The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-13
ROAST OF CONGRESS
Trans-MisSiSSippi Congir eS S
Meeting Said to Be
PACKED BY MARK HANNA
Kansas City Still Knocking on
the Congress.

Kansas City, after doing more knocking
on the Mississippi Congress than all
the other cities Of the country outside Of
st. Louis when the call was issued. now
comes out and says that the congress
was packed by Mark Hanna. ]. N. Lowe
of Kansas City. who came down here at
the request of Kansas City merchants,
along with Hog-Town's transportation
1ixer, W. P. Trickett, to hep pack the
congress and kill off any rate resolution
or any effort for an expressed demand
for equitable freight rates, says the con-
gress will never meet again. The Kansas
City manipulation did more packing and
more knocking than al other lepre-
scented organizations in the congress.
Trickett and Lowe and knight, all OF
Them were on hand always and fought
everything in the shape of rate demands
from start to finish, and now Lowe comes
out in very regretfuI review Of the con-
gress and says Hanna packed it and its
days for good are over. \ Kansas City
paper says:
AS seen by J. NJ. Lowe who represented
the Kansas City Commercial club, the re
cent meeting of the Transmiss.ss:ppi com
merciaI congress at Wichita was largely
run in the interest Of a subsidized mer-
chant marine. It was told there that
Mark Hanna and Steve Elkins were the
men in whose interest the meeting was
run. They are the promoters Of a big
in, H.
ering contributed whatever influence it
may have on congress to promote their
interests.
Though not often active in local politics
himself, Mr.. Lowe has seen primaries and
conventions packed in Kansas City. He
says the gathering at Wichita, so far as
this part Of It's work went, reminded him
very forcibly of scenes he had witnessed
at home. 1t declared in favor Of a subsidy
for the merchant marine and the world at
large understands that the sentiment in
these interior states is unanimously in
favor Of that policy. Mr.. Lowe says the
interior and western states do not favor
1t, and free expression of sentiment
would not declare for It.
''To begin with" he said today, ''the
convention was made up Of strong men,
not only from the transmissssippi states,
but from the extreme ends Of the country,
New York and San Francisco. There were
present Congressman julius Kahn of San
Francisco, a very able man; Mr. Pitkin of
New Orleans, who was minister to Brazil
when Hayes was president; Ex-Governor
Smalley Of Minnesota, Thurber and Smith
of New York and others who had really
no rights to be there. They were permit
ted to have seats in the convention and
take part in its deliberations They did
take part and when it came to the real
work Of the convention they came very
near running it.
'''They elected Ex-Governor Stannard Of
St Louis chairman, and he very prompt
ly selected a committee on resolutions
composed Of men who were known to IA
vor a subsidy for the merchant marine
When the resolutions were reported thirty
minutes was all the time allowed for dis
cussion. The only man who spoke against
them was Captain Bates Of Denver, who
was for a long time connected with the
merchant marine and is thoroughly famiI-
lar with the subject He declared that
subsidy IS not the remedy, but that a dis
eliminating tariff favorable to goods ship
It1 III Amer lGtll DDlIOIlS NOQlu De IlGtl
better. He urged that this country ought
TO return to the policy followed prior to
1860 when our shipping dominated the
seas. Unfortunately for Captain Bates,
he had once written a book in which he
took the ground that the proper remedy
was subsidy. He had hardly finished his
argument when Mr.. Smith of New York
answered him and read from the book the
very sections which conflict with the pol
icy he now advocates.
II was 50 surprised at the promptness
with which Mr.. Smith answered him and
his evident preparation that 7 wondered
how a New York man would know ex-
acJly what a Denver man Of opposite
views would say so much in advance. 7
happened 10 have n friend who was once
governor Of one of the territories. He told
me: This convention was polled before
we came here. We knew Captain Bates
intended TO oppose a subsidy resolution.
and Mr.. Smith was assigned in advance
10 answer him I asked him who sent
the delegates who were 50 prepared. and
he said the old man referring 10 Sena-
tor Hanna.
That explained n great many things 10
me. The resolutions were adopted because
the opposition had no organization and
recognized the convention was stocked.
as we said I'm politics not very long aso.
Il was all very nicely and aJro.jly man
aged In the interest of the shipbuII.n-
scheme but I think this is the LAST u The
Transmississippi Commercial Congress. In
my Judgment the Wichita meeting kill
Cd it.
This congress IS the outr~ovyth Of n
big convention held I'm Kansas CITY ten
years aso for the purpose Of working for
the commercial interests Of the southwest
i has held annual meetings since and
most Of them have been big meetings. but
this capture by. eastern men which results
tn the heral6ing abroad Of the declaration
that the twenty-five states Of this sects on
are enthusiastic Tor Il subsidized merchant
marine VIII not strengthen the organic
ton in the west.
IN the older. # not better days of che
republic. what would have been thr-sr.
Of a United States senator. nearer to the
administration than any other. had man
tpulated any gathering Of men in the In
terest OF a private corporation In which
he held stock? Placid philosophers tell Us
that this Is an age o. industrial and eco
nomic evolution and that such schemes
as this subsidy business az Wichita. as
well as all trust organic tjors. are but
indications Of evolutionary progress /.
IS 10 be hoped that such methods NAV
not lead. iu the near fU-U-c. 70 whore an
outraged people may be forced 10 o-eus
and go 20 evolution. Train r5bS.-E Is d
modern industry. ] hope il, too. is no.