The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-01-30
CUBAN TREATY
IS LOSING GROUND
Both California Senators Serve
Notice They viii Oppose
Ratification.
CULLOM AT HIS WITS ENt
Obstacles in the Way Of the instrument
Are Multiplying So Rapidly 1t
MAY Be Impossible to Over
come Them.

Washington, Jan. 29.-The Cuban re-
ciprocity treaty is losing ground in the
senate. The two senators from Call
fornia, Perkins and Bard, after submit
ting to enormous pressure from their
constituents, ave served notice on the
leaders of the steering thai
they will oppose ratification of the in
strument. Several other republican SEN
ators are hostile to it and though they
have not announced their hostility,
they are prepared to do so on short
notice. The democrats have effected
a concrete organization against the
treaty. Senator Cullom, who has &C
cepted a commission from the admins
tration to secure it's ratification. is be-
ginning to doubt his ability to fulfill
the task. A few weeks ago he was eX-
ceedingly optimistic about the outlook.
Now he is equally pessimistic. He Wis
Sted the White house and told the presi-
dent that the obstacles in the way OF
the treaty were multiplying in the most
alarming manner and he greatly feared
they would prove so formidable that 1t
would be impossible for him to over
come them. The president has been
aware that a most unfortunate situa-
tion was likely to arise in the senate
y IN PiSNl NSo i" Ill ~
negotiating a protocol with Cuba eX-
tending the life of the treaty until such
time as it is ratified.
McCormick's Gorgeous Raiment.
The new American ambassador at ST.
Petersburg, Robert S. Mccormick, is re-
ported to lave abandoned the simple
American civilian dress and adopted a
court uniform which in it's amount of
gold braid excels all the gorgeous uni
forms of the European ambassadors at
the Russian court.
Mr.. M~cCorrnick's uniform is de-
scribed in a special dispatch from st.
Petersburg as comprising "a cooked
hat, which is a dream a sword and
more gold braid than worn by a French
general.
The state department has had no Of
fetal report from Ambassador Nc
Cormick regarding this new diplomatic
creation n is at a loss to understand
the meaning of it. The regulations of
the department have for nan years
prescribed hat American ambassadors,
ministers, etc, at foreign courts shall
wear the civilian dress of this country,
except where they are or lave been Of
fcers in the army or navy, when they
may wear the uniform of the highest
rank they attained in either the regu-
lar or volunteer services of this coun.
try,
Bad News for Railroads.
In round numbers, as compared with
the old routes through the Straits of
Magellan, the Panam canal will cut
down the distance to Honolulu $500
miles; to Melbourne, $500 miles; to
Valparaiso, 1900 miles, and to San
francisco, 1880 miles.
The distance from New York to San
Francisco by water nov is Il, 900 miles.
"a yHYl1r +L1 a,,a,,, y, m vol Il, ipicLnI this
will be reduced to 5,25S miles, or much
less than twice the regular route from
New York to Liverpool. This makes
water transportation from New York
to San Francisco an actual factor to be
considered for the future, and the COM
petition must. of course, be met by the
railroads as soon as the canal is open
for business. In fact. it seems likely
that bulk articles can be handled much
better by water than by land.
Under ordinary circumstances swift
ships could make the passage in about
two weeks and reasonably rapid
freighters, if they had luck, could do
a turn from New York to San Francisco
in something like three weeks.
White House Expenses Increased.
Colonel Theodore Bingham, superin-
tendent of public buildings and grounds
in Washington, in his report to con-
gress, asks for an appropriation of
$110,26 for the White House for the
coming year, against $35, 600 for the
present year. The report says: The
recent changes in the White Hohse
have resulted in a building far more
expensive to maintain than formerly.
The character of the new fittings and
new furnishings is such that repairs
and replacing will be more expensive
than before. and it will be more ex-
penslVe to replace specially designed
silver doorknobs n escutcheons, silver
and gilt hinges, etc. Hard wood floors
and thing will require extra labor to
keep in order. More help will be need
ed in the laundry. owing to the large
family which occupies the White House
n the large amour of entertaining
DONE"