The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-01-03
WITH 100000 WORTH OF FOOD
ANc CLOTHING FOR SUF-
FERERS IN SICILY AND
SOUTHERN ITALY.
OFFERS SERVICES
OF ATT ANTIC FLEET
Confident Congress viii Approve Ac,
ton and Vote Further Relief
President Busy Last Night
Preparing Special Mes
sage to Congress.

Washington, Jan. president
Roosevelt tonight announced that he
mas sent two supply ships with $780,
600 worth of supplies TO Italy, that
he wiz ask congress for additional
aid and that he has offered the use
of the II. S. battleship fleet to Italy.
The announcement Is made in
telegram made public at the White
House, which he sent to Patrick F.
MCGOWAN, chairman of the American
Italian general relief committee at
New York City. The telegram says
In part:
Doing All Possible.
Il am doing everything that can
be done to get aid to the suffering
and on account of the extreme
urgency Of the case have sent two
supply ships with 100000 worth of
food and provisions without waiting
for the authority of congress, being
confident that congress will approve
my action shall also ask congress
for additional aid. aud throughout the
coming week will keep in the closest
AOHNl WIN tbit6itSSt anu tnIOuEH IllC
state department with Italy so that
everything possible TO be done by the
United States may be done.
Furthermore, | have cabied the
Italian government proffering the
service of any or all of the battle |
ships in the Atlantic fleet If such can
be of rse in their crisis
Dn0CUUIaI
Preparing Special Message.
The president was engaged tonight |
in preparing a message which will |
he presented TO congress when II
conyenes Monday. A large amount !
of data on precedents and generally |
regarding the aid that Is being rushed |
from various quarters to southern
Italy, and the means OF getting sue.
cor to the victims had been prepared |
tor the president and was cons!d-
cred carefully by him.
The data prepared for the president
showed that i'm the Mt. Pelee catas.
trophe the government appropriated
s200,000 for relief q the sufferers. A
committee of distin ,uished citizens
was designated to visI the scene and
disburse the money. "a similar plan
appealed very strongly to the presi.
dent, crcta inmodificatiAns being sug.
gested such as the selection of a com.
mittee of Americans now I'm Italy, or
the delegation of American ambassa- /,
dor oragents of the Red Cross to at
tend TO the disbursement of the
money. The question which the
president first sought to determine
was whether the aid given In this
way would not reach the sufferers
sooner than by means of the naval
supply ships now on the Atlantic. brt
many days from Sicily and southern
Italy.
Relief Money Pouring In.
Money is pouring into the offices
Ct the American National Red Cross
md is being telegrapheI abroad as ID
fast as received The New York Red
Cross telegraphed sS0O00 to the Ma s
tional Red Cross; San Francisco s10.- /
600; Chicago $1,000: governor of
Massachusetts has informed the Ma
tioral Red Cross that $50, 600 was to
ber sent TO the Italy Red Cross from
the Bay state: $4,000 has been
cabled by the National Red Cross To
tn Italian society.
italian Ambassador PIanches this
afternoon transmitted to Rome $500
for relief work. This sum includes
bis personal contribution and that Of
the members of the embassy staH
and individuals in Washington who :
brought money TO the embassy with
ihs request that 1t be sent to the
stricken region as quickly as ros
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