Middletown transcript., 1901-12-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.

/ lCONGRESS is now in session, and vii
~ remain for at least six months. int
which will be crowded some OF the mos
exciting political experiences thst thi
country has witnessed for many day
The Republicans have, of course, grea
advantage, not only from their position
as majority party but also from the ex
treme weakness of the opposition. No
only are the Democrats without leader
but they have not even chosen the bes
Of those whom they have, to manage
their battle for them. slippery Jim
Richardson, who was renominated fol
Speaker by the Democratic caucus q
Saturday and received the complimentary y
vote of that side of the House Monday
and was thus made the tactical leader o
the minority in the House, is p city
nearly the weakest man of all those wht
aspired to the honor. Not for nothing
did he receive his nickname above; BIZ
regular mode Of warfare is to compromise
with the enemy whenever possible ant
to fight only when it is impossible t.
avoid doing so. Far different is Repre-
sentative De Almond, of Missouri, who
would have contested the leadership
with him, had be been in Washington
Unfortunately, both for him and hi
party, two successive mishaps to trans
ports on which he has been travelling
at Government expense-in the Philip
pines, have resulted in delaying his ar.
rival in this city; to-day he is somewhere
ON the bosom of the broad Pacific, wond-
ering what is going on here. In his alb
sence, his campaign for the post failed al
together.
~
The Democrats in the Senate are nearly
as badly of. Mr.. Bryan has insisted
that Senator Jones, of Arkansas, shall
again be leader of the minority in tnat
body, and the contemplated revolt by
those who object to further dictation
from the Nebraskan and who think that
Mr.. Jones failed them woefully by not
fighting the army bill and other meas
ures put through at the last session, is in
definitely postponed to await the, return
of Senator Bacon, Of Georgia, who is
afoat somewhere with Representative
De Almond. The stars certainly seem to
fight against the Democrats nowadays.
Senator Knute Nelson, of Minnesota,
has prepared bill which he will soon
to establish the new Depart
ment of Commerce and Industries, rec
by the recent reciprocity con-
vention and by number of similar bod
les in the past. Senator Nelson has dis
,ussed his bill with the President, who
has approved it and will urge it upon
Congress. The bill as drawn, creates Sec-
-etary, with an Assistant Secretary and
Chief of the Bureau of Manufactures. To it
will be transferred from the Treasury
the Lighthouse service, life
saving service, marine hospital, inspector
of steamboats,, bureau of navigation, U.
). shipping commissioners, bureau of
and coast and goedetic survey;
from the Interior Department, the COM
missioner of railroads, patent Office,
census Office and geological survey; and
from the State department, the bureau of
ioreign commerce. To these are to be
added the now independent bureau Of
abor and the fish commission. The Sec
retary of Commerce will be cabinet Of
icer, raising the number of the Presi-
1ent's advisers from eight to nine. The
began its existence iE 1889
with three departments-that of State, |
War and Treasury and two Independent |
bureaus, whose heads were not cabinet |
of Post Office and Justice. |
The Navy department was added nine
years later, and the Postmaster General |
md Attorney General made Cabinet Of |
lOCIc dDOub euc ShLu0 6llu0. NO IurIner |
Increase took place until 1849, when the |
Interior Department was organized by
aking patents and census from the State
department., lands from the Treasury,
Indians from the War, and pensions from
War and Navy. The Department of Ag-
,iculture was created only dozen years
'go. Certainly Uncle Sam has been in
10 hurry to multiply new departments.
~
Secretary Roots recommendations in
'egard to Cuba have created a decided
sensation here. In effect they are plea
or prompt action looking to reciprocity
with the island, on the ground that its
peace, health, prosperity and indepen-
lence are necessary to the U. s. and can
'nly be attained by prompt commercial
that will insure to the is
and's benefit. 'SThe same considera-
ions" says the Secretary, (which led to
'he war with Spain, now require that
commercial arrangement be made under
which Cuba can live." These ideas of
'he Secretary are undoubtedly for al
practical purposes identical with those of
;he President. As such they foreshadow
spirited contest in ConOrosu th;S t,,;r%ar