Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-10
lat BURR|TT'S GRAvE|FATH IN HIS BILLS
Servces Held by Peace Con- Program Safe, Taft Assures
gress Delegates. Passaic Business Men,
LETTER FROM TAFT READ RAILROAD MEASURE SAFE
Although Favoring Arbitration He President
Says Army Must Be Maintained Crippled by Amendments
AMBASSADOR BRYCE WRITES HAS HOPES FOR STATEHOOD
Friendship
by the Late King Edward o
cratic adical"S Senators
RAILROAD MEASURE SAFE
President Denies That It Has Been
Crippled by Amendments.
HAS HOPES FOR STATEHOOD
Admits, However, That Congress
"Hesitates" to Add Four Demo
cratic or Radical Senator's.

| PASSAIC. y. j., May 10.-In a speech
before the Passaie Board of Trade here
last night, in which he discussed the leg
islative situation at Washington, Presi-
dent Taft declared with a great deal of
emphasis and amid an outburst of ap-
plause that the railroad bill has not been
emasculated in any vital way. and pre-
dicted that satisfactory law would be
passed.
| THE bill, said the President, still re-
tains it's important features. and l am
hopeful that within the next two weeks
we shall see the passage of the bill in
both houses. the adjustment of the diff
ferences between the two houses and its
final enactment.
| The President declared that the news
paper reports of the Gripping of the rail
road bill had been greatly exaggerated.
and he set out in detail the provisions OF
the measure as it now stands. he said
he hoped the provision which permits a
road owning 80 per cent of the stock of
a competing road to acquire the remain
ing stock would be restored, and told
| why
President Taft referred to his cold. say
| ing that when he woke up with 1t yes
terday he thought it would be necessary
| to cancel his visit to Passaic.
And then. too he added. those
| friends of mine in Congress-in the Sen,
ate and the House-were saying that 1
was violating my duty in coming to Pas
| sale at this time. But against all that l
struggled, and l am mighty glad to be
here
$50 are we" shouted the diners
Pleasanter Places Than This City.
MY friend Senator Kean,'' said the
President, may not agree with me- put
l think there are pleasanter places 10
be in than Washington or course TINS
Is said without prejudice
When tho President said ne hoped Una,
the passage of the statehood bill WOULD
be marked up in heaven to the cFeuit VI
the republican party, voice from among
the diners said:
Its needed. ,a
yes" remarked the President, amid
I.ughter 1--we are struggling to make
Roadway there
In his review of pending legislation MI.
Taft expressed the belief that the loIiow-
ing measures will be enacted INTO law.
Statehood for Arizona and new MeAico.
Postal savings banks.
Anti-injunction.
The so-called validating bill of the: con-
ServatiOn of measures.
The publicity OF campaign expenditures.
The railroad bill.
In his comment on the delay in pass
ing the statehood bill. the President
acknowledged that there was heslta-
the Senate to pass bill which is so
likely to add four democrats 10 the
Senate.
"Or. If not democrats he added. in
passing reference to the insurgents, re
publicans Of that radical type that are
entirely out Of sympathy with the more
conservative notions of the cast.
The Address in Full.
The President spoke as follows:
"You have been doubtless advised by
your newspa pers that there is certain
legislation pending in Congress in which
the administration has very intense in
terest, growing out Of the fact that it
publican party and has been recommend
ed by the President to Congress. and
feel as If it might not be without some
use for me to say what the condition OF
the legislation is, and what the prospect
is of it's passage.
'In the first place. the bill granting
statehood to New Mexico and Arizona
passed the House some months ago. but
1t Is still pending in the Senate. Objection
was made to the bill as it passed the
House in regard to certain provisions as
to election which disfranchised Mexicans
not speaking English, who had therefore,
Dy reason OF IONS TeSlucIlCe, acquired Un-
der previous laws the right of suffrage.
There is some difference. too, between the
houses as to the provisions made in re-
spect to the public lands and the payment
of the debts of the territories. There is
a hesitation on the part of the republicans
in the Senate to pass a bill which is so
likely to add four democrats to the Sen
ate, or, If not democrats. republicans OF
that radical type that are entirely out or
sympathy with the more conservative
- kl,n ct thnr &c
Use in the platform. distinct and clear.
that this bill shall pass, and l am very
anxious that the party shall meet its OBJ
legations in this regard and enact the
necessary legislation. I do not think that
shall be disappointed.
State of Conservation Bills.
1.-THE conservation bills with reference
to the public domain, by which the gov
eminent shall retain over the undispoSed
lands a power of disposition readjust-
ment OF interest In water power sites.
coal lands. oil lands and phosphates. are
not in a very advanced state. The condi-
tons are such as to make imperative in
the interest Of conservation the passage
of only one law. That law has passed
the House, and l am very hopeful that it
will pass the Senate. 1t ratifies all the
Withdrawals of public land heretofore
made, amounting to upward Of 6O.OOOOOO
acres, and it specifically empowers the
President to make other Withdrawals
when he desires to ask Congress to pass
laws varying the existing laws for the
disposition in this class of public lands.
THE absolute necessity of this act
arises from the very grave doubt wheth-
er the reservation of 10000, 600 acres il
subjected to the test of legality in the
courts could stand 1t. 1t Is very grave
question whether the executive has the
power to make reservations thus In ex-
tense merely to avoid the disposition of
the land under existing congressional en-
actment: and there are those in the west
who, taking advantage of the doubt in
question and assuming that the with
dra walls are without authority, arc stalk
ing out claims with view to testing
their VALIDITY in the courts.
Should the courts hold that the execu-
tive authority has been abused in this
regard. then it will leave the public do
main in a mess. For this reason / sin
cerely hope the status quo will be main
tanned by the speedy passage of the act
in question through the Senate.
Coal and Oil Lands.
There are other acts. one with refer
ence to oil lands; one with reference to
water power sites, and one with reference
to coal lands. The one with reference to
coal lands provides that the surface of
coal lands shall be subject to settlement
as agricultural lands. to the homestead
and presumption laws. but that the coal
beneath the surface shall still belong to
no