Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1906-01-08
Root and Shaw Apply The
MOduS ViVendi.
UNCLE JOE is DEAD SET
AGAINST "TARIFF TINKERING"
Question Of Whether to Take a Big
Stick or a Velvet Glove to the
Kaiser Now Uppermost,
Correspondence Morning Journal.

Correspondence Morning Journal.
Washington. Jan. 4.-Blessed be the
man who invented the modus vivendi,
The personality of the inventor is
somewhat doubtful, but Secretary Hay
was the first American statesman to
Apply ii to a serious international sit
uation as a means of eircumventlng
the senate. 1t was thus he kept the
peace on the Alaskan boundary for
many years when he knew that IL he
had called his "modus" a treaty and
had sent it to the senate it would have
been rejected out of hand. In the
same way now there is talk of Secre-
tary Root and Secretary Shaw getting
together with the German ambassador
and fixing up a temporary trade agree
ment with GERMANY modus vi
vendi that will soften, in some meas
ure at least, the rigor of Germany's s
new commercial agreement with seven
European countries which becomes ef-
feetive next March and promises to
work great hardship to American
trade Speaker Cannon has given IT
out in unqualified terms that he will
have no tariff tinkering" at the pres
ent session, and there is a rumor that
he has been able to take this stand
owing to a tacit agreement with the
president that there will be no attempt
to push tariff legislation il congress
acts in good faith on a satisfactory
rate bill. But meantime. the secre-
tary of state and the secretary of the
treasury are busy seeing II there is NOT
some middle and satisfactory way out
of what threatens to be disastrous
tariff war with Germany. There is 4
difference between the two secretaries
of course as to the best method to
pursue. Secretary Shaw is an avowed
standpatter. Secretary Root has
never been. Therefore, Secretary
Root is in favor of the Lodge bill
which would make the present Ding
ley rates the maximum under which
certain reciprocal advantages might be
given, while Secretary Shaw favors
the McCleary bill which would fix the
Dingley rates as the maximum beyond
which retaliatorY duties might be inn
posed. 1t is simply the difference be-
tween the velvet glove and a gnarled
club. But Secretary Root has the
reputation of never lacking the steel
grip inside the velvet glove, and his
policy will probably be a very safe one
to follow. What arrangement may
finally be reached is a question, but it
looks just now as though some COM
promise with Germany might be
reached that would be short of dec
laraton Of commercial war
DeIugo in Brazil.
While the large cloud is looming
on nthehorizon with Germany, a smaller
deluge has already burst in Brazil
The state department has been noti-
fed of an executive order putting into
effect the tariff adopted by the Bra
LILLIAN government some months ago
This tariff is general in terms and Is
of a highly protective nature, said to
be for the purpose of fostering native
Industries. Whatever is its purpose, Il
bears heavily on American trade with
Brazil and makes the duties on grain,
flour and harvesting machinery prac-
tically prohibitive. The state depart
ment has tried for some time to avert
this tariff complication but without
avail Brazil thinks It will be a good
thing for home industries and this
country certainly cannot complain at
a smaller state adopting the protective
policy that has been so long and
strongly held i'm this country.
The SantO Domingo Treaty.
There has been talk enough already
against the Santo Domingo treaty In
both houses OF congress and there will
OF course be more when that body gets
down to work next week. But IL Is
understood that the administration
has already had heart 20 heart talks
with a number of prominent senator's
and will have more before the treaty
comes to vote. The friends OF the
president say that he does not wish to
force his Santo Domingo policy on
congress, but In the absence OF con-
gress, he met a very difficult situation
the best he could If anyone else has
better plan to offer, he will be will
ing to accept It. Santo Domingo was
threatened with outside interference,
and the threat would have become a
reality had not this government
stepped in and undertaken to straight
en- out the affairs Of the little republic
as it did. To be sure the outbreak ~
the revolution put this government in
a somewhat uncomfortable position,
but It Is pointed out that the custom
houses are still safe In American
hands, and II is not unlikely that the
revolution can get very far without
them for lack of funds.
Public Debt Decreases.
There was a very satisfactory show
ing in the decrease of the public debt
at the end OF the calendar year. There
was a decrease Of s4.ss3.11S in De-
cember az compared with December q
year ago. This was mostly due to cash
In hand.