Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-07-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.

! have been treated to an extraordinary
, and iu many instances a most unwel-
come surprise during the week just
ended. Misled by the genial exterior
and apparently easy going disposition
of William Howard Taft they elected
him President and then prepared for
an administration which would close
ly resemble that of President McKin-
ley. The events of the past week have
brought them to realization that their
President has will of his own and
that behind his ever present smile
there is determination which bodies
ill to the ''stand patters" in his party
Twenty-Five Republican members of
the House marched on the White
House in solid phalanx, last Friday,
intending to read the President a lee
ture because he was exerting his influ-
ence with the conferees to induce them
to ploce hides, iron ore, petroleum and
coal on the free list and to accept the
House duty of 81 a thousand feet on
lumber, which is just halt the Dingley
rate. They approached the White
House with a most militant spirit and
gave some broad limitations to the
newspaper correspondents in the ante.
room of the very bod half hour in store
for the President. They came away
looking like set of boys who had been
caught stealing apples and the later
confessed that the President had ridi-
culed them, had lectured them, had
charged them with selfishness and mar
rowness and then calmly informed
them that he, with the whole Ameri-
can people for his constituency, had a
mucn broader point of view than they
did regarding any commodity which
was produced in their respective DIS
tricts. He told them, moreover, that
he constr: ID the Republican platform
as pledging the party to tariff revision
downward and that he purposes to do
all in his power to accomplish a full
fiIlment of that pledge and that the
" As'SoO olAAiiSo Ol1CJ COuIu w WOuiu NC W
go back to the House and wait for an
opportunity to vote for tariff bill en-
bodying his ideas.
Before this conference the President
had explained his views to the con-
ferees of the two houses. He had ex-
planned to them, laughing all the time,
that, if they were genuine friends of
Speaker Cannon, instead of putting a
duty on petroleum, as he wanted them
to do, they would put petroleum on the
free list because that would prevent the
speakers being relegated to private life
at the next election. He told them
that the American people did not be-
lieve that the duty put any money in
to the pockets of the farmers, but that
it did put large amount into the trea-
sury of the Beef Trust and that the peo-
pie did not like that and would punish
the party which continued the tariff I
on hides. He assured them that ma {
jOrity of the voters would interpret a
duty on petroleum as tribute to the
Standard Oil Company, and duty on
iron ore as tribute to the Steel Trust,
and any duty on lumber higher than \
The House rate as tribute to the Lum- |
Der Trust, and any duty on coal as tri- {
butte to the Coal Trust and he hated |
awfully to think of what would hap '
pen to political party which the peo- |
pie held responsible for taxing the con- '
'umers to swell the profits of these
trusts. He told them that he had c
nothing very much at stake because !
lis position was known to the people. 7
They appreciated that he favored tariff '
'evision downward and besides his |
erm did not expire until 1918, but he 7
vas awfully sorry for all those poor L
Republican members of Congress who
must stand for reelection in 1910, be-
'ause then the indignation of the vot-
rs would be at white heat and they
would visit it on the poor members of v
congress. And when the President S
alked this way the conferees saw the v
ooint. They agreed to accept his re- Il
if he could secure the r
yotes in Congress to effect the adoption S
If the conference report after they had II
educed the duties as he wished them e
After his conference with the dis 1
,runtled Republican members, the b
resident gave to the press statement g
If what he had said to them. He die Il
ated the statement himself and made I
t good deal milder than his remarks q
lctually were, but it is believed to be
)lain enough to effect his end and to
BRING down on the opponents of revi-
ion downward an amount of condem- n
lation which will make them glad to II
lccept the conference report with all y
If the Presidents ideas embodied there g
n. +
The Democrats won a big victory in C
Washington this week. 1t was not G
political victory, but it probably afford o
ID them just as much qualification as t
f it had been. There have been some t
If the younger Republicans in the p
House who have been talking some D
What brashly of their proves as ball \
players. For time the Democrats fl
permitted them to talk, but finally the O
blowers of Champ Clark grew weary b
If it and challenged the Republicans. d
Then the rivals chartered the Ameri-
AN League ball grounds and histori-
al game was played. The score stood
Mick y Longworth was voted absolute
y the worst player on the field and he
lad some husky rivals Not only did