Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1905 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Political and General Gossip of t h * National Gapftol. Special Correspondence to The Democrat: The President's announcement that he proposes to call the next Congress in special session, whioh has been authoritatively although not officially made, has occasioned consternation in the Senate where the old line, conservative leaders regard every proposition having •for its purpose the efctention of federal control over the railroads of the country as “socialistic” and abhorrent. Senator Elkins, chairman of the committee which has to deal with this class of legislation, and. who loves to see his name in the public press as* champion of railway reforms, but who ie always to be found piaciug obstacles in the path of any real reform, is in open rebellion and plainly intimates that the special session will accomplish nothing. “You may lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink,” is bin favorite mode of .declaring that nothing will be accomplished. Meanwhile he protests that legislation of importance can be effected at the regular session of Congress and then waste all the time of the committee in giving “hearing” to the representatives of all the railroad interests, to cranks, and, in fact, to anyone who will kill time and secure notice of the committee and its chairman in the newspapers. t t t There is no doubt in the mindo of those in a position closely to observe that the Republican administration is in a very delicate situation. War to the knife between the President and the majorities in both houses of Congress, is likely to break out any moment and if it does the majority in the House after the fifty-ninth congress, is certain to be Democratic. Meanwhile the Democratic press is contributing its ample share to the straining relations between the President and the Republican leaders and his impetuous even if sincere, efforts to accomplish legislation which will promote “the square deal” are proving a constant thorn in the sides of the ponderous stateman who constitute the conseivative element in the Republican party. t t t Every once in a while the President makes a real break, as in the case of the letter he sent to Senator Cullom regarding the arbitration treaties. The consideration of these treaties is executive business of which the public is supposed to know nothing and yet, with a frankness which proved a shock to the old fogies, the President not only sent the letter referred to but took pains to make it public, furnishing it to every newspaper man who called at the White House and asked for a copy. When Mr. Roosevelt makes these little slips the amount of enjoyment it affords the Democratic Senators is unlimited and they never fail to take occasion to “rub it in” to their Republican colleagues. There is still grave doubt that the arbitration treaties can be ratified without amendment, despite the fact the President has announced that he will withdraw them if they are altered. The Democratic Senators not only regard them as inimical to the interest of the South, but they feel that they were negotiated chiefly for political effect, during the campaign and for the purpose of disproving that the President was a “war lord.” Now the President has assured them that the treaties wilUnot be permitted to work any harm to the Southern States while he is President and as they run five years his provision; but the Democratic stateman insist that treaties which would be susceptible of perversion or which would enable an illdisposed President to work injury tq any section of the country ought not to be ratified irrespective of the promise or the honesty of a particular Chief Executive. t t t Democratic members of the Senate have adopted a wise polioy in their agreement not to filibuster or place obstacles in the way of any tariff bill which may be introduced at the special session which tfie President purposes to call. They have yielded, perhaps some political advantage, but they have made for the general good of the public by removing a real or fancied obstacle from the President’s proclaimed wish to lower tbe tariff dnties, and the thinking portion of tbe American people will doubtless realize and recognize the Bpirit in which political advantage has thus been sacrificed. t t t Despite the protests of Republican members of Congress from the Northwest, Secretary of the

Treasury Shaw seems determined to rale that the Minneapolis millers may import Canadian wheat, mix it with American wheat arid grind it into floor for export and then receive back the duty paid on each Canadian wheat as they allege to be in the exported flour, in the form of a “drawback.” > It baa been clearly pointed out to tbe Secretary that tbe law provides, that tbe amount of the imported wheat on which the drawback is allowed must be “apparent,” but Mr. Shaw insists that tbe proportion of the Canadian wheat, when vouched for by tbe millers, will be “apparent to the mind, although not to the eye.” Of course the reason that Secertary Shaw indulges in such a fallacy is that any other decision by him would interfere with a common and cherished practice of the Steel Trust; namely the importation of foreign ore, the blending it with American ore, and then claitping and receiving the drawback on the exported article, on the Trust’s assertion of the proportion of foreign ore contained in the finished product. For years the farmers have been told that they were protected by the duty of 25 cents a bushel on wheat although the price on the Liverpool market has always determined the price of Amerioan wheat. Now, however, a short crop in this country has pat up the price to the millers and is really affording some benefit to the farmers, and of course the millers protest and find a way with the connivence of the Secretary of the Treasury, of robbing the farmers of the enhanced price which would, in a measure, ipake up to them for the partial loss of their crops. The result of this ruling, which is expected daily, will be to compel the northwestern farmers to sell their wheat for the same price as the Canadian farmers, about 17 cents a bushel less than they are now getting.