The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-03-20
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, d. G. MARCH 14th, 1908.

=
al legislature would seem to confirm
that assertion at least so far as the Con-
gress is concerned. Peculiarly, too,
the evils which have recently been e1.
posed affect only the House but there
they come perilously near the Republi-
can leaders.
For instance, Representative Hobson,
he who as an officer of the Navy won
fame in Santiago harbor where he sunk
the Mcrrimac in an effort to pen the
Spanish foo+ has testified in the sub
mar bat investigation that lobby
is. - tu~t company offered to 60 to
Mr.. Cannon and have him appoint Mr..
Hobson on the Naval Affairs commit
tee. Mr.. Hobson was asked by the COM
mittee, which is not disposed to probe
this matter too deeply, if he did not
know that the Democratic leader named
the minority members of the commit
tees, but he replied that he did not
know that such was the inyariable rule,
in fact he knew of cases where the
Speaker had designated the Democrats
he wished appointed to certain commit.
tees. hr. Hobson refused the influence
of the boat company but secured the ap-
uointment through John Sharp Will
liams, the minority leader.
Another affair which is regarded as
likely to reveal an unsavory condition
of affairs concerns the deciding of land
to one certain Sidney Bieber, said to be
protege of Speaker Cannon, who has
recently been engs ged in trying to cap
ture the District of Columbia delegates
to the Republican convention for Mr..
Cannen. By special and peculiar en-
actments Bieber has almost secured title
to twenty acres Of very valuable Gov
eminent land in the District, including,
it is claimed, part of the historic Con-
gressional Cemetery. To part Of this
land Bieber has secured absolute title,
but the Secretary of War became sus-
picious of the last law and held it up
until Con gress could again assemble.
Senator Carter, however, learned Of the
facts from the Pennsylvania Railroad
with which, as chairman of subcom-
mittee of the Senate he was trying to
arrange for the abolition of the last sur
face track in the city of Washington,
and he exposed the matter in the SEN
ate, which promptly passed an act
which repealed the law granting title to
Bieber. The House seems disposed to
take the ground that there is nothing ir-
regular in its giving titles to Bieber and
at the same time to hush the matter up,
powerful influence being e1erted to
keep the matter out of tho newspapers.
In fact, the first day that it came up,
| when Carter made his expose In the
Senate, the Associated Press sent out
nothing of it to its numerous papers.
A report to the effect that the Presi-
dent proposes to send to Congress an
other message calling attention to var
ious measures which he has recommend
ed and on which Congress has taken no
action has driven the Republicans into
a rage. 1t is not known positively if
the President will send such message
but the mere threat may serve to accel-
crate the delinquent members of Con-
gress.
Probably never before in the course
of his administration has the President
been confronted with measure which
so strongly calls for a veto as pension
bill which has been slipped through
both houses Of Congress and which. if
approved, vii, cost the nation upwards
of Sf:.9?0 Go = year. This measure
grants a pension to every widow of
every soldier who served ninety days or
more in the Civil War Practically all
the deserving widows have already been
| provided for under existing law, but
this measure will add to the rolls great
number of undeserving cases which
| Congress has not hitherto had tho cour-
age to pension. The bill had the back
ing Of Speaker Cannon in the House
and of Senators Scott. McCumbsr and
others in the Senate.
Senator Bailey of Texas made a real
lY great speech on the Aldrich bill this
week, speech which was highly COM
plimented by Senator Lodge, later in
the week, Mr.. Bailey spoke in favor of
a substitute he has offered himself but
which, of course, has no chance of pass
ing. When his substitute is voted down.
Mr.. Bailey will doubtless vote for the
A .drich bill. Senator Paynter Of Ken
lucky also made a forceful speech this
week in opposition to the Nelson
amendment guaranteeing all deposits
in national banks, Senator Paynter said
that under the constitution of Kentucky
that state could not so guarantee the
deposits in state banks and the result of
such a course on the part of the federal
government would be to drive all the
state banks in Kentucky out of exis-
tence. There is little likelihood that
the amendment will be adopted in either
house as many Republicans as we'll as
Democrats are opposrd to it.
Interesting information has reached
here from New York to the effect that
fight to be made against Bryan is being
ell gineered by W. J. Murphy, chairman
of the New York Democratic Commit
tee, and Charles F. Murphy, the Tam
many brave. 1t is declared their pur-
pose to open negotiations with a view
to inducing a number of New York
bankers and Capitalists to serve as del
egates to Denver. 1t is their purpose
to have the New York and Pennsylvania
delegations go uninstructed and they
hope around this nucleous to attract
the delegates from Minnesota, who will
be for Johnson, those from Delaware,