt in’ at any stage of the proceedings until war is inevit- able, when he admits that congress has the right to go through the per- formance of formally declaring war. If congress ever relinquishes its right to control our foreign policy—which is our only check on the executive in this direction—we shall have passed from a democracy to a despotism.” In the debate on the Hay army re- organization . bill Representative George Young of North Dakota de- clared that while he was in favor of adequate preparedness, he depr‘ecated the policy of instilling fear into & large portion of the population. Ha Répresentative George M. Youhg Rates Sneaking Up = Railroads Putting Into Effect Quiet . But General Boost All Qver the State (By Leader Staff Correspondent.) - Bismarck, March 2).—Avre the rail- roads operating in North Dakota plahning a general increase in grain rates? Indications that they are have come to the state railroad commis- sion. It has been known for some time that the roads were fretting over the fact that rates on grain from North Dakota to grain terminals in other states in some instances are lower, relatively, than rates from Montana and South Dakota points. Things have happened which indicate that there is under way a move grad- ually to increase the North Dakota rates, The railroad commission is not look- ing for any petition of the roads ask- ing that a flat raise be granted. The lines tried this on freight rates in the east and lost out before the inter- state commerce commission. The Flan, if it is a plan, seems to be quietly to put in effect small raises here and there from different points in the state, without kicking up any dust about it. That something of this kind has been going on is shown by some res given out at the railroad com- Jmissioners’ office. MANY SMALL INCREASES ARE QUIETLY MADE During the last year, for instance, ‘the roads have made small increases in grain rates from something over 112 stations in North Dakota. These raises. have been one-half cent per’ hundred pounds and in a few cases one cent per one hundred pounds. The following wil show the stations af- fected by these raises: Forty-nine stations on the Northern Pacific near Carrington, Jamestown, New Rockford and Linton. Forty-five stations on the Great Northern near Hannaford, Rugby, Crosby, Wildrose and Ray. : Eighteen stations on the Soo Line near Crosby and Carrington. There can be no’ doubt, it is pointed out, that the railroads' have acted in congert in putting these higher rates in effect. For instance, both the Soo and Northern Pacific, the twe lines serving Carrington; make similar raises there. Also, the Soo and Great Northern, the two lines serving Cros by, raise rates there. _ : These raises are of course on inter-’ state rates, over which the state rail- road commission -has no jurisdiction. They have been made by the roads through the interstate commerce com- mission. The proposed new rate in each instance would be filed with the interstate body, to go into effect on a future date, if the commission did not object. The raises were small and in each instance did not affect any great territory. So they have been allowed to go into effect without any objection. PLAN IS TO AVOID STIRRING OPPOSITION Words dropped here and there by railroad officials and reaching the ears of the members of the state commis- sion have indicated that this policy is to be continued—that rates are to be raised small amounts in other local- ities, without unduly arousing any- bod;{. The raises are to continue small, each affecting a limited terri- tory. Thus the railroads 'do not expget any great “holler”, either from the farmers or the state or interstate commission. At least this has been suggesied as the plan' being worked out. Each new rate in itself is mot calculated to work any great hard- ship, but their cumulative effect ial- ready has been great and if it keeps up there is going to be a fight. e The state railroad commission has ot declared that huge armaments and the war are bleeding Euxope to death, so that the great powers of Europe will.be crippled for years to come. In addition to- the financial straits of Europe, we have the added protec- ** tien, Young declared, of 3300 miles of water. He supported the increase in the regular army as justified by the Mexican situation; but predicted that the real fight will come when the navy bill is reported to the house, because it does the unprecedented thing of ap- propriating meoney for five years in advance. “Congress should pass on 'the country’s needs for defemnse each year . and not anticipate future needs,” de- clared Young. “If by any chance the fleets- of the European nations at war should meet in battle, half of the -ships might be sunk, and in that case the reasonable thing to do would be to modify our own naval building plans.” 4 3 Representative Norton also sup- ported the army bill and spoke in its behalf. GOVERNMENT MANUFACTURE IS FAVORED BY GRONNA Senator Gronna voted for the gov- ernment armor plate plant bill which was adopted by the senate. Senator MeCumber did not vote. In the de- bate’ McCumber offered an amend- ment to the effect that if the gcvern- ment could contract for its next five years’ supply of armor plate at a price ten per cent over the actual cost of production it should do-this and not attempt the government manufacture of plate. This amendment was lost, 25 to 60, Senator Gronna voting against .it. Senator Gronna made a short_speech in favor of the armor- - plate 'bill, advocating the government manufacture of all munitions of war. Representative George Young be- lieves that the protests of northwes- tern farmers have effectually killed the Rainey bill to repeal the mixed- flour- law. Young has been canvass- ing the ways and means committee of the house and he finds that there is-little likelihood of the bill being re- ported out favorably. 3% The attempt of the nurserymen of* the northwest to stop the free dis- tribution of trees to the dry lands from the experimental agricultural station at Mandan, N. D., has been de- feated in the house. The house com- mittee on agriculture has rejected the proposal to restrict the distribution, and will give the Mandan station $85,000 .to continue the work next year. Representative Norton made the fight for the Mandan station. The senate adopted Senator Gron- na’s amendment to the Indian appro- priation bill providing that in the future only experienced farmers shall be employed on Indian reservations. These farmers must bear certificates of fitness from the head of an agricul- ‘tural college. Heretofore the govern- ment has taken-civil service men for the work. without regard to their experience. N Senator Gronna left last week for North Dakota, where he will remain for several days on personal business. As a result of his absence the investi- gation of the Mexican sisal trust has been postponed to April 10. Senator McCumber will urge an amendment to the army bill providing that school boys be given military - training at the summer camps to be established at the various army posts. °—“| CAPITAL NOTES | 0 —_0 Nonpartisan Leader Bureau e -.15?)2 Riggs Building £ L _~Waeshington, March 29.—Mr. and ° Mrs. W. S. Yeater of Hazelton, N. D., - were in Washington last week on their return from Florida. They left here*for Qhio where they will-remain -for-a few days. Carl W. Lewis of Hettinger, presi~ dent of the Dakota-Montana Tele- phone company, who 'has been in Washington for several weeks, left here last week for home, stopping off in Cincinnati. The followi ostmasters of ‘the fourth class llllg s been watching the situation and may:. North Dakota: vfifi?&:n}f%omted e Protest to the interstate commission . at any time now, as soon as the pur-*" pose of the roads is more clearly de= fined. That the state will have a big fight on its hands to prevent substan- tial raises in grain rates is not doubt- ed at the state capitol. When bhis fight will be precipitated can only be gu The railroads, it is pointed out, may become bolder and precipi~ tate it soon. : f : awkins at Silva, Pierce county, to succeed Hans Morque, who resigned; Mrs, Igna Schautler at Stillwater, - Bowman county, to suceeed H. Magedawz, who' resigned; Elmer E. Tavés at Addison, Cass county, Yo sueceed T. B, Torgu- son, who resigned, - James: Gordon Acheson has been appointed to. succeced Andrew ' N. te as rural mail carier on route No. 1 at Overly, N. D. o