Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-24
United States Government Dis
covers It Has Strong Weapon
in Old Law
CAN WELD IT WITH EFFECT
Bids for New RattIeships Below Ex-
peotation. of Navy Department -
Plans Adopted for the Building for
the Bureau of American Republics
! General News Of Washington.

=
that the United States has for a long
time been armed for a tariff war with
out any additional legislation. But
this fact was only recently brought to
light by digging up an old statute that
had never been enforced. This law
has been brought into play already In
the tariff dispute with France, and 1t
is likely to settle the question without
much further discussion. 1t will be
available for use, with any other coun-'
try that chooses to take tariff issue
with us, and may thus be rated as
valuable discovery.
4 +. 1t is an old law under the meat in
9spection act of 1890. and provides that
the president in case any product of
1.-The United States is Disseminated
against by a foreign power may select
such products of said ign power as
.Eseem desirable and prohibit their i'm
:portation into the United States. The
law against their Importation is effec-
tive from the time of the presidents
proclamation, and he may modify, ex-
tend or wholly withdraw such procla-
mation at any time he sees fit. This
is arming the president with a weapon
sof retaliation that it would be hard to
equal. The United States is so nearly
self supporting and besides has SO many
all sorts Of supplies, that we would
oo1 fs<,v,F - - low
very little. But 1t would enable this
country to strike any other nation In
i Its tenderest trade spot We could
prohibit the importation Of French silks
or wines to this country and while
we would suffer for neither wine nor
silk, France would lose a market that
che could not possibly afford to part
with. We could cut off the importation
Of any or all German manufacturers
without feeling 1t to any extent, but
Germany could not afford to risk her
market in the United States. 1t Is a
very sweeping law, and one that for
tunately we may never have to call
into play. But the mere fact that we
have such a law will go far toward
helping us settle any foreign CONNER.
cial dispute that arises In the future.
5f
Rather to the surprise Of the gov
eminent, the bids for the new 100000
900 battleships, so called, were far be-
low the expectation of the Depart
ment. There are tofbe two Of these
monsters, and they are to be duplicates
in many respects of the famous British
Dreadnaught class. They are to be
more powerfully armed and it's likely
In view OF the experience of the
Dreadnaught with turbine engines, that
they will not attempt this new Depart
ure in marine construction.
There were multitude of bids sub
anitted, no less than seven combina-
tions being put in by one firm. There
were bids following the navy DEPART
ment's plans, and there were bids that
Followed the original plan as to the
hulls and differed as to the engines.
Others followed the plans as to the en-
gines and differed as TO the hu1ls. Per-
haps the most attractive of the COM
bination plans was one for cruising en-
gines Of the reciprocating type that are
Economical OF coal at low speeds and
with auxiliary turbines that could be
called into play In emergencies when
speed was everything and economy
nothing.
The award was made last week Of
The plans for the new bureau of An1-
erican republics in this city. This was
quite a noted architectural competition
as there were 142 contestants including
nearly all Of the most famous archi-
fectural firms Of the country. The
building also is of interest in that it is
the gift of Andrew Carnegie. The
building and the furniture will cost
e750,000, all of which will be paid for
by Mr.. Carnegie. The site cost $780,
600 and this has been paid for by the
American republic themselves 1t is a
Gift much like Mr.. Carnegie's gift of
the peace palace at The Hague, and
is likely to be of practical use to this
hemisphere.
The department OF justice has been
working for months past on what is
known as the southern peonage cases.
Assistant Attorney General Russell
was sent south some time ago to gath
.er evidence, and tho he did not get
a much as he would have liked, it is
claimed that he found the real head
quarters of the padrones was in New
York and Philadelphia, where they get
newly arrived immigrants to sign labor
contracts and then ship them south
into practical slavery The department
is going after these firms, and it IS
believed that the practice can be best
broken up by striking at its root in the
north rather than by trying to get con-
victions in doubtful cases with hostile
juries Ia the south.
The president has taken a hand in
the salary question that has been agi-
tating the government clerks in Wash
ington and elsewhere for some time. It
is reported that he has worked out a
plan whereby there can be an increase
OF pay based on merit, and not fiat
increase such as has been looked for
heretofore.
WANT LAND FOR SETTLERS.
Denver Conventions Action Not as
Radical as Expected-Meetins Ad-
Denver Col J,In,, 22-The public