Middletown transcript., 1906-04-28
wASHNGTONLETTER

proved an emergency OF the first magnl-
tude and it is satisfaction to be able TO
report that the army has met it without
apparent effort. The immensity of the
loss at San Francisco from fire and earth
quake has dwarfed everything else in the
news line and the whole attention OF most
of the Departments has been given to
sending and receiving news, hurrying for
ward relief and authorizing the officers on
the spot to make all of provisions to meet
necessities of the case. Sec. Taft said
priv ately that he was glad they had an
officer on the ground who came to the
front like Gen. Funston and did things
first and asked authority aftarward. Con-
gress sunk all differences of party in pass
ing tile emergency appropriation bill ST.
100000 to be Immediately available for
the relief work. This bill was passed in
in record time and sent to the President,
receiving his signature all within the
space OF six hours. The only amendment
made to it was the next day when Sena-
tor Morgan introduced another resolution
making it clear that the money was avail
able for the purchase of medical supplies
as well as food. Telegraphers have been
on duty constantly at the War and Navy.
Departments as in the days of the Spanish
War, and tile Secretaries of War and
Navy and of Commerce and Labor have
been in touch with the Departments over
the phone at all hours. The Government
for once has been effectively busy and
harmonious. Orders have been flashed
from Washington calling on the quarter
masters and commissionaries of the var
ious army and naval posts most closely in
touch with San Francisco to forward sup
plies as fast as they could be collected. 1t
has been realized that the promptest re-
lief was the most effective and the first
train Of governments supplies was expected
to reach San Francisco on Thursday
night. The cost of the disaster to the
government will be enormous. The de-
struction in military and naval stories in
and around San Francisco alone will be
50, ,50O,O 900. In addition to that the dam
age to buildings and equipment must be
counted, and there are $1,000, 900 worth
OF government buildings within the area
of the disturbance. The relief work in
Guiding the appropriation from Congress
will also mount into the millions. The
Government has decided that thereshould
be a representative of the administra.
ton on the spot and Secretary Metcalf has
accordingly been selected and started
for California on Friday night. His se-
lection was the natural one as the Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor is already
closely in touch, with the situation. 1t
has ordered the Fish Commission Steamer
Albatross and all the available tenders Of
the sufferers. Secretary Metcalfs home
is in Oakland and while he is accom-
panied in Washington by Mrs. Metcalf,
he has son and sister in the stricken
city from who he has received no news
of the disaster. The Secretary has born up
gamely under the personal distress that
the news has caused him and although he
sent private messages and did all he could
on the side to get track of his boy he gave
his first attention to the work of relief and
let family matters come after. Secretary
Metcalf was preceded west few hours
by Representative Julius Kahn of San
Francisco who was suffering peculiar tor
lures from the news. Less than AZ hours
before the shock, Mr.. Hahn had received
telegram from San Francisco saying
"Mother and son doing WELL" Mrs.
Kahn had given birth to boy before
the disaster and from that time the
father has been able to hear nothing of
either of them. He has haunted the
telegraph and newspaper Offices in Wash
ington and has done everything that in
genuity could suggest to get message in
to the town and reply out, but all in
vain. Finally, ableto stand the strain no
longer he took the train west and is now
on his way to make personal inquiries.
The Secretary of the Treasury expressed
himself as immensely pleased over the
gallant fight that the employees had sue
cessfully, made to save the Mint, practic-
ally the only building left standing in
the business district. This has saved to
the government about $3OO,000,O0O coin
and billion intact and there has been
transferred to the sub treasury at San
Francisco an additional $l0OO0,OOO to
meet immediate needs. The value of the
wireless telegraph service in the Navy has
also been demonstrated as it was in this
way that a part of the Pacific squadron
was caught at sea off San Diego and
rushed north to take part in the work OF
rescue.
~
The great calamity on the Pacific slope
has for the moment dwarfted all other
subjects, and the reading public of the
lldc dlulbpt tbi SOltCil eLlhb SOtk-
gress and the Daughters Of the American
Resolution are in session in Washington.
We can safely leave the Daughters with
their pseudo-pariamentary scrappings to
themselves. Congress is still active with
the railroad rate bills and amendments.
Senator LaFolette is in the midst of a
nine hours discussion which will be COM
pleted next week. There was DISPOSE
ton on the part of Senators to treat him
with studied contempt. Many OF them
left the Senate chamber when he began
to speak. He is not as popualr in this
chamber as he is in his state and in the
country. Old Senators look upon him as
an upatart and parvenu, but he knows
how to peddle his own canoe, and no one
has given thn railroad question longer or
closer study h n has he.
The era of the pure food and denaturized
| light and fuel appear to be upon us
The Agriculture DEPARTMENT says that
the average amount If sugar and starch
| which goes to waste in stalks of Indian