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NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 57 
——— 
THE ; 
National Capital 
Events of Interest from the Seat of 
Government 
By J. E. Jones 
The Breeze Bureau. 
Washington, July 7, 1914. 
LAKE SUPERIOR TO THE GULF 
The states of Wisconsin and Min- 
nesota have descended upon the 
Board of Engineers for Rivers and 
Harbors, and have pointed out the 
feasibility of a waterway between 
the head of the Great Lakes and the 
Mississippi River. This seems to be 
an era of canals, since the Panama . 
Canal is about ready for business, 
while Cape Cod has been severed to 
shorten the distance between New 
York and Boston by many hours. 
Governor Eberhardt of Minnesota 
headed the commissioners and was 
accompanied by State Senator 
George H. Sullivan of Minnesota 
and Ed. L. Peet and John Chinnock, 
representing the state of Wisconsin. 
The gentlemen pointed out that a 
preliminary survey of the proposed 
canal has already been made by the 
government engineers who have 
found that from an _ engineering 
standpoint the plan is entirely fea- 
sible. The new waterway is to 
start at Allouez Bay, near Superior, 
and the canal is carried across coun- 
try for twenty-five miles, connect- 
ing with the Brule River, which in 
the time of Grover Cleveland ob- 
tained renown as a trout stream, be- 
cause the Presidential angler was ac- 
customed to cast his ‘‘fly’’ in those 
waters. {he Brule river, the St. 
Croix furnish a direct outlet to the 
Mississippi. This water route, 200 
miles in length, will give St. Paul 
and Minnesota the advantage of 
cheap» water transportation. Under 
present conditions seventy-two per 
cent. of the railroad freight between 
the head of Lake Superior and the 
Twin Cities is coal and it was shown 
that the water freight on this com- 
modity from Buffalo to Duluth is 
thirty cents a ton, while it costs 
g6 cents a ton for soft coal and 
$1.20 a ton for hard coal for the ad- 
ditional short railroad haul from 
Duluth to Minneapolis. The com- 
missioners pointed out that the 
single item of coal alone furnishes 
a reason why a canal should be con- 
structed. The immense traffic in this 
commodity would be met by an 
equally important demand for the 
use of the canal for the transporta- 
tion of flour and general merchan- 
dise from St, Paul and Minneapolis, 
while the wheat and corn producing 
states along the Mississippi and 
Missouri would thus be provided 
with transportation directly to the 
head of the Lakes. The main stick- 
ler of the whole proposition seems to 
hinge upon what would appear to 
be a trivial consideration, and that 
refers to the type of barge that 
would be most feasible for use on 
the canal. It is explained that this 
creat project affords means of trans- 
portation that will lessen the cost 
to the consumer of fuel going west, 
and food products carried eastward. 
This gigantic enterprise will cost 
from $8,000,000 to $10,000,000, but 
the commissioners claim that the 
traffic already in sight is sufficient 
to pay a substantial dividend on the 
investment from the start. Senator 
Nelson and a number of Congress- 
men appeared with the commission- 
ers, and added their support to the 
demand of Wisconsin and Minneso- 
ta for the completion of the survey 
at the earliest possible date. 
Our AFFAIRS WITH THE JAPS 
The final publication of the cor- 
respondence between the United 
States and Japan relating to Cali- 
fornia’s anti-alien policy, has devel- 
oped even a milder presentation 
than most people at the National 
Capital expected. Japan very sue- 
cessfully made the Roosevelt, Tatt 
and Wilson administration very un- 
comfortable, and Capitol Hill 
breathed long deep draughts of re- 
lief when Colonel Goethals let it ve 
known that the Panama Canal was 
ready to put warships through the 
locks in case an emergency arose. 
Since then the administration has 
not become so excited over the per- 
formanees of Japan, although it was 
declared by Senator William Alden 
Smith of Michigan that the visit of 
a Japanese naval officer to Huerta 
precipitated the American attack up- 
-on Vera Cruz. 
THE SECRETS OF CONGRESS 
Senator Stone has apparently 
thrown wide open the question as to 
whether it is advisable to continue 
running the government by secret 
methods, and it is altogether likely 
that his challenge to the effect that 
Senators who have divulged some- 
thing of the proceedings of the com- 
mittee having in charge the _ hear- 
ings on treaties, have violated their 
honor, will be met. The American 
people are greatly interested in the 
pending treaty with Colombia, and 
many of them would like to know 
the inside reasons for the proposed 
payment of $25,000,000. There ap- 
parently is no objection to an ap- 
ology being offered to Colombia if it 
is actually due that country. The 
large issue is the growing impatience 
against practices in Congress by 
which treaties are considered in se- 
cret as well as the processes of ex- 
ecutive sessions of the Senate and 
secret committee meetings, and par- 
ty caucuses. Senator Norris opened 
the question of furnishing greater 
publicity to the proceedings con- 
cerning treaties with Nicaragua and 
Colombia,and it looks as though the 
issue as to whether statesmen shall 
be allowed to continue doing busi- 
ness behind closed doors, will be 
definitely decided before long. 
Tue Ising oF PINES 
After the Spanish-American war 
there was a long drawn-out dispute 
as to whether the Isle of Pines be- 
longed to the United States or Cuba. 
Unele Sam finally surrendered his 
title, but the island in the meantime 
enchanted a good many people, and 
now nearly ninety per cent of the 
entire area is owned by Americans. 
Stories of the great wealth of tim- 
ber, on the island have been circu- 
lated, and there have been plenty 
of investors patiently waiting to 
realize the promised fortunes. 
Consul General James L. Rogers, 
at Havana, Cuba, has written the 
State Department to the effect that 
there has been a remarkable devel- 
opment in the islands in the citros- 
fruit raising and other agricultural 
effort. 
While the consul does not mention 
the fact, yet it is a matter of know- 
ledge to some people in Washington 
that at one time a number of United 
States officials in Cuba and the Isle 
of Pines attempted to secure a cor- 
ner on pineapples, and did so. But 
before they got through with their 
experience most of them had barely 
enough money left to pay their fare 
back to the United States. It is es- 
timated that the population of the 
island is about five thousand people, 
of which perhaps one thousand are 
Americans. 
Tue Money Suot at VERA Cruz 
It has already cost the American 
government more than one million 
and a quarter dollars for its exhibi- 
tion pulled off at Vera Cruz. Not- 
withstanding the big expense of our 
enterprise the protocol of Niagara 
Falls specifies that the government 
of the United States will not claim 
a war indemnity. 
Patronize home industry by hav- 
ing your printing done at this office, 
