Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-04-14

trict by a largely increased majority,
and being successful in the Four.
teenth Massachusetts, district in the
election of Eugene N. Foss on the
Democratic ticket in a Republican
section of the state, the present mi
nority party naturally hopes to make
further gain in western New York
The Republicans say that in the
Massachusetts district where the Dem.
ocrats won. conditions were abnormal
and that Foss who was elected by the
Democrats was in reality a Republican
and that his opponent was a man not
at all popular, and therefore the DEM
ooratic success is easily to be account
ed for. The Democrats reply simply
that the Republicans are whistling to
keep up their courage, and that the
election of the Democrat in western
New York in a few days, or the cut.
| ting down greatly of the Republican
majority, will prove that the country
is ripe for a change in the party con-
troll of the lower house of congress.
Will Congress Pay Tariff 6oard7
It is still a question whether Pres.
| ident Taft is to be given the $250,000
| which he has asked from congress to
pay the expenses of the tariff board
for the next fiscal year. The presi-
dent has urged congress hard to sane
| ton the appropriation. Early in the
season Senator Hale of Maine, who
| is a protectionist of the old school,
| gave sharp intimation that If the
! president intended to employ the tariff
board for any purpose except to con-
slider the questions of maximum and
minimum tariff rates and their rela-
ton to our foreign trade and to Gus
toms determinations congress ought
not to give him money to carry out
his wishes.
The downward revision Republicans,
and the Democrats with them, say
that the fear of the high protection
element is that the tariff board will
conduct investigations for the purpose
of getting material which can be used
in future tariff legislation and that
the high protectionists fear also that
some of the facts which are adduced
will lead the people to believe that
low rates are a necessity.
| Treaty with Liberia Opposed.
If the administration is to secure,
what it so heartily desires, a treaty
with Liberia, the boon will be given
only after troubles that may take on
the form of a congressional fight. In
reality 1t seems wholly improbable
that the senate will consent to nego-
tiating any treaty with the African
republic at this session. There is
good deal of sentiment in America in
connection with Liberia because its
government was modelled in the be-
ginning after that of the United
States, and because in the old slavery
days it was considered a sort of haven
for negroes, and it was the hopeful
belief of many of the old time abo-
litionists that in Liberia the black
race would prove that it was thorough
ly capable of self-government.
In his annual message to congress.
President Taft gave considerable
space to the troubles in Liberia He
called attention to the fact that there
is a provision in an early treaty with
the African republic under which the
United States may be called upon for
advice or assistance. Pursuant to
this provision and in the spirit of the
moral relationship Of the United
States to Liberia, that republic last
year asked this government to lend
assistance in the solution of certain
of their national problems"
Not long ago the report Of the
commission which the United States
sent to Liberia was made public, and
the president has said that he hopes
as result of the commissions report,
some helpful measures might result
and so through the department of
state he has called the attention of the
senate to the subject.
Position of United States.
Recently Secretary Knox invited the
members of the foreign relations COM
mittee of the senate to a dinner at
his residence, and there he laid before
them the reasons as he saw them for
the negotiating of a treaty with Ii.
IBERIA. 1t seems to be the feeling in
the state department that the African
country is likely to be made the scene
of exploitation of English, French or
German interests, and that It may be
eventually that one or the other of
these countries may actually threaten
the territorial integrity of a country
which in sense is considered ward
of the United States.
The members of the senate commit
tee made it plain to Secretary Knox
that they were not in favor of a treaty
with Liberia that in any way would
bind this country to a course which
might run counter to the wishes of
the three great European countries
which have been named. Mr.. Knox's
guests told him that while the Uni
ted States was extremely cordial in its
good wishes to Liberia and had done
much for that country, 1t had done no
more than Great Britain, and that It