The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-03-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.


the city by every train and by the end of
the week only the few who remain here
practically the year round will be left.
The falling off in the number of the
callers at the White House is very notice
able and must be especially gratifying to
the President at this time when he is SO
concerned about his sou, Archie. who is
very ill W til diphtheria, The child has
had a severe attack and for part of the
day Wednesday it was extremely doubtful
if he would pull through. The Presidents
physician was summoned from New York
and a consultation with the army and
navy surgeons, who are the regular White
House doctors. was held. Anti-toxine.
which has reduced the mortality OF chill
dren in diphtheria niuety per cent, has
been employed in maximum doses and
it is believed now that he is out of danger.
Mrs Roosevelt and the President have
Cancelled all social engagements and the
mother is night and day with her boy.
The part of the White House in which
the child IS room is located is in quaran-
tine and no one but the doctors and the
President and nurses are allowed to go in
it. The President in visiting the sick
child takes the same precautions against
spreading the disease as the physicians.
Outside the room he removes his coat and
vest and puts on long cotton gown
which covers him from head to foot In
bending over or talking to the little fel.
low he holds pane of glass before his
face. On leaving the apartment he takes
off the robe and before putting on his coat
aud vest washes his hands in strong
solution of carbolic acid
The President has carried on the reg
ular work of his Office notwithstanding
his frequent trips to the sick room. Con-
gressmen departing for their homes came
in droves the early part of the week and
there have been many callers since who
came only to express sympathy. The
President has accepted an invitation to
speak at Indianapolis May thirteenth and
on the following day at Lansing. Mich
igan. 1t is believed that on both of these
occasions he will discuss the ship sub
sidy proposition. To many of the White
House visitors since the adjournment he
has stated that he is more than ever con-
WINGED of the wisdom and sound policy Of
a ship subsidy and that it is his intention
to urge the bill with all his strength upon
the sixtieth Congress.
~
When the Child Labor bill was before
Congress there was some opposition to
the plan of turning over the investigation
of the problem to the Bureau of Com
merce and Labor. Fifteen thousand
dollars was appropriated and the Senate
passed an amendment to pay this amount
to the Bureau of Commerce and Labor
for the work
The President was known to be opposed
to this and has since announced his
opinion that the investigation should be
made by some commission especially
fitted for the work and not by persons
now in the classified service Represen-
tative Crumpacker and Commissioner
Neil. of the Bureau of Labor, have been
IN consultation with the President and it
is believed that they have arrived at
plan by which the work can be turned
over to commission to be appointed by
the President 1t is believed that James
Bronson Reynolds. a sociologist and set
Element worker of distinction will be
placed in charge. He is one of the men
who made the sensational findings against
the packing houses in Chicago last year,
and is a personal friend of Mr. Roosevelt.
In order to take charge Of this work he
would have to submit to a civil service
examination in order.to comply with the
technicalities of the Senate amendment.
xx*
The Executive branch of the Govern
ment is considerably agitated over the
impending tariff war with France. All
hope of finding any concessions which it
can offer the French Government to pre-
vent the application of the maximum
tariff rates on American products has
been abandoned. The situation is really
analogous to that with Germany a year
ago, and in neither case can this Gov
eminent at present meet the demand for
reciprocity treaty as the price of min
imum tariff rates for American goods.
There is mnch activity here between
the State Department and the French