The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-02-28
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

ing and Currency have agreed to sup
| port no financial bill except that offer
ed by Rep John Sharp Williams the
Democ ratio leader in the House. This
will serve to complicate still further the
fina ncial situation in the House, al
though the Republican leaders still pro-
fess their ability to crowd through the
Aldrich bill when it comes over from
the Senate There are some indications,
however, that the Aldrich bill will be a
much better measure when it comes
from the Senate than it was when it
came from Mr.. Aldrich's committee.
Senator Johnston of Alabama made a
speech this week in which he advocated
the adoption of an amendment requir-
ing the country banks to keep two-thirds
of their legal reserves in their own
vaults, one-half in gold or legal money,
in the securities stipulated in section 2
of the Aldrich bill as the basis for
emergency currency. Mr.. Aldrich, who
is anxious to secure all the Democratic
support possible for his bill, has signi-
fed his willingness to accept Senator
Johnston's amendment and thus a new
Senator seems likely to break all pre-
vious records by getting an amendment
he offers to an important legislative
measure adopted during his first year in
| the Senate.
| Another amendment to the Aldrich
bill will receive the support of numer-
Gus Democratic Senators who are as
favorable to it as some of the Republi-
cans are opposed. 1t will provide that
only the bonds of such railroads as have
had their physical value ascertained and
certified by the Interstate Commerce
Commission shall be accepted by the
Secretary of the Treasury as the basis
for emergency currency. This is a
good business proposition, for if the
Treasury Department is to accept first
mortgage bonds as security for national
bank circulation it ought certainly first
to ascertain the value of the property
on which the mortgages are based:
Altogether, the Aldrich bill may not be
such bad measure after all, after the
Senate and House have both gotten
through with it, although it is equally
possible that its author will then have
| Il If rooonnizipp
Rep. Lilley of Connecticut has pre-
| ferred charges in the House against the
Naval Affairs committee and has intro
duced resolution providing that a
| committee be appointed to investigate
the character Of the influence brought
| to bear Oh this committee in favor of
submarine boats. When the committee
reported its bill to the House this week
it provided for the building of eight
submarines and two battleships. The
President and Secretary of the Navy
| has urged that provi sion be made for
four battleships and four submarines.
Moreover, the committee so worded the
provision that only one company could
compete for the contracts. The only
| proper way to provide for such vessels
is to leave sufficient discretion to the
Secretary of the Navy 80 that he can
expend the money for the best boats
offered in an open competition. Mr..
Lilley's resolution was referred to the
committee on Rules, of which Speaker
Cannon is the chairman, and that COM
| mittee now nnounces that it sees no
| occasion to conduct an investigation.
Whatever may be the facts, and the ap-
pearances are bad, this attitude on the
part of the Rules committee cannot but
| bring discredit on the Republicans and
it is surprising that the Speaker and
other House leaders are not sufficiently
good politicians to appreciate the facts
unless of course they appreciate that
an investigation would bring to light
facts even more discredltable that the
suspicion.
The political fight in the Republican
ranks wages as fast and furious as ever.
The latest charge brought by the peo-
pie is that the anti administration forces
| have purchased quantities of space In
the patent inside of certain newspapers
contrary to the wishes, of the editors and
roprietors of those papers, and are
using this space to vii ify Roosevelt
on5 Taft NTilli.r, Hon Witt Il.
, has always enjoyed good reputation
for veracity and fearless ness, is the
man who prefers this charge.
The Brownsville Affair is about to be
brought to a close. Senator Foraker
has been putting off the evil day as
long as possible, both because he hoped
thus to gain favor with the Southern
Republicans; who are chiefly of the
colored persuasion, and because he
hated to have the country witness the
fact that after all this tedious and ex-
pensive investigation he had been able
only to convince the large majority of
the Military Affairs committee that
the negroes 'shot up" the town of
Brownsville. Of course the inv estiga-
ton has been very profitable to Mr.
Foraker was living in his magnificent
home in Washington and yet he was
charging the Government S. day as
hotel bill. This is fact which the
astute Senator from Ohio did not ex-
pect to become public, but the fact is
clearly set forth in public document
which gives an itemized list of the ex-
penditures paid for out of the contin-
gent fund of the Senate, The present
indications are that two Senators out
Of total membership of thirteen will
say on the final vote that they believe
the negroes innocent. They are For
aker and Rnlklu Two Dnnnnt and |