Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-11-30
WASHINGTON LETTER
tFrom our Regular correspondent

(From our Regular correspondent
Washington, ID. G Nov. 24.-There
10 very little doubt that the next ses |
sion OF Congress will see the passage of !
q Ship Subsidy Bill. One OF the strong |
est indications ID this line has come |
from the session of the Trans Missis
sippi Congress before which Secretary
Root has just delivered notable ad
ress, in which be spoke urgently
favor Of the shipping subsidy as the
one thing essential to build up the
trade of the United States with South
America. This is the first time chat
the administration has ever come out
in favor of such bill There
is bill now pending before Congress
that is said to meet the requirements
of tho case, and 1t IS interesting to see
Just what the appropriation will ln-
volve. This bill is designed primarily
to help the mail steamship service, but
it will OF course furnieh series OF
steamship lines by which American
goods can safely and regularly be
transported abroad. 1t vii! involve
the expenditure in the first year Of vi,
709, 500 for a mail service aud ultimate
" An expenditure of 81, 932 900 per an
num. The ships to earn this larger
subsidy do not now exist in the U nited
States, but it ia believed that to earn
the bonus they will be built. The
various lines that 1t Is proposed to es
tablish are about as follows:
To Brazil, IA knot monthly service.
$3.50, 900, fortnightly service 1000;
To the Argentine Republic, ii knots
steamers, $l87 900 subsidy for monthly
Fo n tlV
service;
To South Africa, the same amounts
for line of II knots steamers
Gulf ports to Brazil, IL knot line at
$137 500 and fortnightly service al
1915 900.
There is provided at $75, 900 subsidy
for lines from the Southern States to
Cuba and the same Gulf ports to Gen.
sral America. oo
The Gulf ports to Mexico, $50, 600
would he Invested on 2 knot weekly
service.
To Hawaii, Japan, China and the
Philippines, 16 knot steamers at $5OO :
600 for monthly service and $6O0,O
for fortnightly service.
A line is provided from Puget Sound
to Japan, China and the Philippines
at $210, 600 for monthly service.
Provision is also made for services to
Hawaii, the Somoan Islands, Aus
tralia, the west coast of Mexico and to
west Central American ports.
1t is seen that this program is both
extensive and expensive, but Secretary
Root held in bis speech that iG would
be q paying investment. The Com
pittee on Resolutions of the Congress
did not 90 so far as to straightway en-
dorse the subsidy bill proposition, but
it did endorse the building up OF the
American Merchant Marine, and sug-
gested that Secretary Root had pro-
posed the proper plan.
Those who have looked forward to
| immediate and immense activity from
tho Interstate Commerce Commission
| in turning the railroads of the country
| upside down, have been disappointed
up-to-date and will continue to be dis
appointed for some time to come. The
| Commission has not been able to touch
a single rate since the rate bill Wal
passed and the Commission enlarged
There has been q flood of other work
the Interpretation Of new rate rules
and the prosecution of various inquiries
into coal, oil, grain and what not, tina
have prevented them from giving an,
attention 80 far to actual rate making
The Grain Elevator investigation OF
which the Commission is now engaged
promises to keep it employed for sew
eral months. and there is an immens
amount of the coal and oil field yet II
BE- covered without trenchiDg on
similar Investigation that is now be
ing carried on by the Bureau Of Cor
porati0n.
For the first time in the history o
the country since the negro has had
vote, that vote has been pretty vel
split up, and there promises to be a
interesting time in the next election
il the excitement should last that long
over the support that Secretary TAI
has won among the negro elemen
through holdiug up. for a time a
least, the President g order dlschargin
three companies of the 25th Infantry
1t 10 quite possible that, like Kipling
"bander-log" the colored voters WI
/ have forgotten all about the lnciden
, by the time the next campaign come
around. But there is the making OF
fine political row in the situation Wer
lit not known that the President On
/ Secretary Taft are such close persons
Q friends.