Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-04-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.

in the Payne tariff bill which has now
passed the House and is being consid-
cred by the Senate committee which
expects to report its substitute Monday
or Tuesday. 1t is somewhat difficult
to take seriously the House measure in
fview of the fact that the Senate is pre-
pairing complete substitute and that
it is known the measure adopted by the
upper House will not only contain in
Vulnerable alterations but that it. will
shape the law as ultimately enacted.
1t is asserted in Republican circles that
the Senate committee has actually low
cred some of the Payne duties and that
all the duties on necessities" will be
lower than those imposed by the Ding
ley bill. 1t remains to be seen, how
ever, just what Mr.. Aldrich means by
necessities and what he classes as lux
uries. 1t is known, for instance, that
he and his colleagues on the finance
committee have raised most if not all
of the duties on steel. This means
higher prices for every steel article from
steel ranges to steel chisels That raises
the question, is not the steel range as
much of a necessity to the woman with
large family to cook for, and the
chisel as much of a necessity to the
carpenter or the farmer who does his
own carpentering as the coffee they
drink or the tea they consume?
A highly interesting if somewhat
academic discussion has been raised by
the suggestion made in newspaper
close to the administration that the
President might deem it his duty to
veto the tariff bill. The proposition
advanced by the correspondent of that
paper was that if Mr.. Aldrich and his
associates on the finance committee in
creased the duties to point where they
must be regarded as violation of the
Republican national platform, the
President would not hesitate to exercise
the veto power, he having already on
more than one occasion indicated to
the leaders of his party in Congress
that while he did not seek to exercise
any undue influence over their DELHI
beratiens he would not sign bill
which, in his judgment, did not give
due consideration to the interests Of the
"ultimate consumer" Speculation has
been rife as to whether this was an
''inspired'' dispatch, that is, suggested
by the President himself with view
to warning the members of his party
in the Congress, or whether it merely
voiced the fears of certain Of the more
moderate protectionists On the finance
committee.
Opinion generally leans to the idea
that the dispatch was inspired at the
White House and in any event it seems
to have had the effect of occasioning
some anxiety among the Senate leaders
for Senator Aldrich has taken occasion
to go to the White House carrying
a copy of the Senate substitute and as
surfing the President that the duties
therein were all lower on necessities
than those fixed by the DingIey bill
Whatever may ultimately prove to be
the facts, the Senator from Rhode Is
land appears to have completely salts
fed the President who expressed his
entire approval of the work of the Sen
ate committee and has since told his
friends that he regards the measure
prepared by the upper house as an ad-
mirable piece of work. Thus all talk
of his vetoing the bill has been dissipat-
ed and once more entire harmony re-
igns among the Republican tariff cooks.
When the author of ga Man With
cut a Country" penned that famous
novel he could hardly have seen far
enough into the future to have perceiv-
ed the plight of Cipriano Castro, whilom
President of Venezuela, and yet If ever
there was man without a country it
is that same Castro. AS neminally the
President of Venezuela, actually the
dictator of that unfortunate country,
Castro violated every pledge and disre-
garded every obligation of honor and
honesty. His was literally reign of
terror and when his health compelled
him to 60 abroad to seek the services of
famous European physician, the peo-
pie of Venezuela seized joyously upon
the opportunity to depose him and
make Gomez their president. Having
recovered at least partially from the eff
abroad, Castro sailed for this continent
Meanwhile, however, he has been in
dicted for murder, having as President
ordered the execution of enc of his gen
erals whom he charged with treason
and condemned without trial. Were
Castro to land on Venezuela soil he
would Immediately be cast into prison
as felon. Therefore, he sought to
land at some other West Indian port
from which he could direct a revolu-
ton with view to overthrowing the
present President and reinstating him
self. Castro, by the way, had repudi-
ated the just claims of the United States
md Insulted American ministers until
5his country was compelled to break off
diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
lis successor Immediately agreed to
submit all American claims to arbitra-
ion which is what the United States
lad long demanded. Consequently,
lis successor appealed to the United
States to use its influence to prevent