Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-12-12
Washington Letter.

1t seems rather queer in this day
to hear talk Of states rights. But
that is the thing that is now upper
most in Washington conversation
There is no section Of the Presidents
message to Congress that has caused
more talk than the section relating
to Japanese affairs on the Pacific
Coast. The generalopinion, though
not the one generally voiced, is that
the message so far as it deals with
Japan ID a gigantic bluff 1t sounds
" ell ], sounds particularly well
abroad. In this may be noted the
comments that have come back by
cable from London The British
government has been having anti
Asiatic trouble of its own In the
colonies recently, and has been
obliged to deal with the sentiment
in Australia and the Transvaal.
Therefore the words about equality
and fraternity were particularly
welcome as being in line with the
policy that Great Britain has already
adopted.
So far as Japan is concerned, the
statement in the message cannot be
accepted in other than good faith,
ana it shows that the administration
is willing to do all it can to settle
the question to the satisfaction of
Japan. But if it be shown that the
control OF school affairs on the Pacific
Coast is beyond the reach Of the
federal government even through
treaty rights, then both Japan and
the Federal government will have to
bow to the inevitable and do the
best they can under the circum-
stances. The talk Of using military
force against the states Of the coast
is we'll enough in published cores
pondence, but the schemes Of send
ing federal troops against state has
been tried once in this country, and
it is not likely that it will be tried
again over so small a matter as the
schooling Of Asiatics.
The probable course is that a test
case will be made in the courts, and
carried speedily to the Supreme
Court. If that tribunal decides that
the japanese must be admitted to
the public schools of the coast, the
people of California, Washington
and Oregon will probably admi,
them and send their own children
elsewhere. But if the court decides
the opposite, the government Of
Japan will be notified Of the decision
and the matter will be allowed to
rest. AS several of the senators and
representatives, have pointed out,
any talk of war is worse than use
less. It's silly.
No sooner has Congress gotten to-
gether for the new session than
there is talk of an extra session in
in the air. 1t is naturally over the.
question of tariff revision. There is
now talk that special message will
be sent to Congress, and that there
will be a special session called on
March 9th next. Massachusetts, is
in the lead about this. She wants
tariff revision more than any other
of the manufacturing states and
practically the whole of the state
delegation is solid for the idea. The
Democrats are of course in favor Of
tariff revision and they hold that
there is more prospect of getting it
now than should the party wait till
Roosevelt is succeeded by Taft,
Fairbanks, Shaw. or some Of the
other men who are avowed standpat-
ters. There is question whether
in case the subject can be brought
up for discussion, it would be wise
to open the whole question. There
is strong elementin favor of set
tling on some OF the schedules that
are now obviously too high, and call
ing an extra session specifically Tor
the purpose Of adjusting them
Others hold that it would be wiser
to open up the whole subject and
have thorough going revision. One
thing is certain, an / that is that
most of the members who favor the
revision at all, think it wiser to do
the revising while the country is ON
the high tide of PR sperity rather
than to wait and adjust the tariff
during bad times and Just when the
country could least afford it.
Now that the Interstate Commerce
Commission has been enlarged.
there seems to be more piling up for
il than even the enlarged commission
can do, and there is serious talk of
adding two new members to it. One