The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-01-30
THE CUBAN TREATY
IS LOSING GROUND
Both California Senators Serve
Notice They Will Oppose
Ratification.
BULLION AT HIS WITS ENk
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-
eiprocity treaty is losing ground in the
zenate. The two senators from Cali
fornia, Perkins and Bard, after submit
ting to enormous pressure from their
constituents, nave served notice on the
leaders of the steering committee that
they will oppose ratification of the in
strument. Several other republican SEN
ators are hostile to it and. though they
have not 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.
copied a commission from the admins
tration to secure its ratification. is be-
ginning to doubt his ability to fulfill
the task. A few weeks g he was ex-
c~eeGingly optimistic about the outlook.
Now he is equally pessimistic. He Wis
y Ned the White house n 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 it
would be impossible for him to over
come them. The president has been
aware that a most unfortunate situa-
ton was likely to arise in the senate
and provided for all contingencies by
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 have abandoned the simple
American civilian dress and adopted a
court uniform which in its amount of
gold braid eXcels all the gorgeous uni
forms of the European ambassadors at
the Russian court. .
Mr.. McCormick'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 and is at a loss to understand
the meaning of it. The regulations of
the department have for many years
prescribed that American ambassadors,
ministers, etc., at foreign courts shall
wear the civilian dress of this country,
except where they are or have 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.
- - ooiiNA oS ~ ~ = =
the old routes through the Straits of
Magellan, the Panama canal will cut
down the distance to Honolulu $500
miles; to Melbourne, $500 miles; to
1900 miles, and to San
francisco, $500 miles.
The distance from New York to San
Francisco by water now is 13, 600 miles.
When the Panama canal is finished this
viii be reduced to 5,25S miles, or much
less h a 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 ans is open
for business. In fact, it seems likely
that bulk articles can be handled much
better by water han 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
d 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
lin Washington, in his report to con-
gress, asks for an appropriation of
$110 ,264 for the White House for the
coming year, against $35, 600 for the
present year. The report says: THE
recent changes in the White Hodse
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-
pensive to replace specially designed
silver doorknobs and 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
and the large amour of entertaining
* dpno - ~ .