The Washington herald., 1911-12-31

Gill was ousted in February by an anti
liquor and antigraft combine. Initiative
and referendum amendments now have
been adopted in South Dakota. oregon.
Oklahoma. California, Nebraska, AIissis-
Colorado.
ON December Is the California assembly
passed a presidential preference primary
bill, in keeping with the professions OF
the johnson progressive ADMINISTRATOR
and this made the seventh state commit
ted to the presidential primary. Inc
others were Oregon, Nebrask a, North d.
kota, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Texas
Ohio has IN operation the presidential
primary by districts.
Woman Suffrage Makes Strides
1t was in California that the suffrage
cause received a new baptism of militant
and emotional fire. For that great state
in it's election of October II voted lor
the woman suffrage amendment by ma
jority of 1000 after campaign IN %hlcn
every conceivable appeal was made oy
the women and their male hackers to at
tract attention. Suffrage amendments
makers of Wisconsin and Nevada Such
amendments were defeated in Massachu-
sets. New York. Iowa and Minnesota
but by closer margins than ever before.
The Controller Bay Affair
Just as the administration had laid the
ghost of the Alaska affair scandal by the
retirement of Ballinger, to be succeeded
by Walter l. Fisher, stanch conserVa.
tlOnlbt, a new scandal began 10 dIIIdSG
public attention. namely, the president
granting of land leases to Richard r.
Ryan for the Controller bay outlet from
Alaska coal fields. when 1t was charged
that Ryan represented the smelter trust
4 congress committee then began an
investigation. Ryan later surrendered
portion of his claim and Lawyer Bran
Gels. after, studying the case in Alaska.
reported that the public interests were
still safe, and the investigation was
dropped.
lished its plan of currency reform with
banks so linked as to form reserve
safety valve. 1t was indorsed by the bank
ers' convention in November at New Or
leans.
Achievements of Postal Service
One of the most notable things accred-
tied to the administration was the estab-
hShment of a large number of postal saw
ings banks, beginning January 3, with one
in each state, and 1000 opened by the end
of the fiscal year. The other result was
the placing of the postal service on an ex-
pense-paying basis for the first time IN
many years. Postmaster General Hitch
cock had also the distinction OF seeing
the first mail delivery by airship, with
Ovington as the aviator. at the Long
Island meet, September q.
Record Army Mobilization
On March the country was startled by
the presidents ordering 10000 soldiers mo-
biliZed in the shortest time possible close
to the Mexican line, across which the
Diaz government was engaged in life
and-death struggle with the Madero revo-
luton. The official explanation at first
was a practice maneuver, but this was
soon abandoned and the admission made
that the purpose was to preserve border
neutrality and to be ready for any emer-
gency With the success of Madero most
of the troops gradually were sent home.
Arbitration Treaties Signed
The work of the year of which Presi-
dent Taft is said to feel most proud was
the conclusion of two general arbitration
treaties with Great Britain and France.
These were signed August in Washing
ton and Paris, but an element in the SEN
ate prevented their ratification during the
extra session.
The treasury department ended its ifs
raj year with a balance over all dlsburse-
4ncnIS.
The Panama canal work made rapid
progress under Colonel Cocktails man
agement and an issue of S50OOO,OO0 bonds
penses of that work The battleship Ar
kansas was launched at Camden in Janu-
airy. Treaties were made with Guatemala
and Nicaragua arranging to fund their
respective debts through a Morgan syndi-
cate Charles D. HilleS was appointed
secretary to the president. The battleship
Colorado ranked first in Workmanship.
The naval experts reported December s
that the battleship Maine, from observa-
tons of the exposed wreck in the Havana
harbor cofferdam, was destroyed by an
external explosion.