The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1910-02-24

and doing nothing. Taft IS sweating
/ furiously to see the party so far be-
! hind In the work that all believe will
have to be done in order 20 assure a
Republican house next fall. and he
Is more than anxious TO get the bills
/ to moving. Each time an issue is
made. the agreement Is on terms a
little more favorable TO the Congress
leaders who do not want anything
1 really done And so they seem 20 be
wearing him down. They hope TO get
him to agree to laws which do not
begin to do all they ought TO. but
which will satisfy the trusts. and
which Taft will support and after
wards defend rather than do without
anything. Maybe they will succeed.
hut maybe they viii get the big
stick taken down.
AS | have explained, the real ad-
vantage OF the trusts in this fight
is that they will be pretty well salts
fled II they car keep any thing from
being done. They are able to steal
a good deal pretty safely as the laws
are right nova or course, II any
one should offer them more, they
woulden't refuse. but they are not
kicking. No sir. what they want Is to
be left alone. like the Irishman in
his neighbor's pig-pen. So, IL they
can keep Congress tied down with
other things, they win be very happy.
And what is more, some OF them. and
some that are talking the loudest
about the good OF the party, would
be entirely willing TO see a Democra-
tic Congress next year, for that would
mean surely no reforms would DO
passed. The Republican Senate would
see to that. SO in spite OF the danger
toward which the party is drifting.
these men are willing to fight for
delay, and all the President can do
is 10 get the best he can out OF
them. They are not afraid OF losing
the election-that wouldn't hurt them
but they are afraid OF losing their
places Of influence in the party And
that is about the only weapon Taft
has to fight with. We shall see what
he does with II.
] One little defeat for the President
las been given this week In the mat
ter Of publicity for the returns from
corporations under the new tax law.
Taft believes that the law provides
that these returns shall be open 20
the public. but there is no money ap-
propriated to pay for the clerks who
would have to have charge OF them.
Mr.. Taft asked for money 70 enforce
the law, but Congress has paid alb
solutely no attention to his request
There have been rumors this week
that the Insurgents had a splendid
plan to SHOW up" the reactionaries,
and that It would be sprung soon, but
it now looks as II the spring failed
to work.
The Ballinger hearing has been
going slowly on, with little result,
and nothing startling. Attorney Cen
eral Hoyt of Porto Rico has confirm
cd good deal 70 Galvis' testimony,
and Mr.. Ballinger's lawyer has fall
ed to upset any evidence. Mr.. Pin
chot will be the only other witness
for the prosecution.
In the meantime a little interest
has been aroused by the testimony
Of an expert for the Guggenheim out
| fit in the Alaska coal cases before
the Territories Committee. He ad-
mitted that the Guggenheims we're
trying to get for S25O,OOO, land which
contained coal that would pay $25,-
100000 profit. This would give them
fair percent of profit. He also ex-
planned that they expected to get 1t,
but they did not employ a lobby"
This last statement was needless. Wit
one Guggenheim In the Senate, with
Ballinger in the Cabinet and with
such men as Schwartz in the Land Of
flee, lobby would be a useless extra
vagance.
The serious illness of Sen. Tillman
this week has threatened to remove
from the Senate one OF it's most
picturesque features, and also one
of its keenest debaters. There is now