The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-05-18
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.

WdouIbBtobJ ~ ~, way ~, i1O0.
Count Cassini, Russian Ambassa-
dor, has been recalled and assigned
to Madrid. He will leave Wash
ington about the first of June and
will be succeeded by Baron Rosen
who was Minister to Tokyo when
the war with japan broke out. The
recall of Count Cassini has already
been forecasted in these letters
and someday, perhaps, your cor
respondent will be at liberty to re-
late the interesting events which
led TO the decision of the Emperor
OF Russia that his Ambassador to
Washington has outlived his use-
fulness in that capacity. At pres
ent the Ambassador has just given
out a graceful and diplomatic inter-
view in which he expresses his
great regret at severing the con-
nections made during an mabassa-
dorship of seven years and it might
seem an ungracious act to make
public at this time the incidents
leading up to his recall.
***
Representative Livingston spent
a day in Washington this week and
drew somewhat rosy picture of
the future of the Democracy. He
declared his belief that the majori-
ties in House and Senate would
never heed the recommendations
Of President Roosevelt that effici-
ent railway rate legislation be en-
acted and that the people be afford
ed some relief from the exorbitant
rates of the Dingley tariff, that the
President convinced of the equity
of his recommendations would be-
come insistent and that a split in
the party would result, split which
would demonstrate to the American
public how utterly the Republican
party fails to represent the people
and how absolutely it is controlled
by the corporate and vested inter
ests of the country, and that the re-
suit would inevitably be the cleo
ton of a Democratic majority to
the next House and OF Democra-
tic President to succeed Mr.. Roose-
welt.
XXX
The President and his Secretary
of War. Mr.. Taft, have uttered bold
words on the subject of railway
legislation within the last week
and have created CONSERVATION
among the American delegates to
the international Railway Con-
gress, now in session in Washing.
ton. In substance, the President,
and his views were reiterated by
Secretary Taft, has declared that
the railways are nothing but ironed
public highways. controlled by a
few powerful individuals and great
corporations and as the only arter-
les of commerce they cannot be per-
mitted longer to remain under the
exclusive control of the railway
managers but, in the words of the
President, =" 1t is absolutely neces.
sary that the nation for the State
cannot possibly do it-should as
sumo supervisory and regulatory
function over the great corporations
which practically control the great
highways of commerce."
XXX
When Secretary Taft reiteratl d
the policy of his chief at the ban.
quet of the American Railway AS.
sociation, at which were present
most of the delegates to the Inter
national Railway Congress. his re-
marks were received without ap'
plause and Stuyvesant Fish, presi
dent Of the Illinois Central Rail.
road, Immediately replied in words
that were earnest but polite. Mr..
Fish compared the policy of the
administration to the efforts ol
Great Britain, in the middle ages,
to fix an arbitrary price for com.
modities, such as bread, wages, etc.
and refused positively to recognize
the fundamental proposition of the
President and Secretary Taft that,
unlike bread and wages and similar
commodities, railways are not pri'
vate property, that they are public
highways, the administration Of
which has been intrusted to private
parties but always with the express
ed or implied right of the govern
ment, which grants to railroads