Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-06-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.l


W
The test vote taken on the income
tax question in the senate last week,
is believed to foreshadow victory for
the Republican leaders in their plan to
refer both the Bailey and Cummins
amendments to the Judiciary Commit
tee. The vote to defer consideration
of the income tax amendments until
June 10th means that no amendments
provide for special taxes will be taken
up by the Senate until the schedules of
the tariff bill are adopted, and it is the
intention, of courae, of the Finance
Committee to show that the new Gus
toms duties will raise sufficient reven-
ne to support the government and that
any special tax is wholly unnecessary.
The senatorial character of the dis
patches sent out from Washington con-
cerning defective armor plates which
have been found in the construction of
the battleships North Dakota and Del
aware, is greatly deprecated by the
officials at the Navy Department.
They explain that defective plates al
ways are and always have been found
from time to time; that it is not known
what causes the blisters and, therefore,
it has been impossible thus far to pre-
vent their occasional occurrence. 1t
has been the custom, heretofore, mere
ly to reject the plates when found de-
fective, without saying anything about
it, but recently the department has
adopted new policy. AS nothing
was to be gained by secrecy, no effort
is now made to conceal the fact that
such defective plates have been found
and rejected, although the first infor-
nation to reach the public has receiv-
ed wholly unwarranted prominence.
President Taft and Secretary Knox
are not little disturbed over the re-
ports which reach them of conditions
in Cuba. 1t seems that the new Cuban
government is just awakening to its
freedom from American restraint and
is in fair way to muddle the finances
of the island if it does not precipitate a
national bankruptcy. The govern
ment is devoting its energies to the in
dulgence'of varied and numerous ex-
travagances while making small effort
to supply the treasury of the island
with funds. Those familiar with
Cuban affairs know that unless this
epoch of extravaganza is soon checked
it will precipitate situation such as to
cause the foreign creditors of Cuba to
turn to the United States for assistance,
making necessary another assumption
of authority over the island. Presi
dent Taft considers the situation down
there far from satisfactory and is much
concerned over it,
The action of Senator Bailey in so
far forgetting himself as to indulge in
fistic encounter with a Washington
representative of metropolitan daily
is much censured throughout official
circles, and by his conduct he has COM
pletely justified the expectations of
those who have long believed that
with brass knuckles and a blackjack
he could down any man half his size,
provided he could succeed first in hit
ting him from behind. This is not the
first demonstration that Mr.. Bailey has
given of his inability to control his
temper and while such outbursts are
always seriously deplored by his col
leagues, they injure no one but the
Texan who has thereby impaired his
standing almost hopelessly.