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The Commoner.
... -
m '"" ' ' 1111 III i - f ,
Washington Letter
Washington, D. C May 20. Now conies
again .the presidential interference with state's
affairs Congress being out of .session the ad
ministration has determined to establish "nat
uralization bureaus" in a number of leading
cities. The-purpose, so it is said, is to prevent
election frauds. In every one of "the cities there
will be a federal chief and a number of de-
Mectives. Every voter must qualify before this
bureau of naturalization. In other words every
man who desires to vote for aldermen of Kan
sas City, Seattle or San Francisco must secure
from Washington his right to vote.
This plan was announced at tha capital to-
1 day. Assistant Attorney General Cooley has
started west to arrange the details and to selects
the chiefs of the various bureaus. It Is his -
considerable tariff discussion that does not ap
pear in the congressional record. Now England
-and the northwest started a revision schism that
made surprising inroads Into the republican ma
jority. At one time It almost looked like an
extra session to consider the tariff. The repub
lican whips wore working overtime and "Joe"
Cannon was doing his best to. savo the para
mount issue of 1908.
Now it looks as if- all this worry and work
against tariff rovlsidn In the Fifty-ninth con
gress would go for naught. The Sixtieth con
gress may bo compelled to take up the tariff
question whether it wants to or not. "Joe" Can
non and other "standpatters" to the contrary
notwithstanding. The now German-American
agreement, intended to avert a tariff war be
tween Germany and the United States has left
our whole tariff policy In a most uncertain con
dition. The modus Vivendi with Germany is
very indefinite. The German administration In
fact has notified us that it would not again ask
German legislators to allow American imports
under the full minimum tariff schedules unless
our congress should Bhow its inclination to
reciprocate. For a number of years we have
' Had tariff working agreements with Germany.
These agreements, alone have averted a tariff
iMiatnoso tn flrirf inn.ll of the erowinc cities of
the south, and, the middle west, men who will ' wdr between the two nations. The N present
Jovo ,!,. mHAVa frrtm f.hfl White -House and moaus, nowever, amers most signmcauuy irora
determine who among the incoming immigrants
shall be allowed to vote, ll is not merely a
matter of voting for congressmen or' for presi
dential electors. If it wore, the federal govern
ment might have the right or the power to
exercise some supervision. But as our elections,
state and national coincide In almost every state
in time, this purpose of the administration to
determine who shall "and who shall not vote
amounts to. a determination to control the
election.
Some years ago there was an attack made
by the. democratic party on the so-called force
bill. The attack was successful. What will
the party, or the people, think of this purpose
of the present administration to fix the qualifi
cations of- voters by edict issued from" the White
House?
It is a matter of gossip in Washington, how
well founded few can tell, that fullysix months
. ago, even before IToraker flung his glove'- in
the president's- face on the- Brownsville -matter,
" Mr. Lohgworth was saying at social functions
that he would be the next senator from Ohio.
The later report was that Congressman Burton
aspired to that distinguished position, but within
two days the story has been serit out, like one
of those trial balloons that they send up from
the White House, thatthe presidential influence.
will be used to elect Burton speaker of the
house.
Nobody believes that even Mr. Roosevelt's
great power could defeat Speaker Cannon. But
it Is to be borne In mind that the next house
of representatives has not the overwhelming
republican majority that has made of the Fifty
ninth congress such a well disciplined machine..
A very few insurgents would make great trouble
for "Uncle Joe" and it would of course be easy
enough "for the president to get such a, body
of guerillas together. Perhaps the story was
sent out from the White House, in order to sug
gest to Mr. Cannon that he had better be tame
and' tractable; that it would be wiser for him to
give up the idea of liaving even a complimen
tary vote from the state of Illinois for president
and see that that delegation is given to the
heir apparent, Mr. Taft.
With Qhioapj)arently successfully under
control of the big stick; with the first blow
struck at Illinois, the president turns his politi
cal attention to New' York. It Is a curious fact
that in the state of his-birth,-in thevstate which
gave him his first political honors, he Id weak
est. Even wfth all the glamor of. heroism in
the Spanish war attached to him, he was elected
governor of- Shut. state bya scanty plurality of
17,000. Governor Hughes a year ago was elect
ed by more than three times as much. Last
.week at a meeting f the state committee of
Now York an attempt was made to pass a reso
lution naming Hughes as the logical candidate
for the presidency. The Roosevelt influence de-
feated it. New York is not therefore happy.
Today rn Washington they say that ther.e is,
much joy In the White . -use circle. ..
It is not the purpose of the republicans to
revise the tariff in the next congress if they
can help -it. The campaign slogan of "Let the
tariff beorevised by its friends" Is too good a
one to lose by premature tariff revision in the
Sixtieth congress. The tariff -would have been
revised' lone ago except - for political reasons.
'Even the "standpatters admit that many of Jihe
the others In that It does not terminate at any
given period. This means that Germany will
give the next United States congress one last
chance to revise the tariff or come to some
definite reciprocal understanding. If the Six
tieth congress refuses to revise the tariff it
means a commercial 'war with Germany. If it
puts through a reciprocity treaty, other nations
will demand the rights of the most favored
nation. The protest of France against -the pres
ent modus with Germany id evidence of that.
What we grant to one, we must grant .to all,.
Either that, or commercial war with tlio na
tions discriminated against. If congress pigeon
holes tariff revision, European nations are sure
to retaliate. The Sixtieth congress must face
the question of tariff revision, however advan
tageous it may seem to republican politicians
tp save the issue for campaign purposes.
In Washington -today there are two mat
ters about which people interested in politics
"talk. One is the question as to 'whether the
president will approve the constitution of Okla
homa and thereby enable that state tb come
into the union; the other Is whether Foraker is
going to fight.
The Oklahoma situation seems really the
mor.e important. Foraker promises fight, but
of that morojater. It Involves the creation of
a new state built from Oklahoma and the In
dian Territory. A week or ten days ago I said
that this state would have 800,000, population.
I have just received a letter from the editor
xt one of the principal papers in Oklahoma in
which he Bays:
"I note that you state in one of your art
icle's that the population of Oklahoma Is 800,
000, Had you used this term to apply to the
present territory of Oklahoma, your estimate
would have been approximately correct, but I
observe that it is used to apply to the Territory,
embracing tho new state, which includes the
present Territory of Oklahoma and also Indian
a Territory. The present population of these two
territories is in excess of 1,500,000 and some
estimate it as high as 1,800,000.
"The difference Is immaterial, but the ag
gregate is certainly sufficient to emphasize the
justness of our demands for immediate state-
hood.
"We -regard the constitution just formu
lated by the constitutional convention as the
moBt perfect draft of organic law ever perfected.
It meets with the full approbation of all of our
people except the carpetbaggers and place
seekers of the Republican party, who are raising
a dismal wail about a so-called gerrymander,
which is not one whit more inequitable than the
one given us by the republican districting boards
last fall in defining the constitutional election
districts.
"I beg your pardon for digressing from the
purpose of this letter to this extent, but I feel
warranted in some measure for doing so In view
. of the fact that the impression seems to obtain
to some extent in the east that there is serious
'opposition ..to ,tbe adoption of the constitution
just formulated."
That Is the expression of a man who knows
more about the situation in that southwestern
territory than most of the- people in Washington
can. know. What Mr. Stafford, owner of the
-Oklahoman, says may be accepted as the opinion-
of a man on the ground. Curiously enough
Indian -Territory and to aomo extent interested
In the politics .of. that section who would bo glad
it tho president would rofuso to approve tho
constitution proposed for tho consolidation of
Oklahoma and Indian Territory. Their argu
ment is that If tho prcstdent should so refuso
thero would ultimately be two states instead tit
one. Thero would bo four senator Instead of
two. This seems to bo an argument based on
purely partisan political consideration. Sinco
Oklahoma and tho Indian Territory are pro
pared to join in single statehood, . it is best
for their peoplo today that they should bo given
immediate entrance to the sisterhood of states.
The correspondent whom I have quoted says
that there are 1,500,000 peoplo In tho two ter
ritories. That so largo a population should bo
denied tho rights of American citizens would
seem Incredible.
Tho men who havo been asked by tho
president to advise him on tho question of ap
proving the proposed now constitution ror tho
combined state of Oklahoma, are of course all
republicans, and, unhappllyj most of them ma
chine republican politicians. It Is not surpris
ing that Secretary Taft heads tho list. As a
candidate for the presidency Mr. Taft would
very much 'grieve to see a now state como Into
being that might cast its olecloral voto forHho
democratic nominee. Chairman Sherman of tho
republican Congressional committeerls also ono
of tho chosen advisors of. the president; tho
chairman of that committee would naturally
oppose tho admission df a state that might send
five democrats to tho house of representatives,
and two men to the United States sonato. Tains
Blxby, who for years almost uncounted has held
federal office under a republican administration
is hero on tho ground. D. W. Mulvane, of Kan
sas, republican national committeeman, from
that state, who has onrlched himself enormously
by his control of the electric railways, and light
ing companies and telephone companies, and
who naturally believes that tho clauses in tho
proposed constitution of the now state will pre
vent his grabbing these public utilities within
its borders, doesn't want that democratic con
stitution approved.
Thero are other distinguished partisans,
and more distinguished pirates seeking to ex
ploit the wealth ol tho new state for their
own profit, who have been invited to consult
with, tlio president. What tho outcome of their
advice may be no one can tell today. But
it is a curious fact that nobody, except men of
this typo has been asked for his expression of
opinion. Some men havo volunteered sugges
tions, but it yet remains to be determined how
much influence their arguments may oxert.
Some of the opponents of Btatehood "base
their opposition on the ground that the con
stitution demands the initiative and referen
dum. Probably Mulvane of Kansas, republican
national committeeman from that state, whoso
plans for exploitation of tho public utilities of
the new state would bo balked if his hoped for
franchises wore subjected to a public voto, will
be very vigorous in urging this on the presi
dent. But after all, the complaint is ridiculous.
The words "initiative and referendum" aro
pedantic; they sound like tho talk of a teacher
of Latin in a high school. But what they mean
Is that on masters of Importance everybody af
fected should be allowed to vote. Now ih Okla
homa and the Indian Territory every person
affected by the constitution proposed, Is to be
allowed to vote on that document. The action
of the convention Is not final. There is th
initiative and referendum established whatever
the president may say. In nearly every state
south of tho Potomac river the people of tho
counties are allowed to vote on the question ot,
whether there shall be liquor sold In that county.
There again is that Initiative and referendum
that we are told is,, so revolutionary. Certainly
the charge against the principle of direct legis
lation, which was put iri the democratic national
platform of 19 uO can not be raised as a reason .
why the constitution approved by a representa- J
tlve body of the people of Oklahoma shall not J
be approved by the president of the United
States.
WILLIS J. ABBOTT.
GOOD WORK
runiAv Ro.hfldules have . outlived their usetul- there are other men deeply interested In-the
ness. -In the Fifty-ninth congress' there was-'" southwest Interested in Oklahoma and. in thg
Colliers is doing splendid work in exposing
tho "tainted news" bureaus. Now that the edi
torial columns of the subsidized papers havo
ceased to have influence tho exploiters are
stealthily poisqning the public mind through sys
tematic misrepresentations spread broad-cast
through bureaus which furnish these misrepre
sentations free to papers- that will use themv
When a newspaper is offered material free it
ought to inquire who pays the bill and why;
1
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