Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-04-04
CAPITAL CHAT.
All Departments Busy
With Important Work.
Sec. Meyer After Efficiency
In Many Offices.
Department Of Justice Turning OH
Big Trust Cases.

Washington, d. c., April 3.-(Spe-
ciaD There has been such a political
and congressional hullabaloo in WASH
ingtOn for the last two weeks, that
plenty of folks have forgotten all
about the trials and tribulatiCns OF
| the rest of the government. The fact
is Just beginning to dawn in some
quarters that while. Congress absorbed
and monopolized the Washington date
line certain other departments of the
government have been achieving.
In ordinary times the excellent work
the administration has done in avert
ing tariff war would have been much
emphasized and much talked about.
Outsiders hardly realize what tri-
umph the administration has won.
The horrors of tariff war may be
entirely bloodless but they are none
| the less paralyzing to trade and COM
merce. They encourage international
i'll will. In these days when diplomats
and good citizens generally are striv-
ing to promote good will and speed
the days when there shall be no more
wars it would have been most I'M
| fortunate il the United States had
| been compelled to put up the tariff
bars and began shaking fists at Eu-
| rope or even at Canada.
The state department has been in
| a nervous condition for months, and
especially during the last two months,
over that maximum provision of the
A,drich- Payne tariff law. Secretary
Knox has risen nobly to the occasion,
| however, and has contributed more
| thar the world generally will ever
| fully know toward bringing about
| concessions. While the opposition
press has been abusing the secretary
of state and proclaiming his career of
| secretary of state as failure, he has
| been exceedingly busy saving wood
ard trying to bring foreign govern
| ments around to grant concessions so
| that this government will enjoy as
| favorable 1ates upon the exports of
American goods abroad as any other
nation enjoys.
| Incidentally the success OF the ad :
ministration in completing agreements
| with all the big nations which give
more favorable tariff rates. takes the
WIND out of the sails of critics who
have been condemning the tariff law
for its maximum and minimum clause
| That clause has accomplished just
what its trainers intended it should
But for its being in the law. such
| concessions as France and Germany
have made, would in the main have
been impossible. And while some diff
| ficulties may arise from time to time
in the administration of the maximum
feature of the tariff law, such good
start has been ade that the maximum
clause promises to become a very val
liable adjunct to our enforcement or
tariffs 1t is a question whether when
the tariff is again revised there viii
be thought of repeating that provi-
sion.
Over at the department of justice
there is a feeling of great relief that
the great trust cases and the corpora
ton tax case have been presented To
| the supreme court. tremendous
| task in that regard has been COM
pleted and it is generally conceded that
the attorney general and his assist
ants made very strong showing.
| which ought to augur well for favor
! able decisions for the government.
| Almost any Monday, before long, the
court NAV be expected to decide
whether the Sherman antitrust law
warrants the dissolution Of the Am
erican Tobacco Company-a big and
offensive trust-7and also whether the
decree dissolving the Standard OH
Company is to stand 1t is not unlike.