Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-12-12
WASHINGTON

ll|0ssipy Letter from the Ma:
ti0a "a Capital on Mat
iefs Of Interest
Question Of aterWays Improvement
Washing ton, D. G.. Dec. IL. The 4
currency question, the tariff. and the
jockeying for favorite positions by
the aspiring presidential candidates
have been paled before the interest
that has been aroused in the capital
by the question of waterways inn
provements. President Rooseyelt's
strong recommends tions for the.
adoption Of a logical plan Of improve
ments, followed by the opening of the
fourth annual convention of the Ma.
tional Rivers and Harbors Congress,
has stirred this interest almost to
fever heat. AT the opening session Of
the convention Secretary Root well
coined the great crowd Of delegates
and declared that the administration
was most heartily in sympathy with
the work Of the organization. He de-
clared in the course Of his address
that the greatest problem the coun-
try had to face. was that Of furnish
ing cleap means Of transportation for
| the products Of farm. factory and
mine from the interior to the sea
.Eboard. He declared that the admin
istrations recognizes fully the physi-
cal mposisbility Of the railroads fur
nishing the transp ortatiop facilities
necessary to care for r Il the great in
crease in commerce, and declared
i that the government realizes fully
that the on1ly, way to insure q con OF
tinuance Of present prosperity is
through the development Of !, the riy-
4 ers and harbors OF the country. AS
4 result of the convention, powerful
pressure probably will be brought to
bear to have A new department. 9 q
1 the government created, the Officer
at the head of which to be member
of the cabinet. It is the intention
q to have this der apartment known al
the Department Of tTranspo rtation
with complete jurisdi etion over tn,
!. highways. railways and waterways o
1.-THE country.
4 Has the Same Old Hobby
Representa- 4. Warren Keller o
8 Ohio, galloped into the Goth congress
mounted on the same old hobby tina
he has ridden thTroug 80 many ses
sions. The former sneaker of III
house Will introduce q bin euttinj
down the representation Of sue
southern states as have disfranchise
the negro. Ii fact, Mr.. Keller tWoul
] make this question a paramount is
) sue in the next campaign. In. hi
! eyes it is paramount in importanc
. to the tariff, the currency question
! and all else. Allied with the Ohioal
is Representative Crumpacker o
Indiana 4 Both of them declare tina
4 there is more sentiment this year il
favor of such a law than has bee
i evidenced in the past.
. The Liquor Question in Washington
Representative Hepburn of Iowa
! is laying himself open to attack b
the w. G. &. q, IN spite of the fac
that the Iowa congressman is tn
father of number Of laws owe
which the prohibitionists rejoice. b
i Isl quoted in a public interview thi
4 week as saying that he does not be
1 lieVe prohibition could be enforced Ii
1 the national capital. His plan t
1 limit the liquor traffic in the Distric
I Of Columbia is to, raise the license Q
saloonists to $1,000 a year. This HI
( thinks would force the saIoonists t,
drive out all the bootleggers and Il
licit dealers and, in short, put thei
house In order. There is certain t
J be a bitter fight in the District com
3 mittees Of both the house and senat
! over this prohibition question, and q
this time the outcome of this battl
: scarcely can be foresean
Gathering Of Democrats
! There has been q great gathering
q of democratic presidential possibili
4 ties in Washington during the las
4 few days. Mr.. Bryan was present a
4 the opening Of congress, and wa
\ much in evidence at the capito,
4 Governor John A. Johnson of Mime
B sofa. and Governor Hoke Smith Z
4 Georgia, were here at the same tinnt
3 both OF them being delegates to an