The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-03-15
SCARCITY in UNCLE
SANS NAVAL OFFICERS.
Commissioning New Ships Draws
Heavily on Naval Academy
Other Washington News.

WASHINGTON, March 13.- There
Is woeful scarcity of naval officers
and Uncle Sam is meeting with difficult
ty in providing enough instructors 90
supply the classes at Annapolis. The
commissioning of several OF the new
big battleships has drawn heavily upon
the naval academy, with the result
that several members nf the gradual
ing class have been withdrawn to do
duty in instructing lower classmen.
Three young men were detailed this
week, among them being Midshipman
Churchill Humphrey, Of Kentucky.
The dearth of material from which to
equip the new navy is causing the
government much uneasiness.
9
In the midst of the activities Of the
closing uays of the session the Presi-
dent found time to turn his attention
to the needs of the starving peasants
In the famine stricken regions of Rus
STA. Mr.. Roosevelt did not confine his
efforts to endorsing the appeal for help
but sent his own check for 500 TO Rev.
Samuel ]. Barrows, secretary of the
Russian Famine Relief Committee in
New York. together with q letter in
the course of which he said:
Russia has been a good friend to
America in the past and in addition to
your general feelings OF sympathy with
any portion of mankind we must all
feel especial sympathy in this case
We in this country are enjoying
a period of literally unprecedented
prosperity.
Never before in the history of any
nation has the average OF material
Well-being been so high as here in our
own land at this time. take this op
portunity Of most heartily joining with
you in your appeal to our people that
out of their abundance they shall
generously contribute to those who are
in such dire need at the very time that
we have such cause for thanksgiving. :"
The President was led to make the
appeal and to add his own contribution
to the famine fund by the information
that practically all the people in a sec
ton of Russia half as big as the United
States are without food and must de-
pend upon outside assistance to exist
until the next harvest.
General John L. VANCE OF Columbus,
o., president of the Ohio River Valley
Improvement Association. is firm
believer in the commercial future Of
the Ohio River. General Vance has
been attending to sorae personal bust
ness.
'The Ohio River will be the greatest
feeder in this country Tor the Panama
Canal" he declared. cit runs through
the largest manufacturing territory in
the United States. Beginning with
Pittsburg, which last year shipped $780,
900, 900 tons of commodities, itItakes in
Steubenville, o., whose output was 49,
000,0 600 tons, Evansville. Cincinnati,
and a dozen or more big shipping ports.
When the Panama Canal is completed,
it will be possible to ship coal. iron and
other products from any point on the
Ohio River to all the Pacific Coast
ports to China, Japan, or other points
in Asia without transfer.
While General Vance naturally is es-
pecially interested IN the development
of the Ohio River, he is an ardent sup
porter of widespread DEVELOPMENT of
all the country's waterways, anu is an
ardent supporter of the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress which is work
ing to bring this about.
%
An attempt was made during the past
week to revive the agitation over the
question of peonage in the South. A
year ago, as the result Of alleged ex-
posures by laborers who claimed to
have been unfairly treated in the con.
struction camps where work on the
new Key West Railroad is being done,
an investigation-was made by repre-
sentative of the Department of Com
MERGE and Labor. At the same time