Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-08-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington, Aug. 9TH, 1905.
Editor Press
Considerable talk has been made
over the alleged refusal of Presi-
dent Roosevelt to participate in the
coming reciprocity congress. This
is based almost entirely on either
misapprehension or distortion of
facts. The Presidents views on
reciprocity are well known and the
same views were held by Mckinley
aud before him by Blaine. The
Presidents earnest interest in the
matter was shown by the reciproc-
ity treaties which he negotiated
and sent to Congress and which
were killed by the Senate. Capital
is now being made out of the state
ment that the whole of the admin
istration is against the reciprocity
congress and that it's indifference
has become a matter of "active
hostility" This is not true. The
President at Oyster Bay has had
his hands full recently with both
the peace ENJOYS and the troubles
in the Agricultural department..
But he has made time to receive
the president of congress and what
ever the administration can pro-
perly do toward futhering the work
it may be depended on to do. This
is very delicate time however to
go into reciprocity matters at all.
The congress claims to be on a
strictly non partican basis, but it
is hardly likely that the discussion
will end without politics being
largely injected into it. Neither
the President nor the cabinet want
to get mixed up in a political mat
ter of that sort just now, but it is
quite certain that if the congress
succeeds in doing anything pratical
it will have the warm support of
the executive during the coming
session of Congress. Matters
abroad are rapidly shaping them
selves so that there will have to be
some action on expiting treaties
and on the threatened discriminate
ing duties against the United States
and if action settling the matter of
an equitable basis is not taken dur
ing coming winter, it will be the
fault of Congress and not for lack
of interest on the part of he execu-
tive.
The movement to secure foreign
laborers for Panama has come to a
temporary halt. 1t will be remem-
bered that it was originally decid-
ed to advertise for 1900 laborers
each from Italy, China and Japan.
None of these governments came
out with open objection to the
project but quietly threw a
number of obstacles in the
way and finally Japan was stated
to have declared that she would
hinder in every way the participa-
tion of her subjects in such an en-
terprise because of the bad sanitary
conditions prevailing on the 18TH
mus. 1t did seem little hard at
the time for nation that only a
few years back was only just be-
ginning to read. so to speak, to be
lecturing the American govern
ment on the subject of modern hy-
giene. But it will also be recalled
that the objection of the Japanese
government was based on a report
that was made before the American
administration had fairly taken
hold of the matter. It is stated at
the Canal Commission that the OBJ
lection of the Japanese government
is groundless. Its sanitary experts
were sent to the isthmus months
ago and while their report was de-
cidely adverse, the conditions there
have materially changed and there
is now nothing for the Japanese to
fear. However, it is quite pos