Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-01-27
PEARY DID NOT
FIND THE POLE
MISSED 1T By MILE AND A HALF,
SAYS CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEE.
TAFT PLANS TO FORIIFY PANAMA
SO Declares In Speech at New York.
Senatorial Popular Election Bill
Strikes a Hard
Snag.

Washington, Jan. 23.-That Captain
Robert E. Peary came within 1.6 mile!
of the north pole-near enough to es
tablish his claim of having been a
the exact spots the decision of the
house committee on naval affairs
which has been considering the bill tC
retire Captain Peary with the rank OF
rear admiral.
The basis of the committees finding
is the chart prepared by Hugh c.
Mitchell and G. R. Duyall Of the Unit.
ed States coast and geodetic survey and
based on Peary's observations. This
chart shows that Peary went to the
left on nearing the pole, due to an
error in his Instruments. Later he
crossed toward the pole, his nearest
point being 1.6 miles. Representative
Bates OF Tennessee presented the ma
jority report of the committee recon-
mending that Peary be retired with
the rank of rear admiral.
A minority report submitted by Rep
resentative Roberts Of Massachusetts
does not question Captain Peary's per-
Torrance, but arraigns the National
Geographic society's committee, which
he claims, announced it's findings after
only cursory examination of Peary's
proofs.
A fight is certain to develop in the
house over the proposed legislation.
Representative Macon Of Arkansas has
indicated that he would oppose it's pas
sage on the floor.
The report pointed out that Captain
Peary was ;Ncting under orders from
the navy department when he made
the polar dash. The charges that have
been made that his expedition was a
private one are not borne out, the re-
port stated, by the facts disclosed in
the committees hearings.
The committee made the point also
that Captain Peary's trip was taken
with the express Endorsement of his
commanderin-chief, President Roose-
welt.
TAFT Determined to Fortify Canal.
President Taft has begun in earnest
his campaign for the fortification Of
the Panama canal. His entire speech
at the annual banquet of the Pcnnsyl-
vania society in New York was devot-
ed to this subject. He has high hopes
that congress at this session will de-
clare in his favor and appropriate $5,-
100000 to begin the work.
In the senate, the president has been
told, the sentiment for fortification Is
almost two to one The house seems
evenly divided, but not on partisan
lines. Most of the members appear,
however, to be willing to be convinced
sentation of its case.
In his speech Mr.. Taft said that
there were absolutely no treaty obliga-
tions in the way of fortifying the can
al; that the United States had every
right and reason to protect what was
purely an American waterway.
Medal for Mr.. Carnegie.
The Pennsylvania dinner was
marked by the presentation to An
drew Carnegie of the society's gold
medal, awarded annually for "distin-
guished achievement"
Other speakers were Joseph Choate,
former ambassador to Great Britain,
and Governor Dix. Among those at
the presidents table were: Captain
Robert E. Peary, Attorney General
Wickersham, Governor Tener, of Penn
sylvania, Secretary Knox and Charles
d. Norton, secretary to the president.
Opposition to Senatorial Election Bill.
An interesting situation has devel-
.ped with respect to the bill pending
in the senate providing for the consti-
tutional amendment authorizing the
election of the senators by the people.
Although a majority of the senate
is now in favor of this proposition, in
response to the demands of the peo
pie in many states, there is every indi-
cation that the bill will fail in the
senate because of the controversy that
has arisen with respect to carrying in
to the bill the amendment which
places the same federal control over
the election of senators by the people
IN the different states, as now obtains
under the constitution with respect TO
the election of representatives.
The speech of Senator Rayner, of
Maryland interjected this issue into
the debate on the bill. During the
consideration Of the measure in the
senate committee on the judiciary,
Senator Nelson, of Minnesota, pro.
posed an amendment to place in the
constitution the same right of control
for the federal government over tie
election of senators by the people as
now exists as to the election of repre-
sentatives, but the committee reject
I'd it, at the request of the southern
senators.
Senator Sutherland, of Utah, also a
member of the committee, presented
the Nelson amendment on the floor OF
the senate and that fact aroused tie
hostility of the southern senators, VIC
are declaring that if it shall he added
to the bill the measure will be defeat
ed and there will be no constitutional
amendment authorizing the election OF
senators by the people.
The idea that such federal power