Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 September 1907 — WASHINGTON LETTER [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER

Political and General Go»»lp v of the National Capital. Special Correspondence to The Democrat. Third term talk, committee talk, and all the other signs point toward a reassembling of Congress. The appointment of the House Committees is one of the most important jobs as well as the most tiresome that the speaker has after Congress assembles, and the man who is going to be elected as Speaker usually has his slate all made out, before the session begins. There is no question .that Speaker Cannon of the last honre will be the Speaker of the next, if he so desires, and unquestionably he so desires, for be said recently in an interview that he thought the job of Speaker was about as important as that of President, and that was One of the several reasons why he had not been stung by the Presidential bee. One of the Other reasons was that be could not get the nomination if he wanted it, but that is a side issue. .Nobody knows yet how the committee jobs are going to be apportioned, but there is one thing certain, that Speaker Cannon has a big contract on hand. There are sixty-two committees that will have to be filled, and the most of these places will go to the men who held them in the 59th Congress, there will be a number of changes necessary in the 60th. There are fourteen committee chairmanships that have been made vacant through death or the elections. It is needless to godnto detail over these, but the most important of their number only three. They are the Committee on Agriculture, that on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, and that on Public Lands. The Committee of Agriculture Chairman in the last House was Wadsworth of New York. He it was who so strenuously defended the packers in the beef investigation and tried to block the Administration at every twist of the trail in passing the Meat Inspection Bill. This was the cause of his defeat, but it is said that he has lost nothing materially by it. The probable successor of Wadsworth is E. Stephens Henry of Connecticut. If he does not get the appointment Representative Haugen of lowa will.

The most important of all the committee appointments from a is that on Merchant® Marine and Fisheries, for that Committee will have to deal with the Ship Subsidy Bill when one is introduced, as it unquestionably will be. This committee was made up last year purposely so as to be hostile to ship subsidy legislation, and as there is no prospect of great political pressure for the passage of such a bill this year, the complexion of the committee is likely to be materially changed. The ranking member of the committee is Green of Massachusetts who is favorable to subsidy and if be is appointed the chairmanship, it is fair indication of what may be expected in this line of legislation during the session.

The last of the important committees that will have to have a new chairman is that on Public Lands. Mondell of Wyoming is the ranking member, but it is known that he is bitterly opposed to the President’s public land policy, so that it is not likely he will get the appointment. At least the President would not willingly see him (appointed, and it will be an indication of how the understanding is between the President and the speaker whether he is appointed or noi.

The third term talk is in the same general line that it has been for the past two years. The President has not made any further announcement of his position. Every politician who comes into Washington, however, has something to say on this subject, and there is a general report of “overwhelming Roosevelt sentiment” all over the country. This is supposed to be particularly true in the North and Middle West. Now these gratuitous interviews may be looked on with some suspicion. The Roosevelt sentiment may be there, all right, but the interviews are given out almost without exception for reasons that’ are personal to the interviewers. In the weak districts, where the Congressmen know that they were carried into office under the shad-" ow of the Roosevelt coat-tail, they feel that if he were nominated and elected again, they would stand a much bettef chance of succeeding themselves than if there were a new Richmond in the field. Then on the other hand there are a number of men who are violently opposed to the Taft candidacy and who figure that if the President

could be forced to some public expression in tne matter, there wonld be more chance of defeating Taft. As it is, the Taft managers are also worried, because they find it very hard to get delegations instructed for Taft, while there is any possibility of Roosevelt being the nominee again. Regarding the real possibility of the President accepting the third nomination, it may he said that it is distinctly against his personal wishes. Nearly eight years in the White House is enough physically and mentally to make any man, however rugged his constitution, wish for a rest. He knows he could be elected to the Senate, to the governorship of New York, to the Presidency of any university, or to any other job that he wanted, and also after a term out of the White House, he could come back for re-election if he so desired There has never been a case oh* record of a man refusing the nomination of the Presidency if it were offered, and if the convention should be stampeded for Roosevelt, there is a question whether he would decline. But he is an rmconventional person, and he is liable to do anything.

There is a good deal of discussion over the location of the negro troops, many of whom are about to be shifted. The 24th Infantry is coming home from the Philippines, and there are two calvary regiments to be taken care of besides the ever undesirable 25th Infantry which now that it has a bad name, is not welcomed anywhere. The changes will have to be made by Assistant Secretary of War Oliver While Secretary Taft is out os the country, and he had planned to put all the negro/troops in the north as being sectionally the least offensive. But the garrisons are as little desired in the north as in the south, and the Acting Secretary is faced with a pretty problem. There is nothing inherently undesirable in thecolqxed troops but the War Department has a reckon with popular prejudice.