Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-01-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Z, 1906


efforts to bring Congress to terms on the
subject of tariff revision, and it now re-
mains to be seen how the Senate and
House leaders will avoid their ssplain
duty which has been so forcefully pointed
out to them by the Chief Executive. On
the day Congress re convened after the
Christmas holidays, the President per-
mitted the announcement to be made that
he was seriously considering the advisa-
bility OF calling Congress in extra session
to reyise the tariff. This information
brought the stand -pattersH to their feet
and created CONSERVATION at the Capitol
Senators and Representatives had returned
to their homes for the holidays convinced
that the President appreciated the futility
of asking them to lower any of the sacred =
Diugley schedules, and we're aghast when
they learned that he was still determined
to force them to show their hands on the
tariff question The leaders went at once
to the White House, singly, in pairs and
in gangs to urge the President not to take
so rash a step as to call them to Washing
ton just at the beginning of the heated
term The only consolation they re-
ceived was an invitation to conference
TO consider the subject, and that confer
ence viii be held this afternoon. What
the outcome viii be it IS Impossible to pre-
dict, but there is no doubt the President
will have to face some of the wieest mem
bers Of Congress, and he will do we'll if
they do not get the better OF HIM.
When members of Congress came to
Washington the first Of December they
found the President convinced that the
promises of lower duties made during the
campaign, for political purposes only, y
should be kept, and that the top rails
of the tariff fence should be removed. He
had gone so far ON this track, in fact, that
his message, as printed, contained the
statement, 4 will communicate with you
on the subject of the tariff later" The
high priests of protection Immediately be-
sieged the White House. and finally pur-
suaded the President to send out TO the
press associations an order to strike from
his message the line quoted. Some of the
+ newspapers, mad, however, already printed
the line, so the Presidents original inten-
tlon of sending to Congress special tariff
message became known in certain sections
The next step was to pursuade the Presi-
dent that special session could be held
late in the fall, say November, at which all
needed changes in the Dingley rates could
be made. Finally, the leaders showed
their true hands by depreciating all changes
in the tariff and their efforts to utilize the
press to that end became known to the
President during the holiday recess.
The only way in which the President
can be prevented from calling Congress in
special session, probably this coming
Spring, will be by holding up to him the
last administration of President Cleveland
as a horrible example and even that will
not prevent his sending to Congress a
powerful appeal for REVISION next Deem
Der if no extraordinary session is held.
Another aggrayating fact which has been
horne in on the President of late is that
/ the Senate leaders have caused the State
hood bill to be taken up with no inten
ton of enacting it, but for the sole pur-
pose of its becoming an obstacle to other
/ legislation such for instance as measures
/ calculated to give the government full con-
/ troll Of railway rates, to check the steady
/ growth of trusts, to centralize the control
Of the public forests under single depart
ment, etc. little later in the session the
/ plea Of mo time'' will be advanced when
ever the President asks why this, that the
other is not done, and so Mr. Roosevelt is
fast awakening to the fact that his Re
publican friends in Congress are not in
earnest when is comes to legislation which
would prove of actual service to the ma
jority of the people and would favor no
special interest.
Secretary Hay has sent to the Senate
number of arbitration treaties in which he
and the President are deeply interested but
which stand little chance Of ratification as
negotiated. The Democratic Senators see
in these treaties a possibility Of the South
ern States being compelled to pay the repu-
lated State bonds which were ISSUED by
carpet baggers in the reconstruction DAYS.
the proceeds of which went into the hands
Of Northerners who came south to exploit
that section and from which the South
received no benefit whatever Consequent
~ the Democrats in the Senate have band
ed together and unless the conventions are
so attended as expressly to omit from arbi-
tration the payment of these bonds they
viii never be ratified