The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-03-12

al investigation into the nlSn Cost Vi
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.
1t can be said definitely that Mr..
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 witt
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.
. The president has conferred in the
last day or two with many of the Re-
publican members of the senate COM
mittee on finance and of the house
committee on ways and means and
has told them that 1t Is his sincere de-
sire that their efforts shall be bent
solely, in conducting the investigation,
to discover the true reasons, If 1t Is
possible to discover them, why Ii
costs nearly twice as much to live to-
day as it did few years ago.
Those who are close to the admins
tration say that the president cannot
| for a moment allow it to appear to
| the men who are to conduct the cost
of living inquiry that he has any sus
| picion that they simply wish to clear
the skirts of the tariff 1t must be
taken for granted, the presidents ad-
| visers say, that members Of congress
| sworn to do their duty will do it with
out having any Interior motive in
view. Unquestionably Mr.. Taft would
| like to have it proved definitely that
| the tariff has nothing to do with the
advanced prices, because last summer
he declared that the tariff bill was the
best that the Republican party had
ever passed. and to considerable ex-
tent this has been considered an in
dorsement of the tariff-making efforts
of Mr.. Payne, Mr.. Aldrich and the
other high protection believers who
framed the measure and who put it
on the statue books.
The speakership Situation.
Several senators and representatives
in congress are keeping Presi-
dent Taft informed as to the
speakership situation in the house.
There are one or two members of the
upper house who have close relations
with the members of their state dele
cations In the lower house. and these
members keep the senators informed
as to the trend of speakership events
The president will take no active part
in the matter of securing successor
to Speaker Cannon when the time
comes to elect one, but he is deeply
interested in having it made as GER
tain as such things can be that the
next speaker shall be man who will
in no way obstruct the legislation
which the administration intends tc
recommend on behalf of the country.
Idea is to Unite Factions.
OF course the sole idea of the ad
ministration is to try to influence Re
publican members to elect a man who
will be able to unite the factions Sc
that there will be no such trouble al
there has been during the last two
years of Mr.. Cannon's incumbency
Mr.. Taft is very much concerned to
} day lest the fact that there are fac
lions in the house of Representatives
shall imperil some of the measures
J which he has recommended for pas
J sage, and his hope Is that in the mex
, congress. If there is a Republican ma
jority, the fight over the rules viii
have been settled and that some mai
, to the liking of both regulars and In
, surgents shalt sit in the chief seat
In all human probability the mex
, Speaker of the house will be cor
: servative The insurgents are no
strong enough yet to elect a speake
out of their own ranks and they max
: admission to-day that they are no
, likely to recruit enough strength a
; the next election to give them caucu
> control of the next house. They d
: say, however, that they will hav
1 enough recruits to make it certai
7 that change in the rules of the hous
: will be made before the present col
gress becomes thing Of the past.
Speaker cannon's Position.
: Speaker Cannon has enough loys
: followers to make it seemingly certaiI
provided the next house Is Republica
: and of about the same factional maxi
!. up that it Is to-day, that no man VIII
is not to the liking of the preser
speaker car be elected to the chic
official place. No man ever left
r high office without at least some cur
v osity as to who was to come into b
J. place. Mr.. Cannon has more tina
e mere curiosity at stake. He ha
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