The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-05-02
INVESTIGATING DISASTER

From Our Washington Correspondent
One of the things that the United
States Senate usually avoids, is hasty
or prccipitate action, no matter how
urgent the case may be. But for once
this greatest deliberatiye body of the
world, got a hustle on and the way
the Senators promptly busted them
selves in investigating the Titanic dis
aster, has won the applause of people
everywhere. There has been no such
intensity of feeling known in Wash.
ington since the day of the assassina-
ton of President Mckinley, as that
produced by the great horror of the sea
The correspondent Of the Register sat
close to the great Marconi, inventor
of wireless ~telcgraphy, met and con
versed with members Of the Titanic
crew, and had ample opportunity to
observe J. Bruce lsmay, who has be.
come the central figure of attention
throughout the world since the an
nouncement of the hearings at the
Senate office building, and inasmuch
as it has not been published before, it
may be told to the readers of this
paper that the palm of the hand of this
British p%lutocrat appears to verify his
claim that he pulled an oar of the life
boat in which he escaped. Ismay is
not typically English His complexion
is so dark as to be almost swarthy, and
his features and black curly hair.
Hebrew, from which race he is said
to come, than the English, and in the
early period of his arrival in this
country, he wore the look of a nerve
wrecked man making a supreme effort
to put up a bold front. On board the
Carpathia he occupied one Of the
choicest staterooms, while women
slept upon the floors of the ship. In
New York and Washington Ismay has
commanded the highest priced atten-
ton, and his money has bought the
best Accommodations in the most ex-
pensive hotels. While the feeling of
prejudice against the man as indicated
by the daily press has not been over
stated, yet to the credit of the Ameri-
nor nnnn1A ~ nnn ha frtthFn1It caiLl
that nowhere was any discourtesy
shown Ismay and the White Star Of
~ficials, and judgment in every quarter
was held in allegiance pending the out
come OF the great Investigation which
on. The wreck OF the Titanic has
brought its sorrows and grief strongly
home to the people OF Washington and
the entire eastern portion OF the coun
try, where friends and families of the
unfortunate ones who persisted have
been bowed down with grief. Memoir
ial exercises have been held every
where and the nation has passively
waited the relating OF the story as 1t
has been brought out by the senators.
And while little has or can be done to
alleviate the condition produced by the
tremendous catastrophe that has
shocked the world, yet it Is apparent
that every effort is being made to ar
rive at the facts and to utilize them in
framing legislation that will prevent
a recurrence Of such a thing again
upon the high e
There Is no attempt to conceal the
fact that the situation in regard to
Mexico is extremely serious, and the
American authorities are using every
strategy to avoid Intervention. The
problem OF maintaining national
honor" is sometimes very difficult, but
who will say but that the eclipse OF all
other matters by the story OF the
Titanic tragedy. has not served to
take the attention Of the American
people from the affairs of Mexico and
avoided dwelling too much upon the
insults that have been heaped upon
Uncle Sam. The established form Of
government in Mexico seems helpless
in controlling tho situation, and the
re~volutionists are showing no respect
for American lives OF property. The
American "dawg" has been very rude