Middletown transcript., 1908-07-04
WASHINGTON LETTER

WASHINGTON, D. c., June 9th, 1908.
lnURING the past year many things have
occurred that have finally caused
PRESIDENT Roosevelt carefully to consider
the administration of affairs in the Dis.
trict OF Columbia and the Capital City of
the nation. The President is of the opin-
ION that the best interests of the people
will be conserved by different form of
government that now provided by law.
This conclusion has been reached, not be-
cause OF any incapacity on the part of any
of the Commissioners now at the head of
the city's affairs, or of their predecessors,
but the President believes the system is
not good one, and that the substitution
OF governor instead of the District Com
missioners will be a wise and advisable
change. 1t is reported here that he will
recommend legislation looking to this end
in bis message to Congress next winter.
~
Mr.. Sherman will not resign his seat in
Congress as result OF nomination for the
Vice Presidency on the Republican ticket,
and whether or not he will resign as
chairman of the Republican Congressional
Committee will depend somewhat upon
the state of his health as well as upon the
opinion of the chairman of the national
committee. No definite conclusions,
therefore, will be reached until after the
conference in Washington on July 9th, at
which time the national craftsmanship is
expected to be settled.
~
Officials in Washington are keeping
close watch on the developments in
Venezuela, but it is not believed likely
there will be trouble that will necessi-
tate an armed force for the protection
Of American interests. No thought
has been given to the concentration
of any force in that neighborhood, but
by a coincidence the American gov
ernment is in position to take care, I'M
mediately, of her interests in the event of
an uprising. In the waters of the West
Indies and the Isthmian Canal Zone there
are number of vessels which could be
dispatched promptly to any scene of
trouble, and no time would be lost in get.
ting them together.
~
The Interstate Commerce Commission
is in receipt of hundreds of complaints,
filed within the past few months, against
railroads which are alleged to have mis-
quoted rates to shippers. These COM
plants represent to the commission that
the railroads have made contracts with
shippers to transport their products at
rates lower than the legal rate, and after
the products have been delivered the rail-
roads charge the legal rate, the shipper on
complaining OF the additional charge be-
ing informed that the law requires the
rate charged. The railroad officials ex-
plain, also, that they would gladly let
their original quotation stand if the In
terstate Commerce Commission would
permit. Several projects have been sug-
gested to check this evil, but as yet none
of them has been worked out.
~
Representatives of the dairy interests
and the oleomarganne. manufacturers OF
the country presented arguments, this
week, before Secretary of Agriculture
Wilson, in favor of and in opposition to =
placing the government mark OF inspec-
tion-on oleomargarine. The department.
held that oleomargarine is meat food
product and therefore, comes under the
meat inspection law. The manufacturers
of this product protested against the pro-
posed regulation requiring them to stamp
oleomargarine with the government mark
of inspection, and the dairy interests
pointed to this attitude as confrmatory
evidence of their claim that the oleomar-
garine manufacturers desire to sell this
product as butter. They contended that
the objection to the government mark
of inspection is that people, seeing the
mark, will of course recognize the product
as oleomargarine and not butter, and that
this would prevent its sale as fancy cream
cry butter. Secretary Wilson has taken
the matter under careful consideration.
~
There are denials by Brazil, as matter
of course, but there are many people in
Washington we'll informed in Naval mat
ters who believe that the Dreadnaughts
ordered for Brazil will find their destina-
ton in the Navy of Japan, 1t is reported
that these ships have been ordered to be
completed in an unusually short time
Why? What is the occasion2 Are Brazil
and Argentina on the point of war? Brazil
is at peace with all the world and has no
inducement to embark on career of COM
quest or territorial aggrandizement for
she has now richer, larger, unimproyed
domain than any country on this planet.
Brazil needs no Navy, but Japan has
foreign policy that she thinks requires the
Pacific Ocean as her Mediterranean and
she cannot rest with United States fleet
larger than hers roaming the seas.