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SENATOR SAYS CONGRESS HAS OBEYED WISHES OF THE PEOPLE. Railroad Rate Bill the Most Mim portant Piece of Legis lation Enacted. Meat Inspection Bill, Statehood Meas ure, Crusade for Pure Food, Consular Reform—Praises President Roosevelt, Washington,D. C., June 80,—Sen ator Cullom said this afternoon that the whole country was to be con gratulated and the splendid work congress had accomplished. “It has been a remarkable session in many respects,’’ he continued. ‘“I do not think we have ever had just such a session of congress. In character, importance and amount the legislation enacted at the pres ent session is equal if it does not ex ceed any previous session during my experience in the senate. There have been few sessions where so many creat questions that have been pending before congress and the country for years have been satis factorily settled. “There were times during the ses sion when a feeling ran so high, es pecially in the senate, that it seemed as if the dominant party in congress was to be hopelessly divided, but in every great controversy harmony in the end prevailed, and we emerge from this session with a more united party than at any time in the last two years, , ‘Railroad Bill the Feature. “The railroad rates legislation was the greatest feature of the present session. ‘It is unnecessary for me to go into the details of the great fight on the subject in congress or as to the bill which finally became a law. Suffice it to say that, the, people, tired of long years of waiting, de manded , drastic legislation.The house passed what was then con sidered a drastic measure, but it is to the senate that the people of the country owe their thanks for the pas sage of one of ‘the broadest and most far reaching enactment on the sub ject of the regulation of common carriers that has ever been adopted by any country in the world. = ‘The enactment of the railroad rate bill into a law marks the clos ing chapter in one of the greatest popular movements that has ever taken place in this country. I was in the senate when the movement commenced and it is a satisfaction bogie to have been able to witness its close. Meat Inspection Needed. “Then, there was the so-called meat inspection bill, which has just become a law. The people were justly shocked at the disclosures of the horrible conditions at the stock yards in Chicago. The president promptly called it to the attention of congress. It is to be regretted if the consequent publicity has injured the packing industry at Chicago, and especially is it to be regretted if it has injured the stock raisers of the United States; but in my judg ment this publicity will do more to remedy conditions at the stockyards than any law which we could enact. The meat inspection law is a string ent one, and it goes as far as can probably be done by congressional act to remedy the conditions com plained of. “The statehood bill is another subject which has been before con gress for a number of years, which was finally settled during the last session. After a long fight a happy solution was reached by which one state, composed of Oklahoma and the Indian Territory, will be admit ted, and it will be left for the people of the other two territories to deter mine whether they willome into the union as one state. It seems now that the people of New Mexico and Arizona will not consent to come in together; and we must ad mit, if they adhere to this, that the time is not far distant when con gress will be compelled to admit them as two states. Gain for Pure Food. ‘After a number of years we have at last enacted what will prove to be a fairly satisfactory pure food bit, t he bill will not prevent the sale of adulterated foods, but it will give the purchaser the opportunity of knowing just what is contained in the goods he purchases. If he de sires adulterated food he can pur chase it as such, but the sale of adulterated foods under guise of pure foods is prohibited. “The last general legislation nec essary to the completion of the isthmian canal was also adopted, when congress determined that a lock canal, which can be constructed in one-half the time and for half the money, and which is equal in every respect to a sea level canal, shall be adopted. The s work will now be pushed with renewed vigor, and it now seems certain that within a comparatively few years we will have our isthmian canal. “The tax has been removed from denatured alcohol. This was done in response to a popular movement in all parts of the country, especially in the middle west. This bill will be of inestimable advantage to the manufacturing and agricultural in terests of the country and tend to increase the annual corn, potato and beet crop millions of bushels. It has been said that it means untold millions of increased revenue to our agricultural and manufacturing in terests. Step for Consular Reform. ‘During the last session of con gress an important step was taken in the direction of reorganization and reform of our consular service. This is of particular importance to the business interests of Chicago and other large cities. Complaints had been made for years of the inade quacy of our consular service. This bill trades the consuls, abolishes fees, and contains many other im portant features which will go far toward making the consular service of the United States superior to that of any other country. “A bill for the preservation of Niagara Falla was Alappagned, In re sponse to a demand from all, parts 2 the country that this great work of ‘natite should not be ruined by the diversion of water for man facturing purposes. Chicago was Interested that no legislation should be a sa cred which would in any way prevent the use of sufficient water from Lake Michigan for the Chicago drainage canal. This legislation was not entirely satisfactory to Chicago, but it remains in force for only a sufficient length of time in order that the executive department may negotiate a treaty with Great Brit ain. on the subject. . .A beginning was made during the last session to provide for the pur chase of sitea and buildings for lega tions and embassies of the United States abroad. .We made an appro priation for the purchase of an em assy at Constantinople. I hope that this movement will continue until the United States has its own embassies and legislations in every country in the world, just as the other great nations have, United States Courts in China, ‘‘An important bill was also passed which will reform our extra-terri torial system in China. Heretofore we have had irresponsible consular courts in that country, with absolute authority to pass on all controversies in which American citizens were in volved in that country, even to the extent of imprisonment and death. These courts were generally incom petent and sometimes corrupt. This bill will provide a regular United States court for China, with compe tent judges, paying all the qualifica tions of the United States judge in this country and with adequate pro vision for appeal, ‘'We have ratified some import ant treaties, and the work of the senate in connection with our for eign relations during the last ses sion has been of considerable im portance. ‘In conclusion, I wish to say a word, in reference to President Roosevelt. Too much credit cannot be given him for the work accom plished by congress during the past session. He has constantly urged the passage of these great measures, both privately and through his offi cial message, and it is doubtful, not to say improbable, whether we would have had railroad rate legislation, pure food legislation, meat, inspec tion legislation, an isthmian ‘canal bill, consular reform, or many other important measures had it not been for the efforts of the president.. ‘The passage of these great bills is a personal victory for President Roosevelt. But few measures in which he has taken a personal in terest have failed,
Newspaper Details
Freeport Daily Journal
Freeport, Illinois, US
Mon, Jul 02, 1906
Page 3
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USA 03 Feb 2026
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