Amador ledger., 1908-01-17
LETTER FROM
WASHINGTON
Washington, Jan. 3, 1908.


The past week has been unproduc-
tive of important news, perhaps be-
cause apparently every third person
is suffering from grip, or because
the effort TO celebrate the holidays
on the same scale as other years has
been exhausting. Secretary Taft in
iected little life into the president.
ial situation by returning and getting
into a campaign that needed a stimu-
LIANT, and he has begun speeohmakIng,
ostensibly in behalf of his candidacy,
but which appears thus far to be sim
ply defense of the president and an
explanation of what he meant when
he was out on the trail of the trusts
and other large business organiza-
tions. 1t is very significant that just
before the secretary's speech in Bos-
ton, the textile manufacturers of all
New England voted to cut down the
running time of all the mills one
quarter, so that over a million people
will find their means of subsistence
reduced twenty-five per cent. As
this reduction is due to the financial
situation, which, it is claimed by
capital, is in turn due in no small
degree to the constant and indis-
eliminating hammering which large
business organizations have received
at the hands of the administration it
may readily he seen that an explana-
tion was in order.
In the meanwhile, the big battle
ship fleet is proceeding on its way to
the Pacific, and gossip is rife as to
why it has gone, and what it proposes
to do. There can be no doubt that
ii we desire to maintain ourselves on
the Pacific there must be there an
exponent of the power of the United
States in the form of a powerful fight
ing force with which we may keep
open the avenues of trade in case of
need, defend our transpacific terri
tory, and be at least on terms of
equality with the most powerful
nation having fleets in those waters.
The only question that can be raised
is whether the time and the mode in
which we take this step are the best.
That is what has given rise to some
of the criticism of the European
press. Unfortunately, on top of
this, comes the savage criticisms of
the very feet which has started out
on its long voyage, which tend to
give the impression that our battle.
ships are anything but what they
seem. Such reports, if based oil
facts, are certainly untimely, and can
hardly fail to work injury to the
morale of the men of the navy. If
they are not just criticisms, they are
more than wicked inventions. In
ether case, they justify senator Per-
kins' remark in published interview
that if naval men are the authors
they should be dealt with by court
martial. And then as another cause
for disturbance in the navy comes
the order to place a doctor in COM
mand of naval vessel. That it is a
hospital ship makes no difference. The
principle established thereby is that
a man educated in another profession
having nothing whatever to do with
| N IT oh h.
has been educated at public expense
to do the very work which the first
man is untitled to perform. Senator
Perkins, in the interview referred to,
pointed out the fact that in the mer-
chant marine, no man can secure
position even as fourth officer, I'M
less he has secured certificate of
competency as an experienced seaman
and navigator, as prescribed by the
navigation laws. because" said
the senator, ""The big transatlantic
liners are simply floating hotels, that
is no reason why the steward should
/ be placed in command of the ship. I"
From every point of view of those
who know anything of navigation or
the navy, the order is most ill.advis-
ed, as tending to the prejudice of the
naval service. But this matter will
probably be taken up later by con-
gress.
Petitions are beginning to come to
the members of congress protesting
against any constitutional amendment
or treaty provision which might be
construed to extend the right of
naturalization; praying for the en-
actment of an exclusion law which