The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-12-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The past week has been stirring in a
political way. OF course everything cen
tiers around the tariff question although il
is conceded by all parties and interests
that there will be nothing doue at the
regular session, but that everything must
wait until the called session which was
promised after the fourth of March, 1909
President elect Taft has announced that
be will call this special session fer the
consideration of the tariff question as
soon after the fourth of March as is
practicable. Nevertheless, the tariff dis
cussion is heard everywhere for it carries
with it the election of new speaker of
the House and a presidential policy.
Whether there is really a wide diver
gence between the policy of the President.
elect AID the Speaker of the House and
the Committee on Rules or not. cannot
be affirmed with absolute certainty
Neither party is disposed to magnify the
difference, but inasmuch as there was a
pronounced difference between the policy
of President Roosevelt and that OF Speaker
Cannon on various subjects, it may be
fairly assumed that anyone so set in his
ways" as Speaker Cannon will not agree
with the policy of the President elect.
~
The tariff Investigations through the
Ways and Means Committee, now being
held in the annex offices of the House at
the Capitol, are, of course, 10 great
degree perfunctory and farcical. No
new facts or views are elected. IT is the
same old situation. Everyone is quite
willing TO have the duties on his neigh
boris goods lowered, and General Han
cocks remark that the tariff was local
question for which be was so much
ridicnled, is proven in many ways. News
comes that preachers III number OF
towns and cities throughout the Mis-
souriau and Kansan zinc mining districts.
took occasion to invoke divine aid on
Thanksgiving Day for the fight being
carried on by, their Representatives in
Congress for protective tariff on zinc ore,
without which, the pastor informed the
Almighty, the industry would be ruined.
There are no doubt thousands of other
and quite as effective prayers preferred
by benefciaries of the tariff throughout
the United States for the defence of high
duties.
*x*
Speaker Cannon and his powerful staff
of stand -patters effect to believe that there
is nothing alarming in the effort to elect
another man as speaker of the Sixty first
Congress, but there is no doubt that the
present administration, as we'll as the
coming administration, would like to see
a younger and more progressive man in
the Speakers chair and there is large
recalcitrant element in the House against
the domination of the Speaker and his
clique. Representative Charles E. Town
send from Michigan, has been approach
ed by number of members of Congress
who were disposed to support him for
Speaker of the House. Mr. Fowler of
New Jersey is also prominently mentioned
as are a number of other gentlemen and
if the opposition would unite upon one
man, it is not impossible that another
speaker would be placed in the chair
after March the fourth.
~
There is much talk in these ante Con-
gressional days. about the legislation TO
be enacted in the coming short session,
but it may be predicted with some cer--
tainty that it will be confined mostly to
appropriation bills and that economy will
be on the lips of such Congressional
speakers as are able to catch the Speakers
eye, but whether economy will appear in
the appropriation bills is another question.
Pressure will probably be brought to bear
for large Rivers and Harbors bill and so
many members of Congress have interests
in their districts >favoring improvements
of>rivers and harbors that economy has
small chance in this appropriation. Then
there are the friends of larger navy.
and these will come forward for the four
battleships that were SO much urged by
the President and his~friends during the
first session of this Congress. An increase
of the army will be urgently advocated,
though it may be assumed that in these
piping times of peace, there is not much
prospect of such increase
*x*
The Inland Waterways Commission
WHICH will be il session in Washington
in few days will probably hold its meet
iugs in the conference room of the House
Office Building. A number of Congress
men are members of this commission aud
it is probable that the request for the
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