The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-14
Chief Topic of Capitol Political Circles Is Uncle Joe's Pub lie Promise to Be
 Good.
COURT TO TAFT
Politicians Are Dcscrting Roosevelt, and the House Is Preparing tO Get Back at Him
 Hard.
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Washington, D. C. Dee l$. The one event which oycrShadowcd even the opening of congress was the peace pact which has been formed between presi- dcnt-eloct Taft and Speaker Cannon The present indications are that so far as Judge Taft Is concerned Uncle Joe" will be permitted 10 remain un- molested, he having given his word that he will do nothing to hinder the new Presidents endcayors especially in the direction of genuine tariff re- form
 This promise 10 be good on the part iof the speaker. made during the course of specially arranged tete-a-tete at the home Of Miss Mabel Boardman, was reinforced later when, in the pres cnce of the ways ana means commit tee MT Cannon assured Judge Taft of his hearty cooperation This latter de- Iclaration of loyalty was made at the home of Representative Nicholas Long worth. who Is member of the com |mittoc This latter conference was ! held at the earnest solicitation of Mir 1 Cannon, apparently for the purpose Of giving some formalIty to his pledge. It |also gave the presldcnt-elcct an op- Iportunity Co personally inform tho members of inc committee his ideas as |to what real tariT revision meant If Aany of the old time high protertion- ! ists, such as John Dal2ell of Pennsyl- vania. and scrcno Payne Of New York, Ichairman or the committee, had any l doubts as 10 the sincerity of MT Taft's demand for revision, they were dlspel- | ed by the time they left the home of 1 the Presidents nn-n law Judge Taft
 is going 10 have revision or he Is going l to fight. but being assured uf the in- l tention of the speaker and the commit tee to give him what he wants he will mot go out of his way to lend any as sstance to the dissatisfied element in ] the house The dissatisfied element ls
 going mc,rlv on its way, small In numbers. but aggressive and determine
 ed to bring about certain changes in the house rules, but iu Judge Taft the,
 have lost thoir trump card
 ! ilt lN'lIdllN INNEf ' Nll N lll l''~fllNt lll
 Washington and his almost hourly con-
 ference throughout the day and night Is silent but roicibc portrayal of the waning power of Theodore Roosevelt The Presidents spectacular term of of-
 flee is drawing to a close He has
 sent his last annual message to con. gress In little more than three
 months he will he q private citizen free 10 hunt the wild animals of Africa.
 bat even now his grip is looscnine. The senators and representatives who but
 a few short months ago went troopng Ito the White House are now turning
 ther footsteps in another direction.
 Judge raft Is here It is to the next
 President or the United States that the politicians are paying court. It Is to him they are offering suggestions. mak-
 ing their peace, begging for patronage.
 and paving the way for the future. It Is tho next President, and not the
 present one who is being sought for
 political plums Judge Taft's waking moments. and they have not been few
 since his arrival in Washington, huve
 been so strenuous that they would do
 credit to the chef exponent of tho
 strenuous life. From carly In the morning until late at night he has been
 busy, discussing every conceivable sub
 iect--frOm a posimastcrship in Ne
 braska to tho Issuance of many mill
 lions o' bonds for the preservation of
 the natural resources of the country.