The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-26
Said There Will Be No Need as
Lawmakers Will Stand for
Revision of Tariff, Fearing
Defeat.
STANDPATTERS ARE NOT
STANDING so PAT.
Reduction of Republican Ma
iority Impresses Congress-
men That Defiance to Peo-
pie Is OiSIiked.
Special to Palladium.

special 10 FdudoiuF1.
Washington, ID. c.. Nov. a6.-Promi-
nent members of congress now in the
city do not believe President-elect
Taft will interfere in the matter OF
the speakership. They base this be-
lief upon the assumption that he will
find no excuse for interference. The
president-elect will find. declared one
of them today, that the Republican
house leaders are just as anxious as he
is that the tariff bill TO be passed shall
be satisfactory to the country.
This member pointed out that mem
bers of congress had more at immedi-
ate stake than had Mr. Taft in the ac-
ceptability of tariff revision. There
will be a congressional election in the
middle of Taft's first term. and GER
tainly the republican leaders can have
no desire for the election OF a demo-
cratic house The reduction of the
republican majority in the next house
together with the defeat of some of the
wheel-horses of the house organiza-
tion, has convinced them that the re-
publicans have no mortgage on con-
troll of that body, and they are a great
deal less defiant of public opinion than
they were year ago.
The standpatters arn't standing
nearly SO pat as they were. and there
has been a very material reduction in
the number who are willing to be
elassed as such at all. 1t Is true that
upon arriving in Washington a num-
! ber of prominent house republicans
gave oct interviews predicting that
there would be no general reduction of
tariff schedules. but you couldn't get
such an interview from one of them
now. III they haven't been converted
they have at least become discreet, for
these interviews had a great deal TO
do with the renewed agitation against
Cannon's election as speaker.
The hearings before the Ways and
Means committee are developing some
rather curious facts. One of them Is
with reference to the lumber schedule.
The present rate on lumber is 81
thousand feet The democratic men,
bers of the committee want this cut in
half. Two republican members. Ford
Virginia. are opposed to any reduction.
The other republican members. so far
as their opinions are known, are in IA
vor of placing lumber on the free list.
The spectacle is presented, therefore,
of republican advocacy and democratic
opposition to free trade in lumber.
The democratic position, of course, is
that lumber should be made to yield
portion of the governments revenue.
and they believe importation would
more than double with 81 lumber.
Name Lincoln" Favored.
The proposal of Albert K. Pillsbury,
of Boston, that when New Mexico is
name of the state shall be changed To
Lincoln, has been a great deal dis
eussed by incoming members of con-
gress. Almost without exception,
opinion is favorable to tie proposal.
provided it is favored by the people Of
New Mexico.
Before Oklahoma and Indian Terri
tory were admitted as state the pro-
posal was advanced that the new state
the people of the territories didn't take
kindly to the idea. no attempt was
made to force the name upon them.
Many people regarded this suggestion
as peculiarly appropriate, as this pre-
sented the last opportunity to name a
state in honor of the third president
within the territory which he purchas-
ed from Napoleon.
New York, New Jersy and New
Hampshire are the only states with the
prefix Ne to their names. and these
came down, of course. from colonial
times. II is argued that while such
prefixes may be well enough in the
case OF the colonies. they are entirely
out of place as parts OF the names of
the states, and especially I'm the case
of Mexico, it is not believed there Is
any sentimental bond strong enough
to make retention of the name import
ant to the people OF the territory.
Still, In the view of members OF con-
gress who have expressed opinions. the
matter is one that should be left to the
people Of New Mexico for determine
tion-
Washington is the only President
who has had state named in his
honor, and New Mexico and Arizona
present the only opportunities in con-
tiguous United States to similarly
honor other presidents
Despite the wall that went mp from
government clerks when they learned
that all hope must be abandoned that