The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-05-06
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Cen
eral Topics from
the Capital.


, The past week in Congress has been
rather iame-a little oratorical band-
mage by Senator Rayner of Maryland
urging the lnsurgent Republicans in a
playful way to align themselves with
the Democratic party where they right
fully belong. This was answered bv
Senator Dolliver, of Iowa, who insisted
that the insurgent Republicans were the
real party, +" and that they would con
tlnue 10 uphold the banner Debates on
various bills representing the admins
tratlon's conception of the Roosevelt pol
lcles are proceeding languidly in both
Houses, but more interest is manifested
IN the Pinchot- Ballinger investigation
where Mr.. Ballinger himself has recently
appeared as witness, than in the de
bates in Congress-
The President has left the city for a
few days. 1t no doubt affords him great
relief TO get away from the kark and care
and the strain OF Office. Accompanied
by his military aide, Captain Butt, he
left Washington at 7 O'Clock Friday for
a weeks tour. during which he will
visit Buffalo, Pittsburg, Cincinnati and
st. Louis. Twelve or more important
engagements have been made at these
places, and the President will deliver a
number of addresses. He gave out
yesterday that there will be no discus.
sion of politics and that several of his
speeches will be for the benefit of the
farmers. He will be in Buffalo early
Saturday morning. and will reach Pitts
burg on Sunday, where he will be the
guest of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Latin
whose husband recently died. 1t is
said that the coming undertaking OF the
Tariff Board in ascertaining the cost of
the production of commodities at home
and abroad, will be the subject of several
OF the Presidents speeches while awav
1t is also said that he will not apologize
for the PayneAldrich Law, and will
point out that he is endeavoring to fol-
low a scientific method of arriving at
future tariff revision downward in ac
cordance with the Republican platform
on which he was elected.
Idle and social Washington is at this
moment much interested in ahorse show
which will be held in the Monument
grounds and near Potomac Park. which
locality is becoming point of interest
throughout the country as the probable
site of the International Exposition to
celebrate the completion of the Panama
Canal, which 1t is now said will be COM
pleted in 1914 instead of 1915. There is
much interest in the military and naval
circles with reference TO the proper pro-
lection OF this canal by Notifications.
The EX-Secretary of the Treasury. Mr..
Shaw, and other writers on military and
naval subjects urging ship subsidies,
have shown by figures that the United
States is lamentably weak as compared
with Japan, not actually in fighting ships,
for in this respect we are much stronger
than the little island kingdom on the
other side of the Pacific, but in trained
sailors in which Japan has at least one
hundred thousand more than we have.
and in supply and transportation ships
for the army and navy, of which she mas
a hundred to our one. She greatly
overmatches us. 1t is not everyone that
knows that when our great fleet of battle
ships recently sailed around the world they
were supplied with coal and provisions
by the ships of other countries. This
could not be done in time OF war. No
neutral ship under the international code
would dare to help us in any way, and
thrown upon our own resources neither
our army or our navy would be able to
reach the Philippines in two years
while Japan could land one hundred
thousand men there in two weeks. Our
situation will be much improved as far
as home defense is concerned, when the
canal is opened, and when our fleet can
get in a position to defend the Pacific
Slope harbors without the circuit of Cape
Horn. 1t has been understood all along
that the canal will be amply fortified.
The few who think that it should be un-
guarded might look into what Germany
is doing for the kiel Canal and England
for the Canal at Suez and also for the
Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean
Sea at its entrance at Gibraltar and its
exit at Port Said may be said TO be one
long British canal or strait. In case of
war no enemy would enter or leave the
great Mediterranean Sea The great
guns mounted high on Gibraltar fully
command that magicent entrance, while
powerful search lights turn night into
day and make it impossible for an enemy
to sneak in by hugging the Morocco
coast, not more than eighteen miles
away. Our government will doubtless
build powerful deiences with disappear
ing guns of the heaviest caliber, and
high powered search light apparatus at
both ends of the Panama Canal