The National tribune., 1907-04-25
SECONDARY TOPICS.
Much Coming and Going-The Presi-
deut's New Idea About Campaign
Funds-A Junket to Hawaii-Ref0rm
for the Navy Yards-The immigration
Problem.


going in high officialdom. The Presi-
dent himself goes on a trip this week
to open the jamestown ExpoSltGn-lhe
irreverent around Washington are al
ready calling it the "Jimtown Expo.
Congress and members OF the Cablnet
are likewise going down the Potomac
to help open the Fair. The boats on
the river are to be crowded to their
capacity as the notables voyage to and
fro.
The other high travellers of late have
included Secretary Cortelyou, who jour
neyed over to New York and made him
self popular by refusing to make his
Office, while there, in any National bank,
but did business in the Sub-Treasury;
ex-Secretary of the Treasury Shaw, who
came over from New York and visited
the President and also the Treasury
Department, where he was gwen a
great ovation. and Il list of lesser lights.
For awhile it was expected that the
Presidents "Jimtown' speech would
make the country throw fits" That
was when he was expected to use the
opportunity to tell the country what il
ought to do about further railroad leg
islation. But all that has past. The
President has less and less desire as
the days pass to lecture on the railroad
topic Instead of making a great adj
dress on the great industrial problems
of the time. the President Will simply
speak on historical matters, as he can
appropriately do because of the historic
occasion and the historic surroundings,
and throw in Il few moral reflections.
After the President abandoned his
plan to make an aggressive speech ut
jamestown it was said that he would
probably speak about railroads at his
address in Indianapolis on Memorial
Day, but since then it has been said
that he may also abandon that idea,
and say nothing at all about railroads
during his Western tour. The President
is still studying the railroad problems,
asking advice and gathering data on
various phases of the problem, but he IS
much less interested in it just now than
+. heretofore.
4 Novel Idea rs to Campaign Funds.
He has advanced another idea, how
ever, to which he is giving careful at
tention just at present That is the
matter of preventing campaign contri-
buttons from corporations. The Presi-
dents critics are unkind enough to say
he is putting this matter to the front
for the purpose of stopping talk about
his political associations with Harri-
man in 1904 and about the contribu-
tons from Hartman the President
knew of. Nevertheless, the idea is a
novel one, and likely to provoke edi-
torial discussion.
the Federal Government by appropria-
tons thru Congress should pay the ex-
penses of every Presidential election.
that this money should be disbursed
under strict regulations, and that con-
tributions from corporations should be
prohibited altogether. The President
has not worked his plan out in detail
yet, but is discussing it with Secretary
Cortelyou and others, trying to get val
liable suggestions.
Old timers say such a law would open
the way to the greatest political cor
ruption this Government has ever
known, that the dominant political par
ty would simply use the funds for the
opposition party in a way that would
do the dominant party and not the
opposition the most good, for politicians
have devious ways of accomplishing
such things. 1t is claimed, however,
that such abuses could be prevented,
and that an equal sum of money could
be voted 10 each of the great parties for
rent of headquarters for printing,
transportation and the other legitimate
objects of a political campaign. Prob
ably the President would favor extend
ing the Thanking privilege to the Chair
man of the National Committees during
certain period of months. That privi-
1ege is exercised now in way, because
large amount of campaign material
is first inserted in the Congressional
Record, under leave to print, and then
becomes frankable.
AS such reform legislation is repre-
scented to be very near Mr.. Roosevelt's
heart, he intends to do his very best to
make Congress enact law of that pur-
port the coming Winter. However, it is
very doubtful if the President will get
It. Such things make Speaker Cannon
and the old Republican leaders mad.
They get their fat contributions every
two years from the protected industries
and from big corporations that have
legislative favors to ask, and they do
not want to be bothered with such nom
Sense 1t would put the Democracy on
equal ground with them in the matter
of campaign finances, whereas in recent
years the Democratic excheqIer has
been lean and the Republican exchequer
full to overlooking. A s1.0e0,000 cam
paign fund would look large to the
Republicans who had $2,500,000 in
1904, according TO the Presidents own
statement. and s5,000.000 in 1896.
Ex-Secretary Shaw's Visit.
Ex-Secretary Shaw had great hand
shaking time when he came down TO
Washington the other day. He is one
of the most dem ocratic of Cabinet MEM
bers for many days. Every clerk of the
many hundreds around the Treasury
hUE" anu Ht hH'S
them. He was on terms of intimacy
with every one around the White House.
He visited the latter place first, talked
for half an hour at the portals with 4
big bunch of newspa per correspondents
(without saying anything that would
commit him TO any proposition of par
ticular importance), went inside and
chatted with the President for half an
hour, then started for the Treasury De-
partment, where he held an ovation in
every corridor, visited the offices of this
several Assistant Secretaries praised al
his friends, and finally closed up tho
day by going to his hotel, where he held
other oyations from visitors.
The ex-Secretary relieved his MIND
on one or two points while in Washing
ton. Among other things he poo-pooet
the idea of a $4,000, 900 conspiracy II
eucher President Roosevelt out of th'
control of the next National Convention
In conversations here the ex-SecretarN
said that was utterly impossible, absurf
on its face, and absolutely out of gear
with the history of all National Conven
tons He reviewed the Republican Con
ventions and the Democratic Conven
lions and their nominees, and showed
how the nomination of no one Of then
could be attributed to the use of money
As a rule, popular sentiment, the ex
Secretary thought, ruled in those grea
quadrennial gatherings
Hawaiian Excursion.