The Carlisle independent., 1910-02-24


 many quarters that the congression- al investigation into the high cost of living is to be carried on with one sole end in view-that of reaching a verdict to the effect that the tariff bill has nothing to do with the sky scraping prices of the necessities of life
 It can be said definitely that MT. Taft believes that if the Investigating committee which of course will be dominated by Republicans, shall make it appear by the trend of their inquiry that they are concerned first wit. proving that the tariff is sinless, the Democrats will make the most of the circumstance, and will go before the country in the congressional cam paign to tell the people that the in- vestigation was begun and carried through simply to whitewash a Re. publican tariff bill
 Wants Straight Investigation.
 Thfpresident has conferred in the last dy or two with many of the Re. publican members of the senate con- mittef on finance and of the house committee on ways and means and has tdd them that it is his sincere de- sire nat their efforts shall be bent solely in conducting the investigation, to dicover the true reasons, if it is possile to discover them, why it costs nearly twice as much to live to- day it did few years ago
 Tbse who are close to the admins tratio say that the president cannot for amoment allow it to appear to the pn who are to conduct the cost of ling inquiry that he has any sus- picio that they simply wish to clear the kirts of the tariff It must be takel for granted, the presidents ad- wiser say, that members of congress swo1 to do their duty will do it with out having any ulterior motive in view Unquestionably Mir Taft would | like have it proved definitely that the riff has nothing to do with the advaced prices, because last summer | he dclared that the tariff bill was the | DSoIeAdN IIiS PuA y Aeld evepassed, and to a considerable ex- tentthis has been considered an in dorment of the tariff-making efforts of r. Payne, MT. Aldrich and the otht high protection believers who l frapd the measure and who put it on le statue books.
 The Speakership Situation.
 SJeral senators and representatives in congress are keeping Presi- der Taft informed as to the sp@ership situation in the house. The are one or two members of the upT house who have close relations wit the members of their state dele gatns in the lower house, and these mebers keep the senators informed as the trend of speakership events. Thpresident will take no active part in le matter of securing a successor to Speaker Cannon when the time coes to elect one, but he is deeply inrested in having it made as cer- ta as such things can be that the ne speaker shall be a man who will ino way obstruct the legislation wch the administration intends to rommend on behalf of the country.
 Idea Is to Unite Factions.
 If course the sole idea of the ad. raistration is to try to influence Re Iolican members to elect a man who
 Il be able to unite the factions so
 at there will be no such trouble as
 ere has been during the last two ars of MT Cannon's incum bency. r. Taft is very much concerned to- } ay lest the fact that there are fac, lons in the house of representatives , hall imperil some of the measures , Ihich he has recommended for pas age, and his hope is that in the next congress. if there is Republican ma .ority, the fight over the rules will have been settled and that some man to the liking of both regulars and in surgents shall sit in the chief seat.
 In all human probability the next Speaker of the house will be a con- The insurgents are not strong enough yet to elect a speaker out of their own ranks and they make to-day that they are not likely to recruit enough strength at the next election to give them caucus control of the next house. They do say, however, that they will have enough recruits to make it certain that a change in the rules of the house will be made before the present con. gress becomes thing of the past.
 Speaker cannon's Position.
 Speaker Cannon has enough loyal followers to make it semingly certain, provided the next house is Republican and of about the same factional make up that it is to-day, that no man who is not to the liking of the present speaker car be elected to the chief official place. No man ever left a high office without at least some curi- osity as to who was to come into his place MT Cannon has more than mere curiosity at stake. He has steered a certain course during his pi, lotage of the house affairs, and he thinks unquestionably that the most praise that can be bestowed upon his work as pilot will be to have the relieving pilot steer practi- cally the same course. In other words,