The Iola register., 1901-02-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
INTEREST IN CONGRESS GEN.
TIERS IN SHIPPING BILL.

II Is Hard TO Understand why some
Senators support Foreign Steam
ship Companies Against Our own.
Mrs. Nations Washington Crusade.
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-The chief In
terest of the session of congress now
centers in the shipping bill. This bill
has been side tracked number OF
times and frequently pronounced dead
by sanguine Democrats and cocksure
newspaper correspondents. To all such
individuals a surprise party was given
on Tuesday, when Senator Frye, who
has the bill in charge, gave notice that
| he would not give way hereafter to
anybody or to any other bill, not even
to an appropriation bill, until the ship
ping bill was disposed Of unless COM
PEELED to do SO by vote of the senate.
Mr.. Frye is enabled to take this deci.
sive step because the shipping bill has
the right Of way, being the regular or
der before the senate, and also because
1t is indorsed by the administration
and by the full strength Of the Repub-
lican party in both houses.
-.
Briefly, the Republicans untedly sup
port the bill because they consider 1t q
measure of the highest Importance and
greatest advantage to the whole coun-
try. 1t aims to resuscitate and rebuild
our American merchant marine by the
same or similar means that Great Brit
ain and Germany have developed their
merchant marine, and that has proved
to be the only way in which that object
can be attained. Tho opposition have
alleged the unconstitutionality of boun-
ties and favoritism to existing lines as
their principal arguments, but they
have been unable TO punch a hole
through the impregnable defenses Of
the measure Candid and careful ex-
animation of the text shows conclusive
ly that the bill is not chargeable with
favoritism and that it will tend to ben
eft the whole community - not only
shipbuilders and shipowners, but also
all the agricultural, manufacturing,
mining, mercantile commercial and in
dustrial interests generally.
Senator Aldrich is one of the most
prominent figures and n power in the
senate. He is unexcelled as a manager
and manipulation and is very successful
in compromising conflicting interests to
mutual satisfaction. He is in charge
of the war revenue reduction bill and is
very anxious to call it up and have 1t
disposed of, but he recognizes the great
merit Of the shipping bill and will not
hinder its progress by obtruding his
own bill at present. His evident ear
nestness in behalf of the shipping bill
is another reason why it's special man
ayers are confident that it will pass, be-
cause Senator Aldrich wields great in
fluence on both sides Of the senate, and
his judgment in regard to any measure
is invariably deferred to with great re-
spect by many senators and, in fact, by
the senate as a whole.
-.
The proposition to bring Mrs. Carrie
. Nation of Kansas to this city in a re-
: form capacity is viewed with trepida-
ton by some statesmen who are aware
of the fact that, as stated In a recent
educational primer congress holds its
sessions "above two unlicensed can
teens" Referring to this alarming ru-
NOR, Representative Curtis of Kansas
remarks that II Mrs. Nation comes here
: 1--WE shall send her first to the senate
and let her deal summarily with the
p conditions over there before taking up
a crusade among the representatives Of
the people"
-.
Mr.. W. e. Amin, a special agent of
the government In charge of the rural
free delivery mail system, has arrived
in Washington after long absence in
! the line of his duty, and reports that
rural free delivery is a grand success,
and it has come to stay. 1t is a civil
liZing force and an educational agent,
and the amount Of good 1t will accom-
E plish for the people is incalculable. II
makes the farms where the service
reaches appreciate In dollars and cents,
: and it makes farm life more attractive.
o 1t is a boon and blessing, and its ex-
i tension should be applauded by every
patriot" Mr.. Amin says that In the
n territory which he covers, embracing
n half of the United States, the demands
d for free delivery are so great that II
will be a year before the latest appli'
d cations can be attended to by the de-
IT partment.
e Apropos, to return again for a mo
D. ment to the shipping bill, Postmaster
General Smith recently demonstrated
q in an article the fact that Great Brit
N ain pays far larger subsidies to heI
Is steamship companies for carrying the
It mails than we ever paid to ours. The
s. same is true of Germany, which gives
the North German Lloyd company So,
600 900 or more for carrying the Ger