The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-12-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.

With both houses of Congress in SEES
sion and both the President and ths
President elect in the city, with the ad
dition of three nnmerously attended i'm
portant conventions, discussing water
ways, forest conservation and other mat
tiers of the greatest national Importance
there is SO much to write about that the
main difficulty is one of selection.
The President aud the President.elect,
as is well known, are the closest of.friends,
The latter bears relation to the former
that is closely analogous to that of help
apparent, or crown prince. He is politt.
cally the well beloved SON of the former,
although they are nearly the same age,
President Roosevelt being less than year
older than Judge Taft. But so busy has
President Roosevelt been talking and
scolding and SO much occupied has Judge
Taft been in dining, breakfasting and
lunching with his many friends and dis.
cussing political questions with Speaker
Cannon aud the members of the Ways
and Means Committee, that he and the
President have not been able to spend a
minute together. In few days, Judge
Taft will 60 south to Augusta, Ga, where
he will be the guest of prominent and
wealthy Southerner and where he will
remain a greater part of the time until
the fourth of March. Then he will, of
course, take up temporary residence,
for four years at least, in the White
House, while the President will cross the
seas and deserts and plunge into the
depths of the Dark Continent, where poll
itics and visiting delegations will trouble
him no more.
~ ~
Judge Taft expressed the belief last
week that the House of Representatives
would make an honest and thorough re-.
vision of the tariff at the extra session
which he is pledged to call for tariff re.
vision, Immediately after his Inauguration.
He bases this statement on an interview
which he had with Speaker Cannon
about the middle Of, the week and with
the Republican members of the Ways
and Means Committee the following day
at the residence Of the Presidents son in.
law, Hon. Nicholas Longworth. Mr..
Taft has not yet consulted Republican
Senators who will no DOUBT have some
thing to say about the tariff bill after it
comes from the House, but he gave an
intimation that he might even veto bill
that had received the imprimatur of both
the House and the Senate, if it did not
conform with his views as fnlfillment of
the pledges made IN the Republican plat
form at Chicago and by himself, when he
said in an address at Milwaukee:
''Mr. Bryan says there has been no in
dication that the revision may not be up.
ward rather than downward. In answer
I can say that the party is pledged to a
genuine revision and as the temporary
head OF that party and President of the
United States, if it be successful in No.
vember, expect to use the influence that
] have by calling Immediately special
session and by recommending to Congress
to secure genuine and honest revision
of the tariff in accordance with the prin.
ciple of protection laid down in the plat
form, based upon the examination of
appropriate evidence and impartial as be-
tween consumer and manufacturer.
~
There is doubtless some opposition TO
Speaker Cannon and his re election in his
own party in Congress This opposition.
however, is not as strong aud universal as
is the feeling in the White House and
probably throughout the country. The
President, as is well known, believes in
the present and the future. He favors
young men in the Army and Navy and
doubtless thinks there should be more
young men in Congress He perhaps
would accede to such wisdom as may be
in the maxim "Old men for counsel and
young men for war;" But statesmanship
or counsel according to his theory, is no
longer in diplomacy and chicanery of the
Macchiavellian type, but war and con-
tention against stationary stand pat and
retrogressive tendencies. The Speaker
belongs'to past generation and the WAYS
of the fathers and their prandfathers lie