The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-12-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.

GNrH|IIIl w amer '-hH i''''''''
uat,nnal legislature ~ again u
session IN aShiug'lon It VI
he . fuII wear. however before III
result If the recent elections ca
hr fully feat in Legislation, and ~
that time there may he %utl
changes ~ commercial, llhlnH'''"
and political conditions that ~
intention OF tttr voters rs express
cd y few weeks ago viii he mphl
fed or IN aonn instances nulll'l''
|, - IN unioitnuat" condition
that twelve month. must "lhn$'
and session ol Congress inter
ycuc before the Will 81 The com
Try ~ expressed ~ the polls ral
he carried into effect, and when Il
is re,nemlr red III this condition
Is fixed IN the constitution, thai
fetish Of the American Lawyer ~ g
statesman. it is difficult I" see how
retu, ms can he effected.
1t is expected that ihe present
session vii address lteelt I" iout
inc business, the passage ct ~
preparation bills and necessary
non political measures The Tres
Idrnt's proclamation has recon-
mendca as n matter OF course I'm
portant new legislation, but there
- little prospect Of lis being car
ried out Nothing much viii be
done until after tn. IhrlElmae
holidays, and then barely two
months Of the Congressional SEES
sion will remain before this Con
gresa, on the lth Of March, will be
ex onicio, and, az has been "aid,
the new Congress just elected 10
do and undo so much will not have
liz chance for twelve months.
Among the measures that VIII
surely have 4 bearing IN the DIS
cnssions under the appropriation
bills Will be the subject of the for
tlGcation Of the Panama Canal
and there viii! be Il confusion OF
party lines in he debate on this
question: Some Republicans and
some Democrats will oppose the
military program proposed by The
President, while other Republicans
and Democrats will approve II.
Mr.. Tawney. Chairman OF the Ap
Committee, who failed
Of reelection, will urge that the
Canal shall be made Il free water
way, unguardcd by forircsses ~
cannon, while those of the RoOse-
welt and Taft school Of politics
will insist that a property costing
yearly half u billion of dollars and
essential to the defense Of our ex
ensive western coast line shall not
% left without adequate military
protection, always, of course, an
he interest Of peace, as Mr..
Roosevelt would express 1t.
There is much comment in
" Washington with regard to the nj
most oppressive silence Of Mr..
Roosevelt since the election. He
las completely disappeared from
he political iirmament, and now
instead Of headlines and columns
N the first pages Of the daily pa
'ers, there IL not even paragraph
II u caricature. The explanation
$ that he has probably given n
ip to his friends. the reporters
nd caricatnrists for between him
nd them there has been a loyalty
,utual and ideaD that they shall
i've him an lndetinlte term Of ex
lnslve privacy. 1t would not be
'ad for Mr.. RoOseveit's political
nture If he should let his beard
row, take the Canadian route to
an Conver, sail on the Empress
I India line to Yokahoma, and |
pend the next two years in Japan,
lima, the Philippines. Java
traits Settlements and India, re
nrnlng to this country in time to
TX in the next Presidential elec
ION, either az principal or assist
Mt. Travel, observation and med
alton viii be good for even 80
ell equipped \ man as the only
x-President of the United States
|; is sand that an effort will he
'ade by the Postmaster General,
acked 10y the administration, to
ass bill reducing postage on
'aIed letters to one cent and also
carry into effect the long OBJ
osed parcels-post privileges en-
'yed by all foreign peoples, but
tho influence of the OK.
rcss companies withheld from the
tlzens OF the United States
he American citizen living IN
ashington may send a ten pound
.ckage by mail to London, Paris.
erlin or Vienna, but he cannot
nj the same package 10 Balti
ore, only one hour distant, or to
Philadelphia or New York, four
ID five hours distant. If the
'ckage should weigh only four
funds he can send it by mail for
c to any Of these cities, but the
nr pounds to the European des-
ration costs only 4Sc. The Post
ice Department is not responsi