OUR AMERICAN LETTER

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14668, 17 May 1913, Page 4

OUR AMERICAN LETTER

NOTES AND NEWS

DIRECT ELECTION OF SENATORS

(neou our own corrbspondentV

SAN FRANCISCO, April .13.

Thero has been much talk of progressive policies in the "United States during the last few years, hut probably no

more far-reaching innovation has been adopted than tho recent constitutional amendment providing for tho direct election by the votere of members of the Federal Senate, as in Australia. Since tho foundation of the American Republic, Senators have been elected by tho Stato legislatures, two from each State. Henceforth they will be elected by tho voters at largo, just as are members of tho House of Representatives. For many'years believers in this reform have been attempting to enact it. Undoubtedly it was tho revelation of tho corrupt methods usetl to elect Senator Lorimer to theSenato from Illinois—An instance in which tho State legislature was debauched and immense sums of money expended by wealthy friends of Lorimor —that finally disgusted the peoplo with tho old method. But thcro is scarcely a State in the union that at qno time or another has not had a scandal of the same kind. Even where no corruption has been possible of proof, it has been an open secret that improper influences were successfully used to send ■ men to tho Senate. In California, for inslanco, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company for years dictated. tho election or tile Federal Senators. The popular method of electing Senators • goes into tho constitution as tho. result of having been formally adopted by thirty-six States, tho requisite threefourths- of the tota! number. The Senate has been much democratised in tho last few years by reason of tho primary election laws adopted in a j number of States, whereby the voters havo been enabled to indicate to tho lefjisln hires their choice for Senator, this being in most cases equivalent to - election. So far as those States are concerned, tho constitutional amendt raent means that they are now nblo to j locally and directly do something which , they have been doing by indirection. 1 Popular election of Senators by every , State in tho union will make directly j responsive to the public will a body , that has at times been very stubborn in its anxiety for the welfare of special interests, and especially of capitalisL tic interest. A PRECEDENT SMASHER. t President Woodrow Wilson's con- « tompt for precedents and traditions was ncjain demonstrated in tho fact that hia first message to Congress was read by him in person. It is more than a century since a President of the f United States last entered the halls of Congress and officially addressed the assembled members of both Houses. One I hundred and twelve years ago Presii dent John Adams appeared before Conj gross in deliberative session, bnt from that day to tho 7th of April, 1913, no occupant of this hieh office addressed p the national legislature other than by written message. Senators steeped in Washington tradition thought a cataclysm was imminent when President Wilson announced his intention of I going to Congress and talking to its i j members face to face. One of them j saw visions of monarchism ard deL claimed against what looked to him like ' a "speech from the throne." But j when tho startling experience was all 1 over every one agreed that it had been ■ » success, and that it made for expedi- ■ tion and lack of misunderstanding in

tho conduct of public business- Both Houses of Congress assembled in the Chamber of tho House of representatives. In introducing his message Mr Wilson _at once caught the interest of his auditors, his opening words being: "I am very glad indeed to have this opportunity to address tho two Houses directly and to verify for myself the impression that the President of the United States is a person, not a mere department of the Government, hailing Congress from some isolated island of jealous power, sending messages, not speaking naturally, and with his own voice; that he is a human being, trying to co-operate with other human beings in a common service. After this pleasant experience I shall feel quite normal in all. our dealings with ono another." A moving picture was installed to secure a record of the historical ovent for tho Government's archives.' AUSTRALIAN MEAT. Tho San Francisco Board of Health has permitted the release and sale of the consignment of Australian beef, which recently arrived hero and wss seized, because it was not stamped in accordance with tho provisions of the pure food and drug law. Tho trouble was that tho meat was tagged instead of being stamped by the inspector. A special enabiing resolution was adopted permitting the introduction of this shipment, and also of two now on the way here notwithstanding the technical breach ot tho law in this regard, but in future all animals shipped from Australia for sale in this market must be stamped on the parts at the time of slaughter, with a stamp similar to that used in this country. P. E. Quinn, a representative of the Government of New South Wales attended tho meeting of the Health Board at which tho concession was made as to the first three shipments, and stated that his Government would cheerfully comply with the law, and that he would cable fall instructions. The shipment now placed on the San Francisco market should be tho forerunner of a big'trado in Australian meat in, this country in view of the fact that it is now proposed by tho Wilson Administration to make meat duty free. INCOME TAX BILL. Tho income tax measure by which it is proposed to raise tho £16,000,000 of revenue sacrificed by lowering the Customs duties, applies to all who earn in excess of £800 a year. A tax of 1 per cent, is imposed upon a man's income in excesa of that amount and below £4000 » year, the first £800 being exempt. The tax is graduated up to 4 per cent, in the case of incomes of £200.009 or over. The income tax, together with the existing tax on corporations and stock companies, will, it is estimated, raise a revenue of £20,000,000 per annum. The Bill excludes the compensation of tho President during his term, Judges of the Supreme Court, and inferior Judges of tho United States, and the compensation of all officers and employees of a State or any political subdivision thereof. All taxable persons aro to be notified of the amount for which they aro liable under the law on or before June Ist of each year, and tho assessments must be naid on or before Juno 30th. Employers are "to be required to reveal the salaries cf their employees, and it is proposed to collect the tax at the source. WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE. The women suffragists of America are not alone winning constant successes in the States, but have invaded tho national field with excellent chances of becoming enfranchised to vote in Federal elections. On the day Congress opened, a procession of suffragiste representing every congressional district of every State in the Union invaded the capitol, and presented petitions demanding a '"constitutional amendment

for equal suffrage. The great procession of women, as it marched t.io streets to the capital, was given a reception that was in striking contrast with the disorderly scenes that attended the suffrage,parade on the day of President Wilson's inauguration, a month before, when tho marchers were swamped by a surging mob that completely overpowered the police. Policemen on foot, on horse and on bicycle, lined the streets practically a dozen feet apart, and as the marchers passed the policemen turned and marched with them. A squad of mounted policemen headed tho parade, and another brought up, tho rear. Thus the suffragists marched completely surrounded by officers. There were no attempts at disorder. The advances made for the cause in tho individual States are very marked. There are now nino States where women enjoy tho right to vote, and in addition, there are five in which a woman-suffrage constitutional amendment has been adopted by th» Legislatures, and now awaits the test of submission to a popular vote of tho electors. In five other States the amendment has been adopted by one House of tho Legislature. There aro other States which do not seem to welcome the change, and amongst thoso which havo defeated a womansuffrage amendment during the present season are Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska, West Virginia, Missouri and Delaware. Nevertheless, "The Woman's Journal" hopefully remarks: — "As the women's procession in Washington was broken in and delayed by drunken roughs, so legislators, drnnk with conservative prejudice or affiliated with special interests hostile to the public welfare, may break in upon this peaceful process of the States and delay the progress of a State here and there, but the delay at the utmost can be but temporary. As .all the State delegations at Washington finally struggled through, bo all the States aro sure sooner or later to reach tho goal."