The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-01-21
THE TEXAS As TARGET
Mr.. Mudd Would Use Old Battle
ship For Dynamite Practice.
BOX or BULLETS FOR SENATE
Sent With Prssissnes Brownsville
Message Mr.. Rartholdt Proposes
Bend Issue Of Half sRillien Dollars
Fer Waterways Improvement.
BY CHARLES W. ARTHUR.

BONO tHeue ot ftAU asniion dollars
I For Waterways Improvement
u BY CHARLES w. ARTHUR.
Washington, Jan. 21.-Ispeciall-A
striking indication of the abort life of
Ia modern battleship Is furnished by
the bill to make target Of the Texas,
which has been introduced by Repre-
sentative Mudd OF Maryland. The
Texas has always been unlucky. and
her general reputation In the navy is
shown by the circumstance that she is
usually referred to as the "hoodoor
ship. Still, there are many in con-
gress who believe that she deserves a
better fate than Is proposed by the
Maryland representative. Mr.. Mudd's
plan. is 10 bring the Texas up the Po.
tomac TO the Indian Head proving
grounds, remove her crew, guns anu
furnishings and then fire dynamite
shells at her in order to determine the
effect of such shells on armor Ever
those who have no sentimental feeling
toward the Texas think this would hc
rather extravagant proceeding, and
for that reason the chances of the
Mudd bill are not considered good.
Big Bond Issue Proposed.
An entirely new plan for the In.
provemeut of the rivers and harbors
of the country has been proposed by
Representative Bartholdt of Missouri,
who is chairman Of the house commit
tee on public buildings and grounds.
The activity OF commercial bodies ii
various parts of IL country has ere
ated considerable sentiment in favor
of regular annual appropriations Of
$50,000,oO0 each, but Mr.. Bartholdt
goes beyond that point and in bill
introduced in the house provides for 4
bond issue amounting to $5OO.0O0,0Oo
due In fifty years, to be used in the
betterment Of waterways There Is
not the slightest chance of favorable
action on the bill at present. but 1t Is.
interesting asshowing the general tend
ency to bring down railroad rates by
making universal water competition
possible.
Bullets With Message.
The comment which followed the
presidents action in illustrating his
special message on the Panama canal
was Insignificant as compared with the
talk which more recent performance
created. When the last special mes
sage on the Brownsville incident was
sent to the senate, the White House
secretary who brought It In carried
also package which resembled
large box OF candy. Naturally there
was much speculation as to its con-
tents, especially as 1t was obvious that
1t had something TO do with the mes
sage. When II was opened finally, the
clerk who performed the. operation
took out a number OF souvenirs Of the
riot In the little Texas town last AuA
gust. There were empty shells, steel
bullet castings and other things tend
ing to show that the shots fred on the
night Of the disturbance must have
come from the rides used in the army.
The incident was probably without
precedent In the senate.
Negroes Applaud TiIfnan.
A remarkable feature OF the debate
on the Brownsville Investigation reso-
luton was the attitude OF the negroes
toward Senator Tillman, the only
Democrat who criticised the president
for the discharge OF the colored troops.
Every day while the debate was In
progress the public galleries contained
many >colored men and women. ana out
in the corridors were many more who
GOULD upt gain admlttance. Although
the South Carolina senator Is notorious
as a critic of the negro race and has
openly declared that lynchlng will con.
time as long as the crime which 1t was
originally intended TO punish is com
mitted, the colored. spectators seemed
TO be willing 10 overlook everything OF
that sort, and on more than one occa-
sion they Joined in with white specta.
tors when the galleries applauded.
Water For Kentucky Ladies.
Representative Ollie James, the big
Kentuckian who stopped Representa-
tive Gaines of Tennessee when that
beIligerent legislator made a rush
across the house the other day with
the intent to attack Representative
Mahon OF Pennsylvania, who had
questioned Mr.. Gaines' veracity, is as
quick at repartee as he is potent as a
peacemaker. A day or two ago he Sc
cured the passage OF bin through the
house providing for the erection OF a
drinking fountain at Paducah. KY. by
a local chapter of the Daughters Of the
American Revolution.
What will you do with drinking
fountain in KentuckyY' asked a BE.
publican member
ut; will be used by the ladies'" re-
piled James without smile.
Speaker Tired of %.
The number of the bill under consid-