Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1905 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Political and General Gossip of the National Capitol. Special Correspondence to The Democrat: President Roosevelt has persuaded Elihu Root, former Secretary of War, to accept the position of Secretary of State and it is generally conceded that ho could not have made a wiser choice from among the prominent Republicans mentioned in this connection. Mr. Root has, in the eighteen months which have succeeded his relinquishment of the portfolio of war, as in the many years which preceded its assumption, been the attorney for some of the most flagrant trusts, but his conduct of the affairs of the War Department affords ground for the belief that as,Secretary of State he will devote nis intire energies and abilities to the interests of the country with absolute singleness of purpose. t t t The selection of Mr. Root for the first place in the cabinet places a new significance on the political situation within the Republican party and is accepted by many leading Republicans as unquestionable evidence that the President hopes to make Elihu Root his heir to the presidency. Even Secretary Shaw, who cherishes large sized presidential aspirations of his own, fears the result of Mr. Root’s accession to the secretaryship of State, fears it so much that he is almost inclined to give up the fight for which he has already been making elaborate preparations.

t + t What becomes of the presidential separations with which Secretary Taft has been credited is not known and Mr. Taft is not here to speak for himself, but it is intimated by those on the inside of Republican politics shat Mr. Taft will receive compensation in the form of a promise from Mr. Root of the Chief Justiceship of the Supreme Court in the event that Melville W. Fuller is not sufficiently accomodating either to resign or die during the present administration. Mr. Taft is essentially a lawyer and he would dearly love to preside over the Supreme Bench. That is a life position whereas the presidency may not last more than four years, cannot last to exceed eight in any event, and besides (Mr. Taft might not command sufficient support to secure the nomination, whereas Mr. Root, who has the absolute confidence of the Wall Street crowd could, doubtless, with the assistance of the President, command the nomination and would then be subjected only to the danger of defeat at the polls, a danger which will prove small unless the Democrats bestir themselves and perfect a stronger and abler organization than they now possess, between now and the summer of 1908. t t t News has reached here from Tokyo and St. Petersburg which has been interpreted to mean that the first formal meeting of the peace conference between Russia and Japan will occur in Washington on August 1, in accordance with the earnest representations of the President that all possible expedition should be used to prevent, in so far as may be, further loss of life in Manchuria. It is now expected that the pienipo tern tiaries will hold one formal meeting in Washington, after which they will adjourn to meet at some sea shore city in New England. It is further expected that the plenipotentiaries, with their respective suites, will embark at Washington on naval vessels which will be provided for the purpose, and will sail directly to Oyster Bay, there to pay their respects to the President, before proceeding to such place as may be utimately selected for their summer - meetings. Whatever place may be ultimately selected for the meetings of the plenipo-

tentiaries during tbs hot weather, it is assumed that they will return to the national capital for their final conference and will here sign “the treaty of Washington” which, it is expected, will be the product of their conference. It would surprise no one if the meetings extended over a considerable period of time, say three or four months; and it is expected that before the' time comes for the signing of a treaty the temperature in the national capital will have become once more bearable. t t t The Republican party is constantly finding itself in dilemmas as the result of employing honest men to conduct investigations nnd make recommendations. - Such was the case when Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Bristow investigated the Postoffice Department. Such was the case when Secretary Taft found that the “protected hogs” were trying to rob the government by charging domestic prices for the Panama Canal, and such is now the case since Mr. Bristow, in his new capacity of Special Panama Railroad Commissioner, has made his report and recommendations on the commercial side of the Panama Railway. The Panama Railroad has always accorded the Pacific Mail Steamship Company a monoply of all transformation carried acaoss the Isthmus and that company has had the termerty to demand a renewal of its con* tract. When this was done the President appointed Mr. Bristow a special commissioner to inves tigate the claims of the Pacific Steamship company and Mr. Bristow’s report practically substantiates the finding of a congressional committee which found, in 1893, that the Transcontinental Railway Pool was paying the Panama Railroad 1900,000 a year for the privilege of dictating rates for via the Isthmus, so that the extortionate rates charged for freight and passengers across the continent would not suffer from competition. Mr. Bristow further finds that the Pacific Mail Steam ship Company, which has doubtless also benefitted by payments from the railroads, has never made any effort to develop its commerce on the Pacific coast, although there is ample room for so doing. Accordingly, Mr. Bristow recommends that the traneporation of freight and passengers between Panama and Colon and the United States be thrown open to the competition of the ships of the world; that, if the Pacific Mail Steamship Company refuses to develop its line on the Pacific coast and serve points other than San Francisco, an effort be made to induce some other steamship company to establish a line of ships between the Pacific coast and Panama, that dn effort be made to induce a reliable company to establish a line of vessels between Colon and the Gulf ports of the United States; and, that if this cannot be done, the Panama Raiload itself establish such line. All this will prove as gall and wormwood to the transcontinental railroads which will inevitably bring into action their powerful lobby to induce Congress to enact legislation which will render it impossible for the Canal Commission to carry into effect Mr. Bristow’s recommendations, which recommendations if observed wopld prove of the utmost value to consumers and shippers throughout the entire country.