The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-04-06
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gen.
eral Topics from
the Capital.
March 81, 1906.


bate on The rate bill and that it
will then he passed with rather
broad court review provision that
will he acceptable to the House.
Senator Aldrirh is a very good
judge of pending Legislation and
he may be right. There is
rumOr, however, that the Senate
is going to put the rate bill into
form that will he acceptable to
tie HonSe for the purpose of hold
ing it mp AT the last moment until
it can get consideration for "a
ship subsidy bill This is of
course, Senate provision for the
House is not in frame of mind
to consider subsidy at this Ses
sion. Also the Speaker has de
clarpd himself against it on Sev-
cral occasions. almost AZ much
against it an lie is against tariff
revision. But it is said that the
friends Of subsidy have won the
Speaker over 10 their way of
thinking and that his influence
will hr used to get favorable con
SidtratiOn for the measure.
Though it is a question whether
even the almost all powerful
influence OF the Speaker could
force a bill of that sort through
just at this jnncture. However,
there is back of that still another
story, that is that Uncle Joe
figures largely on posing as the
dark horse at the next nomi-
mating cOnveation and while lie
is not particularly keen about
the fate of the rate hill he wants
10 make friends unto himself of
all the White House influence he
can muster before the fatelul day
arrives.
The Keep Commission are
canny. lot of boys. They are all
Of them young, as seasoned poll
ticidnS go, and all OF them are
close personal friends Of the
President He appointed them
on this pet commission simply
because he knew thar they were
honest young men and he thinks
that any man who is honest and
willing can do as many different
! things and do them as we'll as he
can himself Now Keep, Hitch.
/ cock. Pinchet ct al, are by no
means as versatile as the Pres
ident. though all OF them are
well intentioned honorable Young
! men. But they have shown them.
selves TO be crafty to Il degree.
/ Every one has heard of the famous
Keep Commission. but not every
one has heard of the sub-com-
mittee that are doing the work.
The commission goes INTO de
/ partment that it wants to inveS.
tlgate and select sub committee
from among the bureau chiefs and
heads of divisions, who already
have as much as they can con.
viently do, ard makes them do
the actual work of investigating.
This sub committee then reports
TO the commission after it has
/ spent a month or two working
after office hours getting up the
data, and the commission puts
out the giSt of the subcommittee
report as its findings. Yes, it is
"a beautiful scheme and it makes
/ the Keep Commission look mighty
erudite when one reads its report.
But the tunieSt thing the COM
mission has done yet was its
report on the Government Print.
ing Office. Now this office is
about as much in need of reform
as could well be imagined. But
the interesting thing about the
whole thing was that the Keep
Commission printed its report on
he need of economy in the most
waSleiul volume that ever came
from The government presses. 1t
selected folio page with quar-
ter wide margin. which as any
printer will testify is about as
waS;elul "A form of composition as
could he devised. The report
was on the most expensive brand
OF government paper, barring
that only on which gold certiti.
Gates are printed, and the bind
ing was in keeping with the rest
OF the report. There was an edi.
ton Of 10000 copies, not six of
which will be read, run off. And
altogether the report on economy
was itself about the most striking
object lesson III the need Of econ
omy that has ever come out of
the Government Printing Office.
1t is said that a compromise has
been reached on the Statehood
bill. OF course it will not be
known just how nearly correct this
is until the bill comes out of con
ference. But it is said that the
conferees will report a bill pro.
viding for joint Statehood for the
four Territories involved with the
Foraker Amendment added, Civ
lug the Territories of Arizona