The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-05-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.

y
bill. No president, not even Col. Roose-
welt, has travelled as much as President
Taft. Chisf wilkie of the Secret Service,
speaking of the Presidents travelling.
has said that he has travelled so much
that the money appropriated for his pro-
lection for year has been exhausted in
six months, and he urges that the appro.
priation for guarding the President
should be increased to ten thousand over
last years grant. The President will
leave again on Monday to fill engage
ments outside the Capital.
~
The Ballinger- Pinchot investigation,
like the famous wounded snake, ..drags
its weary length along" The attorney
for Claws, Mr.. Brandeis, has been cross
examining Mr.. Ballinger during the last
two days, and Mr.. Ballinger has been re-
plying with great emphasis and npnch
show of resentment to the attorneys
questions. It is given out that Mr.. Bal.
linger will resign his place in the cabinet
as soon as this investigation closes, which
it is understood, will result in his formal
vindication. Your readers will take the
rumor for what it is worth. It NAV be
no moTe,than rumor.
~
A Washington morning paper is author
ity for the report that some prominent
men in this country, notably Secretary
Root. Congressman Longworth and
Customs Collector Loeb OF New York.
have letters from Mr.. Roosevelt approx
ing the administration of President Taft
and announcing the fixed and unalterable
intention Of his (Roosevelt's) determine
ton to make his retirement from politics
permanent. In connection with this re-.
port, there is another to the effect that
through the financial support of Mr..
Carnegie and other multi.millionaires.
Mr.. Roosevelt is to take charge Of a
national university at Washington which
is to have the largest endowment of any
university in the world. All these rumors
are matters of comment and interest
here, and there may or may not be some
thing in them.
~
There has just arrived at Washington.
a delegation of sixteen citizens Of Cali,
fornia. headed by the Governor of that
state, with the object of inducing Con-
gress to favor an international Exposition
to be held in San francisco for the pur-
pose of celebrating the opening Of the
Panama Canal in 1915. The delegation
has been received by President Taft, and
will be granted hearings before the
House Committee on Appropriations.
Most of the California Congressman, of
course, are in favor of this exposition at
the recent earthquake.shaken city, but
some members from southern California
favor San Diego. The majority of the
members of Congress, however, believe
that the capital of this country is the
proper city for the celebration and that.
owing to the fact thatlit is nearer the
great centers of population, millions more
peopleNwill be able TO see the exposition
at Washington than would be able to see
it at either of the cities-of San Diego or
San Francisco on the Pacific sheer.
~
In military and naval circles there is
much interest manifested with reference
to the plans for fortifying the Panama
Canal. 1t appears that the military
strategists have planned for much
stronger Notifications on the Pacific than
on the Atlantic side. This is thought to
be "a great compliment to a certain in.
sular nation 5000 miles across the Pacific.
Both sides of the Canal, it is said. are to
be put in fortified condition SO stron
that no rejecting nation will wish to al
tack them. 1t seems that we, with our
outlying, fortified picket posts, as they
m y be called, at Porto Rico and in Cuba
and Hawaii, ought to be Athletic protect a
powerfully fortified canal, but it NAV be
hoped that we will never have to make
practical demonstration of our ability to
do so. Our ex-President, it seems from
the morning papers. is still repeating his
peace with a big stick' speech in
Europe. Only yesterday be made it in
Christiana. England has never vet had
TO defend the Suez Canal. but possibly
this is because Of her powerfully fortified
defenses at Gibraltar, at Port Said, and
her control of the entrance to the Red
Sea at Alden; or put it in nutshell. her
control Of the waters of the world. 1t is
believed that finally the United States
will be found in a position, should Mr..
Roosevelt's suggestions at christiana for
a coalition of all the great powers in favor
Of peace be adopted, to participate in the
formation " a peace compact binding not
only the tirst-class siguat0ry powers to
keep the peace among themselves. but to
prevent warlike strife among the powers
not rated as FIRST, or even second-class.