The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-06-02
OUR WASHINGTON LETT Err

and it may not. For instance. Secretary
Taft has just told the Ohio convention
that the next Congress must make some
provision to prevent the continual piling
up of deficit and the Secretary proposes.
without committing himself to either al
tentative, a return to the old war taxes,
or a readjustment of the tariff schedules
along lines which will produce more reve-
nue. as the two methods of preventing
further deficits and recouping the gov
eminent for the amount it has already
expended in excess of its receipts Sec
retary Shaw, on the other hand, speaking
for the administration, has just told the
newspapermen at St. Louis, that, 1--WE
are not worrying about the deficit" VI
course it may be said that Secretary Sha"
is not the type of man to worry; that he
could 20 the world treading on volcanoes
with smile on his couutenance, or enjoy
his afternoons smoke and his siesta in a
powder magazine, entirely obllvlous OF
the probable circumstances. On the other
hand, Secretary Taft is by no means OF
the worrying kind, and when MIR. TAFT
declared that Congress must take some
action to prevent its increase he was not
"worrying" but merely stating a bald
proposition which must appeal to every
businessman who has heard or read his
presentation of the case.
If the truth were known, it would
probably be discovered that it is Secre-
tary Shaw who is doing the worrying III
this instance, however. He is really much
worried because, being violent stand
patter, he fears that the people will de-
mand in no uncertain tones that the sac
red Dingley schedules be reduced He
knows that would be the logical course
for his party but he wants to slip into the
White House with the votes and the as
sistance of the protected monopolies and
he greatly fears the result to his presi-
idential aspirations if the tariff is touch
ed. Consequently Mr.. Shaw will not ad-
nit in public that there is anything in the
nations financial affairs to worry about
and he hopes that it will all come
out right in the end. In any event, Mr..
Shaw will retire from the Treasury next
February and if disaster follows his re-
tirement he will be able to charge the
blame to his successor, but if the tariff
schedules are reduced by the administers
ton of which he happens to be
a member the protected interests will not
contribute those golden sheckels so nee
essary to procure the votes of "the color
ed brothers" who come as delegates to
every Republican rational convention.
After perpetrating one Of the most ex-
traordinary farces ever witnessed in
w ashing ton, the Senate committee on In
terstate Commerce has adjourned to meet
again two weeks before the next session
of Congress. The committee has taken
an immense amount of testimony which
no one will ever read, most of it favora-
BILE to railroads and that which was not,
so distorted by Interruptions and SO
mangled by the persistent brow beating
of the witnesses opposed to the railways,
tee adjourned Senator Kean had the tenn
Gritty to 20 to the White House and adj
wise the President not to convene Con-
gress in special session next fall because
said the Senator, sit would do no good"
| So far as can be learned the President has
not altered his purpose of calling Con-
gress into session on October 16 although,
between the stand patters who fear some
change of the tariff schedules and the
railway men who fear some legislation
which will curtail their prerogatives, thele
is tremendous pressure being brought to
bear on Mr.. Roosevelt, pressure to which
he may eventually yield.
For some inscrutable reason a number
of the sensational newspapers Of the
country, and some not ordinarily so, have
taken to publishing lurid stories about
the assertions from the navy. 1t has
| been alleged that there are hundreds of
assertions each year and that the navy
officers are distraught in their efforts to
end such Generalization of the service.
Some papers have sent out men to inter-
view disgruntled navy cooks and galley
boys and then published their statements
as if they came from able-bodied seamen,
etc. The facts are that there are no ex-
traordinary number of assertions from
the navy and no unusual amount of dis
satisfaction. There are always some de-
sertions and the peculiar part of this fact
is that they come in the most unexpected
places and often on ships where the
greatest contentment seems to prevail.
Naval officers are inclined to the belief
that their men, every once in while, be-
come hemesick, or fern some attachment
ashore, either of which state of mind is
quite sufficient to make the average man
desert. The Navy Department officials
are now preparing statistics to support
their statements that the navy deser tions
are not abnormal this yesr.
| Considerable interest attached, in mill
tia circles throughout the country, to the
coming meeting of the Interstate National
Guard association, which will occur in St.
Paul. Minnesota, on June 49,. Assistant
Secretary Of War OLIVER is making prep
arations to attend, as are General Elliot,
commandant of the Marine Corps, and
General Hall, who has charge of militia
affairs in the War Department. One of