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Netos and Vie Ips From All Nations
RUSSIAN DUMA MEETS.
St Petersburg.—The duma or lower
house of the Russian parliament, was
formally opened in the Tauride palace
in the presence of all the ministers
and many high functionaries. No
member of the imperial family was
present.
The first ceremony was a religious
service in which the metropolitan of
St. etersburg, Antonins, the highest
clergy of the diocese, and a full choir
participated.
M. Goluboff, vice-president of the
council of the empire, accompanied by
Baron Uexkull de Gyldenbandt, secre
tary of the empire, entered the hall
after service. The former immediate
ly called the lower house to order and
in a colorless speech invited the mem
bers to sign the oath of allegiance to
Emperor Nicholas. The conservatives
cheered the mention of the name of
the emperor, but the opposition mem
bers did not enter the hall until M.
Goloboff had finished speaking, when
they came in in a body demonstra
tively.
CATERS TO WORKMEN.
(Copyright by Hearst News Service.)
Paris. —That France now has a tru
ly democratic government which is
determined to do everything in Its
power to better the conditions of the
working classes, while allowing the
well-to-do to take care of themselves
was never proven more plainly than
by the recent trip of M. Viviani, the
minister of labor, through the south
ern part of the country.
Not only did the minister travel in
the simplest possible manner, but dur
ing the whole trip he did not attend a
single reception or banquet, and he ab
solutely refused to receive anybody
but workingmen, though at Lyons sev
eral prominent capitalists did every
thing to get a hearing.
At Lyons he received hundreds of
members of trades unions, who had
complaints to make regarding the ap
plication of the weekly rest law, and
as a result a number of large manu
facturers are expecting heavy fines for
having forced their factory hands to
work longer hours than the law per
mits.
THE CUBAN SUGAR CROP.
Havana — The present sugar crop
will prove a financial failure unless
the price of sugar advances. Although
the weather is good and the abund
ance of cane has enabled grinding to
be carried on without interruption the
cost of production is excessive.
The cost of labor is nearly double
the average for recent years. The
Spanish silver is nearly at par and the
railroad rates are high.
The planters complain they are
working exclusively for the benefit of
the railroads which are charging from
25 to 50 cents for hauling a sack of
sugar of 325 pounds weight to port.
It is alleged that the principal railroad
which recently increased its stock 50
cent, did so to hide the high dividends
it is earning. These, it is said, are al
most entirely due to the high freight
rates on sugar.
TO ANNEX CUBA.
Havana. —The Daily Post says: "No
doubt exists as to the growing senti
ment among the intelligent and pro
gressive Cubans in favor of permanent
American control of the island’s af
fairs. A protectorate, under which
th* American government would ex-
ercise a supervision of Cuban matters,
is advocated by some, but by far the
greater number of conservative think
ers believe that absolute annexation
of Cuba to the United States is the
only genuine solution of the trouble
which now faces us. They urge that
the destiny of Cuba is coupled with
that of Porto Rico, and that the
United States ought to proceed along
the same lines toward Cuba as is fol
lowed in Porto Rico. Such a policy
would insure a stable government in
Cuba and, under its administration,
the island would be developed in a
way not possible under any other
form of government.”
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AGAINST ANARCHY.
(Special Cable Hearst Copyright.)
Paris.—To stamp out the curse of
anarchism, which is spreading rapidly
in all parts of the kingdom in spite
of the personal popularity of the
young king, the Spanish government
has decided to form a new tribunal,
before which all cases of anarchist#
are to be tried.
It has been found that trial by jury
is very* unsatisfactory in cases of this
kind, because the jury members are
intimidated by the threats of anarch
ist organizations and invariably acquit
the prisoners.
From April 1 the government has
ordered that in the provinces of Gero
na and Barcelona, where anarchists
are most plentiful, they shall be tried
by a bench of three magistrates, in
stead of by a jury.
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LARGE PACKING COMPANY.
Mexico City, Mex. —Incorporated un
der the laws of New Jersey, the Mexi
can National Packing Company has
been capitalized at $10,000,000 with its
securities placed on the London mar
ket. The new company has obtained
concessions from the Mexican govern
ment to found branch offices in the
different states for supplying them
with meat, and one will be located at
Uruapan, state of Michoacan, for the
purpose of supplying South America.
Also it is expected they will invade
and capture some of the European
markets.
Two other houses, with shops and
refrigerators, will also be established
in this city within the next year and
a half which are to cost 2,000,000
pesos.
ASKS ARISTOCRATS TO WORK.
Berlin. —A young German nobleman
has issued an appeal to his fellow
aristocrats to emancipate themselve#
from the idea that it is beneath their
dignity to embark in commercial occu
pations. He points out that they have
the example of the kaiser and several
German aristocrats.
The emperor possesses extensive
pottery works on his estate of Cadi
nen, in East Prussia, and conducts
them himself with great com
mercial success. The exquisite
productions of the Imperial factory
are sold in Berlin by a branch of the
business known as the Hohenzollern
stores. The emperor, moreover, fre
quently seizes suitable opportunities
to canvass for orders.
STAMPS PAY TELEGRAMS.
Paris.—A plan to allow the public
to pay for telegrams with regular
postage stamps is now being consider
ed by M. Simyan, the deputy minister
of posts and telegraphs.
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
WOMAN IS A BANKRUPT.
Geneva. The Princess Olden
burg, of St. Petersburg, has arrived
here on her way to the Riviera, where
she will stay until her affairs are put
in order. She owes y,OOO,000 roubles
to the Russian State bank and the
Northern Bank of Russia, and has in
structed her business manager that
she is unable to meet her obligations
and wishes to be declared a bankrupt.
The princess declares that the enor
mous expenses of continually attend
ing the Russian court and her numer
ous charities are the cause of her
bankruptcy. She is accompanied by
one maid and is staying at a second
class hotel.
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APPROVED BY CHINA.
Victoria, B.C. —Advices were received
yesterday by the steamer Empress of
China from Toklo that a conference
of elder statesmen and cabinet mem
bers was held on February 16 to dis
cuss the amended immigration bill
projected by United States. The pro
test against the will was withdrawn
in appreciation of President Roose
velt’s efforts to bring about a happy
settlement of the differences between
the United States and Japan. A de
cision was reached at the meeting
that no labor passport would be issu
ed to immigrants for the United
States.
TO DIVIDE TURKISH EMPIRE.
Berlin—An Anglo- French- Italian
scheme for the partial partition of the
Ottoman empire is revealed by the
newspaper Welt. It asserts that the
project is to be carried out upon the
death of Sultan Abdul Hamid, which
is expected soon to occur. A part of
the plan is to exclude Germany from
participation.
The scheme is for England to seize
the western portion of Arabia from
the Mediterranean to tne Indian
ocean, converting the Red Sea into an
English preserve. France is to take
Syria and Palestine and the other
parts of Asia Minor, and Tripoli and
Albania are to be Italy’s share. It is
said that Russia and Austria have
been urged to act with the powers
mentioned in order to exclude Ger
many.
AGAINST PERSECUTION.
Tokio. —The Nichi Nichi protest#
against the persistent determination
of the people of California to perse
cute and exclude the Japanese from
that state. In the proposed law limit
-ing aliens to a five-years’ ownership
of land, the Nichi Nichi can discern
but one intention —to deny the land
owning right to Japanese. The paper
advises the government to take steps
“to counteract such an outrage against
the Japanese,” and expresses the be
lief that an efficient solution may be
reached by the removal of the disa
bility of Japanese to attain naturaliza
tion in the United Statse.
It
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS.
The first installment of the state’#
appropriation to the maintenance of
the recently established agricultural
college is being mailed from the state
treasurer’s office Wednesday in checks
of $2,000 each to the eleven schools
in the congressional districts.
The fund from which the appropriar
tion is made is that arising from the
department of fertilizer inspection.
The annual amount of the appropria
tion is contingent upon the income
of this department. Other payments
will be made during the year.—Atlanta
Journal.
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GERMANY CANNOT FIGHT.
London. —A dispatch to the Express
from Berlin states that Germany dare
not even think of fighting a naval war
before 1920, according to the verdict
of a high German naval expert, who
condemns many of the battle ships as
unseaworthy and obsolete, refers to
several of them as floating coffins, the
use of which in war would mean the
sacrifice of their crews, and says that
the construction of new battle ships
is proceeding so slowly that thirteen
years will pass before Germany has an
efficient navy.
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THE KAISER IS ILL.
(Copyright by Hearst News Service.)
Berlin. —Alarming rumor# concern
ing the kaiser’s state of health are
again afloat, and although no mention
has been made in the press so far, it
is said that another operation on hi#
throat may be necessary to save his
voice, which has grown perceptibly
weaker during the last six months, a
fact which was very noticeable when
he made his two recent speeches in
the reichstag and at Kiel, when the
naval recruit# were sworn.
PARIS HAS THE GRIP.
(Copyright by Hearst News Service.)
Paris. —La Grippe has Paris in its
iron grasp. It has been estimated that
more than 20 per cent of the entire
population of Paris is suffering from
it. The social life, as well as the po
litical, is disturbed by it, as dinners
have to be postponed on account of
the illness of the hostess, while affair#
at the Tribunal are practically at a
standstill.
W
WARSHIPS FOR RUSSIA.
St. Petersburg—General Batyanott,
formerly an officer in the navy, is try
ing to persuade the emperor that Rus
sula should have a squadron in far
eastern waters at the earliest possi
ble moment, and is recommending
that the projected warships be built
in th# United States and not in Eu
rope.
The general declares that the
American shipbuilding yards could
turn out in two years as many ships
a# European yards could in five years.
BARONESS COMING HERE.
Budapest—America will shortly re
ceive Baroness Schonberger, the beau
tiful Hungarian who made herself no
torious by spying on the Emperor
Francis Joseph, and caused the fall of
Minister of Justice Polonyl. She has
been expelled from Budapest and told
to leave. She is wealthy, and pro
poses to write a book exposing politi
cal intrigue in Austria.
AUSTRIA AIDS VATICAN.
Rome. —Austria is actively assisting
the Vatican in the contest with
France. The Austrian ambassador to
Pari# has telegraphed here for a de
tailed list of the documents alleged to
have been seized by French officials
from the papal nuncio when he was
dismissed from France. It 1# likely
that the Vatican will make a proteat
to the powers.
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