The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-01-04
OUR WASHINGTON
NEWS AND NOTES
ITEMS OF INTEREST BRIEFLY
'CHRONICLED.
INTEREST NOW BEING SHOWN
The Question Is Again Being Agitated
ut Washington and Friends of Sub
sides are Trying to Get Together.

Congressman who preferred to re-
main in Washington during the re-
cess are agitating the subsidy ques-
ton again, with determination to
bring 1t to vote at no distant day.
They are stating with confidence that
sentiment among influential republi-
cans In the house is not adverse to the
broad proposition Of rehabilitating
shipping industry if it can be done
along one line and that line only
namely, that the governmental aid
extended shall go to the freight car
riers and the mail carriers that open
up new routes, and shall not be alb
sorbed by the great ocean flyers that
carry the express mail. "Show to
u.s." say these leaders, "that your
subsidy plan will start the caulking
irons and rivet hammers going in
American shipyards; will put freight
carriers on routes travelled now only
by foreign ships; will send the mails
under the flag into seas that now are
traversed only by foreign bottoms,
and we will talk business with you.
but don't let us hear any more about
subsidies to these great companies
with their fast ships, and which would
not add another vessel to their fleets,
but would use the subsidies to swell
their dividends" It is an open Sc
cret at the capitol that great deal
OF the opposition which has existed
on the house side to subsidies has
grown out of the inability of the
friends of ship subsidies to agree on
the scope of the benefits and the char
acter of the benefciaTies of the pro-
posed legislation. IF the agreement
can be reached along the line noted
above, house leaders will be ready to
meet the project halfway. A republi-
can caucus on shipping legislation is
to be feature Of the early weeks of
the reassembling, when the foregoing
proposition will be made clear. This
claims made in behalf of the bill re-
ported by the Merchant Marine Com
mission are that this measure will
conform to the foregoing policy in "a
large degree.
The reports Of a preliminary char
acter received at the Navy Depart
ment relating to hazing show that .
large proportion of the student body
in the upper classes has been addicted
to this practice. 1t is said that fully
three-fourths Of the members of the
first, second and third classes have
been guilty of it recently. It remains
to be seen how far the authorities
will visit the punishment Of dismiss
al on the culprits. Secretary Bona
parte is determined to stop hazing,
and has the support of the superin-
tendent of the Naval Academy and
The Chief of the Bureau of Naviga.
ton. OF course, such wholesale dis
,missal based on finding of this sort
would be a serious embarrassment Of
the naval service, especially as the
classes at Annapolis have been grad
uated four months in advance Of the
regular time in order to obtain the
services Of the midshipmen at sea. An
executive action which would reduce
the upper classes by rs per cent could
not help having permanent effect
ON the scheme Of increasing the COM
missioned personnel. It is felt that
some thing drastic must be done with
out much delay. It Is realized that
not only the midshipmen be brought
to a proper realization of their sit
uation, but there must be also
change in fhe system Of discipline.
President Roosevelt, Attorney Gen
eral Moody, Commissioner Garfield
and other eminent insurance counsel
are working on model insurance
control bill, which Congressman But
Ter Ames will soon introduce Much
has been heard of the proposed Ames
Bill, but 1t is really White House
measure. It aims to provide for Fed
eral licensing of all insurance compa-
MES that operate IN the District of
Columbia, the Territories or the in
Isular possessions, with provisions for
Federal inspections, reports and the
like. 1t is hoped the states will be
led to adopt the same code, and that
companies for their own advancement
and prestige will take ost Federal Ii
censes. While this plan will be urged
there is doubt m Administration cir
cles whether any legislation can be Sc
cured this session.
The body Of soldier killed in ac-
tive service can not be sent home to
his relatives at government expense
for burial if he dies in the United