The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-08-19
POLITICAL GOSSIP IN WASHINGTON.
Financial Legislation Has Every
body Guessing---0pposition to
Special Session.

Sp6ciat SeSSsGh.
Washington, Aug. 17.-Interesting
but conflicting reports are comlnss from
Oyster Bay regarding the extraordinary
session Of Congress and financial legls-
lation. From the high authorities"
quoted it is evident that the President
himself is at sea in his efforts to
serve all interests. Bound by what
he regards as a pledge to urge the
consideration of the Cuban treaty leg
islation in advance of the financial
measure now being prepared by Sena-
tor AIdrich and his fellow members Of
the subcommittee of the Senate Com
mittee on Finance, the President is
being subjected to such strong pres
sure from the capitahstic classes IN
the east that he has been compelled to
consider the advisability of calling
Congress in extra session even earlier
than had been anticipated, November
go That the President has seriously
contemplated such a move is proven
BY an interview Senator Aidrich gave
to the press in which he refers to the
likelihood that Congress will be called
to convene in October.
No sooner was the possibility OF
such an early session learned in Wash
ineton than it was met with the pro-
tests of the practical politicians who
say that they will be fully occupied with
the various state elections in October,
and that no member Of Congress can
be spared to attend to national affairs
until the November elections ere dis
posed Of. Attention is called to the
precarious situation in Ohio, where
the democrats give promise Of acting,
as one man to defeat Senator Hanna
BY electing a legislature hostile to
him. The Secretary of Agriculture
has even promised to go to Ohio and
take tie stump to save the clay for
the Ohio leader, and it is appreciated
chat the most energetic measures must
be taken to recoup the political for
tunes of the patron of Perry Heath,
August W. Machen, !" Cliff" Long,
and other members Of the "Ohio
gang.
The situation in Rhode Islano is also
most alarming to the republicans. The
democrats in that state have made
unprecedented gains and bid fair to
control the legislature and all other
important Offices. IF they are success
full this fall it will entirely disrupt the
republican machine and there will be
every chance that the legislature elect
ed year later will defeat Senator
Aldrich, who comes up for reelection
then, and will send democrat to the
Senate. In the face of this alarming
state OF affairs the republicans feel
that they must put forth every effort
to save the state and ultimately to
save the leader of the republican party
in the Senate.
There is also an important contest
on in West Virginia where the re-
publicans are badly divided, many
members of the party having deter
mined that they will no longer be re-
presented by Senator Scott, whom
they appreciate is bound hand and
foot to the great coal, iron and rail-
way interests of the state. Under
these conditions the regular members
sof the party are being urged to enter
the state and exert their best efforts
80 save Scott from defeat. These are
but few of the problems which con-
front the republican leaders and which
would be seriously aggravated If Mr..
Roosevelt were to call Congress in
session in advance Of the elections.
On the other hand the condition of
the stock market is. occasioning the
financial experts of the republican
party the greatest anxiety. The
situation is such that, at present, the
Secretary of the Treasury is power
less to relieve, the market. The people,
that is the outsiders and ordinary
investors, have come to see that prices
have been inflated as result of the
hurrahing over an entirely artificial
prosperity. and they simply refuse to
buy Mr.. Morgans 'undigested securi-
ties" Now, say the financial experts,
If there should come a money
stringency as a result of the call for
money to move the western crops,
there would follow a panic of serious
proportions and recovery from it would
be so slow that it would inevitably
shatter the xaunted prosperity which
is expected TO return Mr.. Roosevelt to
the White House, and the people woald
turn to the democrats to revise the
tariff and relieve the consumers from
paying the heavy tribute now exacted
by the trusts Under these conflicting
arguments, President Roosevelt evi-
dently does not know which way to
turn
Gable communication has finally
been reestabished with Bogota and
the news regarding the Panama canal
treaty is most discouraging to the
advocates Of that route. No test vote
has thus far been taken in the Colon
bian Congress bnt a committee vote
showed seventeen votes for amend
ments while two who voted against the
amendments will vote against the rati-
ication of the treaty itself. Senator
Cullom has been in Oyster Bay in con-
ference with the Pesident, and now
makes the surprising suggestion that if
Colombia refuses the privilege sought
the United States might make treaty
direct with Panama, which is virtual
ly saying that the United States would
encourage Panama to secede from the