The Washington herald., 1911-12-31
NO MORE TRAVEL
MONEY FOR TAFT
Continued from Page One.

which for the current year carries the
| three items in question that are to fall
under the Democratic ak.
1t is quite probable that the smallest of
tthe three items will stir up the biggest
row. Back in the sixtieth Congress, when
the $4,000 appropriation was under con-
sideration for the first time, so far as its
| use by President Taft was concerned. a
good deal of personal bitterness and ran
cor resulted. President Taft had just re-
| turned to Washington from a long trip.
and Representative Tawney, Of Mime
sofa. the then chairman of the Appropri
ations Committee, hearing that there
would be a good deal of Democratic op-
position to the travelling fund, secured
from Fred Carpenter, then secretary to
the President a list of Democratic mssn-
bcrs who had accepted the hospitality of
Mr.. Taft's special train, and who had
journeyed various distances with him.
i Members Felt InsuIted.
Sure enough. as soon as the $3.50 item
was read the Democrats, particularly
those from down South, got on their feet,
one by one, and began to assault the
proposition. After a dozen or more had
expressed themselves In plain language,
Mr.. Tawney arose, pulled out his list, and
read the names thereon, coupling this
with the suggestion that it would be in
great deal better taste for members
who had helped Mr.. Taft spend the trav-
cling fund to keep quiet, and not oppose
its renewal.
The chamber of the House was a
mighty warm place for the next hour
or two. There seemed to be an impress
sion on the Democratic side that Mr..
Tawney had flung large wet sponge in
the face of Southern hospitality. At
least those members from below Mason
and Dixons line talked as If they felt
that way. One member from down in
the black beltH Indignantly repudiated
the imputation that he had travelled at
Mr.. Tafts expense, and offered to pro-
duce the stub of a railroad ticket for
which he had paid S24 10 to ride from one
station to another with the President.
Representative Bartlett, of Georgia. de-
scribed, until his colleagues watered at
the mouth, the beautiful fried chicken
breakfast he had given President Taft
when the latter was in Georgia, and
gave the Appropriations chairman a fear
ful drubbing for reading the names and
making the insinuations he had about
good taste and hospitality.
Made n Campaign Tour. .-
The rumpus blew over after while,
of course, and Mr.. Taft got his $4,000.
But it was long while before the DEM
ccrats forgot the taunts of their Re-
publican colleagues that they had plead
ed with the President to visit them and
their constituents and then had tried
to make him pay the bill.
So there is every indication that when
the sundry civil bill comes into the House
and this particular paragraph is reached
that the old row will be renewed. The
Democrats will contend on this occasion
that the 81, 900 at President Tafts dis
posal this year as a traveling fund has
been used against them. To give him
any more, they say, would be to supply
him with more ammunition with which
to shoot at them. They all express the
conviction that the President has spent
the money campaigning and not mere
" in nonpartisan journeyings about the
country for the purpose Of meeting the
people and letting them look him over.
So they propose to see that he doesn I
get any more money to be used In the
same way. and insist that when they
elect a Democratic President next fall,
the word ''if'' having vanished from the
Democratic vocabulary. they will be quite
willing to abide by the precedent Gre
atrd.
Oppose the Tariff Board.
Elimination of the 5000 appropriation
for the tarln Doaro Will De JuS1hcu ny
the Democrats on the ground that the
idea of tariff body under the thumb of
the Executive is repugnant to the doc
trfnes and traditions of the Democratic
party since Jefferson's time. They will
point out that the Constitution gives the
House of Representatives the right to
initiate revenue legislation, and viii con-
tend that the activities of the Presiden-
tiaIIy-controlied board amount practically
to usurpation Of this power. A good
many Democrats. It is true, voted for the
original appropriation for the tariff
board But they weren't In power then,
they viii say, and thought such body
couldn't do any harm and might possibly
do some good. Now that they are in the
saddle. they propose 70 put the board cut
OF business.
The House Democrats have never been
strong FOR the Presidents economy COM
mission. and like II less than ever since
Mr.. Taft's statement the other day that
this work would not be completed inside