Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-02-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent

From Our Regular Correspondent.1
: Washington, d. G., Feb. 5.-There
is Senator, Stephen B. Elkins from
the State of West Virginia. Senator
! Elkins is recalcitrant Republican, a
] kind of bull in china shop, that fire.
| quently makes his Republican confre-
} ers grieve, About 80 days ago he pro-
posed an investigation into the cost of
the high price of food stuffs. His pro-
posal had no limitations and it was to
go to the bottom of the subject "Hew
to the line let the chips fall where they
may His resolution was smothered
in committee but this week Senator
Lodge of Massachusetts, proposed a
resolution with limitations lodging
any reference to the tariff, and this
resolution was approved next day.
Then up rose Senator Elkins and spoke
his mind saying in substance that AL
drich and Lodge were conspiring to
keep back facts in the interest of their
recent tariff legislation. Senator Elkins
has taken the initiative in this invests
CATION as to the cost of living. He Of
| fered the first resolution providing that
a committee make an inquiry but he
has protested in no uncertain language
;! against the smothering of his measure
in the Senate Committee on Auditing
Expenses. In Short, Senator Elkins
is an insurgent Not universal toy
gle jointed insurgent like La Toilette
but belligerent, multi-millionaire in
convenient insurgent and is giving the
old guard senators on the Republican
side great deal of trouble. The charges
coming from the inner ranks of the Re
publican household, that the investi-
cation proposed by Senator Lodge and
Improved by Aldrich is intended mere
ly to acquit the tariff tinkerers of the
extra session, is very embarrassing to
the Senate leaders. An investigation
in good faith must be instituted or
Messrs. AIdrich, Hale and Lodge and
their assistant Republican Senators
will be made short work of in the Con-
gressional elections that are not tar off.
The Ballinger inquiry has suddenly
halted. The testimony against Ball
niger had become quite hot and a halt
was called and Ballinger advised to
employ counsel. Hearings have been
postponed until February II, but now
at this writing two lawyers have al ;
ready been employed and they will
spend the next week in studying the
case. Mr.. John Vertress, democratic
lawyer from Tennessee, has been en- !,
ployed to defend Mr.. Ballinger and has
had an interview with the President. |
He was taken to the White House by |
Secretary of War, Dickinson, where !
the Ballinger-Pinchot situation was !
thoroughly canvassed. Ballinger did |
not stay to the regular Cabinet meeting
but left with Mr.. Vertress to consult /
with other Interior Department Of
ficers. Another lawyer has also been !
taken into the case and woex-Senators |
it is said will be called in to assist Mr..
Ballinger.
The first Congressional reception at
the White House under the new adj
ministration was given Tuesday night
and the innovations of the President
and Mrs. Taft were pnt to final test.
Four of these semi-public receptions are
given yearly when the guests of honor
are first the diplomatic corps, followed
by the Judiciary, the members of Con-
gress and the army and navy. The
Congressional reception is always the
largest, the least exclusive and hereto
fore has been the dullest. For many
years it has been the custom to have |
the guests form in line on their arrival |
and wait until the President and receiv-
ing party had sembled in one of the
smaller apartments, the green room or !
blue room. Than at signal from the :
army officer and close friend of the
President, who was in charge, the doors
were thrown open and the guests weee /
allowed one at time to pass in and |
shake hands with the President and on
the East Room into a crowd which |
made it impossible to move about and |
from which all sought relief in flight
as soon as possible A number of
changes have been made in this plan
of entertainment since Mrs. Taft has
become the rnler of the White House
(Mr. Taft being the self effacing Amer
lean husband in social matters) and Of
fetal and society, for the most part ap-
proves the innovations. To begin with |
Mrs. Taft announced.tha the receptions
should be more exclusive. She drew
the line at:issuing invitations to taiIors,
growers and the hoi polloi of "trade."
That enabled her to reduce the list |
considerably. Then she announced
through secretary that those who
were invited to one reception need not
feel sighted if they were omitted from
the list for the others. 1t was the OBJ !
ject of the receptions to give all who
were deemed worthy of it an opportu-
nifty to greet the President under his |
own roof and not to furnish series of
entertainments for them. This of
course further reduced the number to
be invited and as consequence made
it possible to give the receptions an air
of hospitality that had been lacking in
all nreviOus administ rafiOnS Now tho
arriving guest after moving wraps goes
to the East Room and may if he is
early move about renewing acquaint-
ances and greet friends. At 8 o'clock
the President descends with the receiv-
| ing party from the upper rooms and