Middletown transcript., 1907-01-19
WASHINGTON LETTER

te northwest. North Dakota is the wors
n sufferer, and Senator Hansborough hs
a been in rrc ;pt Of a score OF message
e showing fl's situation there is abou
s as bad il cuu,d be in a civilized coun
u try. Towns with as many as 25O0 inhabi
tants report that they are without
pound OF coal, and beg for immediate re
lei. In other places there are coal sup
2 plies for periods of not more than week
or fortnight, many of the towns have
had orders for coal placed in Minneapolis
Tor three months past But the worst
situation Senator Mansborough says is
likely to reveal itself next spring in the
outlying districts where they are 10, 600
settlers off the line of the railroads, of
whom nothing has been heard and noth-
ing can be heard till the weather mod
crates. 1t is always cold in this country
IN winter time and this year in addition
to having tie thermometer from 10 to SO
degrees below zero there have been un-
usual SHOWS. SO that the homestead set
tiers OF the line of the railroad are COM
pletely cut off from communication with
the towns. Most OF these people are liy-
Ing IN little frame and tar papered houses,
holding down their homesteads in accer.
dance With laws, and it is feared that
there may be sad story to tell of suffer-
ing and death among them before the
weather moderates sufficiently to send
them relief. The trouble is laid largely
at the doors OF the railways. Both the
Great Northern and 500 Lines, which
serve the afflicted territory, devoted all
their energies last SUNNI er and fall to
track laying in the new territory. They
transported equipment with utter disre-
gard for service 10 the communities be-
longing to distant lines and the result has
been that the settlers have been unable |
either to get their produce in market or
to provide themselves with sufficient food
and fuel against the deadly northern win
ter. These are not pleasant days for the |
railroads. Almost everyone in authority |
seems to unite in making it unpleasant |
for them and in addition to the passage
OF the rate bill and other adverse" rail-
way legislation, they are apt to face
world OF condemnation in the car short
age and block signal reports soon to be
rendered against them by the Interstate
Commerce Commission Eight en-
pioyees of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
way, including three of the higher offic-
lals haye just been held by the grand
jury as result of the notable wreck at
Terra Gotta near Washington. The Of
fcials in question were allowed to go free
pending the settlement OF their bail, but
the trainmen having fewer friends, were
incontinently locked up Representative
Murphy Of Missouri has already intro
duced resolution into the House inquir- ,
ing why this fayorism was shown, and it )
is probable that the District Attorney will
have much explaining to do before he
makes this act of favorism appear in a
favorable light Along with the other
matters they are likely to receive atten- G
lion IN the report on the inadequacy of
the block signal system is the pay of the !
men and boys employed by the railroads Q
IS block signal telegraph operators. It o
mas already been made clear in the inyes- Il
lgation that these men are oyercrowded a
xitll work, and receive such miserable Il
Jay that none but the lowest grade Of
operators .can be found in the. j.
ailway services. There are IN TACT three .
Iistinct classes Of telegraphers. The rail- Il
fay operators, the operators in the en- /,
hoy OF the commercial companies, and G
he press operators employed by the a,
ewspapers and the big press associations. II
t might appear to the outsider that the Il
abroad teIegraphers. having SO much re- fo
would be the highest class of
zen. As a matter Of fact they are the
west. Their wages run from $50 Va
ionth to $50 or $50 and most of them are NJ
lere boys who are just learning the h'
uslness. II they prove to be good oper- u
tors they graduate from railway work as
ito commercial service, and the excep- 10
onally good men are picked from this to Is
ian The newspapers wires. The Inter- Kt
ate Commerce Commission intends to y
evote one section Of its report to this III
lbiect and will recommend stiff tele.
-aphic examination such as will effec- Al
lally debar boys and tyros from the rail- alb
ay service. ca
NJ
1t is understood that new treaty with Al
into Domingo will be presented tc Com Nj
ess before tile close of the present ses- Cl
on, aud tie chances are that it will pass. trs
lis government has made a decided ye
cord since it began administering the on
lances Of the turbulent little republic I'M
ID has accnmalatedta balance of over III
200, 900, from the customs receipts,
hich will be applied to liquidating the
indebtedness. Further than -
at the claims OF foreign creditors have ~
Ell revised and cut down so that instead "a
a foreign debt Of $2I, ,000, 900 the for We
% claims against the island will aggre- 'a'
te only $l2, 200, 900. The internal debt M
IS also been scaled down from S., ,000,- coi 20
0 to s5,0O0,000 aud this. with the ~
Brey in hand. will reduce the islands POI
tai indebtedness to about SIC, 900, 900 W.
lich she could very easily stagger along lu'
til were tie revenues honestly and ju- wa va
ciously applied By the native govern 20
emf. Z
ey,
Cuba is on The verge Of getting salu- oul
~ lesson according tothe estimates that del
9 now being made mp BY the War De- Tn
rtment covering the American occupa- an,
ii since the intervention in Cuba affairs ass
came necessary. Tie total bill 10 be Of
ndefed by the United States against be
lba will amount to over $1,000. 900. Ca
lis she will have TO pay since the United soc
ates is in control OF the whole island a.,
ID all her sources OF revenue. -