Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1907-10-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

w dSnllFtOll ulllS week 10 nllu
an immense accumulation ofwork
on his desk to be dispatched be.
fore he could start on his west
ern trip There were a number OF
details to be settled about the
voyage OF the battleship squad
ron to the Pacific, the chief OF
these being the question of coal
contracts. There has been an at
tempt on the part OF the coal
trust and the ship owners to hold
up the United States on coal pri-
ces. The bids of the native pro-
ducers both for furnishing tn e
coal and transporting it have
been decidedly higher than the Of
fers from abroad. There is no ex-
cuse in the case of the coal and
some, but not much, in its trans
portation. The American s h ip
owners claim that they cannot
transport cQsl or freight of any
kind as cheap in American bot
toms as in foreign vessels, and
this is true to some extent, ow-
ing to the higher wages paid A.
Inerican seamen and the greater
expense OF running American yes
sells. The President says he is will
ling to make some allowance for
this in favor ofAmerican bidders
but that the total bonus for A.
merican ships ought not to ex-
ceed 100000. This is gener-
Gus allowance and probably will
be accepted by the American
ship owners when they find that
they cannot get any more.
| One of the first matters settled
by the President on his resump-
ton of work was the name OF the
new 10000 ton battle ships Sec
retary of the Navy Metcalf sub
nitted the matter. There has
been a great deal OF pressure
brought to bear in favor OF nam
ing the new ship the New York
But it was pointed out thatthere
is already a cruiser New YORK
and that several other OF the Cit
} les of the EmpireStat have beer
honored by having war SHIPS
named after them, so the new
90. 900 tonner which is as yet OF
fcially known as "No %" will b'
called the North Dakota. Thf
sister ship will be called the Dela
ware rather than an anomoly
) by the way, to have the blgges
battlship in the navy named - al
: ter next to the least state. bu'
that is the decision and it leaves
only the state of Utah still un'
represented in the battleship TO
tilla. There will soon be the ne'
State of Oklahoma putting lit
claim for a name and after tina
the territories will have to D. {,
recognized and then there vii
have to be some other m e a n
, found for identifying the battle tl
}. ships than by naming 'ne'n ai'e
d the states. -.
/. Speaking OF Oklahoma, tn
President has decided to approx
the constitution adopted by tn
people, Notwithstanding tn a !
some of its provisions are not d
all satisfactory to him. 1t is
R foregone conclusion that = n i
new state will be a permanent a
e dition to the Democratic co co
d nmn. There has been but one n
d publican Representative eiecte
5, to Congress and the first It, act :,
the new legislature Will oe u
,s election of two Democratic Sem
). tors. This is bad enough rom rom,
Republican point of view. Stlll
10 not so bad as though t n e
had been two states and io'
,. Democratic Senator'S. 1t is clal, !,
cd also that the Democrats vi VI
" wore in control of the consul
to t;onal convention shameless
* !, gerelnandered e, the state on n b. >
y y half of their own party. D
s. s. whether this is true or not { T I,
ne chances are there would n a y
a 1.:r doing in t