Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-02
Congress Viii Give $500, 900
for Earthquake. Sufferers.
PROGRAM ALL ARRANGED
Details of Mondays Message Adjust
ed at Conference.
ITALIANS EXPRESS GRATITUDE
Red Cross Society Forwards $780,
600 to Italy-Ambassado
Griscom Active.

! Congress will appropriate SjOo,oOo for
! the relief of the sufferers in Italy Mon
day next Immediately after conVeninS
] at noon both houses will receive special
/ message from the President recommend
! ing the granting of this sum. and as soon
/ as the message is submitted it will be
/ formally referred by each housse to its
| committee OF appropriations. There Will
! be no delay in reporting the measure
! back and the two bodies will vie with
/ each other in it's speedy passage This
| program already has been arranged be-
! tween the President on the one hand and
/ Senator Hale. chairman of the Senate
F.! committee on appropriations and Speaker
! Cannon of the House of Representatives
| on the other The sum to be appropriated
will cover the value of supplies already
! forwarded to the sufferers on the order
| of the President. The appropriation will
| be greater by far than ever has been
made in the past for similar purpose
! the largest grant heretofore made being
| that of 100000 to Martinique.
The projected conference at the White
| House today between President Roosevelt
| and some of the congressional leaders
| and officers of the State Department was
| abandoned for the reason that through
i
| personal conversation by the President
| with these officials he secured most of
| the information he wished as d basis for
| the message.
| The President conferred for some time
| last night with Senator Hale, chairman OF
| the Senate committee on appropriations,
| as to the most suitable action TO ia re,
| and this morning he talked the matter
| over with Assistant Secretary Bacon OF
| the State Department, who, being In pos
| session of dispatches from America dip
| Iomatic agents, would best know the SEN
/ timent of our representatives as to the
| form governmental aid should take.
| The President had not begun his mes
| sage because he was waiting for all the
| information possible, and also lhat nc
| might consider the wording
| The conference with Senator Hale was
1 the only formal one the President has had
| with congressional leaders on the sup1ect.
although yesterday during the New Year
reception he talked briefly with Speaker
| Cannon and several other congressman
| as they passed through the line, stopping
| them long enough to have an understand
! ing. Speaker Cannon has passed the
word down the line that there VIII De
message and prompt action by Congress
| for relief
President Seeks Information.
| President Roosevelt has called upon
Secretary Newberry and Assistant Sec
retary Bacon for all available informa-
tion as to American supply ships now on
| their way to meet the American battle
ship fleet. SO that his message to Congress
will outline the situation clearly Until
the President receives the information in
detail he will not decide upon the line of
| his message to Congress. From a con-
ference held with Messrs Bacon and
Newberry the President has ascertained
that the supply ship Culgoa, loaded down
\ ha h9 &
now at Port Said, which is about 1000
miles from the scene of the disaster,
while the supply ship Celtic sailed from
New York a few days ago.
/ 1t is stated that both of these vessels
could be diverted to the needy Italians
and that the battleships could do without
| the supplies by purchasing what Is
wanted at other places. If this view is
taken by the President, his recommends
| ton may be that Congress direct that
! both these ships start for Italy with their
supplies and turn the food over to the
/ stricken people. This would be really
/ better than actual cash, which could not
! be used to advantage as speedily as. the
/ supplies now on the way. The value of
| the supplies aboard both ships is believed
| to be in the neighborhood of $40O,O 200.
The battleship fleet will arrive at 1tal-
| ian ports in eight or ten days and their
| large supplies of medical articles can be
used to good advantage. They will un-
/ doubtedly be directed to give all the aid
4
Supplies Instead of Money.
! Conferences held at the White House
/ today in relation to the form in which
assistance will be proposed for the Italian
/ earthquake sufferers developed the idea
that a direct appropriation of money by
| Congress might be neither advisable from
! the standpoint of governmental action nor
entirely acceptable TO the Italian govern
ment.
The suggestion that is regarded as most
| feasible viii be to suggest the delivery
| of the supplies now aboard the Celtic on
| its way to Gibraltar, and on the Culgoa
| now awaiting the American fleet at SueZ.
| Whether il will be advisable to offer the
| supplies on both of these ships is still
! under consideration. II that should be
done ii would make necessary an fmme-
date appropriation by Congress. TO re-
pieniSh the larders of the ships. No
definite decision has yet been made, but
i il will be made before Monday.
Italians Express Gratitude.
The President today made public the
following telegram received from the
president of the Italian Central Relief So
ciety of New York:
i New York. January /, 1893.
The President.
Washington:
THE Italian central relief committee.
deeply touched by the spontaneous and
generous manifestation OF sympathy and
human solidarity shown by the great
American people in the appalling catas-
trophe which has overtaken Italy. in
terpreting the sentiments of all Italians,
tender to you and through you to the
American nation the expression of their
"MASsIGLIA.
President.
Red Cross Sends 100000.
Meanwhile the Red Cross organization
is continuing 10 send money Tor the sur
ferers' relief, and it was announced that