Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-02-18

verdict to the effeet that the tariff
bill has nothing to do with the sky.
soraping prices of the necessities of
life,
II can be said definitely that Mr.,
Taft believes that II the investigating
committee, which Of course will be
dominated by Republicans, shall make
1t appear by the trend of their inquiry
that they are concerned first with
proving that the tariff is siniess, the
Democrats will make the most of the
circumstance, and will go before the
country ia the congressional cam
paign to tell the people that the in
vestigatien was begun and carried
through simply to whitewash Re-
publican tariff bill.
Wants Straight Investigation.
The president has conferred in the
last day or two with many of the Re-
publican members of the senate CON-
mittee on finance and of the house
committee on ways and means and
has told them that 1t is his sincere de-
sire that their efforts shall be bent
solely, in conducting the investigation,
to discover the true reasons, II 1t is
possible to discover them, why It
costs nearly twice as much to live to-
day as it did few years ago.
Those who are close to the admins
tration say that the president cannot
for a moment allow it to appear to
the men who are to conduct the cost
of living inquiry that he has any sus-
picion that they simply wish to clear
the skirts of the tariff. 1t must be
taken for granted, the presidents ad-
visers say, that members of congress
sworn to do their duty will do 1t with
out having any Interior motive in
view. Unquestionably Mr.. Taft would
like to have it proved definitely that
the tariff has nothing to do with the
advanced prices, because last summer
he declared that the tariff bill was the
best that the Republican party had
ever passed, and to a considerable ex-
tent this has been considered an in
dorsement of the tariff-making efforts
OF Mr.. Payne, Mr.. A;drich and the
other high protection believers who
framed the measure and who put 1t
on the statue BOOKS.
The speakership Situation.
Several senators and representatives
in congress are keeping Presi-
dent Taft informed as to the
speakership situation in the house.
There are one or two members of the
upper house who have close relations
with the members of their state dele
cations in the lower house, and these
members keep the senators informed
as to the trend of speakership events.
The president will take no active part
in the matter of securing successor
to Speaker Cannon when the time
comes to elect one, but he is deeply
interested in having it made as cer-
tain as such things can be that the
next speaker shall be man who will
in no way obstruct the legislation
which the administration intends to
recommend on behalf of the country.
Idea Is to Unite Factions.
OF course the sole idea of the ad-
ministration is to try to influence Re-
publican members to elect man who
will be able to unite the factions so
that there will be no such trouble as
there has been during the last two
years of Mr.. Cannon's incumbency.
Mr.. Taft is very much concerned to-
day lest the fact that there are fac
tions in the house of representatives
shall imperil some of the measures
which he has recommended for pas.
| sage, and his hope is that in the next
congress, If there is a Republican ma
jority, the fight over the rules will
have been settled and that some man
to the liking of both regulars and In
surgents shall sit in the chief seat.
In all human probability the next
Speaker of the house will be con
servative, The insurgents are not
strong enough yet to elect speaker
out of their own ranks and they make
admission today that they are moi
likely to recruit enough strength al
the next election to give them caucus
control of the next house. They de-
say, however, that they will have
enough recruits to make it certain
that change in the rules of the house
will be made before the present con
gress becomes a thing of the past.
Speaker cannon's Position.
Speaker Cannon has enough loya
followers to make it seemingly certain
provided the next house is Republican
and of about the same factional make
up that it is to-day, that no man wht
is not to the liking of the presen
speaker car be elected to the chic
official place. No man ever left
high Office without at least some curl
osity as to who was to come into hi
place. Mr.. Cannon has more thar
mere curiosity at stake. He ha
steered certain course during his pi
lotage of the house affairs, and h
thinks unquestionably that the mos
convincing praise that can be bestowe,
upon his work as pilot will be t.
have the relieving pilot steer iract
cally the same course. In other words
Mr. Cannon would like to name tn