Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-10
THE WEEK in
WASHINGTON
Happenings in the National Capt.
tai of Importance and Interest,
legislative and Political.

T,episIatlVe ana fOllLlCal.
- ,bo realm OF foreign affairs the
,oos, important development Of the week
!, washington has been the assurance
r...,ved from the Japanese Government
,Lo. the occupation of the Marshall
islands is only a temporary war meas
,.o Japan sent word to the State De-
,ar,ment wednesday that the seizure of
,ba archipelago was not now. and would
mt be. regarded as anything more than
a temporary strategic move.
The postponement of the Pan-American
,saoe conference, which was to have
b.sn held at Buenos Aires next month,
was announced after a meeting Of the
arsotors of the Pan-American Union
wednesday, which Secretary of State
Rrvan attended. The European war is
ostenefbly the cause OF the postponement-
There were no important developments
4, the Mexican situation, although the
brief visit Of John r.. Silliman, the Pres
dents confidential agent with General
Carranza, to the capital occasioned much
ejaculation MIR. Sllliman left Washing
ton for Mexico City Thursday night. The
renl nature of his omission" to WASH
ineton or the character of the informa-
zion he gave the President has not yet
been divulged.
Great Britain's alleged seizure of neu-
trail vessels bearing copper and other
conditional contraband" to Dutch ports
was the subject of lively controversy
in Washington. The British Ambassa-
dor, Sir Cecil Spring-Rice. gave assur-
ances to the State Department that Great
Britain's only plan was to prevent car
goes shipped to Dutch ports from being
trans-shipped to Germany. a settlement
of the problem probably will be worked
out on this basis.
Ecuador signifed to Secretary of State
Bryan her desire to enter into pact
with the United States in the familiar
"sober-second- d-thought-before-wa trea-
ties negotiated between this country and
many other nations.
Various plans for the relief Of the cot
ton growers of the South, who have lost
almost their entire foreign market since
the advent of the European war, were
advanced this week. The effort to have
any one of the plans culminate In legis-
lation by Congress- to be passed before
the close of the present session, has so
far proved abortive, although Southern
members of the House have repeatedly
threatened that they will permit no ad-
Journment of Congress until some re-
lief measures have been passed for the
cotton planters.
Perhaps the most practicable plan yet
developed has come through the initla-
tive of Festus j. Wade, st. Louis bank
er, who proposes the establishment of a
$l50OOOOOO cotton pool, to be composed
OF all the leading banks of the West and
South. Mr.. Wade brought delegation
of bankers to Washington Friday to meet
the members of the Federal Reserve
Board and President Wilson.
The war tax bill was modified in some
vital details by the caucus of Demo-
cratic Senators Wednesday night and
was presented to the Senate the next
day. The rates of beers, wines, rectified
spirits and tobaccos were raised, and re-
ductions were made on the House leves
on bankers and brokers' The tax on
gasoline was stricken out.
The Administration plans for the COM
ing campaign were matured this week by
various conferences at the White House.
Secretary of State Bryan was assigned
to speak In the Middle Western States, in
cluding Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin. North
and South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska.
His only appearance on the stump In the
Eastern States will be at the Academy of
Music in Brooklyn next Tuesday evening.
Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo and
Secretary Of Commerce Redfeld will make
several addresses in New York State. and
pTODaDly Il nuHlDeT III feIUSylNdIld. sec
retary of Labor Wilson probably will
make an extensive stumping tour OF the
keystone State. Postmaster General Bur-
Lesson will spend about ten days in the
Middle West, speaking In Cincinnati, In
dianapolis and other cities.
A campaign conference" was held at
the White House Friday night, at which
plans were discussed by the President,
Postmaster General Burleson, Represen-
tative Doremus. chairman of the Demo-
cratic Congressional Committee; Thomas
J. Pence of the Democratic National
Committee, and Secretary j, p. Tumulty.
Another important political development
Of the week was the visit of Colonel
George Harvey to the White House last
Sunday. The truce between the President
and Colonel Harvey has brought forth
the suggestion that the Colonel may he
named as Ambassador to Berlin II MIR.
Gerard is elected Senator from New York.
The House of Representatives Thursday
by vote of PA TO "a, adopted the confer
ence committee agreement on the Clay
ton antitrust bill, which materially sup
plements the Sherman antitrust act The
Senate has already adopted the agree
ment, and the measure will now he pre-
sented TO President Wilson for his ap-
proval, which will place the bill on the
statute hooks