The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-05-12
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
From Our Regular Correspondent.)
Washington, May 5, 1911.

tFrom Our Regular Correspondent
Washington May 5, 1911.
The much advertised horse show in
Washington is on the tan bark arena,
three blocks south of the White House.
II started off quite tamely half an hour
after the scheduled time, on Thursday,
the 4th inst, at II O'Clock. General
Miles, at one time Commander-in-Ch
of the army of the United States, headed
a procession consisting of about dozen
bugges, TO two or three of which were
attached good horses. The General
drove pair. 1t is is evident that the
day of the driving horse is past The
motor cycle, the automobile, the tele-
phone, the aeroplane, to say nothing of
the bicycle, have driven him to the sec
ond place in speed and endurance. This
result is desirable for all the world and
especially for Washington where the
abuse of draft horses by negro drivers
is more conspicuous than in any other
city of the United States. The hard,
smooth streets of Washington CITY, the
great extent of the Potomac Park and of
Rock Greek Park furnish excellent
courses for vehicles, but il is unusal now
to see fine horse and an elegant car
riage, and when seen they have an an
clent and passe appearance.
The utility of aeroplanes for defensive
and offensive purposes in war is to be
given test this week, when c. n.
Anderson, one of the best marksmen in
America, will ascend to the height of
several hundred feet and shoot at glass
balls to be thrown by the aviator An
! derson has come to Washington and the
test will be made at Bennings Track,
southeast of the city. A number of
| Sportsmen with army and navy men are
taking great interest in the experiment
Five or six Curtiss machines of the latest
| type will be in the air. and Glenn Curtiss
| himself, with other professional aviators
| will steer them.
There was an interesting session of
the Senate Finance Committee The past
week, and i'll discussion concerning the
| United Shoe Machinery Company, of
Boston, Mass. it is alleged that it has all
of the American shoe manufacturers
under its thumb, and Senator Bailey, of
Texas, suggested that the question was
one OF which the Attorney General of
the United States rather than the Senate
should take cognizanCe. The Senate
Committee was in special session to hear
the western shoe manufacturers from
Saint Louis, Grand Rapids, Chicago
and Milwaukee. who were protesting
against placing their manufactured pro-
duct on the free list One witness testi-
fled that the 46 per cent. duty on shoe
making machinery made it prohibitive,
and vet the ROYALTY charged by the trust
for thR n tic ba
sufficient in less than one year to buy the
English machine outright. Representa-
tive Weeks, of Massachusetts, declared
on the other hand in House investiga-
ton held simultaneously with that of the
Senate, that the shoe machinery was a
munifcent monopoly inasmuch as it
enabled one corporation to lease the
machines at a very low rate to the Amer
ican manufacturers. Mr.. Weeks used a
number of samples of shoes to illustrate
his arguments against the Democratic
measure. DIR. Diflendorfer, of Penn
sylvania, introduced resolution IN the
House of Representatives calling upon
the Navy and War Departments to fur
nlSh Congress with information relating
to shoe contracts for the army and the
navy. The inquiry was based upon
charges that single shoe concern has
a monopoly to furnish the army and navy
and has frozen out other competitors.
Congress is giving much attention to
Investigations just at the present time.
Inquiries into the affairs of the United
States Steel Corporation, the American
Woolen Company, and the American
Sugar Refining Company were placed on
the list in the House and Senate Com
mittees. and will no doubt be an i'm
portant part of the work for the summer
season. Mr.. Broussard, of Louisiana,
introduced resolution to appoint a
special committee of three Senators and
four Representatives to examine the
laws and departmental resolutions gov
erning the methods of appointing diplo-
mats and consuls. The resolution car
ries twenty-five thousand dollars for ex-
penses, and empowers the committee to
hold sessions in foreign countries, if it is
deemed necessary. OF course, every
one knows that it is for the purpose of a
foreign unket for the committee with
their wives and daughters and others at
the expense of the government. There
will doubtless be other junkets proposed
before the extra session is over, and the
Democrats who are now in power will
probably demonstrate in spite of their
professions Of honesty and economy, that
they can get quite as much on the side
from the government IN the way OF
jaunts and plums and pork as their Re-
publican confreres. There should be an
outright appropriation by the govern
ment called THE Foreign Travels Bill "