The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-07-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.

siderable political talk in the air and the
chief subject is of tariff revision at the
coming session. 1t might just as well be
understood now that there probably will
not be any talk even of tariff revision at
the coming session. The President has
been induced to put off the calling of the
extra session from date to date till the
probabilities are that it will be so close to
the regular session that there will be no
chance for even a tariff debate, let alone
action. There is the Panama canal ques-
tion that will undoubtedly take up good
deal of time and with Secretary Taft's trip
to the Philippines and railroad rate legis-
lation there probably will not be anything
but talk, and the tariff revision will be
postponed as the majority of the two
houses wish. There will have to be some
legislation to deal with the growing de-
felt, and that probably will come in the
form of stamp tax similar to if not iden-
teal with the Spanish war taxes. Pos
sibly it may be an import tax on tea and
coffee or an increase of the internal reve-
nue. taxes, but there hardly will be any
tinkering with the tariff at the extra ses-
sion because there will not be time and at
the regular session there will be too much
else to do. There is a distinction for you.
Nv
Speaking of the Panama Canal, Messrs.
Shonts and Stevens have started for their
first look at the problem on the ground.
They both express themselves as optimis-
tic. There is no other tone for them to
take. They make the rather curious
comment that the most of the men on the
Isthmus are misfits who complain that
they have nothing to do but work, and in
the next breath Mr.. Shonts says that they
intend to establish chain of club houses
across the Isthmus and put in various
forms of entertainment for the benefit of
the exiles. It will be somewhat interest
ing to hear the interviews with these two
gentlemen on their return from Panama.
Neither of them would talk much about
Chinese labor, but the government is
about to open bids on the importation of
coolies. This probably will be neces-
sary step as the Chinaman is about the
only human being who can stand work in
the climate OF the Isthmus. But there
will be problem to deal with after the
government is through with these labor
ers. 1t is not far from the Isthmus to
Mexico aud while it is a long walk from
one end of Mexico to the other, still,
Cinnamon will put up with worse than
that for the sake of getting into the Unit
ed States. The border states of Texas
Arizona, New Mexico and California are
already the happy hunting grounds of the
Chinese runner and ifseveral thousand of
the laborers who survive the climate of
the Isthmus do not find their way into
the United States by way of the old Mex
leo line, it will be curious thing and de-
notes a great change in human and in
Chinese nature.
Nv
China is waking up. Her note to the
United States, identical with the note ad-
dressed to the other powers, has been re-
ceived in Washington. 1t announces that
she will not subscribe to any arrangement
,~odo hatsyaar d ,ce;o oud Ta0on Of porfc
mouth that does not recognize her exclu-
sive sovereignty over Manchuria. Now
this does not amount to much as an nlti-
matum from China. She is a jellyfish
power accustomed to be buffeted by any
more energetic nation. But Chinese Dip
lomacy is not much on the sleep and it is
quite possible that she has heard some
thing or has reason to fear an agreement
between Russia and Japan more in the
nature of an alliance than anything else
and she is getting ready plea that she
has reason to think will be backed up by
the other powers. So far as the United
States is concerned, she is right. Our
course in China has been mapped out for
some time past. 1t is one of the legacies
of Secretary Hay in the State Department
and one that Mr.. Root is not likely to de-
part from. But it would be almost anus
ing if Japan and Russia reached an agree
ment at the conference invited by the
United States that would be construed
into threat against the rest of the world.
~
Secretary Hays will has been filed for
probate in the court here and it is no sur
prise to those who knew the financial
position of the late secretary to find that
it covers property amounting to over a
million dollars. Secretary Hay was a
rich man, though not one of the ultra rich.
He owned one of the finest residences and
certainly the finest apartment house in
Washington. He had property elsewhere
in the country. There is one great diff.