The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-02-17
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
(From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington, February 10. 1911.

With scant three weeks of the Con-
gressional session remaining, not one of
the important measures before Congress
when the session began has been dis
posed of. Reciprocity with Canada
marked new line of cleavage among the
Republicans and Democrats in Washing
ton. Early in the present week. Senators
were hopeful that they might solve the
problem by letting the reciprocity agree
ment severely alone, but later It was
brought sharply to their attention that
unless there shall be a vote on this reel
procity agreement they will be called
back to Washington promptly after the
4th of March and compelled to remain
until there is an expression in the Senate
either for or against it. And now the
President is away from Washington max
ing speeches mainly devoted to this reci-
procity with Canada question and there
is strong impression that the country,
except in isolated spots, is in favor of the
agreement recently made between us and
our northern neighbor.
The fact that the English papers and
the leader of the opposition in the Eng
liSh Parliament are opposed to the reci-
procity agreement between Canada and
the United States will doubtless have
some influence in favor of its approval by
Congress in this country. 1t will be
many years, perhaps centuries, before the
United States and British America become
one country. but the dividing line must
sometime fade just as the Mason and
Dixon line has faded. There are hun
dred reasons for the commercial social
and political solidarity of North America.
There is not one valid reason in opposi-
ton. There is no possibility of the alb
sorption of Canada by the United States
or the absorption of the Uuited States by
Canada. Absorption is not to be thought
of, but commerce between the two coun-
tries ought to be as free and unrestricted
as between Ohio and Indiana.
There is no opposing vote in the Senate
to Senator Culoms project authorizing a
Lincoln Memorial worthy of the great
President and in keeping with high ideals
of architectural grandeur. The form of
the memorial has not been decided upon.
1t is left to the judgement and taste of a
commission who it is hoped will make
wide and appropriate selection. There
have been suggestions of boulevard
connecting Washington and Gettysburg,
also a project for triumphal arch like
the Arch of Triumph in Paris or its pro-
totype in Rome. There is also project
to have the memorial occupy the center
Of the great plaza stretching from the
Capitol TO the Union Station. The appro.
priation for this monument is two mil
lions, but 1t is possible that this sum will
be added to before the memorial is COM
pleted.
The appropriation by the lower house
ofC Ii,Nt@,,,,f,c
a number of European and also in some
Asiatic capitals is new but needed de
parture in our foreign diplomatic policy.
The amount for the building of or pur-
chase of consular ambassadoria or minis
terial residences is not to exceed SIso, 600.
but this amount will go much farther in
the building of suitable residences for our
representatives in foreign countries than
it would in any American city. Now
having appropriately prepared for the
lodging OF our diplomatic representatives,
perhaps Congress can be persuaded to
consider in an unfrenzied way proper
uniform for our ministers, consus and
ambassadors, something different from
the evening dress worn by buffers and
walters all over the world. Careful
analysis know that there is Just as much
vanity anu dHeCtdtON ana OStentdtlOn III
Quakerlke plainness as there is in gor-
geous attire, and since an Overwhelming
majority of the world at home and abroad
get their first impressions from clothes, it
is not improper that we give them through
our foreign representatives correct i'm
preston of the wealth and strength Of the
United States. Our affected plainness Is
not less ostentatious than it is deceiving
Fifty years ago the writer of book
called Beyond the Mississippi" ex-
pressed the popular feeling in behalf of
the express companies when he told how
the Wells Fargo Express Co. carried over
two million letters within single year at
the cost of I2H cents letter, which he
said clearly illustrates the superiority of
private enterprise, and,' he argued,
'abollsh the postoffice department, leave
this like other carrying trade, to private
competition, and the mail service of the
United States will be performed so per
cent cheaper and 100 per cent better than
it is today" This is very much like the
anti parcels post argument we are having
now.