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A REPUBLICAN, NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE UPBUILDING OF AMERICAN HOMES AND AMERICAN INDUSTRIES.
VOL. I.
BURLINGTON, N. C.; FEBRUARY 24, 1909.
NO. 41
WASHINGTON LETTER;
rr.vu our lieffular Cofrespdndent.
Wa.-hi ngton, Feb. 'l9.--Siuce ' 1
laft wrote Presidentelect -Taftaml
the -HstingtiisbetJ etireers' yhti ae-:
companied him to Panama Irsre re
tnnu'd and made their report and
the I'resiuent in turn pas vseufc a
me,sage 10 . wDnriptae Torth ;and S:uth America is be
ioforuiation that has already-been UmiVorp nl mn n 5,nfliv"
2iveu that the lock type of canal is
the only one approved Dy tne en
gineers and the President-elect who,
after a very carfefuV, study 'of the
ground have expied. their pre
ference for this type rather than
for the sea level canal. The Presi
dent has sent a special -message 4to
Congress on the subject in : which
he characterizes further advocacy of
the less desirable and more expen
sive sea level canal a& "foolish."
The President-elect has made it
known that he will after the inau
guration, call Congress' in special
session to be assembled on March
the 15th.
The apparently petty complica
tions standing in the way of Sena
tor Knox of Pennsylvania, to -his
acceptance of the highest cabinet of
fice under the new president have
been swept away by special enact
ment of Congress and there now ap
pears to be no doubt that he will be
the Secretary of State under the new
administration.
The President-elect has returned
to his Cincinnati home, while Mrs.
Taft, it is understood, is adding to
her wardrobe, in New York.
Only about ten legislative days
and nights remain for th;s Con
gress and there are a number of im
portant appropriation bills not yet
enacted. There has been filibustering
in the jSenate and threats of filibust
ering in the House. The Housa is
restless and even recalcitrant under
the despotism pf Speaker Cannon.
There is much talk among the in
surgents and mutterings of revolts
from both Democrats and Republi
cans. The same condition prevails
in the Se'nafe, where Senator La
Follette of Wisconsin is effectively
protesting against the autoacy of
Aklrieh, Hale, Penrose and Galling
er. During the week he has suc
cessfully resisted Senator Hale, who
attempted the immediate passage of
the naval appropriation bill; and al
so St-nat.jr Penrose, who attempted
t rush the Post Office bill through
without debate. Mr. La Follette
began with arguments against the
general policy of withholding ap
propriation bills until it was too
late for other senators to inquire in
to them. This led Senator Penrose
of Pennsylvania to ask, with sar
casm, if the Senate had to be com
pelled to listen to another Chatau
qua lecture. Mr. La Follette, un-
I mindful of the interruption, contin-
"cu uu uis retnarKs aua mtimarea
that Penrose had not given enough
attention to the preparation of the
Post Office budget and that the
measure had not been properly pre pared.
Then Mr. Penrose arose in
wrath and in a few moments there
was a sensation, recognized both on
the Senate floor aud in the galleries.
His arraignment was bitter and he
concluded it with the remark that
Mr. La Follette's arguments "might
better be made by a vender of pat
ent medicines, from the tail end of
a cart in some obscure village in
sin than by a Senator of the
Lnited States."
It became evident yesterday that
tie plans for the conservation of the
natural resources of the country had
Passed the exnerimpnta.1 stocw nnrl
have become continental instsad of
national, inasmuch as Canada and
Mexico are giving enthusiastic co
operation to the great enterprise.
Th ese facts became annarpnt in
the address of President Roosevelt
this week in the East Room of the
VK; u' i i
"lie .nouse auu uie sentiment was
strengthened later in the dav in tbp
State Department by speeches made
representatives from other gov
ernments. In these speeches, it was
recognized that international streams
a re affected by cutting forests on
either side of the boundary and that
consrvation plans, to be effective,
must be international.
Mr
riepbum ot Iowa, one ot
AN INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY,
Hinton Rowan Helper's Dream May
Yet Be Realized. : '!".
. '7', - v . ' , J. '"
Troy (X. Y.J 'Times.-'V ,
The -dream .of an international and
intercontinental railway system by
which it will be ; possible to pass
readily toand trom remote points
comihg'more and more an actuality.
This is suggested by the announce
ment that within a vert short time
passengers may take a drawing-room
carxat Portland or Seattle and re
main therein until the City of Mex
ico is reached, the distance traveled
being 3,500 miles. The arrangement-being
the outgrowth of recent
developments along the Pacific Coast
of the United States and in ft) exico.
The trip mentioned, when one may
go without change ot cars, will be
through san Francisco, Los Angeles,
Mazatlan, and Guadalajara, and is
the result of the construction of new
and connecting lines on both sides
of the international border. There
has been notable expansion in Mex
ico, which is becoming gridironed
with steel rails and is finding extra
ordinary industrial and commercial
development as a consequence.
Such connections as are mention
ed permit travel by rail not only in
the manner mentioned, but to and
from other sections of the- United
States. Passengers from this part
of ihe country, .as well as from the
Pacific Coast, can go to Mexico with
out chnge of cars, if railroad man
agers choose so to arrange matters.
And the roads in Mexico extending
southward are reaching out to those
coming up from the other direction.
South America has many systems or
parts of systems, the logical and in
evitable destiny of which is to form
part of a whole, by which that re
gion will i e ioined to Central and
North America. Wonderful things
are ging on in that quarter, and
many persons now living may see
materalized the project suggested
more than forty years ago by that
then misunderstood genius, Hinton
Rowan Helper, who outlined the
''three Americas railway," aud wrote
vigorously and earnestly in support
of an idea that was ridiculed by con
temporaries, but is being carried out
by his successors.
Mr. Helper, although a Southern
er 'born and bred, also urged the
abolition ot slavery on economic
grounds, and used a gifted pen in
expression of his view. Thus do
the visionaries of one period become
iamous as true prophsts iu another.
Ma. FonvihVs Land Sale.
Saturday February 27th, 1909,
The Piedmont Trust Co.j agent for
L. J. Fonville, will sell 30 lots
near the colored graded school.
This sale will be conducted for col
ored people and will enable any
thrifty colored man to secure a
home on reasonable terms. So far
as we know this is the first sale of
real estate conducted foi colored
people, but white men are invited to
attend and invest for the benefit of
the colored people. The sale will
hpcrin nt one o clock. lerms ot
sale, $10.00 down, balance on easy
payments.
ftlissouri thanks the trust for its
partnership offers, but she dosn't
care to go into the oil business.
the most capable and influential
members of the loer house, attack
ed the House rules this week and
referring to a plank in the last na
tional Democratic platform denounc
ing the rules of the Hous as at
present enforced, said: "1 am one
of those who would condemn the
ten commandments if by some ac
cident the Democratic party should
adopt them. For fifty years it has
been my duty to criticize the Demo
cratic party, but this particular
plank is consoling: to my soul." Af-
ter Colonel Hepburn's speech,
Speaker Cannon agreed, to make a
concession i the House insurgents
by setting apart a day each week
for the consideration of bills on the
calendar. This is one of the prin
cipal priveleees demanded by the
: insurgents.
CONGRESS MEETS .
Piiflrtifrii
Taft Announces Date of Extra Ses
sionTariff Bill Will be Long
l?irie Getting Through; Both: of
?the Houses.
Washington, Feb. 17. Mr.
Taft will summon the Sixty-first
Congress in extra session on March
15. Yesterday he conferred with
Senator Aldrich, and at his- request
the latter saw Speaker Cannon this
morning to ascertain J the date that
would be most acceptable to both
Houses. They agreed upon March
15. Mr. Taft was notified early
this morning and immediately re
plied that that date would suit him
perfectly. Today in the House of
Representatives, Mr. Payne, chair
man of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, announced the date.
When the next Congress meets
the Ways and Means Committee
will have its tariff bill ready to re
port to the House. In the House
the program is to put the bill
through as promptly as ossible,but
to allow ample opportunity to every
member to discuss the bill in gener
al, or those features in which he is
locally interested. It is hoped that
the bill can be sent to the Senate
by the middle of April. When the
bill will pass the JSennte no one will
guess. Alter it passes tne oenate
it will remain in conference probab
ly a month longer, so that no one
here believes the tariff bill will be
i tin . fjji. .
a law mucn oeiore . tne miaaie or
the summer.
That it will be an honest revis
ion, of the tariff no one doubts. Mr.
Taft has made it plain both to Sen
ator Aldrich and Speaker Cannon
that he is thoroughly determined to
sign only a bill which reaily revises
the tariff1. It will be well for busi
ness men to recollect. that in its fin
al form the bill will prepared in the
Senate. Too much importance
must not be attached to the bill
which Chairman Payne will intro-
1 T I 1 i
auce. maeeu it is not. saying too
ranch that the Payne bill will b
largely tentative, with ample allow
ance for the trades aud the conces
sions that must ,be made in rates,
both upward and downward to get
the bill first through the House and
then through the Seuate.
Mr. Taft was here until 4 o clock
this afternoon when he left for Cin-
-w 1
cinnati. xUirly this morning he re
ceived Senators Aldrich and Hale,
the Senate leaders, and Speaker Can
non, of the House of Representa
tives. There was some discussion
between the gentlemen as to wheth
er the extra session should be limit
ed to the sole enactment of the new
tariff law or whether other legisla
tion should be permitted. Mr. Taft
and Speaker Cannon emphatically
declared themselves in favor of per
mitting only the tariff bill to come
up for action, but Senators Aldrich
aud Hale pointed ont that other
legislation might be inevitable.
They pointed out that with ouJy
15 days of this session remaining a
number of Republican eenators wera
filibustering against appropriation
bills; that there still remain 10 oth
er appropriation bills to be consid
ered in the Senate, so that if. the
present insurrection in the Senate
continues there was every probabil
ity that the sessiou would adjourn
with less than one half of the indis
pensable appropriation bills passed.
Mr. Taft eonceded that in such an
event it would, of course, be peces
sary co consider the appropriation
hills at the extra session as well as
the tariff bill. The census bill too,
must be passed at the extra session.
There is so much trouble in Con-
cress about what sort of conveyance
shall be supplied President Taft, it
is surprising someone has not pro
posed the elephant.
Senator Tillman gays he will
"keep right after the President."
This means, of course the .Presi
dent will haVe to maintain a sharp
lookout both fore and aft while in
Africa.
FLEET ANCHORS AT
STARTING PLACE,
The Great American Fleet Returns
to Hampton Roads and is Re
viewed ty President and
Thousands of Visitors.
Hampton Roads, Va., Feb., 22.
This is a great day for the aavy
aud the American people. Historic
Hampton Roads has not witnessed
such an event since the naval fight
nearly half a century ago between
the Monitor and the Merrimac.
When the globe-circling battleship
fleet cast anchor today in the im-
mense watery triangle, bounded by
Newport News, Norfolk and the
gray old walls of Fortress Monroe,
there ended one of the most specta
cular and successful cruises in the
history of the world. The fleet an
chored after the review at the place
where it started more than a year
ago, ana it is home in almost as
good condition as when it began its
42,000 mile journey, more than
twice the distance ever sailed by any
fleet in the history of the world.
For a week the cities bounding
Hampton Roads hav been "fleet
mad" and the culmination of the
enthusiasm and excitement was
reached this morning when the
great battleships steamed majestic
ally into the Roads with the flagship
Connecticut leading the procession
and Admiral Sperryon the bridge.
The theatre for this gigantic dra
ma was in keeping with the actors
and the date, Washington's birth
day, is singularly appropriate. Ev
erything in the great pageant oc
cured exactly according to prear-
rangement.
Condenced Facts About the Trip
Around World.
Norfolk, Va., Feb., 22. Ships
making up the fleet: Connecticut,
flagship; Kansas, Louisana, Ver
mont, Virginia, Georgia, New Jer
sey, Rhode Island, Alabama, Illi
nois, Kearsarge, Kentucky, Ooio,
Maine, Minnesota and Missouri
The scout cruiser Yankton also ac
companied the fleet from port k
port in advance,
Commanders of the fleet: When
the sixteen machines of naval war
fare moved out of Hampton Roads
on December 16, 1907 it was com
manded by Admiral Robley D Ev
ans. On May 9, 1904, Rear Ad
miral Thomas succeeded Admiral
Evans, who was badly crippled with
rheumatism and who retired while
the fleet was in Californian waters.
Admiral Thomas held sway ver
the fleet just six days. Then he
was succeeded by Admiral bperry,
who brought the fleet home.
Distance made by the fleet: 1 he
fleet in its tour steamed 40,000'
miles. The route from port to port
was from Hamptou Roads to Trin-
dad to Rio Janeiro, to Port Arenas,
to Callao, to Mgdalena Bay, to Al
bauy, to Manila, to Yokohoma, to
Honolulu, t Manila, to Singapore,
to Columbia, to Suez, to Gibraltar,
and thence to Hampton Roads.
The battleship line tormation to
day is ten miles long.
The fleet has been manned by
12,000 jackies.
On its cruise the fleet used 365,
000 tons of coal.
The cost of coaling ,o;n the long
trip is $2,600,000.
The cost tor tood tor the crew
has been' $200,000.
The fleet is being welcomed to
day with naval ceremonies on a
larger scale than ever attempted in
the Uuited States before. A wel
coming fleet steamed out to sea and
met the fleet, consistiug ot thfe toi
lowing warships: Maine, Alabama,
Mississippi, and New Hampshire
and the cruisers Montana, North
Carolina, Salem, Chester and Bir
mingham. The trip was a pleasant one and
marred by very few unpleasant in
cidents. Upon the trip the officer
ed son of Admiral Evans was
court-martialed, at Gibraltar Cap
tain Qualtrpugh, of the Georgia,
was court-martiiled for, drunken-
PANAMA CANAL PLANS
Gatun Dam ho More Impracticable
1 Than one at Gamboa.
New York Tribune. ,
There will be no change in the
plan of the Panama Canal. It will
be completed according to the lock
plan, within six years, and possibly
in less time. The total cost, includ
ing the original purchase of the
French title and the lease of the Ca
nal Zone, will be considerably un
der $400,000,000. The' , cost of a
sea-level canal would.be something
over 50 per cent more than the lock
type. The engineering difficulties
in the way of a sea-level canal, chief
of which would be the construction
of a dam 170 feet high, to control
the Charges River, as " opposed to
the Gatun Dam, which will be only
85 teet high, will, in the opinion of
all who have seriously investigated
conditions in the Canal Zone, pre
vent any chauge from the lock
plan. These facts and various oth
ers became known to a high official
of the administration here.
The consulting engineers declined
to talk for publication, saying that,
as they wee busily engaged in com
pleting their report for the Presi
dent, it vould not be proper for
them to make a preliminary report
through the press. The. engineers
discussed the situation, however,
with their superiors, although the
discussion was informal. All the
engineers agree with regard to the
general plan of the canal, and it is
doubtful if their report will contain
a single recommendation iu favor ol
the sea-level type.
The engineers regard as almost
too obvious for explanation the
proposition that the Charges Dam,
which would be made necessary by
the adoption of the sea-level plan,
would be as much more difficult to
construct with safety as the propor
tion of 170 to 85, although that no
vice may need to be reminded that
only the height of a body of water
controls the pressure of the dam
with which it is sought to restrain
it, and the pressure on the Gatun
Dam, despite the fact that it consti
tutes thp. retaining wall of a lake 23
miles long, will be no greater than
if the lake were only a mile' or
half a mile long. The result is that
the pressure against the Gatun dam
would be 5,312.5 pounds a lineal
square foot, as against the pressure
on the Charges dam, which would
be made necessary by a sea-level ca
nal, of 10,625 pounds a lineal
foot.
The argument that an earthquake
may destroy the Gatun dam or oth
er works of the lock type, while not
regarded as particularly forceful by
tfce engineers, becomes, it is pointed
out by them, of increased force when
applied to a sea-level canal which
would involve the construction ot a
masonry dam 170 feet high.
Death of a Child.
Willie, the little si a-months-old
daughter of Mr. and. ftlrs. Wood
Allen, died at the home of her par
ents near Elmira Feb., 19, and was
buried at Pine Hill cemetery on
Feb.. 20, the funeral ' service was
conducted by Rev. J. D. Andrew.
These parent have the sympathy
of a large number of friends, since
this is the third time death has tak
en an infant from their home.
ness.--
When the fleet first touched Ma
nila there was a cholera scare, on
which precluded the possibility'of
sailors landing.
The fleet took 65,000 pounds of
frozen mutton.
Jack Tar consumed 35,000 lbs.
of. bologna sausage.
He ate 140,000 pounds cheese.
If all the foodstuff were piled in
bulk it would reach to the height of
a fifteen story sky scrapet.
The fleet has been gone one year,
two months and six days.
Note The Maine and Alabama
started with the fleet from Hamp
ton Roads but were ordered back
and their places were taken by the
Nebraska and ; Wisconsin.
WILLING? OF COURSE! I
WHAtNEXtl
Charlotte Observer r ' K "
Col. Bryan said again at Denver,'
Col., .Saturday,:- what he bas said
many ttmes since the, , last election;
in reference, to making a fourth race .
for the presidency: "I am ,ffot an
cut-and-out candidate, but if the
people of this country and my own
party should demand that I make
the race again, standing for my well'
known principles and ideas, why, I
do not rery well see how. I could
refuse." He said in the same con
nection that fie had made himself
"clear on this subject time and a- ,
gain, and if the people have sense
enough to understand it, why,
what's vhe use of explaining it over
again?" We scarcely see. And
here we have it once more, except
a little more definitely, perhaps.
VV e do not know but what it will
be just as well to have it over again
not, as some would argue, in or
der to "get rid" of him, for another
experience would be ineffective for
that purpipse; it has been said that
defeat is not a cure; but because he
would defeat any other candidate
aud better he than a better man.
Why, do we say that? Witness: In
a speech at Urbaua, O., in 1904 he
said: "The Democrats in 1892 playr
ed a confidence game on the people
and put a bunco-steerer Mr. Cleve
land at the head of the party. In
the campaign of 1904, while "sup
porting" Judge Parker for Presi
dent, he said: '
"A Democratic victory will mean
very little, if any, progress on eco
nomic questions so long as the party
is under the control of the Wall
street element. Mr. Parker ' is as
thoroughly committed to the side of
the financiers as Mr. Roosevelt. Af
ter the party had rejoiced over the
harmony secured by the omission of
the money question from the plat
form and after he had secured the
nomination he injected his views
upon the subject at a time when he
could not be taku from the ticket
without demoralization. The nom
ination was therefore . secured by
crooked and. indefensible methods.
This is the sort of "support" he'
gives Democratic candidates. With
a great many people, enough to turn
the scale in an election, Bryanism
is a religion. Therefore any Dem
ocratic candidate whom he wants
beaten will be beaten and he wants
any one beaten excepting himself.
The Norfolk VirginiaPilof, here
tofore one of his most loyal support
ers, has suffered an exhaustion i of
patience and we copy a few sebtetf-
ces from an interesting editorial in
its issue, of Saturday:
Tbe mistake was made last ,
time of allowing him to assume the
part of 'It without interruption or
contradiction until he hud all the,
strings uf the situation in hand and
no choice was left to Democrats but
to support him or desert their par
ty. He is now playiug again the
double role of oracle and organizer,
and if the waiting policy should be
repeated by other leaders and by the
press h will turn up in 1912 with
another organized army of noisy
shouters, formidable enough to scare
all possible competitors into their
holes and eager to do his bidding to
the letter. He must be discounted
and discredited now, at the incep
tion ot his campaign, or it will be
wo late. If it- is not too soon for v
Mr. Bryan to be laying his pipes
and stretching his wires for a fresh
exemplification of his Kingship of
Democracy, , .it is not too soon for
those who think he has already too
long and too often led the party to -defeat"
to take up arms, against him i
and inaugarate active : measures to
circumyent his ambitious and im
pudent scheme for ruling the future
as he has ruined the past of the par-
ty- - 1 - V ; -
"Selfish, self-centered aelf-mag-nified,
the human pack must-be un
loaded or the patient donkey will
die outright. So far as that frac
tion of the Democracy for which
this paper speaks is concerned, there
is to' bevfrom now on flat repudia-
Continued on page eight.
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