Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-02-16
THE INAUGURAL FETE
PREPARATIONS FOR THE EVENT
ARE WELL UNDER WAY.
Affair Is to BE on a Grander Scale
than Ever Before - Adj ministration
Does Not Favor an Extra Session
shipping Bills status.

y
grand scale. Pretty nearly every prom
inent man in the city is on one or an
other of the committees, and there are
to be several novel and interesting fea-
lures. which will make the event more
than usually noteworthy. Ii Is felt
that uncommon elaboration is justified
because il is the first Inauguration in
the new century, and 1t is partly due
also 10 the great personal popuiarllv
of President Mckinley, and TO Il feel
ing which somehow prevails that the
beginning of his second term VIII
usher in kind of new EZRA of good
feeling" partisanship during this SEES
sion has certainly been reduced @ Il
low ebb, and the peoples representa-
tiyoS nowadays seem actuatcd more by
considerations affecting individual and
national prosperity than by old.fash-
Toned political differences of opinion.
1t is becoming daily more apparent
that Congress is determined To avoid
an extra session If it can. The recent
talk about an extra session was started
mainly by the reported wish of the
administration 10 have supplcm Hldary
legislation about the Philippines and
the new Cuban constitution But the
best authorities in Congress incline to
the opinion that the necessity in the
Philippine case is not sufficient to de-
mand Il special session; and now there
is an increasing doubt as TO whether
Congress has any right to supervise
the Constitution of Cuba. The original
position of Congress, as promulgated
just before the war with Spain. was
that the CubanS ARE, and of right
ought to be, free and independents =
and that this country disclaims any
disposition or Intention to exercise any
control over the island except for its
paciiication. 1t is now argued by many
Congressman that this pacitication has
been accomplished, and therefore that
we have no business to Interfere
further with the CubanS. If this opin-
ion should prevail, ii would probably
knock out the extra session idea alto
gether.
In considering the pending shipping
bill, it should always be remembered
that the greatest benefits flowing from
1T VIII be to the farmers of the United
States. The Secretary of Agriculture.
Mr.. Wilson, pointed this out very plain
ly IN recent interview Secretary VIII
son said that the most important ma
tional problem for us to solve was
what TO do with our surplus products
and especially our surplus agricul-
tllral products. This surplus is now
about One-third of the total production.
and it is constantly increasing. In 9TH
err words, our farmers and other agri
cultural workers now produce one
third more than they can use or sell
in this country and this vast surplus
must be disposed of in foreign mar.
ketS, or If it is not. there will be a ire
mendouS crash one of these DAYS. Ac-
cess TO foreign markets is now had.
in the main, only by the employment
of foreign carriers. The service is
slow, uncertain. irregular costly. and
1.
What we need most Of all ana ut once.
the Secretary said. is Il large. adequate
American merchant marine. for the
transportation of our exports and for
the further development of our foreign
markets
II it be unsafe and absurd 10 rely
upon foreigners for our shipping faclli-
ties in time of peace. how much more
SO in time of war. Yet that was what
we We're reduced to i'm our war with
Spain. All our transports, Golfers. etc.
were borrowed from other nations. and
there were only few American Ships
which Were available as auxiliary
cruisers. etc. But these few were of
invaluable assistance Commander
briggs, executive officer of the anxili.
AIRY cruiser ST. Louis recently declared
that the actual value of this shin to
the navy in the war WAS more than the
total amount of the proposed subsidy
during the whole fifteen years Of lis
operation" The st. Louis is one of the
crack steamships of the American line.
Whlch was employed by our govern
ment for auxiliary service during the
war. Commander briggs stated fur.
Their that the original intention of fhe
Spaniards was 10 send some Of their
warShipS to orr Atlantic coast. in or
der to lombard our cities and that they
were deferred from doing 50 only be-
cause they learned Of the employment
Of the four swift and powerful Amrrj-
can line steamships a auxiliary cruis-
ers. They had no ships able TO com
pete with these -four. and therefore
they gave up the idea of the lombard
ment.
The foreign nations whether friendly
or unfriendly. would like nothing bet
ter than to see this shipping bill fail
The agents of most Of the leading Ger
man and English steamship lines have
been busily engaged in this country.
ever since the bill was first preached.
lobbying against It. In this fact re-
sides one Of th" strongest arguments
for the measure from the American