Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-04-28
m The Halls of Congress
BY TAV.
Special Washingtop Correspondence


 Aldrich's announcement that he will not be a candidate for reelection is being regarded with increasing suspicion here in Washington as a manifest political trick.
 It is doubtful if single one of the genuine progressive republicans really believes that the Rhode Island boss intends to reinquish his con trol of legislation a moment sooner than he has to-. Even few "regulars" have privately eX- pressed the belief that Aldrich might consent to reelection, basing this conclusion upon what they characterized as the ''enormous pressure" which will no doubt be brought to bear upon Aldrich to cause him to change his mind.
 Because of his record of underhandedness and trickery in dealing with the senate and the pub lie, everything Senator Aldrich does or says should be carefully analysed before accepted on its face value
 Aldrich does not say anywhere that he will not accept a reelection. He says he will not be "candidate.'' It would be no surprise to sen- ators who know Aldrch if the words "I am not a 'candidate' for reelection" should turn out after the fall congressional elections to have been but another of his famous ''iokers,'' with which the Payne-Aldrich tariff law is overload ed
 The corporation interests served by Aldrich can best maintain the excessive tariff rates, which give them monopoies on American con- sumers through a republican administration Therefore 1t is but natural that Aldrich's pri- mary object at this time is to keep the republi- cans in power.
 What move on Aldrich s part could relieve the republicans of so heavy responsibility in the approaching congressional elections as the an nouncement of his retirement? Realizing that his long representation of big business has earn for him the enmity of the American people, and that his name is to be one of the main issues in the fall campaign, it is but giving due credit to Aldrlch' $ resourcefulness to assume that he fig ured it out he could not serve the special inter- ests better at this time than to announce his re- tirement, if such announcement would help the republican party over dangerous shoals.
 Aldrich is taking no chances in announcing that he will not again be candidate He can change his mind easily, or he can have re-elec- tion forced" upon him. Should the next house be democratic however, Aldrich might not care to come back to the senate, for it would then be obvious that he could put through none of his own peculiar style of legislation.
 The ship subsidy bill is beaten so far as this session of congress is concerned It goes to de-
 
 Marine league the organization which is back ing the bill providing for the annual payment of $5,OOO,00O of public funds to few private ship owners, is being exposed before special investigating committee of congress as being backed by men who would profit directly or in- directly through the passage of the proposed legislation. These men, most of whom are mil lionalres, have contributed to the funds of the league, and the funds have been used in turn to attack and terrify members of congress opposed to the subsidy grab. Although officers of the league testified contributors to the league treas ury were interested in the passage of ship sub- sidy bill merely as American patriots anxious to see the merchant marine built up, a cross exam nation of the very witnesses who made such as- sertions brought out the fact that two of the vice presidents of the league were directors of the steel trust, and that another vice president was the general manager of a Newport News, Va shipbuilding company, concerns which might easily profit through the opening of the pork barrel by the passage of ship subsidy measure
 ''The democrats are nearer to electing pres ldent of the United States than they have been since 1892,' says Governor Claude A. Swanson of Virginia, who recently completed a tour that extended to the Pacific coast. ''Not in years have the democrats shown so much activity, so much desire to shake off lethargy, to hold har- mony banquets, and to get together as is mani fested in all sections of the country at this time. With such spirit prevailing the leaders and the rank and file of democracy, taken together with fhnI I