The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-05-19
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gen.
eral Topics from
the Capital.
May 10, 1908.

May 10, 1903.
But one topic has been discuss
ed in Washington this week and
that is Theodore Roosevelt. His
bold stand regarding the necessity
of federal control of the ironed
highways of the country, his dec.
laration that the Federal Govern
ment must exercise "supervisory
and regulatory function over the
great highways of the country"
made to the Chamber of Com.
merce at Denver. received the
hopes OF those Democrats who
have rejoiced at seeing the day
when a Republican President
should espouse policy 20 essent-
tally Democratic, hopes that had
become faint from the constantly
repeated, although unwarranted,
reports that the President would
content himself with only such
railway rate legislation as would
prove acceptable to the railway
managers.
Then came the news of the un
bounded enthusiasm with which
the President had been received
at the Iroquois Club of Chicago,
that strong hold of the Western
Democracy, the oldest Democra-
tic Club in Illinois, where Mayor
Dunno and the staunchest Demo
Gratis in the organization cheered
to the echo the words. not of a
Republican President. but of the
President of the United States.
And at that banquet the Presi-
dent assured the Dem ocratic
Mayor that in his efforts to pre-.
serve order and enforce the law
he should have the hearty support
of the President. Earlier IN the
day, speaking to a delegation of
strikers which called on him. the
President had said: ''In every
effort OF Mayor Dune to prevent
violence by mObs or individuals.
to see that the laws are Obeyed
aud that order is preserved, he
has the hearty support of the
President of the United States,
and in my judgment he should
have that OF every good citizen of
the United States" Speaking at
the Club, and to Mayor Dunno,
he sand, that in all contests with
mob violence, "if ever the need
arises, back of the city stands the
State and back of the State stands
the Nation" When the Presi
dent made this declaration the en-
thusiasm knew no bounds. 1t had
the ring of pure AmericaniSm and
his Democratic auditors recognize
ed that ring as quickly, perhaps
more so, than would have a gath
ering of the Presidents own party.
Naturally the question arises in
the minds of Democratic pOllti
clans, What will be the outcome
of this enthusiasm for a Republi-
can President! Of course. Opin
ions differ on that point bur many
of the Democrats in Washington,
and among them some of the keen
est observers of public affairs, de
clare that the immediate result
will be the reversal of the present
majority in the House of Repre-
sentatives. And they reason in
this way: "The President has
won the confidence of the entire
people, He is urging, and next
fall will urge in stronger terms
than ever, that legislation shall
so control the railroads of the
country as to make them serve
first the interests of the people by
whose authority they exist. But
this was hardly an issue when the
present House was elected, es-
pecially when it was nominated.
1t was not an issue when most of
the present Senators were elected.
Therefore. the men who now sit in
the National Congress do not real
ize the grasp which this issue has
taken upon the public mind, as
they are. in many instances, be.
holden to the railroads for their
elections, or at least for the cam
paign funds with which they were
elected, they will not,> dare not,
vote against their patrons. The
President will be defeated in his
every effort to secure efficient rail