The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-01-13
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eraI Topics from
the Capital.
January Z, 1905.

The President has scored one in
his efforts to bring Congress to
terms on the subject of tariff re
Vision and it now remains to be
seen how the Senate and House
leaders will avoid their "plain
dutyu 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 permitted
the announcement to be made
that he was "seriouSly consider
ing" the advisability of calling
Congress in extra session to re-
wise the tariff. This information
brought the "Stand patters" to
their feet and created conSterna
tion at the Capitol Senators
and Representatives, had return
ed to their homes for the holidays
convinced that the President APP
preciated the futility of asking
them to lower any Of the sacred
Dingley schedules and were
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 i'll gangs to
urge he President not to take so
rash step as to call them to
Washington just at the begin
ming of the heated term. The
only consolation they received
was an invitation to consider the
subject and that conference will
be held this afternoon. What
the outcome will be it is impossi-
BILE to predict but there is no
doubt that the President will
have to face some of the widest
mbers of Congress and he will
do well if they do not get the
better of him.
When members of Congress
came to Washington the first of
December they found the Presi,
dent convinced that the promise
of lower duties made during the
campaign, "tor political purposes
only" should be kept and that
the stop rails" of the tariff fence
should be removed. He h $
gone so far on this track, in
fact, that his message. as printed,
contained the statement, will
communicate with you on the
subject OF the tariff later.n The
high priests of protection imme-
diately beSieged the White House
and finally persuaded the Presi
dent to send out to the press
associations an order to strike
from his message the line quoted.
Some of the newspapers had.
however, already printed the
line, so the Presidents origiL al
intention of sending to Congress
a special tariff message became
known i'll certain sections. The
next step was to persuade the
President that a special session
could be held late in the fail, say
in NOvemb Der, at which all needed
changes in the Dingley rates
could be made. Finally the
leaders showed their true hands
by deprecating all changes in
the tariff and their effortf to util-
lze the press to that end became
known to the President during
holiday recess.
The only way in which the
President can be prevented from
calling Congress in special SEES
sion, probably this coming spring.
will be holding up to him the
last administration of President
Cleveland as horrible example
and even that will not prevent
his sending to Congress a pow
erful appeal for revision next
December if no extraordinary
session is held.
Another aggravating act
which has been borne on the
President of late is that the
Senate leaders have caused the
Statehood bill to be taken up
with no intention of enacting it
but for the sole purpose of its
becoming an obstacle to other
legislation; such for instance,
as measures calculated to give
the government full control of
railway rates, to check the steady
growth of the trusts, to central
ize the control of the public
forests under single department,