Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-08
At THE WHITE HOUSE
President Stands Pat on Esch-
Townsend Bill.
SENATE SUPPORT HOPED
SENATOR McCOMAS THINKS BILL
SHOULD GO THROUGH.
Senator Beveridge Talks on Statehood
Bill as It Passed - Augustus
Shaffer Must Hang.

It was stated on good authority at the
White House today that the aomlhiserd 'ioii
stands pat upon the Esch-ToWnseno re-
hate bill so far as amendments lessenlng
its effectiveness are concerned Inc FFesi-
dent and the House leaders are OF the opiii-
ion that the bill does not do the raliioao'
an injustice and Is not unfair 10 thelA az
any way. Therefore the bill Will nave INC
solid backing of the administrator. AH'
only amendment that the administration
would like to see made at this tlme' II -
said, is one relating to private cars. ~
large number of House republicans are mo-
pleased at the failure of the bill to con-
tain provisions relating to TINS feature VI
freight rates, and an effort will be made
at this late day to have something oohe'
Whether it will succeed is not certain.
Representative Babcock of Wisconsin, an
advocate of private car provisions, talked
to the President as to the legislation ana
found him much interested in the sltua-
ton in Congress as to rebate matters.
Senator McComas of Maryland laakeo
along the same lines to the president.
Along in the SOS Mr.. McComas' then ~
the House, was one of a handful OF repuo
licans to vote with the democrats IN taEoi
of the Reagan bill, as it was called. Inc
Esch- Townsend bll,'' said Senator NC
COmaS, contains many VI tlIO PAo'A'Ao--I
of the Reagan bill, and has my support
just as it stands l believe the Dill ousnt
| to go through the Senate just as IL wlii
pass the House tomorrow, and VIE "orh
| to that end from now on. l don't see why
| the Senate cannot enact legislation on tne
| subject"
The President was gratifed at the as
| surance of Senate support for the HOUSE
| bill. He has been told in the last Re"
days, however, that there Is a growing sen
| timent in the Senate for the enactment ol
| legislation of some kind at this session, and
| a strong contingent Of the Senate is quiet.
| ly at work shaping things so that an effort
| may be made to do something. NUMBER
| of senators have expressed their readiness
| to accept the House bill, and quiet poll
will be made to see how many votes may
| be depended upon.
Stathood Bill.
Senator Beveridge was one Of the first
callers with the President today, discussing
the statehood bill as it passed the Senate
| yesterday. Mr.. Beverages committee finds
much consolation in the fact that Its main
desire, that Of single statehood for Okla
homa and the Indian territory, was sue
| cessful. AS to the remaining parts there
is not so much regret. 1t Is understood
that those favoring single statehood for
| Arizona and New Mexico will bend their
| efforts now toward having the bill thrown
into conference, where there will be a
the Senate with another opportunity for a
vote
The President had a visit today from
Gen. Wilmon w. Biackmar, commander
in-chief of the national G. A. r. He was
accompanied by Gen. John E. Gilman, sd-
jutant general, and William M. Olin, secre-
tary of state of Massachusetts. Genera
Blackmar will deliver an address at the
New National Theater Sunday night at
o'clock on Abraham Lincoln, under the
auspices of Burnside Post Tonight he viii
attend banquet of the Department of the
Potomac at the New Willard.
| Representative Golden of New York asked
the President today to retain Maj William
Heimke as second secretary of the United
States embassy in Mexico. Major Heimkt
| has been at this post for twenty years.
Senator Fulton of Oregon presented H. B
Miller, the United States consul general a
Niuchwang, China. Mr.. Miller has been il
this country since the last of December ant
will remain here five or six weeks longe
before going back to his post.
The President will stop at Paris, Texas
when he goes down to the reunion of hi
Rough Rider regiment at San Antonio, ii
the spring. He promised a delegation from
that city today that he would stop in thu
) place few minutes. The delegation con
sisted of Jack Gordon, H. H Kirkpatrick
) and j. w. Owenby, and-tiley We're intro
duced by Representative Reid of Arkansas
The Presidents acceptance of the invita-
; ton does not indicate his feeling that it vii
. be necessary to call an extra session O
!. NoiIBTeSS IN tne spring, as ne would no
continue to plan trip If he felt that h
, would be kept in Washington.
; Augustus Shaffer Must Hang.
President Roosevelt gave a long hearin,
: today to Henry E. Davis and D. w Baker
. | attorneys for Augustus L. Shaffer, the con
. | demned wife murderer under sentence t
die Friday. The Presidents course In thi
. respect was unusual, as he invariably act
. In such cases upon the recommendation O
I Attorney General Moody. The Presiden
!. sent to the Department of Justice and 60
: the papers In the case, and when the al
: torneys, who were accompanied by Fathe
Mcguire. the jail chaplain, began to tai
{. with him he showed a thorough famliarit
!. with the crime with which Shaffer wa
!. charged. The principal argument of tn
: attorneys was that there was not sufficier
I. proof of generalization and elaboration O
Z the part of Shaffer in the murder of h,
Z wife. 1t was contended that Shaffer was
man Of such temperament that he woul
commit crime of this kind at a psycholof
. ical moment and that it would be pra1
: tically impossible to restrain himself
!. was also urged that there were many nit
!. eating circumstances, some of which wei
!. mentioned. The President, after listeniu
!. for half an hour to the various ideas an
I. facts that were presented, said that
= would be unable to grant the request fl
2 communication of sentence He referred
!; the lynchings throughout the country ar
3 said that many of them were due to II
& hardness of justice and the frequent con
8 mutation and pardon of criminals He d
E not believe that the lynching record cou
Z be bettered If condemned murderers e
5. capped the gallows on slight pretexts