The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-08-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., August nth.

Congress and financial legislation. From
the "high authorities" quoted it is eviden
that the President himself is at sea in hi
efforts to serve all interests. Bound b.
what he regards as pledge, to urge tn
consideration of the Cuban treaty legisla
ton in advance of the financial measure
now being prepared by Senator Aldricl
and his fellow members of the sub com
mittee of the Senate Committee on Fl
nance, the President is being subjected tt
such strong pressure from the capitals
tic classes in the east that he has beer
compelled to consider the ACCESSIBILITY O.
calling Congress in extra session ever
earlier than had been anticipated, Novem
Der 8. That the president has seriously
contemplated such a move is proven by
an interview Senator Aldrich gave to thu
press in which he refers to the likelihood
that Congress will be called to convene
in October
No sooner was the possibility Of sucl
an early session learned in Washington
than it was met with the protests of the
practical politicians who say that they
will be fully occupied with the various
state elections in October and that nc
member of Congress can be spared to at
tend to national affairs until the Novem
Der elections are disposed 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 legislature hostile to
him. The Secretary of Agriculture has
even promised to go to Ohio and take the
stump to save the day for the Ohio lea.
der and it is appreciated that the most
energetic measures must be taken to rec
coup the political fortunes of the patron
of Perry Heath, August w. Machen,
Cliff Long, and other members of the
"Ohio gang"
The situation in Rhode Island is also
most alarming to the republicans. The
democrats in that state have made unpre-
cedent gains and bid fair to control the
legislature and all other important offices.
If they are successful this fall it will en-.
tirely disrupt the republican machine and
there will be every chance that the legis-
lature elected year later will defeat Sena-
tor Aldrich, who comes up for re election
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 lead
er of the republican party in the Senate.
There is also an important contest on
in West Virginia where the republicans
are badly divided, many members of the
party having determined that they will no
longer be represented by Senator Scott,
whom they appreciate is bound hand and
foot to the great coal, iron and railway
interests of the state. Under these con-
ditions the regular members of the party
are being urged to enter the state and ex-
ert their best efforts to save Scott from
defeat. These are but a few of the
problems which confront the republican
leaders and which would he seriously
aggravated if Mr. Roosevelt were to call
Congress in session in advance of the
elections.
On the other hand, the con dition of the
stock market is occasioning the financial
experts of the republican party the great
est anxiety. The situation is such that,
at present, the Secretary of the Treasury
is powerless to relieve the market. The
people, that is the outsiders and ordinary
investors, have come to see that price
have been inflated as result of the hurrah-
ing over an entirely artificial prosperity,
and they simply refuse to buy Mr.. Nor
gan's "undigested securities" Now, say
the financial experts, if there should
come money stringency as a result of
the call for money to move the western
crops, there would follow panic of
serious proportions and recovery from it
would be so slow that it would inevitably
shatter the vaunted prosperity which is
expected to return Mr.. Roosevelt to the
White House and the people would 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. Presi-
dent Roosevelt evidently does not know
which way to turn.
Cable communication has finally been
re- established 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 Colombian Congress, but a
committee vote showed seventeen for
amendments while two who voted against
the amendments will vote against the
ratification Of the treaty itself. Senator
Cullom has been at Oyster Bay in confer
ence with the President, and now makes
the surprising suggestion that if Colombia
refuses the privilege sought the United
States might make a treaty direct with
Panama, which is virtually saying that
the United States would encourage Pana-
ma to secede f; ON the United States of
Colombia and establish separate govern
ment in order to give the United States
the desired strip of Colombian territory
The expected indictments in the Post
Office investigation have not yet been
brought in, although it is certain that they
will be forthcoming in time, probably