Middletown transcript., 1907-05-25
WASHINGTON LETTER

,WAsHNaToN, D. O., May 18th, 1907.
THE weather is still o little cool for th'
usual crop Of brain-storm stories tha
growsnp with midsummer but some OF thl
energetic political alarmists came out thil
week with Q sensation in the shape Of
yarn that Secretary Corselyou was secrel
enemy Of the President, that be had
been strengthening himself to make the
race for the presidential nomination next
year, and was quietly doing oil he could
% handicap Secretary Taft in Ohio. Thit
p about as far fetched story as could be
imagined. Il may be true that Secretary
Cortslyou has presidential ambitions, who
has not? But he 10 clever enough not to
entertain them for 1908. In fact even biz
enemies will admit that Mr.. Cortelyou ia
toe, o,eleYer to ever do an impolitic thing OF
attempt the impossible. Il has been said
Of him that be was so smooth be had TO
FesI sapdpaper pajamas TO keep him from
slipping out of bed. And that would not
be in keeping with trying to wreck the
Taft boom or start himself in the race in
1908. As q matter OF fact Mr.. Cortelyou,
the President, and Secretary Taft are all
good friends. Mr.. Cortslyou is much the
youngest man of the three. He came up
from a White House stenographer to be q
cabinet officer, and that is doing very
we'll for man scarcely turned forty. 1t
is quite on the cards that he may try for
the nomination in 1912 if he is alive and
well then, as there seems every probable
ity he will be-. But it can be safely said
that he is not injecting himself into the
Ohio fight at this stage Of the game.
Senator Fairbanks launched his boom in
. modest way at Philadelphia this week.
It is interesting to note that he spoke
strongly in favor Of expansion and ''the
present commercial policy" which is
another way of saying that the tariff must
not be touched. But the world does not
seem to have been disturbed in its orbit
very much as the result Of the announce
nent. One of the most serious things in
5he political line is the report that des-
perate efforts are being made to line up
he coming s-Mississippi convention
n Denver against the President and all
he western policies of the Administra-
ion. 1t is generally believed there is
something in this. But the movement is
hought to come from the big railroads
md other corporate interests OF the west
md not from the people, Senator:elect
iuggenheim, member of the Smelter
lrust family, is said to be one of the
,rime movers in the affair. The railroads
bat have been headed of in their efforts
. grab hundreds of thousands Of acres Of
overnment coal lands and the lumber in
srests that have been baked in the same
say Of timber grabbing schemes are all
aid to be interested. Il is 70 she advan-
4ge of these people 70 make all the vest
en policies Of the administration appear
. IS bad 9 light % possible. They have
aUre chance In attacking the Forest Re-
erve orders than in anything else, and an
fort 10 being made TO mislead the public
. far as possible regarding the govern
aent policy in handling public land of all |
orss and especially the forests Senator
,arter Of Montana has been one Of the
lost active, of the. anti-administration
qorkera in this line and he has been get-
ing maps of the forest reserve areas
maps made at the governments expense
( course lsand is using thennsin. a can.
'aign Of so-callsd education among 5Rest-
m people. The President has tried q |
lumber of times to make il plain that his l
My object in Withdrawing big areas Of
be west from homestead entry has been
o keep them intact till expert geologists
nd foresters could Determine their exact !
Isture and value with o. view: to- keeping
hem from falling int che hands Of spec
Iletors and reseryine them 90 far as was
lesirable for the benefits OF the public in
be future. Special arrangements have
'een made for grazing cattle under proper
upervision in the forest reserves. There
} OF course great deal of valuable agri.
ulture land in most of the reserves, and
has been made for opening this
0 settlers a. fast as possible. The settlers
ave realized the advantages Of home
tead in the midst of forest reserve and
be government is alive to the advantage
t having some settlers located in the re-
eryes. Hundreds Of thousands OF acres
i coal and other mineral land have al
eady been recovered from monopoly by
and lumber companies that had
10 right to them, and altogether it would
eem to the average man thatthe western
,ublic had Jared pretty well at the hands
II the administration which is trying to
afeguard western land interests. Of
course many Of the big interests that have
uttered in their career OF land stealing
md speculation are ready to misrepresent
he case to the western public il they can.
But number OF the Presidents ablest
ieutenants are going into the west to
present the situation to people in its true
ight and it is not likely that the Denver
will be stampeded into any
INSTRUMENTATION resolutions.
The most startling innovation OF years
s taking place in the Land Office and the
PATENT Office. These are 1.-TWO places
ghere there is an immense amount of |
opying Of records done, and up to date it |
las ell been done by hand, partly from |
lesire to keep on, she rolls many of the |
Id clerks who were &c for no other. duty
nd partly from fossilism which was leath |
0 lchaHgesan old syssems: Now, however,
be records are 10 be copied In typewrit-
be instead Of manuscript. II Is said
bot itsWill effect q saving of about fifty
er cent. III money and so per cent.
sine. Many Of the old clsfkssis is /
hOuEflE will have to gos and shie will, be /
hardship bnt it will expedite the bnai. /
ess Of the interior Department. vastly.
,heFdt tprobably will be great many
hanges following the resignatidn OF Come