Middletown transcript., 1911-02-04
WASHINGTON LETTER


WAsH1Nurok ID. O.. January n. 1911,
IT,he acsion Of the United States in gen
1 erously waving ihs lndsmnity Of s11.'
O0O, 900 resulting from the Boxer uprising
in China has borne good fruit. China bai
since regarded this country as her besi
friend, and bas sought advics and guild
ance from us on matters affecting her In
ternasional relations. Atshe present time
the Chinese government Is dsfraying The
expenses Of upwards OF one hundred
students every year in American uniyer.
sities. These students, as they graduate,
return to China and are scattered among
the different provinces Of China for the
purpose Of gradually AmericaniEing The
people and customs Of that country.
50
The formation Of the National Progress.
siye Republican League in the fight be-
tween the Insurgents and standpatters TO
controkths Republican party is exciting
considerable comment. The President il
said to be concerned over the matter and
to regard il as an attempt to contest bis
denomination In 1912. He is undecided
whether to appear Indifferent TO the
League or to prepare to oppose its activi.
ties. The attitude Of Theodore Roosevelt
toward the Lesgus is also causing much
speculation. From his utterances in the
Outlook and on the platform, he is
thought to be entirely in accord with the
principles of the new organization, but
whether be endorses its reported inten.
tion Of urging the nomination Of Senator
LaFollette for president is decided ques.
tion. TIE principles of she League are
brief. It aims to restore government TO
the hands of the people; to prevent cor
rupt use Of money in elections; to provide
for popular election Of Senators; to secure
direct primaries; to simplify presidential
elections; and to establish tLs inIsistive
referendum and recall. This snunciation
of ao.called Republican principles sounds
like political platform written by Viii.
liam jennings Bryan; and demonstrates
how much political lines have been shift
ed in recent years.
Politics, foreign relations and ship sub
sides seem to be strangely mixed in the
new and great" American Idea" in which
the leaders Of the Republican party are
are seeking to interest President Taft and
tle people Of the United States. This
idea is to build q railway through North,
and South America, SO it will be possible
to transport merchandise by rail from this
country as far as the Straits of Magellan,
if desired. Politics are involved in it be-
cause the leaders Of the Republican party
feel that their recent disastrous de-
feat can be retrieved only by some great
project capable Of firing the imagination
and patriotism Of the American people.
Perhaps the leaders of the Republican
party seek to follow the example Of Bis
mark who, when the German Empire
was torn with internal dissentions, pre-
cipitated the Franco Russian War in or,
der to take the eyes of the German peo-i
pie from their troubles at home and di-
rect them toward foreign conquest. For
eign relations are involved in the idea
because the apparent failure of the favor.
ite plans of President Taft and Secretary
Knox to capture the Far East as an
American market makes it necessary to
provide another outlet for American man
ufactures. Ship subsidies are involved
because if American products can be dis
tributed throughous Central and South
America without ships, the necessity for
q subsidized merchant marine will dissp-
pear. The vas6ness Of the undertaking is
realized, but the American people are
Thought to be capable Of carrying itl
thrOugh,
This question Of nEip subsidies ID being
agitated again before Congress with the
backing Of President Taft. II is insisted
that all American business which depends
On ships for the transportation Of either
it's raw materials or finished products is
paying to foreign ship owners tax of |
tribute greatly in excess OF tariff duties |
and that 3 constant stream Of re-
venue which should remain in this coun.
Try to gil the arteries of commerce 10 |
drawing off in other countries. The pro-
ect is encounteriDg the usual opposition.
~
What is hailed as the victory Of Cover.
,or Wilson of New Jersey in defeating |
Z Senator Smith for reelection to the
Senate and 10 securing she election Of
lanes E. MARITIME, is arouaing comment
q Washington. Ii was felt that in pre-.
ipitating the fight against Smith, Cover
Tor Wilson staked bis political future,