Newspaper Page Text
BENRY COUNTY WEEKLY.
M ■ ■ ■
J. A. FOUCHE, Publisher.
H. L. JOHNSON, Editor.
Entered at the poetofflce at McDoik
dash as second class mail matter.
Advertising Rates: SI.OO per lnol
par month. Reduction on standlni
pactracts by special agreement.
The doctors are now telling us, notes
the Chicago Inter Ocean, that we catch
heat as often as we catch cold, if
not oftcner; and there you are again.
•
A change must come, shouts the
Richmond Times-Dispateh. It has
already set in. Prices must come down.
The cost of living must, be reduced.
The cost of doing business must be
reduced before there can be a healthy
reaction in trade. We must learn to
economize. We must be content to live
a simpler life.
Flies carry the germs of typhoid
fever and spread them everywhere,
insists the Christian Register. Mos
quitoes bite those who have yellow
or malarial fever, and then, again,
bite healthy persons to whom they
convey the disease. The chance for
science and philanthropy to work to
gether here is almost boundless.
The laws of Great Britain make a
Dumber of distinctions between wom
en and men, observes the New York
■World. A man can get a divorce on
grounds which are not open to wom
en. An Englishman may heat his
wife, and, providing he does it moder
ately and for her own needful disci
pline, she canifot secure counsel fees
and alimony. %
Our Spanish American neighbors
from the Rio Grande southward,
notes the St. Louis Republic, are more
and more disposed to recognize the
fact that the work done in this coun
try to establish closer trade relations
becomes an asset of their own as soon
as they accept its results. They ask
only that we meet them as equals, not
as inferiors, and this is a tacit re
quest in the hospitality they offer the
United States as represented by its
navy.
Recently, by several reputable writ
ers, literary men, ministers wom
en have been advised to consult a
banker before making Investments in
stocks, bonds, and other securities.
The advice is excellent, admits the
Christian Register, and yet something
prior to such transactions is needed.
First, choose your banker. For the
man or woman inexperienced in finan
cial affairs, the choosing of an advis
er is often as difficult as the choice of
a security.
Undoubtedly the billboard is a pass
ing evil. It has sprung up within
comparatively recent years and has
reached its present horrible domi-
Dance only because the authority
which holds in check other invaders
of private rights has not been inter
actively invoked. Now that the effort
4s made to bring this authority to
bear, we ought to expect this weedy
growth to be checked. It cannot last
forever, admits the Boston Post. No
community will endure t it in perpetu
ity. But meantime the regulation of
the evil is demanded by every consid
eration of ethics and of individual
right.
“Kismet” is a Turkish word. It is
a near ally to opium and hasheesh,
being used to stupefy the will ns those
drugs paralyze the body and mind.
When evils come upon the Turk he
bows his head and foolishly mutters
“Kismet! It is fate!” confesses the
Pittsburg Press. Every winter and
spring the people of the Ohio valley
suffer the most destructive of floods
and they bow their heads and mutter
“Kismet.” They think it is fate. But
it isn’t. The floods are our fault. The
science that prevents yellow fever and
is conquering the white plague knows
the remedy for the Ohio floods. Every
man now counting up his damage
from the recent floods — every poor per
son dying of pneumonia from the
dampness—is suffering from an ifl as
surely curable at toothache.
A Censor of the Press
By Jlgnes Qepplier.
HE Nineteenth Century and After, that most genial of Brit-
T& ish dictators, has expressed its opinions—more in sorrow
♦ than in anger—on the subject of the American Sunday news
• paper. This amazing product of our civilization strikes the
i, T English critic with something akin to awe. Its vast bulk,
' ►♦♦♦••♦•»+ he enuormous figures which represent its real or fictitious
jj ♦ circulation; its wide grasp of material, from literary novel
i ties like “The Wandering Jew,” to the range at which Master
Archie Roosevelt shot a rabbit; its determination to provide
entertainment for every grade of intelligence and senility; its advertisements,
its illustrations, and the generous breadth with which it defines that pleasant
word “society,” are all equally bewildering to an alien. He pauses to speculate
upon the “gifted prophetess,’ who for twenty-five cents “and upwards” pro
vides "gypsy sympathy,” fortune telling, palmistry andspiritcommunications. ’
He is pleased and surprised to see that the seven royal children,of an unpro
nounceable German principality are as dear to our hearts, and our pf'ss, as
the lady who sings “Seven Lumps of Sugar > Sweetie,” in advanced vaudeville,
and whose portrait flanks that of the Germanic nurslings. He asks on what
principle of selection this mass of heterogeneous rubbish is collected and dis
tributed weekly.
Above all, the colored comic supplement of the Sunday newspaper is a
stumbling-block to the critic’s path. For whom, he wonders, and for whom,
we wonder, too, can these pictures be intended? Do grown-up people trace
the disastrous consequences of Sammy’s Sneeze, or follow Faithful Fritz
through his ever-repeated ducking and tumblings? Has American humor re
verted to the simple anyestral type which regarded an accident of any kind as
mirthful? Are the supplements designed for the exclusive refresnment of the
feeble-minded, or as a blight upon the intelligence of youth? Or can it be pos
sible that we are all, without knowing it, at the “Slovenly Peter” stage of men
tal development? These are questions which the Nineteenth Century lacks
the spirit and intelligence to answer. It merely observes that “a’family which
has saturated itself with the Sunday newspaper is in no mood for church-go
ing, nor for any serious occupation”—a statement too obvious for regard. A
family “saturated” with the Sunday newspaper would probably be tottering on'
the verge of idiocy, but the American mind is not of a porous quality. It was
the wi3e Marcus Aurelius who —tormented with the superfluities of Rome —ad-
vised his readers to save themselves by inattention from the knowledge of
useless things.—From Life.
Six Hundred Millions
Worth of Floods Yearly
By Walter J. Ballard.
❖ ❖❖❖►M-**** T is estimated by the United State geological survey that
floods cost the American people $100,000,000 a year in loss of
V T 4* property, while the mere menace of these floods prevents the
❖ Jl development of thousands of square miles of ottierwise val
-4* uable property and limits the usefulness of a far greater
4* area. Great as is the annual destruction of property, great
t er still is the loss by the waste of the water Itself. A con
servative estimate places the water loss at five times the
value of the property loss. If the flood water of the United
States could be stored for future use it would be worth $500,000,000 a year to
us. Therefore, it is safe to say that, directly and indirectly, floods cost the
American people a total of $600,000,000 a year.
To prevent or minimize this great loss the engineers of the water resourc
es branch of the geological survey have been for a number of years making
systematic studies of flood conditions on many streasms throughout the country,
and several of their reports have been published. Attention is now drawn to
Water Supply Papers Nos. 88. 92, 96, 147 and 162. Renewed impetus was giv
en to the work by the great flood in the Ohio river basin in March, 1907, which
was one of the two greatest in a hundred years, the other having occurred In
ISS4.
The ideal remedy for floods, according to the engineers of the survey, is
the keeping of the earth’s surface in a porous condition, so that the water will
be absox-bed and held as by a sponge, and allowed to pass slowly into the
streams. Vegetation is the great agent that produces porosity of soil, and the
most effective form of vegetation for the retardation of surface flow is forest
cover. Forestation, therefore, is the prime requisite for the prevention of the
needless waste caused by floods.
The next requisite is the construction of reservoirs to hold the waters so
that they may be made useful during seasons of low water. Nearly all Amer
ican rivers can be readily controlled by the construction of storage reservoirs
on the headwater streams. The cost of such work, though heavy, would be as
nothing compared with the enormous benefits to water power and irrigation,
as well as to flood prevention and navigation.
The
Orient Watching the
Filipinos
By Major George P. Jlhern, Director of For>
estry in the Philippines.
■ ■—> UST now the English, French, and Germans in the F'ar East
J sneer at the American idea of establishing an ideal republic
in the Philippines. They say we are making a grave mis
take in giving the natives too much leeway. The English in
lndia give a few selected natives a little power, but the
OV 09 great majority of natives in the English colonies have no
voice in the government and earn little social recognition.
L The American experiment, which probably is the most re
markable the world has ever seen, gives the poorest native
the same chance as wealthiest, education being free to all. At Manila, in
stead of climbing up a* tree to see what is going on, the Filipino citizen can
go to a reception of the governor-general and shake his hand and leave feel
ing of considerable importance. While the representatives of European civili
zation sneer, the eyes of the entire Orient are turned seriously on this great
American experiment. If it succeeds, there will be startling developments in
Java, China, and India, not to mention other countries. The natives of India
will say to themselves: “If such great freedom can be given to the Filipinos,
why cannot it be given to us?” Manila today is swarming with Orientals
from all Eastern countries, for it is one of the cosmopolitan cities of the world.
“Line’s Busy.”
“What are you laughing about?”
asked the inquisitive pigeon.
“My feet tickle,” chuckled the spar
row on the overhead wire.
“What tickled them?”
“Some fellow is sending his best
girl a dozen kisses over the tele
phone.”—Chicago News.
Classified.
Rollo—She claims he is one of the
“Four Hundred.”
Tessie—She looks more like one of
the “fifty-seven.”—Princeton Tiger.
Germany’s 21 universities have an
enrollment of 27,000 students, under
the care of 2000 professors
PLAN OPPOSED
BY BURLESON
Which Would Provide Commission
to Probe Cotton Exchanges.
WRITES HARVIE JORDAN
Texas Representative Declares That Rem
edial Legislation Should Come
Through Regular Channels.
A Washington special says: Repre
sentative Burleson, of Texas, has sent
the following letter to Harvie Jordan,
president of the Southern Cotton As
sociation, in answer to a letter, asking
the introduction of a joint resolution
for the appointment of a commission
to investigate cotton exchange meth
ods during the summer recess of con
gress and to recommend remedial leg
islation.
“I do not believe that the president,
has any idea of making recommenda
tions along the line upon which I think
legislation should be had. The report
from the bureau of corporations on
the resolution written and introduced
by me calling for au investigation of
the cotton exchanges, with a view of
ascertaining what effect the fluctua
tions in the market price are occa
sioned by the character of these con
tracts and deliveries made thereon,
has not been sent to the house.
“I understand it is in the hands of
the president, and that he is holding
it for some purpose. On Saturday I
had adopted a resolution introduced by
me directing that said report be sent
to the congress at once.
“Recently the secretary of com
merce and labor gave out an inter
view, in which he stated that the
president was not opposed to legiti
mate cotton exchanges, but was op
posed to bucket-shops, etc. I, too, am
opposed to bucket-shops, but the inju
ry to the cotton producer coming from
bucket-shop operations is nil compared
with the great hurt which is done
him by operations on the so-called
legitimate cotton exchanges where fu
ture contracts for the delivery of cot
ton are dealt in.
“For the reason above set forth, I
do not expect any substantial aid
from the president towards the enact
ment of the legislation which I am
proposing; in fact, I do not look for
any recommendations to the congress
by the president on this subject.
"I do not believe in the commission
plan suggested in your letter. Even
though President Roosevelt should sub
mit to congress the report above re
ferred to with recommendations based?
thereon, I believe the best chance for
effective legislation must come through
the ordinary channels. It is my pur
pose to press the bill I have introduc
ed for the suppression of gambling in
cotton, and I believe that ultimately
1 will succeed in passing it.”
SEVENTEEN COTTON MILLS CURTAIL
Amoskeag Company Reduces Time of Em
ployes to Four Days a Week.
The seventeen mills of the Amos
keag Manufacturing company of Man
chester, N. H., the largest cotton man
ufacturing company in the world, em
ploying 13,000 hands, began a period
of curtailment with the closing of
work Thursday night, a change in the
work schedule restricting operations to
four days a week. The reduction will
continue Indefinitely.
EXPRESS CAR LOOTED BY BANDITS
Two Highwaymen Have Easy Task in Se
curing Four Bags of Money.
Two men secreted on the New York
Bt. Louis Express of the Pennsylvania
system, which left Pittsburg at 9:53
Thursday night, entered the express
car, overcome the express messenger
and escaped with four sealed bags
containing currency.
The amount taken by the robbers is
unknown.
WILL DEPORT GLASS WORKERS.
Fifteen Men, Illegally Brought to This
Country, Must Return Home.
Secretary Straus of the department
of commerce and labor has ordered
deported as contract laborers fifteen
glass workers brought to this country
from Belgium.
The report in the matter, it is said,
indicates that labor unions, whose
members the alien contract labor law
was intended to protect, have resorted
to the importation of foreigners as a
result of disagreements with rival
unions.
SPEER SIGNS ORDER
Id Complaint Filed by Georgia-Florida
Sawmill Association Against
the Railroads.
Attorneys representing H. H. Tift
and others forming the Georgia-Flor
ida Sawmill Association filed com
plaint in the United States court at
Macon Friday against the railroads,
of the Southeastern Tariff Associa
tion on account of alleged failure
of the lines Ho make the .returns
every three months of such collec
tions of freight charges on lumber to
Ohio river points and the west as
come under the ruling in the famous
Tift case in which a permanent in
junction ordered by Judge Emory
Speer stopped the payment of an ex
tra 2 cents per hundred pounds.
Judge Speer signed an order in tho
bill requiring the railway lines to
show cause before him in Macon, on
May 12, why they should not be called
upon to pay over the $500,000 indem
nity bond they made when the court
agreed to allow the returns to be
made and the shipments to continue
under the tariff which was attacked
by lumbermen. A large number of
claims have been established by the
lumber producers under the arrange
ments, but it is now a requirement
upon the part of the railway lines that
they make reports of what amounts
they have received on the extra tar
iffs every three months.
FIRST MOVE INAUGURATED
Looking to Purchasing Embassy Buildings
in Foreign Countries.
The senate committee on appropri
ations Friday took the first step look
ing to the acquisition of property for
the American embassy at Paris by in
serting an advertisement in the dip
lomatic and consular appropriation bill
appropriating $400,000 for the pur
chase of a site and the erection of
a building for the use of the embassy
in that city.
An appropriation of $3,267, also,was
made for the purchase of the residence
of the Japanese secretary of the
American embassy at Tokio, Japan.
Still another addition to the bill made
by the committee is that of SIO,OOO to
pay the expenses of representatives
of the joint high commission of 1898
for the settlement of questions relat
ing to Canada. All told the commit
tee increased the appropriation car
ried by the diplomatic bill to the
to the extent of $463,642 over the
amount carried by the bill as it pass
ed the house, bringing the total up to
$3,967,985.
MONEY DISAPPEARS FROM TRAIN.
Wells-Fargo Express Company Reports
Loss of Sixty-Three Thousand.
The Weils-Fargo Express company
has reported to the authorities of Tor
reon, Mexico, a loss of $63,000 in
Mexican currency which, they claim,
was taken from a through safe on
their City of Mexico train. The mon
ey was consigned to one of the banks
of Chihuahua.
It appears that one of the agents
of the company boarded the express
train at a, station between the City
of Mexico and Torrecn, afterwards
leaving the train. It is said that he
was the only man who was in the
car who knew the combination of the
safe. He is being searched for, but
has not yet been apprehended.
PRISON TERM FOR LETTEN.
Embezzling Ex-Clerk of Tax Collector Sen
tenced to Seven Years.
Charles L. Letten, formerly chief
clerk in the office of the state tax
collector for the first district of New
Orleans, was Friday sentenced to
serve seven years in the penitentiary
after a jury had declared him guilty
of embezzling SIOO,OOO.
Letten disapeared last summer and
upon the discoverey of the shortage in
his accounts a search for him was be
gun. He was finally found cn the
river front, where he had been attempt
ing to summon up sufficient courage
\o drown himseif.
NOTED DIVINE CROSSES RIVER.
Dr. Morgan Dix Passes Away at His Horn®
in New York Aged 81.
Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix, rector of Trin
ity Protestant Episcopal parish in New
York since 1862, and one of the city’s
most prominent clergymen, died Wed
nesday at Trinity rectory in West
Twenty-fifth street. Death followed a
brief illness.
Dr. Dix was 81 years old, and was
born in New York city. H e was a
son of General John A. Dix, author of
the famous dispatch: “If anyone at
tempts to haul down the American flag
shoot him on the spot.”
