Salt Lake Tribune | 1908-10-11 | Page 14 | Transmississippi Congress Defeats Administration Plan

i TRANSMISS5SS1PPS CONGRESS. j 1 DEFEATS ADMINISTRATION PLANE i I SAX FRANCISCO. Oct. 10. Reaffirming Reaf-firming its support oi a scoro of broad policies affecting tbe resources and development de-velopment of the West, aud intrusting the destinies of their organization to new officers, tho delegates to the Transinississippi Commercial congress late today adjourned sine die the nineteenth nine-teenth annual session and departed for their homes. The last dav of tho congress con-gress vrns characterized by the only important contest of the five da.vs, pre-iMnifcaten pre-iMnifcaten hv a difference of oninion I over tho proposed national legislation known as the parcels post measure. The resolution supporting the attitude of the postmaster-general was defeated b' a vote of 140 to 60. Anticipating that the congress vrouM take action ou the question,. representation representa-tion of the "Retail Grocers association, tho Commercial Travelers of America, the postoffice departnient, and of various commercial bodies accredited to the congress not only watched the progress of the resolution in 'committee, 'commit-tee, where it was defeated, but participated partici-pated a'so in the spirited debate on the floor today. The question as threshed out involved opposition to mail order houses, the welfare of the small mer-i mer-i chant, the. item of government expense I and the probable effect upon the com- mercial travelers of tho country. In more than one instance tho assertion was made that t lie real object of the opposition was to prevent the government govern-ment affording a lower rate for transportation trans-portation than is afforded by railroad or express companies". I Installation of Officers. The installation of President Thomas F. Walsh of Denver and the other officers offi-cers elected was a feature of the day. The resolutions adopted today de-claro de-claro tho sentiments of the congress upon many subjects. A government steamship line irom the western ports i of the United States to Panama and other Centra American points is favored; fa-vored; the cougress of the United States is urged to take immediate action iu support of an iucroased merchant marine; ma-rine; to provide two coast nav3" j-ards sufficiently larce to care for an adequate ade-quate Pacific fleet; to permit the im- proveinent of nearly all harbors and ; navigable rivers in the trnnsmississippi i region aud to appropriate annually the sum of $50,000,000 for advancement of the Lakes-to-Gulf waterway project. Ju addition the cougress approved legislation providinc for protection of water and torest rights, the revision of the tariff and the protection of do mestic sugar. A surprise of tho closing moments of tuo congress was tho unanimous adopt tioii of a resolution indorsing snffragf for women and urging congreasion representatives of tho western state!1 to support such action. The resolution was presented by Mrs. Scipio Craig oi the California delegation and was oii thusiastically passed. Jfc A resolution indorsing separate statQ hood for Now Mexico and Arizona wav I unanimously passed. ft