The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-05-12
WASHINGTON LETTER
Debates IN Congress The Presidents
Trip-Horse Show in nonu-
Tnent Grounds.

cal band1age by Senator RaYner OF
Maryland, urging the insurgent
Republicans in a playful way to
align themselves where they be-
long, with the Democrats. This
was answered by Senator Deliver
of Iowa, who insisted that the in
surgenU Republicans were the real
party and that they would con-
tinue to uphold the banner. De-
bates on various bills representing
the administrations conception of
the Roosevelt policies are proceed
ing languidly in both Houses, but
more interest is manifested in the
Pinchot-Ballinger investigation
where Mr.. Ballinger himself has
recently appeared as a witness,
than in the debates in Congress.
The President has left the city
for few days. 1t no doubt af-
fords him great relief to get away
from the care and strain of office.
1t IS said that the coming under
taking of the tariff board in ascer-
tanning the cost of production of
commodities at home and abroad,
will be the subject of several of
the Presidents speeches while
away. 1t is also said that he will
not apologize for the Payne-Ald-
rich law and will point out that
he is endeavoring to follow a
scientific method Of arriving at
future tariff revision downward in
accordance with the Republican
platform on which he was elected.
Idle and social Washington is
at this moment much interested in
horse show which will be held
in the Monument Grounds and
near Potomac Park, which locality
is becoming point OF interest
throughout the country as the
probable site of the International
Exposition 10 celebrate the COM
pletion Of the Panama Canal,
which it is now said will be COM
pleted in 1914 instead Of 1918.
There is much interest in military
and naval circles with reference to
the proper protection of this canal
by Notifications. The eX-Secre-
tary OF Treasury, Shaw, and other
writers on military and naval sub
jeCts urging ship subsidies, have
shown by figures that the United
States is lamentably weak as COM
pared with Japan, not actually in
fighting ships, for in this respect
we are much stronger than the
little island kingdom on the other
side of the Pacific, but in trained
sailors, of which Japan has at least
a hundred thousand more than we
have, and in supply and trans
pOrtation ships for the army and
navy, of which she has a hundred
to our one. She greatly over
matches US. 1t is not everyone
that knows when our great fleet of
battleships recently sailed around
the world, they were supplied
with coal and provisions by the
ships from other countries. This
could not be done in time of war.
No neutral ship under the inter
national code would dare to help
us in any way. and thrown on our
own resources neither our army nor
navy would be able to reach the
Philippines in two years, while
Japan could land a hundred thou
sand men there in two weeks. Our
situation will be improved as far
as home defense is concerned when
the Panama Canal is opened and
our fleet can get into a position to
defend the Pacific slope harbors
without the circuit Of Cape Horn.
1t has been understood all along
that the canal will be amply forti-
fed. The few who think it should
be unguarded might look into
what Germany is doing for the
Kiel Canal and England for the
canal at Suez and also for the
Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediter-
ranean Sea at its entrance at
Gibraltar and its exit at Port Said
may be said to be one long British
canal or strait. In case of war no