The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-08-21
Stand Pat
Says President


4 STRohtc LII ON ciIRREltI
If A IGN SUES ~ RREsi-
pEtsT zoos
NEW DIRK AUG resident
Roosevelt sounds TIE keynote and de
Zines the issues 81 the coming con
1 gressionai campaign in q. letter t.
1 C6agr nan James u. Watson, q
/ Rushvi11e Ind, which was made pub
\ lie yesterday. The letter IS as fol
IloYs: e
i.'My Dead watson;
II hear through Speaker Cannon
and Representative Sherman that you
have volunteered to give your services
to the congressiona committee for the
entire campaign without regard to
the erect 1T may have upon your can
vas in your own district and 4 feel
like writing you a word Of congratula'
ton. and Of earnest hope for the sue
cess of your efforts.
III there were only partisan issues
involved in this contest, should hest
tate to say amy thing publicly in refer
ence thereto. But | do not feel that
such is the case; On the contrary.
teei that ali good citizens who have
|. the welfare .of America at heart
should appreciate the immense
amount that has been accomplished
by the present congress organized as
1T Is, and the urgent need of keeping
this Organization in power. With Mr..
Cannon as speaker, the House hassac-
complished literally phenomenal
amount of good work 1t has shown
courage, good sense and patriotism
such that It would be a real and ser
ious misfortune for the country to
fail to recognize. To change the lead
ership and Organization of the House
at this time, means to bring confus-
ion upon those who have been success
fully engaged in the steady working
out of a great and comprehensive
scheme for the betterment OF our So
clal, Industrial and civic conditions.
Such a. change would substitute a
purposeless confusion, violent AMI
hurtful oscillation between the posi-
tions Of the extreme radical and the
extreme reactlonary, for. the present
orderly progress along the lines of
carefully throughout policy Congress
must take account not Of one national
need but of many and widely differ
ent national needs; and speak with
historic accuracy when | say that not
in cur time has any other Congress
done SO we'll in SO many different
fields of endeavor as the preesnt Cont
gress has done.
Hopes For Still Better.
+ AT its first session the present Com
gress, in addition to the many tasks
1t actually completed, undertook sew.
eral tasks which firmly believe it will
bring to completion in It's second ses-
sion next winter. Among these hone
and believe That the bills to prohibit
political contributions by corporations
an 10 lower the duties on imports
fro "a the Philippines Island, each of
which has been passed by one House.
will be enacted into law. I have rea-
son to believe that favorable action
will he taken upon the bill limiting
the number of hours Of employment
of railway employees. But far more
important are the measures which
have actually been passed and as to
these measures / wish to reiterate
that they are not important in mere.
ly partisan sense.
The Panama Canal.
In affairs outside of our own couD.
try our great work has been begin.
ming to dig the Panama canal. The
fact that. the work theron is now
being done in the most thorough and
satisfactory fashion is due to the &C,
ton Of the present Congress- and the
heartiest acknowledg ements are due
TO the far-seefng patriotism OF those
who thus made it possible, The In
terests banded together to oppose I.
were and are numerous and bitter,
and had Congress been either timid or
corrupt, and had not the leaders of
Congress shown the most far-sighted
resolution in the matter the work of
building the canal would never haya
been begun, or If begun, would now
have halted.
The opposition to the adoption OF
The treaty by which our rlght, to build
the Panama canal was secured, part
at least Of the opposition, even now
being made to the ratification of the
santo Domingo treaty, which is one
more step In the effort to make peace
full and secure the waters through
which the route OF the canal leads;
the constant effort to delay on one