Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-30
UNLESS TAFT INSISTS
Early Action on Postal Bank
Bill Unlikely.
REPORTS TO PRESIDENT
Prospects of Delay in Both Houses
of Congress.
DEMOCRATS AND THE TARIFF
Representative Underwood Says
That His Associates Are Slowly
Framing a Measure.
REPORTS TO PRESIDENT
DEMOCRATS AND THE TARIFF

| President Roosevelt does not get en-
| couraging reports of the prospects OF
the passage of postal savings bank
| bill at this session of Congress. Those
| who know the ropes In the Senate and
! House are privately Of the opinion that
the banking interests of the country need
not fear competition from government
| savings banks for at least another year.
| unless the next President takes it into his
| head to insist that the extra session or
| Congress consider this subject as one OF
the promises made in the republican plat
| form at Chicago.
| Two of the senators who are earnestly
| for postal savings banks called at the
executive offices today. They were Sena-
tor Carter, who has charge of the bill in
| the Senate, and Senator Burkett of Ne
braska.
eve have the votes to pass the bill 1t
| we can get it to a vote declared botn
senator's. But there are to be considered
the deliberate methods OF the senate
and the fact that numerous senators WISH
to speak upon the measure and Will not
be ready to do SO for number OF weeks.
while on the House side the House COM
mittee on post offices and post ROADS IS
understood to be perfectly willing that
the bill shall never see light in the
House. Still. the committee, 1t Is stated.
may conclude to have some hearings on
| the bill. But these hearings will be ended
too near the end of the session to give
time for passing the bill in the House.
| The President regrets the situation. as
he has steadily urged postal savings
| bank but he is not actively at work for
the bill, as has been the case with meas
ures at past sessions which he desired to
get through.
! President Telling Anecdotes.
The President has never been on better
| terms with congressman. Feeling some
| what free as the end of his term APP
proaches, he has wrapped up the big stick
| that he uses on congressman and laid 1t
| to one side. Today he told stories to d
| gathering of senator's who had come to-
gether in his private Offices. One of these
senators was urging the reappointment OF
| a certain official
| THE trouble is" said the President, The
seems to be just little spotted"
| "Oh. that's what his enemies make out,
the senator declared.
We'll. it reminds me of a story told on
- and the President named a former
| statesman. long since dropped out of the
| game. "He was making Il speech before
| a large audience. They accuse me of
| accepting bribes.' he earnestly declared.
| They accuse me of giving brides. They
accuse me of malfeasance in Office, but.
| thank heaven they can't find anything
| against my personal character.
| Ambassador Jusserand today introduced
| to the President the new military attache
of the French embassy, Capt. De Cham
| brun.
Democrats and the Tariff.
| Representative Underwood of Alabama,
who called on the President today with
a friend said that the democrats are
proceeding slowly as to their tariff pro-
gram. Mr.. Underwood is a member Of
the ways and means committee and has
! attended all the hearings.
He said that the democratic members Of
the ways and means committee are slow
ly framing a tariff bill which they be-
lievc will represent democratic sentiment
| in Congress and the country. The work,
however, is tentative and in an embryo
| stage. The members are proceeding
schedule by schedule and expect to sub
NIT their work to a democratic caucus,
which will probably frame a bill to its
own liking. This, too, will be more or
less tentative depending upon what sort
of a bill Is presented by the republicans.
If the republican measure is acceptable
| to majority of the democrats the demo-
cratic bill may not be presented to the
4 House.
In regard to the report that the ways
| and means committee has decided to
duce the duty on steel and iron 30 per
cent, Mr.. Underwood said he would not
speak. because he did not know what the
| republican program was. Il doubt il they
| have reached the steel and iron sched
| ules." said Mr.. Underwood. but I am
inclined to believe there will be a con-
| siderab BILE reduction in those schedules I
| do not think it likely that there will be
| any further hearings as to steel and iron.
| The committee is better posted on these
schedules than on any other in the Ding
| ley BILL
/ The Colorado Border Line.
i Representative Cook of Colorado, who is
making great protest of a veto by the
President of a bill fixing the border line
of Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma
as the thirtyseventh parallel of latitude,
was told by the President today TO sub
NIT his arguments by Monday next, when
the question would be laid before the cabl
| net. Mr.. Cook makes the charge that
Senator Guggenheim and Representative
| Haggett secured the veto of the bill by
| msrepreSenting the facts and the sentl
| ment of the state to Attorney General
/ Bonapartc, upon whose report the Presi-
! dent made the veto. He further declares
| that their action has been in the interests
| of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company,
| which is opposed to the boundary being
located at the point fixed in the bill.
German Ambassador Received
| Count Won BernStorH, the new German
ambassador, was presented to President
| Roosevelt at go o'clock this afternoon
by Secretary Root. There followed re-
marks of felicitation and good will by
both the President and amba ssador. Count
Won Bernstorff driven to the White
House In the Presidents carriage. ac-
companied by Col. Bromwell of the Pres
idents staff.
| The President later received the dele
gates to the Sigma Kappa Sorority and
the delegates to the national music teach
ers' convention.
| Maj John NJ. Burke, long associated
| with Buffalo Bill, was White House
caller today. He is visiting a friend in
Washington.
President Breaks Another Tradition.
| President Roosevelt broke another eX-
! ecutive tradition today, when he went
| over to the Navy Department with Secre-
| tary Newberry and spent a short time in
the draughting department. examining
| the plans of the two new battleships.
President Lincoln frequently called on
Secretary Stanton at the War Depart