New-York tribune., 1912-01-16
tFrom Ths Tribune Bureau.

Washington. January 10
HITCHCOCK's BREAK.-The course o!
Postmaster General Hitchcock in makinE
rublic. without consulting the President
his views regarding federal ownership OF
| telegraph lines is perhaps without parallel
and there is little doubt that some ~
ecutives would have felt called on 10 dea!
surnarily with Cabinet officer who hac
pursued such a course. 1t Is entirely char
acteristic Of President Taft. however, that
he should accept at its face value the
explanation OF Mr.. Hitchcock that mas
much as the President rejected the sug-
eestiou on a former occasion only on the
ground that other matters Of greater I'm
portance demanded the entire attention OF
the PostohiCa Department he. the POST
master General, did not suppose the Presi
dent was at all opposed 10 the plan per Sc
and the further explanation that IL was
accidental that the President was not
consulted Mr. Hitchcock having been
called from tie city quite Unexpectedly.
Furthermore. the President believes that
= great deal Of credit is due 70 Mr.. Hitch
cock for his successful efforts I'm convert
ing the postal deficit into surplus and
that II would he unfortunate II II became
necessary for the country TO lose his ser
vices in a place he has filed with such
efficiency. OF course. the action OF the
Postmaster General gave rise 10 all sorts
of noritical gossip to-day. but nothing can
he found conlrmatory of the suggestion
Of q lack OF loyalty IN the administration
on the part Of Mr. Hitchcock Certain po-
ltical prosnosticstors who are hunting for
krf nTotpnn
sec some connection between Mr.. Hitch
cocks action and the fact that Orrns"
McHarg, who was Mr.. Hitchcocks attor-
ney and lieutenant in the pre-conVentlon
fight Of four years ago. is in the sonth
working to secure delegates for Colonei
Roosevelt and Is being financed in his ex-
pedition by George W Perkins. who is a
close friend Of Mr.. Hitchcock as well, but
such suggestions are pronounced In the
highest quarters 10 be wholly without
foundation, and something more convinc-
ing than mere suggestion or coincidence
will have to reach the President before
lie will listen TO any suggestion Of disloy-
atty in his Cabinet
THE PEACE TREATIEs.-Many Of the
friends Of the arbitration treaties with
Great Britain and France regard as ex-
tremely unfortunate the decision Of the
Senate 10 debate them in open session, as
II Is realized that this will afford certain
long winGed Democrats All opportunity To
food the Congressional Record with wnat
they don't know about arbitration and for
eign relations In so far as the merits of
these treaties are concerned, their friends
entertain no fear that they will not stand
the test OF public discussion. but II is felt
that there Is grave danger that certain
irresponsible members Of the Senate, dis
cussing hypothetical questions will inter-
iect objections and criticism which may
give grave offen-e TO foreign nations OF
course. II has been argued that there was
little difference between open and executive
sessions of the Senate, because the news
papers managed to print accurate accounts
Of the debates even when held behind
closed doors. There is. however. this essen
tial differences However accurate such re,
ports may have been. there was no way 20
prove tEem. The Department of State could
always reply that such reports were not
official, that the doors OF the Senate were
closed and that II must be assumed that the
newspaper reports were merely the clever
gueSses OF tne washington CoITeSpOHueHts'
Because of this situation foreign nations
have never taken serious offence at what
was represented as having been said in ex-
| ecutive session Now, however, the dis
cussion will take place IN open session and
! will be represented officially in the Con-
gressional Record, so that there can be no
/ question in a foreign Office as TO the au-
! thenticity of the remarks made by any
participant In the debate. II is, Of course,
largely due TO the belief OF the Democrats
| that they could put the President in a
| hole that they insisted on conducting the
| debate In open session, but the friends OF
the administration are equally persuaded
| that once the Democrats undertake to dis
| cuss foreign relations In open session they
will succeed only I'm putting themselves in
! a hole and in holding themselves UP TO
| ridicule.