Middletown transcript., 1908-04-18
WASHINGTON LETTER

TWO New York delegates to the Repub
] lican national convention have beer
instructed to vote for Secretary Taft anc
four other districts have refused to in
struct their delegates to. vote for Governor
Hughes. Three Illinois districts have re-
fused to instruct their delegates to vote fol
Joseph G. Cannon and one Illinois dis.
trict has instructed its delegates to vote
for Taft. In Wisconsin, at least one Taft
delegate has been elected. This trend OF
delegates in "favorite son" states might
be taken to mean that Secretary Taft and
his managers have decided to abandon the
position announced in the Parsons letter,
in which the Secretary declared his pur-
pose not to seek support in states which
had fayorite sons of their own, but that
is not the case. No work whatever has
been done in favorite son states by any
authorized representative of Secretary
Taft and the instruction OF delegates for
him in those commonwealths is merely
the result of the almost irresistible desire
of politicians to cast in their vote with the
winning candidate. As the returns come
in from one state after another, showing
steady growth of Taft sentiment, SO that
now practically 900 of the $50 delegates to
the national convention are instructed for
Taft, the efforts of those who are seeking
to promote the fortunes of the other can
didates become conspicuously futile, and
there is reason to believe that before the
conyention meets in June, the force OF
the tide will have become irresistible.
The President is delighted" at these re-
suits and is as exuberant as boy with
new sled, rs
~
The Senate, 80 often charged with being
slow and cautious, has once ulJie tx
hibited its ability to do things promptly
and in good order by passing the En-
ployers' Liability bill precisely as it came
from the House. A decided effort was
made to substitute the LaFollette bill but
1t was defeated. Senator Knox was anx.
ious to have bis bill adopted, but when
it was pointed out to him that such action
by the Senate might result in the defeat
of any measure of the kind in conference
he cheerfully withdrew his claims and
permitted the House bill to go through.
Under the terms of the bill which has
now passed both houses, employees OF
carriers engaged in interstate
are afforded every possible op-
portunity to recover damages for injury,
while at the same time Congress has care
fully sought to avoid those constitutional
pitfalls which caused the Supreme Court
to declare invalid the employers liability
act now on the statutes. The passage OF
this bill is in accord with the earnest
recommendation contained in the last two
special messages of the President and
constitutes the first step toward
carrying out the Presidents recon-
in this Congress. 1.-THE
Aldrich bill can be passed by the House
that will constitute second but the
chances are that no other legislation OF
Importance will be passed at this session.
The Senate, however, has not been idle
this year and a number of important
treaties have been ratified. Many of
these are pursuant to the deliberations of
the last Hague Conference, but others
provide for arbitration with specific pow.
ers, for extradition and other agreements
with foreign nations all of which will
serve the useful purpose of making
smoother international relations and more
those sources of friction which
are usually the cause Of war.
80
Representative "Jim" Watson, of In
diana, the Republican "whip'' of the
House, is continuing his efforts in behalf
Of an early adjournment of Congress.
Mr.. Watson declares he has received as.
surances on every hand that the proposal
TO adjourn about May. 10th is feasible and
that the energies of the leaders of both
Houses of Congress will be bent toward
hat end. Apparently the chief question
10 be considered is what President Roose-
Gelt will think of an adjournment without
definite action on the matters he urged in
his recent message.
~
Darwin ]. Merrerole of the Ethical
Social League of New York called at the
White House this week to ask the Presi-
lent to consider the advisability of NAM
ng commission at once to enter upon
he study of the question If what may be
lone to help the million or more unem-
oloyed men of the country. Mr.. Merre-
ole believes that such commission
hould promptly visit Europe, where the
I'D countries have had years Of experience
n caring for the unemployed in times oil
tress. 1t is believed that President
Roosevelt will heartily cooperate in any |
PRACTICAL plan that may be evolved by Mr..
herrerole's organization or any other.
He has been much upset over the enforced
dleness of thousands of men in the gov
navy yards st Brooklyn, Phila- |
lelphia, Washington and elsewhere, be-
ause of lack of appropriations to pay |
hem. So far no feasible plan has been |
uggested.
~
1t is the opinion of officials in Washing |
on, conversant with the many problems |
involved in the administration OF the
municipal government at Hardin, that
he question can be worked out amicably |
md to the satisfaction Of all parties con-
;erned. At the State Department the
opinion has been expressed that too great
Importance has been attached to the me-
,otiations which have been under way /
ecently, and that nothing has grown out
# these negotiations that can in any way
,ecloud the relations between thisgovern-
neut and any of the others involved.
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