Amador ledger., 1906-03-30
Washington
Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

| OOII6SDOn06nC. ]
Washington d. c., March II, 1906.
Gentle and conservative people may
think that the address of senator Till
man on the rate bill IN the senate
this week was characteristicaIIy fierce
and somewhat overdrawn. But it has
set great many astute politicians
thinking and talking and is likely to
do much for the cause of effective
legislation. 1t certainly ranged the
senator on the side of the president
and shows what he himself claims.
that the rate bill is not and cannot
be made party measure, that it is
vital piece of legislation and that if
this congress does not enact wise and
conservative legislation the voters
will see to it that another set of men
are put IN who will perhaps be less
wise and certainly far more radical in
the measures they will take to control
the roads.
Senator Tillman spoke of his utter
ances as his own personal views. But
it may be said that they are the views
of great many of both parties at the
capitol, some of the men who would
do anything in their power to thwart
rate legislation, but who when it
comes to the pinch may feel that it is
wise to agree that rate control is no
praty measure and that the time has
come when the common people of the
country are demanding a minimum of
their rights and it may be we'll to
grant them, least those same common
people take measures to secure max
imum of their rights by sending an
other set of men to congress to Iegis-
late for them.
The announcement that Judge Taft
has for the present at least declined
the pIoffered place for him ON the
supreme bench is not altogether
surprise. The secretary of war knows
that not only is there an immense
amount of work that needs doing both
in Panama and the Philippines, but
that he has been subjected to much
harsh, and he considers unjust criti-
cism for the way he has handled
world Therefore while a seat on the
supreme bench is a thing few men
would lightly decline, he has decided
to stay at the head of the war depart
ment for some months at any rate.
There is really no serious need for
him to make a decision before next
October when the supreme court re-
convene5 after the summer recess.
Meantime the mere fact that he has
not definitely declined the place will
be enough to save the president a
great deal of embarrassment from place
seeking politicians scores of whom
have candidaes in reserve tor the
vacant Judge-ship should there seem
to be the least chance of their land
ing it.
There is war and the rumors of war
| IN the statehood situation. A confer
ence of the house which might as we'll
have been a caucus, has heen called,
and by large vote it was decided
to stand pat on the refusal to concur
in anything the senate had done to
the house statehood bill. The speaker
led the fight. But for him, it is said
that many of his. followers would have
been willing to agree to the senate
proposals and to have admitted
| Oklahoma andIndian Territory as one
state and either have left Arizona and
New Mexico out of the question in
| those territories to referendum vote.
But the speaker said, for publication
at any rate, that he would rather
have the senate kill the statehood bill
altogether than to !recede from the
position the house had taken. How
long this valorous opposition will be
maintained is question. The speak
er knows how to fight. And he knows
also how to yield when it is obvious
that resistance is no longer virtue,
So it is whispered that when 1t comes
to show down, the house will be
willing to send the statehood bill to
conference knowing in its heart that
1t will have to agree admitting
Oklahoma and New Mexico and moth
ing else. There is considerable
opposition III Oklahoma to being tied
up with Indian Territory but nothing
like the opposition that exists in
Arizona.
One of tie special commissioners
sent by the department of CONNER ce
and labor to investigate trade con-
| ditiOn abroad has Ieturnad tO WoSb