The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-04-10
News OF NATIONS
CAPITAL
By Sheldon 8. Cline.


his pacific intentions, President TAFT i,
not escaping trouble with congress.
Mr. Taft is exceedingly anxious that I
proper tariff bill shall be passed ct the
earliest possible day, but he doesn Z
want to mix in the factional squabbles
IN the senate and house. Like : man
in quicksand, though, he appears to bs
getting in deeper for all his efforts TO
keep out.
There appear to be . great many
members Of congress who are unwilling
that body shall discharge it, consti.
tutional duty Of enacting legislation.
They want the president to tell con.
gress what to do. Therefore they flock
to the white house either for instrus.
tions or for support in their conten.
tions. A member Of congress win 70
to the white house and explain his pet
tariff project to tn epresident. IF the
president fails to violently denounce
the project and kick the protector out
of the executive Office, the member goes
back to the capitol and spreads the
word about that he has secured the ad.
ministration's support. Other men,
bers "fall for" the story and in their
eagerness to court white house favor
line up in support Of projects to which
Mr. Taft never intended to commit
himself.
Naturally this stirs up members op.
uosed to the project in question, and
they flock to the white house. II the
president denies he has any special in
terest in the project, the opposition con.
verts that into declaration that the
administration is utterly opposed to it
and lose no time putting out reports to
that effect.
Thus they get the president both
going and coming. The chances are
three in five that the matter in contro.
versy is one to which Mr.. Taft il su-
premely Indifferent, but he 10 represent.
ed a. being first on one side and than
on the other. The thing started oven
before the extra session. In the fight
over the rules the presidents . support
was claimed by both the Cannon or.
ganization and by the insurgents. As .
matter of fact, Mr.. Taft didn't care .
continental what rules the house adopt
ed for its own government and didn't
regard the matter as any Of his busi-
ness. What he did want was that con-
gress should get down to business and
pass at the earliest possible day . tar
i'll bill that would square with the
pledge contained in the national plat.
form.
If what at present il . very large
faction in congress can be increased to
a majority, two billion dollars Of nation
al indebtedness viii be rolled up in the
next twenty years. This faction pro-
poses to issue bonds to an amount Of
fifty million dollars each year and to
expend the proceeds in improving in.
land waterways.
The idea is not q new one. II has
been advocated, in some degree or 9th
er, for more than generation, but il
was given standing by the waterways
congress called by President Roosevelt.
What was roiginally set down - the
dream Of Missionaries now has standing
and the endorsement of practical men
Of affairs.
When the waterways congress first
proposed this fifty millions q year ex.
penditure the idea was roundly de-
nounced by most Of the influential
men in congress. But they have been
since then. The condition Of
the national revenues has furnished .
lot of food for thought. 1t il becom.
ng palmer every day that, 20 far -
current revenues, instead Of
It's being possible to enter upon any
enlarged program Of waterways i'm.
2rovement there 10 going to have to be
curtailment Of the program Of the
past.
Now, no attempt Is made to dispute
he fact that to carry out, at least in
part, the program Of the waterways
congress would be the very best Of
business. The improvements would
'ay for themselves many times over
n generation in increasing the wealth
# the people. But there isn't the re.
hottest possibility Of seriously under
'aking the work and paying for it out
# the current revenues of the govern
nent. And as future generations
would largely get the benefit, the
argument that future generations
should foot the bill makes a powerful
appeal. Opponents Of the plan argue
hat even the interest charge on 70
loan would be too heavy
~ a