West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-04-26
OUR washington LETTER
The President Has Stirred up The
Senate Again by His Income
Tax Speech.
He ALSO SENDS SPECIAL MESSAGE
Washington 0yer-run With All
Kind Of Conventions.
From our regular correspondent.

" "AoHlNbiON hpih 80 ipOO. -
No one wants TO accuse Congress of
undue heartedneSs, but il there is
anything that would tend TO recon.
cile the conservative leaders of
both houses to tn. awful disaster
that has happened IN San Francisco
il would be the fact that it had
come at an opportune moment to
distract some measure of public at
tention from the radical and, as the
same leaders would have the public
believe, the dangerous utterances of
the President. The "safe and sane"
leaders of the majority have been
trying for almost a week TO explain
that the President meant something
other than what he said in his in.
come tax speech. This is not likely
as the President is given TO thinking
what he says and saying what he
thinks with a distressing disregard for
consequences. 1t has become noised
abroad too that he was thinking over
the income and inheritance tax
ideas long time before he voiced
them In public and now that he has
come out and said just what he
thinks, he is showing himself re-
markably in earnest Callers at the
White House who have broached
the subject say that the President is
quite ready to talk along these rad
ical lines and expresses a quiet con
fidence that his ideas are going TO
be carried out. The President was
convinced that his rate regulation
ideas we're going to be carried out
good while before the majority of
professional politicians were ready
to conceed as much. SO it is pos
slble that he may be right again.
Any how he has sprung the income
tax suggestion at a time when it or
any other method of controlling the
huge fortunes of the country would
be sure to meet with a decidedly
enthusiastic reception.
But as il he had not caused the
conservatives trouble enough for
time, the President breaks out IN a
fresh place with special message
to Congress on the subject of the
beef combine and the judicial idea
of the "fmmunlty bath" He says
that the pronouncement of Judge
Humphrey may be good enough
law, but that If il is then the law
ought TO be changed. He points
out that such ruling as was rem
dered in the packers cases "comes
measurably near rendering the law
farce and 81 therefore" says the
President, recommend that Con
gress pass declaratory act stating
the real intention"
This is certainly strong language
for the President to use, but ne
points out that first Congress orders
an investigation by government
department of the so called "pack-
ing trust" or the coal and oil roads
or of anything else, and then be
Cause the department carries out the
order of Congress and makes the
investigation, the investigation auto
matically bars the government from
criminal prosecution of the case. 1t
is this feature of Judge Humphreys
decision that the President says
"comes measurably near making
the whole law a farce" He SAYS
that 1t is hard enough to prosecute
men of great wealth who by cunning
and greed have sailed dangerously
close to the letter of the law and
have grossly violated the moral law
and the conventions of common
business and personal honesty. But
when federal judge steps in and
further obstructs the operation Of
justice by saying that the mere fact
of an investigation having been
made cuts off the government from
the chance Of prosecuting, then the
law is made silly and of non effect
And whst the President wants is a
declaration from Congress as to the
real inten Of the investigation or
dered so that in the future there
shall be no more legal quibbling and
hair splitting on the subject of
immunity.
Another move on The part of the
administration that is not at all to
the liking Of many Of the large vest
ed interests is the announcement
through the Department Of Justice
this week Of the appointment oi
Chas. +. Hughes OF New York and
Alexander Simpson, Jr, Of Phlia.
delphia as special counsel for the