Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-12-12
THURSDAY. DECEMBER IL, 1907
WASHINGTON LETTER.
trRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT

I
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 7TH.
The long expected has arrived, that
is to say, an announcement from
President Roosevelt OH the subject OF
the third term. He says just what
he said on the night of his election,
namely that he considered he had
served two terms and that he did not
want the third nomination and would
not take it. This was just about what
might have been expected when the
President got ready to say anything
but the politicians of the country have
tished for the announcement for a
long time, some Of them hoping and
some fearing something different.
The announcement was made at
the White House this week in con-
versation with Mr.. Samuel Watts, a
banker of Lewiston, Pa. Mr.. Watts
had been talking of the satisfaction
the people of Pennsylvania felt with
the Presidents administration and
expressed the hope that he would ac-
ccpt the nomination for another term.
To this the President replied: That
cannot be, | cannot serve beyond my
present term, ! am grateful to the
American people for their kindly feel
ing toward me, but somebody else
must carry on the work"
The report of the Secretary OF the
Treasury submitted this week Is a
long document, too involved in its
multiplicity of figures to make inter-
esting reading for the average layman.
But Secretary Cortelyou has a few
things to say for himself on the sub
ject of currency relief that are well
worth noting. There has been good
deal of criticism of the Treasury De-
partment for the method it took OF
relieving the money market when 1t
issued Treasury notes and sold Pana-
ma bonds to bring the coin back into
circulation. Mr.. Cortclyou points
out that there was urgent necessity
for some action to avert a serious panic
and that while the Treasury was much
handicapped by law in the relief
measures it was able to take, it did
the best it could under the circum-
stances, and it is rather ungencrous
now to blame it for giving the very
help that was so DANGEROUSLY demand
ed at the time. He says that the re-
sponsibility for the situation rests on
Congress, and while he has no specific
plan to propose, he recommends ur-
gently some legislation that shall put
speedily into the hands of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury means for inan-
cial relief that will not be open to
criticism. 1t appears to him, says
Mr.. Cortelyou, that something should
be done while Congress is debating
over ultimate legislative remedies.
The Rivers and Harbors Congress
that is in session in Washington this
week has had quite love-feast. 1t
has been addressed by the Secretary
OF State, Representative Burton of the
Rivers and Harbors Appropriations
Committee, and by James J. Hill OF
of the Great Northern, and President
Finley of the Southern. The railroad
men both spoke the river men fair
and said that the traffic of the coun-
try was frankly beyond the capacity
of the roads to handle and they would
welcome anything that could be done
in the way of creating an efficient
system of water transpC ration. This
at least puts them on record as being
friendly to the aims of the Congress
and that ought to help good deal.