Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1907-02-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Urom Our REGULAR CORE


0rom Our Regular Corresspondentl
Washington d. c.. Feb. 10. 1907.
Until the steel trust interfered
through its Pennsylvania represen-
tatives and killed the bill. the House
had sanctioned an appropriation Of
800. 900 for the establishment Of o
naval gun foundry at the Washing
ton NAVY Yard. This was Q small
amount and IL may not seem Of very
general interest, but IL was one Of
the most important pieces OF legisla-
tiCn that had been passed for long
time. Il meant the embarkatiou OF
the government on iron making a.
an industry, and IN vas very likely
when the government found how
cheap and profitable it was the plant
would be extended and il would mean
laying bare in the most practical way
some Of the secrets Of the United
Steel Corporation.
The reason for the appropriation
was that the Washington Navy
Yard. where is located the greatest
gun plant of the country has had
endless trouble in getting gun forg-
inRs from the private concerns that
furnish them and sometimes from
six to ten weeks would be lost on
some high class work because of O
defective forging that could not be
immediately replaced. the result be-
ing that lot of high priced mechan-
les would be idle in the interval.
It is shameful that it is in the power
OF the steel trust 70 bar Legislation
so plainly in the interest OF the ma
ton.
The government, went into. the Co.
ment business when IL was held up
by the cement trust in the eonstruc-
ton Of the Roosevelt Dam In Arizona
and has saved large sum of money
by it. Now lift goes into iron found
ing, it will have 70 use the electric
smelling process at the Navy Yard
on account of the smoke laws in the
District and this will bring into the
equation the fact that the govern
ment has thousands Of acres Of good
iron land that can be utilized for cleo
trio smelling and that have never
been Of any good for blast furnace
purposes. 1.-THE government begins
to make It's own iron, better and
cheaper than 1t can buy IL from pri-
vate concerns, the probability 10
that it may 60 into other lines Of
manufacture, and while there may
be two minds about the advantage
OF this sort Of paternslism. there
10 no denying that IL opens up On in
teresting vista as TO the possibilities
Of the case.
Everyone Is looking with intense
interest for the letter Of the Presi-
dent TO the Interstate Commerce
Commission demanding further light
on the railroad situation with regard
TO overcapitalizati0n and the actual
value Of railroad properties. Some
OF the big interests in New York
have gotten the idea that the letter
will be revelation aud that IL will
signify the intention Of the Presi-
dent TO let up on his campaign Of
trust busting. Other people who
have talked with the President say
however, say that the letter will
show no deviation from bis regular
policy Of fairness so far as 10 IL Dos
siole to show 10 20 all interests con-
cerned. What the letter will call
for Is information. The President
is stakeholder himself to . moder-
ate extent in number of good rail.
road enterprises and in some that
are not so good. But this is another
story of bis more youthful financier.
ing and he tells il only for private
consumption. The point is that he
is in a position to look at the cues
ton from the standpoint of the aver
age prosperous citizen. and while his
demand for information will throw
lot Of extra work on the Interstate
Commerce Commission, it will lay
the foundation for o number Of USE
full recommendations in the way of
rounding out railway rate legisla-
ton.
e.
An appeal will be made to the pre-
sent congress for additional facili-
ties for the Patent Office. Il is stat
ed that there is $50. 900 needed i'm