Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-04-04

ly that about the same time the Court
will hand down its decision regarding
the constitutidhality of the Corpora
ton tax, which Congress enacted a,
its last session.
When cOntrOverted matters Of law
and the constitution are disposed OF in
these cases. the department OF justice
will be able to steam ahead with q
big legal programme. President Taft
is especially interested in the outcome
of these suits. because he is much in
terested in having the departments OF
justice proceed with the enforcement
of the law affecting big corporations.
The decision about the corporation
tax possibly interests him personally
more than the decision of the other
two suits, because the corporation tax
was his cwn idea, which he insisted
Congress should enact into law. He
virtually drew that tax law. aided by
the big lawyers of his cabinet. like
Attorney General Wickersham and
Secretary of War Dickinson. If the
law proves to be constitutional, the de-
cision will! be great personal tri
umDh for the President and it vii
strengthen his official prestige i'm.
mensely.
AS n matter of fact, nearly all the
cabinet officials have been very busy
Of late. doing vast deal of important
work of an administrative character
In the earlier part of the session OF
Congress, they were occupied much
in looking after business of legisla-
tive sort, including appropriations
There has been lot Of house clean
ing, much placing of new men in i'm
portant positions and getting the De-
partments on a better business basis.
The Secretary of the Interior, Mr..
Ballinger. is still giving n deal of time
to preparing evidence to be offered
before the joint committee of Con-
gress that is investigating him. He
has been reading all of the voluminous
evidence offered against him and has
busted himself much with digging out
documents and data to contrOvert 1t
Before long he is to appear as wit
ness in his own behalf and has been
terrifying himself with facts against
that ordeal.
Over in the navy department Sec
rotary Meyer has been making his
official subordinates stand around and
has made officers of the navy under
stand that an era of greater efficiency
is at hand. He is driving ahead with
the conduct of his department along
the reorganization lines. He is getting
young and efficient officers into more
| important positions, putting them In
commend of navy yards and of bat
tleships. If Congress gives him the
authority he desires in the naval APP
propriation bill. now being debated ir
the House. he expects to produce great
| results during the next eight or ten
months in putting the navy substan-
tially on new basis. BY the time
Congress is ready to consider another
navy appropriation bill, Secretary
Never anticipates little difficulty In
bringing the two legislative houses
around to his way of thinking as &c
what should be done in administrative
matters.
By and by, after Congress has ad'
| iourned, the country will have better
opportunity to Gce that the Presidents
cabinet officials are making things
hum in their respective balliwicks
| There will be more opportunity fol
that fact to. be emphasized through
the newspapers when there is less
Congressional news to keep the tele-
graph wires busy and to occupy the
time of the large corps of newspaper
writers.