The National tribune., 1909-01-14

1t is said that Theodore Roosevelt
Jr.. has been a regular mascot for th,
carpet company with which he Joined
his fortunes. and that they have had tC
enlarge their plant since he came tc
them. All of which is interesting il
true, but il does not seem as tho the
American people could be such sEObs
as all that comes to, and, as matter OF
fact, they are not.
The Beilamy Storers were in town
for a time a few days ago, but Dear
Maria didn't talk at all, and ''Bellamy''
declared that he knew nothing at all
about politics.
There are eight italian societies in
Washington. none of them very rich,
but they contributed well to the Red
Cross fund for the Messina earthquake
sufferers. Their first contribution was
$2,Se0, and they are preparing to give
more.
A means of filing the Presidential
chair in the event Of the death of the
President-elect at any time between the
date of his election and the day of the
Quadrennlal inaugural, March 4. is pro-
vided in a resolution proposing an
amendment to the Constitution, offered
in the House the other day by Repre-
sentative Burke, of PENNSYLVANIA.
Under the present laws, he says. a
state of chaos would result should a
President-elect die before March 4.
There is no law under which the va
caney could be filed 1t is held by good
lawyers that the Vice President-elect
would not re eligible to the Presidency
Should the President-elect die before the
inauguration.
The proposed amendment TO the Con-
stitution provides that Congress shall
be authorized 10 devise a means of fill
ing the Presidential chair in the emer-
gency referred TO-
In view of the fact tnat there is no
provision for an Acting President in
case anything happens to the President
elect and that Il crisis might be pre-
cipitated in case the President-eiect
might die, very strong objection is be-
Ing raised to Mr.. Taft going to the 18th
mus as he has been planning to do.
He feels as tho he would ike to see
exactly what is being done in Panana
before he gives his inaugural address.
There IS so much discussion about the
work being done in the Canal Zone and
its inat5eauacy,. also the probability that
much Of it is being done for nothing.
the talk about the abandonment of the
dam scheme and making sea-leveI
canal has again been revived, because
of the washing down Of so much OF the
WORK that has /heen done for the dam,
has made the public uneasy. Mr.. Roose-
Welt had TO go to the canal to satisfy
himself that all was going right. Air.
Taft has been down enee. and seems 20
feel that it is necessary to go again
j. certainly is unfortunate that nobody
can trust anybody else about that canal.
One of the fruitful sources of fire in
the Far West, where the prafries are as
1fvel as floor, is from the sparks of a
locomotive Some of the very worst fires
shat the great West has ever known
lave come about in this way Hun
drsds of thousands of acres have been
burned. taking all the houses. barns,
animals. stacks of wheat ana other
grain, leaving the prairie as bare as the
back of your hand. Representative
Morse. of Wisconsin, has introduced
bill in Congress which will make it un-
lawful for any common carrier TO make
use of any locomotive that has not a
good spark arresteT. The spark arrester
must be of a character not 10 permit
spark large enough TO carry destruction
with it falling. upon the ground
Representative Clark, of Florida, is
going to have the Government erect
post-ofiice buildings in all towns of from
I GOO inhabitants up. If ne can get such
q law on thestatute books there will be
no more fussing over the pork barrel
Of Government buildings. for they will
have to be erected, whether or no.
Mrs. Grover>efeveland will be accord
ed the privilege OF dispatching mail free
of postage il a bill introduced by Repre-
sentative Dgerstreet, of Indiana Chair
man of the House Committee on Post
Office and Post Roads. is enacted into
law
To commemorate the departure from
Hampton Roads Of the American battle
ship fleet on its tour Of the world the
Philadelphia Mint has begun turning
out the bronze medals authorized, and
the President has given his approval to
the specimen submitted TO him. The
medals will be sold r. the mint for 81
each. the money tlIGs received being
turned into the general fund of the
Treasury,.
on one side of the medal is the head
of President Roosevelt, while on the
reverse side is a igure-of Columbia and
three ships.
Senator Perkins, of California, has
been selected by the joint caucus of the
Republicans of the two Houses of the
State Legislature to succeed himself in
the United States Senate. This is equiv
alent to an election.
New Mexico and Arizona are again
knocking for admission as separate
States e
II has been announced with a great
flourish that Vice President Fairbanks
would as soon as he was out Of office,
= join with his brother in financing and
building railroad in Honduras. Mr.
Fairbanks emphatically denies that he
IS going to do anything of the kind. He
SAYS that all he knows about the thing
he saw IN the newspapers.
Senator Dillingham;. of Vermont is
going 10 limit the term OF the President
of the United States to six years and
no reelection if he can get his bill
thru. II is not at all likely that he Will
get it thru.
If present plans materialize, the late
senator Allison, of Iowa, viii be fitting
IL remembered by his associates II
Congress. who are considering the in
production of a bill authorizing tn.
erection of statue TO his memory. IL
addition to a statue, the Senate Com
Initter on Library is discussing tn
feasibility OF hanging a portrait Of tn
Iowan in the Senate wing Of the CAPT
tol
This would be an unusual honor ant
a memorial that Is accorded to few leg
islators IT is believed Senator DOllive