West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-01-18
OUR washington LETTER.
Trying to Keep Some New Democratic
Senators Out Of Congress-.
THERE Has BEEN BIG EXCITEMENT
In Washington Over A Woman
Being Thrown Out Of the
White House.
Regular Correspondent of The Argus.

politics, and now il looks as though
there might be a public building
bill. in spite OF the spsaker's prev
sous pronunciamento to the con-
trary, To coax back into line such
insurgents as are not amenable to
discipline. The fight in the house
Is by no means over. Both sides
still claim the victory aud it is any
body's fight as to whether or no,
the joint statehood bill is killed for
the present session. The question
of passing the Hamilton bill is sim
ply question of politics. OF
course all four OF the territories
concerned want statehood. But
there is a strong sentiment in all of
them against joint statehood.
Whether that sentiment would be
strong enough to defeat the bill If
it were put to referendum vote is
question, but it is strong enough
to be a factor worth considering
1t is strong enough from a moral
standpoint to warrant laying out
the Hamilton bill for some years to
come. But the reason for pressing
the issue just now is the belief of
the Republican leaders that they
can get the states into the Union
with only four senator's instead of
eight. When you consider that
three of the states, or SIX senator's,
would DC almost certainly Demo.
cratic and the other at best doubt
full, it Is easy to see the reason for
this anxiety TO bundle the two states
into the national constellation and
have done with il rather than risk
putting off the evil day and getting
perhaps larger number of opposi.
tion senators.
1t has been blazoned abroad that
the President is warmly In favor of
the Hamilton bill. AS a matter of
fact it is doubtful If he is more than
luke-warmly in favor of it. There
is reason to believe that some time
ago, before there was the evidence
of such strong opposition, that he
promised Senator Beveridge who is
warm champion of the measure to
recommend it in his message. This
promise has been fulfilled, and it is
doubtful now if President Roose-
welt cares particularly about the
matter further than he would nat
urally wish to favor the real senti-
ment of the various territories,
Whatever that is.
But as to the pork barrel. This
is of course retrenchment con-
gress. That was heraIded loudly
before the session when the deficit
looked even worse than it does now,
and that it is bad enough. Among
the measures of retrenchment there
was to be no public building bill.
That would mean that the bulk of
congressman would be cut off from
one of the easiest and most satis-
factory methods Of paying campaign
obligations. OF course public
buildings are good thing even if
they are expensive, and every com
munity, especially the younger
and smaller communities want
them. And there is enough log
rolling and mutual compliance
about the most Of such bills to be
called plain grating except that
the communities do usually get the
benefit Of the money spent Now
it is intimated that the speaker may
be prevailed upon TO sanction bill,
and if he is coerced thus far, there
are a good many weak kneed in
surgents who will .wash off their
war paint and come into camp quite
gleefully and the Hamilton bill will
go through. But the speaker may
be able to accomplish his purpose
without being driven to that extrem
ity
What the President isvitally inter.
ested in, and what is Of course tied
up somewhat with the Statehood
bill, is the Philippine tariff. If II
is shown that this measure il in
serious danger, the weight Of the
White House doubtless will be
thrown into the scale. The sugar
and tobacco men have played a very
clever part in merging their cause
with the single slaters. But it is
not believed they will be able to
keep the tariff bilrfrom a vote to
defeat 1t when il does come up.
There is a great deal OF capital
being made just now out Of the
Morris case. But the probability