The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-28
THE PRESIDENT
AND CONGRESS
Roosevelt Still Dominates, but
Not as Absolutely as
Before.
THE PHILIPPINE BILL
AND THE CUBAN BILL
Representative keifer Gives the
New Men a Touch Of the
Old Quality,
Special to Tho Tribune.

SncCInl 10 lnN IrlnNE"s
WASHINGTON, Jan. ia month Of
decidedly strenuous times is nearing It's
close Strange as IL may seem. the ad-
ministrGtion and tho House leaders have
had quite serious tlme in keeping the
refractory Republicans in subjCction-
Roosevelt is not as powerful in the Con-
grcss this session as he was In the last.
During the FIRST Congress when Roosevelt
was President there was a bcct-suGar re-
volt against Cuban reciprocity. At
that time q sufficient number Of Repub-
licans joined the Democrats, overturned
the rules OF the House and placed
amendment on the Cuban reciprocity bill
which removed the dif1ercnUal duty on
refined sugar and mudc the tariff equal
on raw as well aS refined sugar, IL killed
the bill, and was intended TO do so. But
these so-callcd Insurgents were severe
ly disciplined, Many OF them had
serious time in getting back to the
House. They asserted then that tho
reduction on Cuban sugar was a gift to
The sugar trust The same assertions
were repeated I'm the recent debates I'm
the House. Yet those Republicans who
had voted so to Kill the Cuban reel
procity were charged at home with op-
posing the President, and this time they
ate humble pie. They came back after
hard fight and took their Cuban medi-
cine. Most OF them believed during the
contest that was fought out In the House
the first two weeks Of the month that
they were right then. but they had
enough OF opposition To a popular ad-
minisuation. and they made no noise.
They had been tanned.
The Rate Making Fight.
have heard It asserted that there was
8 systematic effort throughout the coun-
Try 20 break down the power and popu-
larity OF the man In the White House,
the intlmatlon being that II Is engineered
by those who are opposed To rate-making
legislation; and that the opposition To
the Philippine bill and tho Joint State
hood bill are the products Of that move
ment. ] can scarcely see the connection
and ] believe 1t VIII be seen that men Of
the Presidents party who do not agree
with him on either the Statehood or the
Philippines viii be found supporting his
ratc-making programme. As to any move
ment throughout the country to break
down his power, Is matter that can
only he in the realm of speculation. That
the railroad interests have for a year
past been making every effort to build
mp sentiment against rate control by
the Government is n well-known fact.
No one who has even Il little lInowl-
could be unaware OF this movement;
but that It extends further and is
intended 10 injure the Presidents stand
Ing With the people is matter OF sup
position.
or course, II the Presidents hold on tho
people should be shaken oft, II might
weaken ms position on the rate OucS-
tion, but as Senator Dollver says. the
President is but an instrument I'm the
hands of the people 10 secure Govern
ment control Of railroad rates Senator
Dolliver Is the champion of the Presi-
dents plan. but from his own observa-
tions he is convinced that the people nTe
determined to have greater Govern
ment supervision. and without any
further effort on the part of the popular
President they Will obtain IT. No matter
what would happen TO Roosevelt the peo-
ple would continue tho fight.
Keifer Almost Alone
only seven men. now members of the
House, were members when j Warren
keifer was last a member of that body.
They are KetCham Wadsworth and
Payne of New York Cannon and Hit Of
Illinois. Bingham Of Pennsylvania and
Hepburn OF Iowa. Consequently there
was n great deal OF interest In the speech
which the veteran statesman OF Ohio
delivered when he discussed the Philip
pine tariff bill IL was a speech which
interested and amused the House and in
the controversies he had with different
members he showed that he had not for
gotten how TO handle himself In dcbnte
1t was historical. too. and the eX-Speaker
recalled past events and party policies
In a way to convince his hearers that
his memory was unimpaired. He did not
agree with either the Republican leaders
or the Democratic leaders who were sup
porting the measure, and was unsparing
In his glbes at all of them He had
little fun al the expense of ex-Gov
Douglas Of Massachusetts. who, he snId
had promised to reduce the price of shoes
N cents If the duty on hides was re-
moved He declared that the duty on
hides in pair Of shoes amounted TO
2l4 cents. which he illustrated In q story
as follows
Gov Douglas would sacrifice the 47a,
cents II he could get rid OF the robbery,
of pa cents. 0aughtcr) He must be In