The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-02-03
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

w aShlnglOn, -. ", JdIlus'ly H', ASiA
Mr. Editor:
The action of the United States in
generously waving the indemnity OF
sl1 900, 900 resulting from the Boxer
uprising in China has borne good fruit.
China has since regarded this country
as her best friend, and has sought adj
vice ard guidance from US on matters
affecting her international relations. At
the present time the Chinese govern
ment is defraying the expenses OF up
wards of one hundred students every
wear in America universities. These
students, as they graduate, return 20
China and are scattered among the
different provinces of China for the
purpose of gradually Americanizing
the people and customs of that country.
The formation of the National Pro-
gressive Republican League in the |
fight between the insurgents and stand |
patters to control the Republican party |
is exciting considerable comment. The |
President is said to I've concerned over
the matter and to regard it as an at
tempt to contest his denomination IN
1912. He is undecided whether to ap- |
pear Indifferent to the League or to
prepare to oppose its activities. The
attitude of Theodore Roosevelt toward
the League is also causing much
speculation. From his utterances in
the Outlook and on the platfrom, he is
thought to be entirely in accord with
principles of the new organization, but
whether he endorses its reported in
tention of urging the nomination OF
Senator LaFollette for president is
decided question. The principles of the
League are brief. 1t aims to restore
government to the hands of the people;
to prevent corrupt use of money in
elections; to provide for popular cleo
ton of Senators; to secure direct
primaries, to simplify presidential
elections; and to establish the initiative
referendum and recall. This enuncia-
ton of so-called Republican principles
sounds like political platform written
by William Jennings Bryan, and demon
strates how much political lines have
been shifted in recent years.
Politics, foreign relations and ship
subsidies seem to be strangely mixed
in the new and great "Ameican Idea"
| in which the leaders of the Republican
party are seeking to interest President
Taft and the people of the United
States. This idea is to build railway
through North, Central and South
| America, so it will be possible to trans
port merchandise by rail from this
| country as far as the Straits of Magellan,
| desired. Politics are involved in it
because the leaders of the Republican
party feel that their recent disastrous
defeat 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 Bismarck who, when
the German Empire was torn with in
ternal dissentions, precipitated the
Franco-Russian War in order to take
the eyes of the German people from
| their troubles at home and direct them
toward foreign conquest. Foreign re-
| lations are involved in the idea because
the apparent failure of the favorite
| plans of President Taft and Secretury
| Knox to capture the Far East as an
| American market makes it necessary
to provide another outlet for American
manufactures. Ship subsidies are in
| volved because if American products
can be distributed throughout Central
| and South America without ships, the
necessity for a subsidized merchant
marine will disappear. The vastness
of the undertaking is realized, but the
American people are thought to be
capable of carrying it through.
This question of ship subsidies is
being agitated again before Congress
with the backing of President Taft.
1t is insisted that all American business
which depends on ships for the trans
portation of either its raw materials or
finished products is paying to foreign
ship owners tax or tribute greatly in
excess of tariff duties and that con-
slant stream of revenue which should
remain in this country to fill the arter-
les of commerce is drawing off to
other countries. The project is en-
countering the usual opposition.
What is hailed as the victory of
New Jersey in defeating ex-senator
Smith for reelection to the Senate and
in securing the election of James F.
MARITIME, is arousing comment in
Washingto. 1t was felt that in pre-
cipitating the fight against Smith,
Governor Wilson staked his political
future.