Middletown transcript., 1906-01-06
WASHINGTON LETTER

THE msi ,rity has found something fresl
\ to talk aboHt, at least something com
J paraiively fresh aud which promises t
consume a good deal of time when Con
gress reassenbles. 1t is the relation of thi
! country to the South American republic;
. as exemplifiel in the case of Santo Do
ning,. Good old Senator Morgan, who's
:, honesty no one has ever questioned any
; more than they have questioned hi.
staying powers when he commences Il
talk, has announced that he will maks
: the Santo Domingo treaty party ISSUE
and protest in strong language and al
length against this country acting as a
debt collecting agency for foreign powers.
1t may be said that Senator Morgan in this
case has the most of the Democratic
members behind him. lie and they after
him hold that the United States is best
blislling dangerous precedent in taking
charge OF Santo DOMINICAN finances for
the benefit of her creditor. The position
of the Democratic party will be that this
country should announce that the Monroe
Doctrine is against any European power
collecting the debts of its subjects by for
chile means from any South American
country. They say that if this law is
laid down, lenders of money will have to
enter into contracts with the small revol-
utionary states of South America at their
own risk and that the borrowing power OF
the small states will be limited by their
willingness to pay their debts. European
lenders know of course that there is a
certain amount of risk in lending to the
small republics and they exact high
rate of interest OH this account and the
Democrats declare that if this government
agrees to act as debt collector, it will in
crease the borrowing power of the little
republics abroad because the lenders will
feel that they have the collecting power
of the United States behind them.
~
This is good argument in way, and
yet it is shown in the case of Santo Do
mingo that the natural resources of the
country are abundantly sufficient to meet
its obligations if honesty administered,
and the object lesson that has been given
by the Uuited States will probably be
worth all that it will cost this country.
At the same time 1t is likely that the Re- |
publican leaders will nurse this tendency
to talk, knowing that in the house at |
least they can cut it off when ever they /
feel inclined. 1t will be a safety valve
for the spleen of the opposition and may
in the case of need prevent them from
talking of more harmful subjects. At the
same time it will be in general opposition
to the administration, and that is mat
ter Of satisfaction to good many OF the
House and Senate leaders. So in all
probability Santo Domingo affairs will
get a periodical airing in the next few
months and there is some talk OF making
the matter one of joint resolution SO that
it can be discussed in open session. In
which case the public will not have to
wait for the report of the executive ses-
sion proceedings till some Senator has
told the the news paper men all that
went on behind the closed doors.
So
The report OF the Isthmian Canal
Commission was made public to-day and
it shows a great improvement in condi-
tions on the Isthmus since the American
took hold. The report
does not claim that any actual work has
been done on the canal. True l,00O, 600
cubic yards OF earth have been removed
from the Culebra Cut, but that was done
largely to clear the workings for active
operations and as an experiment to prac {
tically determine the cost of excavation ,
as basis for future calculations. What 9
has been done, however is to make the :
[sthmus a habitat place, and the santa ;
lion work that has been done is worth all
It has cost and will shorten by several T
years the actual work of digging the c
ANAL Both Panama and Colon have
been cleaned up and yellow fever stamped
,ut, thing that heretofore it was not
thought possible to do on the isthmus.
The two towns have received a water !,
upply for the first time in their history,
md pavements and sewers are being put
n to make the towns permanent and !.
possible place OF residence for white peo- :
Die. Schools have been established and
lie children are being taught, and alto
ether the preliminary work may be con-
idered complete so that all that remains RI
) to dig the ditch much as it would have "
'een dug in an ordinary temperate CLINE. "
~ =
The friends of the Subsidy Bill have :.
utlined new plan of subsidies which it :,
J declared will not be a great drain on :,
he Treasury and which will add largely r.
o American tonnage, to the shipbuilding :,
industry at home and will furnish large X
ayal reserve analogous to the national >,
iuard on shore. 1t is figured by the friends .,
1 the measure that it will not cost more i
han 81 900, 900 annually at the end of :,
en- years and that it will much more -
han pay for itself in the extension OF 81
american markets and in other adyan- -
ages. 1t is quite lengthy and detailed .,
Ian, but it is questionable if it will stand
luch show in this era of economy in
ongress. ar
*.* W
The great floating dry dock. Dewey, :" -
as at last started on its long cruise to ~
Ianilas The journey from Chesapeake
ay is about 1900 miles and it is ex-
pcted It will take from three to six
lonths to make the trip. The dock is aI
nder the two or three auxiliary cruis- tri
q and big ocean going tug. The dock H