Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-02-14
THE FETE
DECORATIONS FOR THE EVENT
ARE WELL UNDER WAY.
Affair To to Be ON Grander scale
than Ever Before = AID ADMINISTRATORS
Does Not Favor an Extra session
Shipping Bill's Status.

ShiDpin9 B1IP0 SCatue'
washington correspondence:
The Inauguration preparations e'S
vaar are well under way, and are on
grand scale Pretty nearly every PROM
inent man in the city is on one ol On
other of the committees, and there are
to he several novel and interesting Tea
tures. which will make the event more
than usually noteworthy. IL - le,.
that uncommon elaboration is justlneu'
because it is the first Inauguration III
the new century, and 1t Is partly que
also to the great personal popularity
of President Mckinley, and to Ieei-
ing which somehow prevails that the
beginning of his second term WILL
usher in a kind of new EZRA or goou
feeling" Partisanship during this SEES
sion has certainly been reduced 20
low ebb, and the peoples representa-
tives nowadays seem actuated more ny
considerations affecting individual ana
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 or the
administration to have supplementary
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 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 independent"
and that this country disclaims any
disposition or intention to exercise any
control over the island except for it's
pacification. 1t is now argued by many
Congressman that this pacification has
been accomplished, and therefore that
we have no business to interfere
further with the Cubans. If this opin-
ion should prevail, it 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 will be to the farmers of the United
States. The Secretary of Agriculture,
Mr.. Wilson, pointed this out very plain
lyla 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-
tural products. This surplus is now
about one-third of the total production,
and it is constantly increasing. In 9th
er 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, II it is not, there will be 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
unfriendly, or at least Indifferent.
What we need most of all, and at once.
the Secretary said, is large, ADEQUATE
American merchant marine, for the
transportation of our exports and for
the further development Of our foreign
markets.
II 1t be unsafe and absurd to relv
upon foreigners for our shipping facili-
ties IN time Of peace, how much more
so In time Of war! Yet that was what
we were reduced to in our war with
Spain. All our transports, GOLFERS etc.
We're borrowed from other nations. and
there were only few American shins
which were available as auxiliary
cruisers, etc. But these few were Of
invaluable assistance. Commander
briggs, executive officer Of the anxiu-
airy cruiser st. Louis, recently Declared
tnat tine actual value of this ship to
the navy in the war was more than tho
total amount Of the proposed suhs,dv
during the whole fifteen years of i+s
operation" The ST. Louis is ono of +ho
crack steamships of the American line
which was employed by our govern.
ment for auxiliary service during the
war. Commander briggs stated frr-
tner that the original intention Of tha
spanards was to send some Of their
Warsh1ps to our Atlantic coast. in or
der to lombard our cities, and that tbav
were deferred from doing so only be-
cause they learned of the employment
OF the four swift and powerful Amari-
can me steamships as 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