The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-03-01
Conference Held at White
House With Leaders of
Two Houses.
STATEHOOD MEASURE
DOOMED TO DEFEAT
President Said 70 Be Insistent or
Admission Of Ter
ritories.
By JAMES HAY, il.

10 keep MS paTtyS faith as faT
as possible and to meet the demands
Of the public welfare, the President
! this morning had a conference with
The leaders Of the House and Sen
ate and the Attorney General as 70
how much legislation can be put
I through Congress in accordance with
the Republican platform.
As a result Of the conference, If
Was freely stated in the Senate cloak
rooms this afternoon that the bill
through Congress in accordance with
New Mexico and Arizona seems
doomed.
FIRM FOR STATEHOOD.
To this the President made en-
pEatic objection to those IN the
conference and would not admit
that the Statehood measure should
be thrown overheard. 1t is IN
/ derstood that he makes no such
admission and viii keep up the
fight for the passage OF the bill,
as a failure to enact it into law
would be a violation Of the par
Ity's campaign and platform pledge.
The conference. In which were
! Senator Aldrich, Senator Craze.
I Speaker Cannon. ~ aJtornf
General Wickershanl. hal the fol-
lowing positive results:
Results of Conference.
The railroad bill and tie postal saw
ings bank bill will be backed by all
the power OF the Administration and
the Congressional leaders. and will be
forced through the Senate before being
acted on in the House
The antrim junction bill. as introduced
IN the House By Noon Of Pennsylvania
VIII probably be passed
One conservation measure. the one au-
thorizinr the President to withdraw
iaEds, will be passed.
These are the promises Mr. Taft got
from the Congressional leaders after
talking TO them more than tp,o hours.
The conference was held in the Presi-
dc MS library IN the main building OF
TIE White House, and. Immediately
after It. the meeting Of the Cabinet
was held al the Executive Offices.
To his official advisers, Il Is under
stood, the President expressed in en-
phatlc terms his dissa sfaction with
the general legislative situation, and
voiced his regret that any part OF the
platform on which he was elected seems
even threatened BIZ failure Of legislative
enactment
Fear Senators Nay Be Democrats.
The great objection 20 the bill max
ing two States out OF the Territories of
New Mexico and Arizona is based in
the Senate on the Republican leaders
disinclination to admit two States which
may very we'll send into that body
four Democratic Senators.
Such an objection does not appeal At
all TO Mr.. Taft, who has done as much
work rounding up support for the
statehood measure. as he has for any
other bill IN this session II was no
easy task TO convert Senator Beveridge.
chairman Of the Committee on Terri
tories. TO active support OF the bill, and
il was thought that, when this vas
4 accomplished, the rest would be easy.
In spite OF the Senatorial leaders be-
lief that the measure Is doomed, Mr..
Taft means to increase his activity to
persuade the Senate 10 meet the party's
platform promises. Consequently, he
does not feel as gloomy over the out
look as the attitude OF the Senators
might indicate.
The conference today was one OF the
most important Mr.. Taft has had with
the Congressional leaders. For weeks
his legislative program has been at a
standstilL There has been much talk
about what the House and Senate would
do, but there has been also presious lit
tie real action Ten days ago the
President. noticing this tendency to de-
lay, advised the legislators to get busy
They said they would, but they did not
Insists on Fulfilling Pledges.
Mr.. Taft is not only President OF the
United States, but he Is also the head
of his party. He came to the con-
clusion that It was not for the good OF
,--e country TO let the pending legisla-
ton fail, and Il was extremely evident
that a Republican Congress should not
adjourn on the very eve Of a Congress
sional election with nothing done and
several campaign promises smahsed 20
smithereens.
He never likes to appear in the attt
tude Of trying 70 dictate to Congress
what II should do, but certain promises
were made TO him many weeks ago, and
he figured II out that he had a right
% expect the fulfiIlment of those
aleSges. Consequently his talk in the
;Vso-hour conference today was EN-
rba &c and to the point
There are those In the confidence OF
the Administration who are predicting
that he VIII not allow the statehood biiI
to die as easy a death as has been nra-
dicted for IL, and they would not he
surprised 70 hear that within the next
few days the influence Of the Admins
tration Will be as strongly felt for tha
statehood measure as for the other biIIs
n the Taft legislative program.