The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-12-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.

gress lbeforel the. adjournment for the
Christmas holidays. The Lower House
is making IA serious effort to pass one
appropriation bill, that for the District of
Columbia, before adjournment The bill
as originally presented had been very
carefully supervised and called for
smaller appropriation than that of the
previous year but the Lower House of
contending for still further reduction.
The city of Washington is growing very
rapidly and larger and larger sums are
being collected in the way of taxes The
National Government owning and con-
trolling the public parks, public buildings
and streets has for years paid one-half
the expense of keep-up and improve
rents and as is we'll known, Congress is
the legislative body that decides finally
with reference to such appropriations as
are needed for the schools, police, and all
expenses relating to municipal affairs.
But in Washington, as in many other
cities, there are trusts and other public
utilities that escape their fair appropriation
oftaxes. There are transportation com.
panies and telephone companies who do
not contribute their proper quota to the
support of the District of Columbia.
Washington is a National city, the Nat.
ional Congress legislates for it, the Presi-
dents of the United States appoint the
commissioners who are at the head of
1.-THE District Government. the residents of
Washington are without the privilege of
voting and have no direct influence in
the affairs of the city in which they live
and it is for this reason that anything that
concerns the welfare of the National
Capital is through Congress, the concern
of all the people of the United States.
*.*t
The Secretary Of the Navy, Mr.. Meyer,
was before the House Committee on
Naval affairs on the 10th inst, and was
SO urgent in explaining the necessity for
the changes which he has made in his
Department and in his advocacy that
these changes shall be confirmed by
legislation that he prevented the Com
mittee going to luncheon until long after
their usual hour for refreshment. He is
urging the discontinuance of the Bureau
system and the establishment of the
Navy Department on basis similar to
that upon which the War Department is
now managed.
~
General Crozier, one of the few rapidly
promoted young officers of the United
States and who was much appreciated
and trusted by President Roosevelt, says
that there is no frst-class respectable
power with whom we may possibly have
unpleasantness but that can put into the
field almost Immediately three millions OF
men. He says that this great army could
be marshalled against US more rapidly
than we could manufacture arms, or
ganize volunteer troops and bring them
in position to oppose powerful enemy
This was the gist of General Crozier's
lAtstement before the House Committee
on military affairs.
It. came out in his report that the
reserve ammunition has been fixed ten.
| tatively at about three hundred rounds,
each for six hundred thousand rifles and
it was further ELECTED that owing to the
limited appropriations it would take six
and one half years to accumulate the
necessary reserve ammunition for war.
Well, what are we to do about it? Manu-
facture and store large magazines of war
material that will become obsolete
through improvements that are going on
with great rapidity or repose in the
security of our splendid isolation and dis
continne all belligerent preparations
~
The Baiiiuger and Pinchot controversy
will not down. It continually crops mp
This week Mr.. Hitchcock of Nebraska,
brought it up in the House and it is sure
to be heard from in the Senate. Mr.
Hitchcock is championing Mr.. CLAWS
who was discharged from the Land Office
and says that Claws story carries con
viction and shows that whether the Land
Office was presided over by Balliuger as
Commissioner or as Secretary of the In.
terror it was and is manipulated to assist
land thieves ID tleir depredatipns in the
4 valuable coal regions of ALASKA. Score.
tary Ballinger, as a member Of Mr. Taft's
cabinet is of course, restless under the
attacks of Congressman Hitchcock OF
Nebraska. Mr.. Ballinger says that the
whole matter is fabrication and that,
besides. Mr.. Hitchcock is a democrat.