The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-12-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The past week has been STIR
ring in a political way. Of course,
everything centers around the
tariff question, although it is con.
ceded by all parties and interests
that there will be nothing done
at the regular session, but that
everything must wait until the
called session which was prom.
ised after the fourth of March,
1909. President-elect Taft has
announced that he will call this
special session for the considera-
tion of the tariff question as soon
after the fourth of March as is
practicable. Nevertheless, the
tariff. discussion is heard every,
where, for it carries with it the
election of a new Speaker of the
House and a presidential policy.
Whether there is really a wide
divergence between the policy of
the President-elect and the Spea-
ker of the House and the Com
mittee on Rules or not, cannot
be affirmed with absolute GER
tainty. Neither party is disposed
to magnify the difference, but
inasmuch as there was a pro-
nounced difference between the
policy of President Roosevelt and
that of Speaker Cannon on vari-
Gus subjects, it may be fairly as
sumed that anyone so "set in his
ways" as Speaker Cannon will
not agree with the policy of the
President-elect.
The tariff Investigations thro'
the Ways and Means committee,
now being held in the annex off
ces of the House at the Capitol
are,. of course, to a great degree
.perfunctory and farcical. No
new facts or views are elected.
1t is the same old situation. Ev-
eryone, is quite willing to have
the duties onhis neighbours goods
lowered, and General Hancock's
remark that the tariff was a 10,
cal question, for which he was
so much ridiculed, is proven in
many ways. News comes that
preachers in a number of towns
and cities throughout the Mis-
sourian and Kansan zinc mining
districts, took occasion to invoke
divine aid on Thanksgiving day
for the fight being carried on by
their. Representatives in Con-
gress for a protective tariff on
zinc ore, without which, the pas
tors informed the Almighty, the
industry would be ruined. There
are, no doubt, thousands of other
and quite as effective prayers
proffered by beneficiaries of the
tariff throughout the United
States for the defence of high
duties.
Speaker Cannon and his pow
erful staff of stand-patters affect
to believe that there is nothing
alarming in the. effort to elect
another man as Speaker of the
Sixty-frst Congress, but there is
no doubt that the present admin
istration, as we'll as the coming
administration, would like to see
"a younger and more progressive
man in the Speakers chair and
there is a large recalcitrant ele-
ment in the House against the
domination of the Speaker and
his clique. Representative Chas,
E. Townsend from Michigan, has
been approached by number o1
members of Congress who were
disposed to support him fol
Speaker of the House. Mr.. Fow'
ler Of New Jersey is also promi
nently mentioned, as are a num-
ber of other gentlemen, and il
the opposition would unite upor
one man, it is not impossible tha
another Speaker would be PLACED
in the chair after March; th'
fourth. ..S
There is much talk in these an
te-congressional days about thu
legislation to be enacted in til,