The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-28
WINE SHIPMENTS
 BEING HURRIED
Trade Agreement Will Expire
 Sunday Night
CUSTOM HOUSE IS OPEN
Ships on Way Will Be Given Time to Get in and Pay Duty Before Advance--Sensation Promised
 in Virginia Campaign.

Washington, October 27.-(Special)- steaming over the Atlantic as fast as they can for New York are three French ships, anxious to land their rich cargoes of wines before the expiration of the reef procity trade arrangements with France, Switzerland and Bulgaria, at 12 o'clock midnight Sunday. The vessels on the way are the mail steamer Touraine, the cargo steamer Lousiane and the passen- ger and cargo steamer Chicago
 To accommodate the captains of the ships and the importers the collector has permission to keep the custom house. which closes regularly on Saturdays at noon, open until 4:3O D. m. next Saturday, All shippers who are at that hour within the building will be allowed to remain until their business of entering their in- voices, paying their duties and receiving their permits is completed.
 Heavy Shipments.
 In anticipation of the termination of the reciprocity commercial agreements with the three countries named shippers have been rushing wines, sparkling and still cordials, bitters, clarets, burgundies, cherry juice, vermouth and spirits in tre- mendous quantities to New York for a month. Under the reciprocity agreements the duty on champagnes and brandies is s6 case of 12 quarts, but after mid night of next Sunday the duty will be s9. 60
 According to Comforts wine and spirit circular there are 115000 cases of cham pagne in bonded warehouses in New York city, all of which will have to pay the tariff tax before Saturday night or the extra cost to the importers in duties will be $540O00.
 Treasury officials say in 15 days there have been imported. principally on French Conrad White Star, American Red Star and Fabre line steamers the unprecedent- ed quantity of 35.O0O cases of brandy and 500,O0o cases of champagne.
 The Park Barrel.'
 Considering the fact that the tariff act, which the President approved, was built upon pork barreP' lines, notably in the case of the wool schedule, where the ranch owners and mill owners combined, 1t is difficult to see why the President is so much opposed to the usual pork barrel legislation on rivers and harbor improve ments.
 The fault, of course lies with the rivers hIiu udTDOTs or the House and the commerce committee of the Senate There will always be pork barrels unless human nature changes. Members of both branches of Congress strove to get on these committees for the sole purpose of strengthening themselves at home by inn proving their local projects. A commit tee member who did not get his fair share would be very apt to be relegated to pri- yate life.
 Senator Burton of Ohio, who as chair man ot the Houss rivers ana harhors committee, was singularly free from sell fishness, never neglected Ohio. Many members of the committees care for Iit- tie beyond their own territory
 The only remedy is perhaps the tre- mendous bond issue for country wide im- provement now being so generally advo- cated. It is planned by it to satisfy all. obviously a problem of first magnitude.
 Virginia Sensation.
 Something of a sensation is on in the Virginia campaign over a speech made in Staunton last night by Representative Carter Glass, who declared that w P. Kent, the republican candidate for gov ernor, Is unfit to be governor of Vir- gnia and has no moral right to the of- fce.'
 Glass says if Kent wants an explana- tion he will make public the details Kent has not been heard from. The charges are said to relate to business transac- ton in which eastern Kentucky land was