The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-01-13
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Cen
eral Topics from
the Capital.
(From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington, January 6, 1911.

With the exception of the death OF
Senator Elkins, of West Virginia, no
event of very great importance has
occurred in Washington since the adjourn
ment of Congress- The death of Mr.
Elkins makes it certain that there will be
two Democratic Senators from his State
Senator Scott. of West Virginia, will be
succeeded by Democrat, and the legis-
lature being Democratic, will elect a
Senator OF that party to succeed Senator
Elkins. The late Senator was one of the
wealthiest of what has been called the
american House of Millionaires. His
death is generally explained in the press
| as caused by overwork at the late Con-
| gressional session, but anyone at all
familiar with the facts will not be slow to
attribute his illness to high living He
no doubt had powerful constitution, but
no constitution can forever withstand a
perpetual banquet.
The President has announced that he
will not take the initiative in bringing
together in holy accord the belligerent
wings of the Republican party known as
the stand-patters and the insurgents. He
says that he will address himself to the
business of the country and leave any
peace program to the contending parties.
If appearances are to be trusted, some
thing will be done at this session of Con-
gress to prevent the influx of undesirable
people from Europe Surely if there is
any choice in undesirabes the Asatics
by way of the Pacific are less vicious than
some who have been recently coming
across the Atlantic. A deputation of
/ American newspapers numbering thirty
! two called on President Taft to protest
against the hardships encountered by
immigrants landing in this country.
Their spokesman, Louis Hammerling,
told the President that they objected to
the suspicion with which immigration
officers looked upon those arriving in this
country. President Taft told them that
| he went last fall to Ellis Island and re-
manned there during the forenoon listen
| ing to the cases presented to the immigra-
! ton commissioners and that once or
twice, moved by compassion, he inter
vened in behalf of immigrants whom the
commissioner would have turned back.
and that he had since followed those
cases in which he had been influenced
against his better judgment, but that he
had to make the humilating confession
that the outcome indicated the commits
sioner and showed that his experience
was better than the Presidents compass
sion.
Apropos of the immigrant question, the
fact that the attorney general is proceed
| ing against the International steamship
lines under the Sherman law is very
| significant and far-reaching The reason
Europe is scraped, as it were, with fine
tooth comb for the million or more of
immigrants annually landing in this
country is found to great extent in the
fact that Storage traffic is immensely
profitable to the great steamship lines
such as Lloyds. the Hamburg American,
the Cunard, the White Star, the Holland
American and several others They
make millions yearly in this traffic and it
IS well known fact that they carry large
bodies of steerage passengers both ways.
At least half million are taken eastward
back to the 'old country" every year.
All the steamship lines have immigrant
bureaus and travelling agents using every
means and inducement to bring lmm-
grants to this country.
This is the reason of war scares, pro-
NOTED, it is said by some in order to get
large appropriations for the army and
navy and for the contractors who furnish
military supplies There is report that
| the Japanese government has successfully
negotiated with President Diaz, of
Mexico, for port and depot of supplies
on the western coast. If there we're truth
! in this, it would be cause for immediate
interference by the United States govern
| ment.