Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-01-15
The NATIONAL CAPITAL
Events of Interest from the
Seat of Government.
by j. +. JONES.
Holding the Bears Tail.

In washington and he has told a
committee of congress that he sis in
a position to say what he believes"
He is dead against" turning the
Filipinos loose and recalls that when
President Mckinley sent him to the
islands as governor general he told
him I'VE got the bear by the tail and
we must stay and hold it," Mr.. Taft
is of the same opinion still, and he
quotes some of his native friends in
the islands as having said: your
steamers would not 60 around Cor
regidor island before the throat
cutting would begin" He added
that II verify believe that to be
true" The former president says
that 80 per cent of the people of the
islands are unfit for self-government
and that such a policy If put into
effect would lead to a duplication Of
what s taking place in Mexico to-
day. He says it will be 80 years be-
fore the Filipinos will be capable of
assuming their own responsibilities
with reference to government.
Rallying Round the President.
There has been no cessation of dis
cussion in Washington concerning
the presidents note of protest against
B ri g h interference interference
with neutral ships and cargoes. Not
for long time has there been any
such display of unanimity in and out
of congress as the announcement of
this step by the administration has
called forth. 1t had been known for
some time that the work of prepar-
ing diplomatic representations on
this subject was under way, but the
strong tone and plain language en-
ployed have surprised-and delight
ed-supporters as we'll as critics of
the foreign policy of the administra-
ton. 1t has come as great relief
to the members of congress who
have been trying to explain to their
indignant constituents whose ship
ments were held up or interfered
with by British cruisers, why moth
ing was being done in response to
their complaints. Senator Walsh Of
Montana, whose state has been espe-
cially hard hit by the practical stop
page of the copper trade with neu-
trail countries, expressed the prevail
ing view of England's motives when
he called attention to the fact that
her course was giving British con-
Germs an overwhelming advantage in
competing for the trade heretofore
in the hands of the neutrals.
A Natural Suggestion.
1t was entirely natural that the
defeat of the prohibition measure in
the house of representatives should
be followed by the suggestion that
congress might apply prohibition to
the District of Columbia. There is
an old saying that experiments should
first be tried out on the dog" and
since early seventies congress has
been using the District of Columbia
for that purpose. The result is that
Washington has become a sort of
commercial morgue and such thing
as public spirit is as scarce as Brit
ish enthusiasm in Berlin. Congress
has provided the most inane excise
laws for the district and it is contin-
uously tearing up local machinery
of disagreement so that few
people will confess that they are ac-
tual residents of Washington, which.
though a delightful "parlor of the
nation" does not even permit its cit
liens to vote. Perhaps the people of
the District of Columbia might be
willing to adopt prohibition and try
it out, if they had any say in the
matter, but they have no voice in
their own affairs and they declare
that congress has no moral right to
apply legislation to them that they
cannot command for the whole
people.
The Hen Does Her Part.
1t has beeen established that the
American hen lays $700,0O0,0o0
worth of eggs every year and they
are nearly all good. But one out of
every 10 Is broken in shipment, and
three Of the remaining nine are so
badly handled that they are stale or
of inferior grade when they reach
the consumers.
Fighting Over Jobs.
The most harmless thing the sem
ate can do is to fight with the presi-
dent over jobs. OF course the re-
suits may be disappointing to the
who are not confirmed, but
that is of negligible consequence.
The president is following the plan
IF his predecessors, Messrs. Roose-
,oy% ,rd TAFT in making recess an