Middletown transcript., 1908-05-23
WASHINGTON LETTER

ward adjournment and everything
nov points TO conclusion OF the session
on May 2Sd. The House has passed the
Vreeland financial bill and the Senate has
substituted therefor modified form Of
the Aidrich bill, which is believed to be
of far greater merit. Both houses have
appointed their conferrees and the meas
ure which will be finally enacted, il any
is passed, will be framed by them. In
order to secure favorable action on the
Vreeland bill the House had to repudiate
its Banking and Currency committee and
the Fowler. ties, as they have come to be
called, are in blind rage. There 10 an
old saying that, "Whom the gods would
destroy they first make mad," and the
members of the House have parsphrased
it to read, "Whom the Speaker would de-
stroy be first appoints to the Banking and
Currency committee"
-
OF thirteen great supply bills OF the
government, all but two have passed both
houses. The calendars OF the two houses.
are practically clear and House COM
mittees have acted on two measures the
President regards as of the utmost impor-
tance. One legally creates the Inland
Waterways Commission, provides salary
for it's secretary aud quarters for its
Offices, and the other makes the govern
ment liable to its employees engaged in
hazardous labor for injuries incurred, in
the service. Amy such go injured shall
receive years pay, should he remain
unable to work for so long, and should be
die, his years pay shall go to his family.
-
ALI hope of anti-iniunction legislation
has been abandoned at This session be-
cause Of the extravagant demands of the
labor union leaders. The President fav-
ored moderate bill and there were able
members of both houses who were pre-
pared to carry his recommendations into
effect, but the labor leaders were 80 insis-
tent in their demands for legislation " hich
neither the Chief Executive nor his sup.
porters in Congress could conscientiously
advocate, that Mr.. Roosevelt has advised
them to let the entire matter drop.
*x*s
The historic Natural Resources Confer
enee called by the President to meet at
the White House has wound up in a
burst OF enthusiasm and the governors of
the states and their lieutenants have de-
parted to their several homes convinced
of the importance of the movement to
the natural resources OF the
country and determined to uphold the
hands of the President in every proper
manner. There we're no political lines
drawn in the conference and it was
truly remarkable spectacle to see the
President emunciating his policies and
Democrats joining with Republicans, Gov
ernors from the Southland as well as from
the North, cheering him to the echo.
Governor johnson of Minnesota wac en-
thusiastic in his support of Mr.. Roosevelt
and so also was Governor Glenn of North
Carolina who, only few months ago,
was defyiug the federal courts and precip-
itating a situation which threatened grave
conflict between the federal and state
No one doubts that the ut.
most good will come from the conference
and when the President suggested that
another be called in the not distant fu-
ture, the rebel yell j,ined with the north
ern cheer in enthusiastic appreciation of
the prospect. Meanwhile, a desperate
effort is being made in c, n sress to pass
over the Presidents veto, a measure
which he has denounced, the socalled
Rainy River dam bill. His objection to |
the measure is that it neither limits in |
lime the special privilege granted to the |
men who proposed to build this dam nor |
provides for any compensation to the ma
,ional government and as he has ex.
pressed it, it gives to private concern |
he right in psrpetuity to a resource
which this generation has no right to take
rom the generations to come. 1t is not
that the bill be actually passed
,y the necessary two,thirds votes, how
,ver.
~
The only change in the political situa.
ion, If changed it be, is the greater Ger
ainty of the nomination OF William I'll.
Taft. There are now considerably in ex-
ess OF the necessary AL delegates in
tructed or pledged to vote for Taft on the
irst ballot and no intelligent Republican
loubts his nomination. The President
vas recently asked If he was not some-
yhat distressed by the idea that many Of
be Interests" had come to support Taft
because they were afraid that otherwise
hey would get him. He replied not at
II, saying that the Almighty. while Of
ering every inducemeut to the wicked to
10 right, did not hesitate to threaten them
nd even to promise that the Devil would
,et them If they did evil and that mas
much as 1t was only the would be viola
ors Of law, the wicked in other words,
Who regarded him as evil and were afraid
10 would get them, be was overioyed thaE
lie possessed such power to impel them to