The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1906-04-28
Washington Letter

The frightful calamity which has
befallen San Francisco has for the
time displaced all other topics of dis
cussion in the National Capital. AS
In all other big cities crowds are as
sembled about the newspaper bulletin
boards all day and we'll into the night
and the extra editions of the papers
are sold out almost as soon as they
are on the streets. On the cars, in
social gatherings, III the homes, and
in Congress, every one is asking for
later news of the holocaust Wash
ington, which is largely made up of
the residents of other cities and
States, has small city full Of Cali
fornians within her borders, and the
anxiety of these as to the safety of
their friends and concern as to their
. losses are shared by all who know
them. In Congress the feeling has
been unanimous that the country had
experienced the greatest calamity in
its history, and during Thursday S
session all other. business was d1scon-
tinued until some expression had been
given to the desire to do something
for the stricken city Congress in
this instance was prompt to act, and
without discussion and with absolute
unanmIty both houses agreed to the
solutiof appropriating SI,ooo,ooo to
be immediately available under the
direction of the secretary of war for
the purchase of supplies in open mar
ket for the relief of the suffering in
San Francisco and adjacent cities.
Conferences have been held almost
| hourly at the war and navy depart
ments and the White House, and as
soon as it became apparent from the
dispatches that the State would need
| Federal aid, the matter was presented
to Congress, and by six clock of the
day that the relief resolution appro-
priating one million dollars was pr
| sented in the House and passed BY
the Senate. it had been signed by tn,
President and the government depart
ments were at work on the prepare
tons for dispensing it. Not since tn,
day hostilities were declared agains
Spain has the war department pre-
scented such a scene of activity. Ger
Bell. the recently appointed chief o
/ staff. has been up all night for tw'
nights directing dispatches to Gen
eral Funston, who has charge of TIL
troops in the fire-stricken city Lat
Thursday the department chartered
special train in New York. obtaine
right of all roads, and is now breaking
all records in hurrying supplies t
the starving and homeless. Ever
bureau in the navy department wa
represented in the work, which wen
on all through the day and night
sending orders for supplies for tn
train OF twelve cars, and otherwis
/ supplementing the work of the wa
! department The Representatives an
Senators from California. almost frar
tic with personal anxieties, have bee
; up night and day attending to relic
work for their stricken neighbors an
friends. Senator Perkins, who is
wealthy man, in conversation wit
! Secretary Taft, pledged his privat
fortune to the end that the war dt
apartment should be reimbursed fo
| supplies if Congress. failed to vo,
the appropriation, but this he wa
not obliged to do. since Congress
gave the. money without hesitation
Senator Newlands, who is trustee ff
the Sharon estate in California, an
whose daughters fortunes are in