The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-03-20
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Cen
eral Topics from
the Capital.
March IA, 1908.


when party remains too long in
power it becomes permeated with
graft" and recent events in the
National Legislature would seem
to confirm that assertion, at least
so far as the Congress is concern
ed. Peculiarly, too, the evils
which have recently been exposed
affect only the House, but there
they come perilously near the Re-
publican leaders.
For instance. Representative
Hobson. he who as an officer of
he navy won fame in Santiago
Harbor where he sunk the Mer.
rlmac in an effort TO pen the
Spanish fleet in the harbor, has
testified in the submar ne boat
investigation that a lobbyist of
that company offered to go to
Mr.. Cannon and have him ap
point Mr.. Hobson on the Naval
Affairs Committee. Hr. Hobson
was asked by the committee,
which is not disposed to probe
this matter too deeply, If he did
not know chat the Democratic
leader named the minority mem
bers of the committees, but he
replied tnat he did not know
that such was the invariable rule,
In fact he knew of cases where
the Speaker had designated the
Democrats that he wished ap
pointed to certain committees.
Mr.. HobSon refused the influence
of the Boat Company but secured
the appointment through John
Sharp Williams, the minority
leader.
Another affair which is regard
ed as likely to reveal an unsayory
condition of affairs concerns the
deciding of land to ole Sydney
Bieber, said to be protege of
Speaker Cannon. who has re-
Gently been engaged in trying to
capture the District of Columbia
delegates to the Republican Ma
tional Convention for Mr.. Can
non. By special and peculiar
enactments Bieber had almost
secured the title to about twenty
acres of very valuable land in
the District, including, it ia now
claimed. n part of the historic
Congressional Cemetery. To
part of this land Bieber has Sc
cured an absolute title, but the
Secretary of War became sus-
picious of the last law and held
it up until Congress could again
assemble. Senator Garter, how
ever, learned of the facts from
the Pennsy lvanis Railroad, with
which as chairman of subcom-
mittee OF the Senate he was try.
ing to arrange for the abolition
of the last surface track in the
City of Washington, and he ex-
posed the matter in the Senate,
which promptly passed an act
which repealed the law granting
the titls to Bieber. The House
seems disposed to take the ground
that there is nothing irregular in
its giving titles to Bieber and
at the same time to hush the
matter up, powerful influences
being exerted to keep the matter
out of the newspapers. In fact,
the first day that it came up,
when Garter made his expose In
the Senate, the Associated Press
sent ont nothing of it to the nu
merous apers.
A report to the effect that the
President purposes to send to
Congress another message calling
attention TO various measures
which he has recomm ended aud
on which Congress has taken no
action, has driven the Republi
cans into a rage. 1t is not known
positively if the President will
send such a message, but the
mere threat may serve to acceller
ate the delinquent mem bers OF
Congress.
Probably never before in the
course of his administration has
the President been confronted
with q measure which so strongly
calls for a veto as a Pension Bill
which has been slipped through
both Houses of Congress, and
which, i: approved, will cost the
nation upwards of $4,000, 900
a year. This measure grants =
pension to every soldier that has
served ninety days or more in
the Civil War. Practically all
of the deserving widows have
already been provided for under
the existing law, but this meas
ure will add to the rolls . great
number of undeserving cases
which Congress has not hitherto
had the courage to pension. The
bill had the backing of Speaker
Cannon in the House aud Of SEN
otOrs Scott, McOumb Der and others
in the Senate.
Senator Bailey. Of T0xas. made