Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1905-10-21
WASHINGTON LETTER

There have been few, if any of our
Presidents who have ever felt themselves
in a position SO secure that they could
have risked ridicule. This, President
Roosevelt has done on two occasions OF
late and the fact that he has escaped is
! perhaps one of the finest tributes to re-
spect in VT ch he is held througout the
country. Courage, is one of the Presi-
! dents characteristics whether it be the
courage which carried him up San Juan
| Hill, the. courage to defy the United
States Senate or the courage to PROFOUND
| the Anti-race suicide doctrine. More re-
Gently still, scoring the fnnny para
grapher he launched the "clean football
propaganda and as much to his astonish-
ment perhaps, as sky other persons there
has been no one to ridicule his action of
all the Democratic presidents there has
been none quite so democratic as the pre-
sent one, and as an interesting contradi-
ton, it must be admitted, there has been
none accorded SO freely or so broadly the
| right of ukase. In his multiform and
electie interests there is nothing affecting
the people that he considers unworthy
OF his attention and as to its future effect
on his career he is apparently without
concern, as little SO as his friend, Secre-
tary Root whose expression: '.The things
one finds to do are substance and the
things one tries to get are shadow has
! become famous.
Robert Bacon of New York took the
oath OF office Wednesday and qualified as
Assistant Secretary of State to succeed
Francis B. Loomis. As it happened
Secretary Root was absent from the city
and bv the virtue of the fact that Mr..
Btcon outranks both the second and
third assistant secretaries, who have held
their offices for several years, he was OBJ
! liged to begin his service in the Depart
lnent as acting Secretary of State. The
effect of Mr.. Bacon's appointment to the
important position OF Assistant Secretary
is still matter of interest and conjecture.
1t is an experiment on the part OF the ad
ministration to appoint an influential
position "Wall Street man" and may
raise issues forfuture political difficulties.
There have been none yet, however to
question the ability of Mr.. Bacon and
and there many who predict that Ameri-
can diplomacy in the far east as concerns
the disposition of American capital in the
Japanese development of Chinese rail-
ways could not be in better hands. To
those who see in his wealth and superior
education cause for distrust his friends
are pointing with pride to his clean re-
cord in finance and personal character,
and limiting that the Department of State
cannot suffer by the change from Mr..
Loomis, whose ''coruscating innocence"
in the Venezuelan affair had been 50
often proved. Whatever Mr. Bacon may
be or do as Assistant Secretary of State
he is personally and interesting character
So handsome as to be known in Wall
Street as the "Greek God" he is man of
education, wealth and distinguished bear
ing. He is an athlete and linguish; a
man of social accomplishments and habits
and fitted apparently in many ways for
important diplomatic work. lie has been
a director in the United States Steel
Corporation, the Northern Securities
Company the National City Bank and
other large corporations, and it may be
presumed that his education in practical
affairs will not have untitled him for the
responsibilities OF Office.
~
One of the most interesting topics at
present in Washington is the discussion
of the article which appeared in Ger
man paper alleging the ''Rottenness' OF
the American army. Secretary Taft and
Admiral Dewey have been interviewed
and while neither will admit that the
American army is rotten or that is made
up OF miserable material and inferior to
the army of Russia" they do make adj
mission that there are faults in its or
ganiZation.
Secretary Taft Thinks that army has
not had the benefit of extensive name
uvers such as the European armies have
not be so effective in conducting great
forces in the field
~
Admiral Dewey goes good deal fur
ther and voices general conviction
among the public outside the navy that,
"n,val officers are too old for their ranks"
He says, 'the Nation will assuredly meet
with disaster in naval war unless
younger men are given command of our
ships, and | say this he adds, "because |
am old myself' He attributes a great
part Of the success of the japanese OIL the
sea to the fact that the officers in COM
mand were of about the age of our Naval
aids and Lieutenants, and therefore able
to have with-stood the hardships and
rigors of the long blockade of Port Ar
thur. He said much in praise of the en-
listed men in controdition OF the German
assertion that there was no patriotism in
the army or navy but it is evident that
he considers the necessity of placing
younger men in command of our ships
an imperative one if we would not court
disaster for the future.
M
About the time that the Admiral was
discussing the reform in the personnel
of the Navy the Bankers in Annual Con-
vention here were passing resolution
favoring national ship subsidy which
would have for its direct result the i'm
provement of American trade but which
by no great stretch of the Imagination
may be seen would have an indirect bear
ing ON the navy of our country. Those
nations great in naval strength have had a
merchant marine, to draw from. Through
our country is BOUNDED on three sides by
the ocean we since the civil war had sea-
faring people and we must man our war
ships from the farm and factory. Ger
many and England have superior navies
in part from the fact that they are
manned by experience seamen whose
training has been received on merchant
and passenger vessels.