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Netos and Vietos From All Around
OUR CONSTITUTION.
(Lanning Coates, of Pennsylvania.)
The state of Pennsylvania alone has
natural resources in iron, coal and
other minerals, in addition to its gas
springs and oil wells, its mountains
covered with the primeval forest,
which, when cleared, offer excellent
lands for the pasturing of sheep, to
gether with its vast extent of other
pastoral and agricultural lands, ex
ceeding that of England. There are
now forty-five states in the American
Union with a population approaching
a hundred million souls. An army
is perfect when all its several
branches are so perfectly ordered that
their distinct parts are combined into
thorough co-operation so as to make
one whole, and the constitution of the
United States is so drafted as to com
bine each of these forty-five states into
an E Pluribus Unum. But the fact
that each of these states is a sover
eignty within itself is frequently lost
sight of, and what has become so com
mon for a corporation to go to one
state to obtain a charter to construct
. a railroad in another should be pro
hibited as it takes away, in a large
measure, that absolute control of each
state over its own internal affairs, se
cured to it by the constitution of the
United States.
By the constitution the United
States is compelled to guarantee to
each state a Republican form of govern
ment, and each state should be imme
diately held responsible to the federal
government for all irregularities, and
each corporation immediately respon
sible to the state government for any
abuse or violation of its chartered
rights that should injure or disturb so
ciety.
The American historian Motley, in
his history of the “Rise and Fall of the
Dutch Republic,” says that “a well
ordered local government is the only
safeguard to our individual freedom.”
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THE AVERAGE MAN’S MAIL.
The American Magazine for March
presents all the facts about the middle
or mean American. Every statement
is backed by sufficient authority. A
man named Raggers and his wife are
taken as the average. Here are the
facts about their mail:
“Os communications from and to the
outer world, Raggers and his wife re
ceive and send a rather considerable
number during the year *if we
may take the average of the United
States given in the report of the post
office department, 1904. They send
off 292 letters and 46 postal cards, and
receive printed matter (mainly circu
lars) to the number of 75, as well as
155 newspapers and 26 government
publications and communications,
making a total in all of 594. They
only receive or send five telegraphic
messages a year.”
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A NEW USE FOR DETECTIVES.
“The ‘shadow’ is one of the most po
tent forces in the service of those who
deal in millions,” says David Fergu
son, in “The ‘Shadow’ in High Fin
ance,” in March Everybody’s. “This
shadow is no airy, flimsy thing, but a
hard-headed, cold-blooded, patient,
persistent, silent detective, highly
trained in all the tricks of his craft,
but especially developed along two or
three lines. He is uesd chiefly to
watch men and to get information.
That sounds simple and commonplace
enough, but it defines an occupation
that has caused numberless heart
breaks, has thwarted vast ambitions,
and brought about financial tragedies;
while on the other hand it has served
to multiply the great hoards of the
masters of high finance.”
HUMORS OF THE LAW.
Law and equity are two things
which God has joined together and
man has put asunder. When a pris
oner in Justice Maule’s court was ask
ed whether he had anything to say
why sentence should not be pronounc
ed upon him, he replied, “I wish God
may strike me dead if I stole the
ducks.” Maule waited for about a min
ute and then said: “Prisoner, as Prov
idence has not interfered I must.
Three months’ hard labor.”
A mayor on taking his seat on the
bench for the first time informed the
bar that during his year of office he
would spare no effort to be neither par
tial nor impartial.—Address pf Sir Al
bert Rollit in London.
THE SLEEP OF HORSES.
When the horse sleeps, it is said that
one ear is directed forward, why is
not known. A writer in the English
Mechanic thinks this is to guard
against danger, being a survival of its
originally wild habits. He says:
“Watch a horse asleep through the
window of his stable and make a faint
noise at the front. That ear will be
all attention, and probably the other
will fly around sharply to assist. Now
let him go to asleep again and make
the same noise to the left. The for
ward ear will still keep guard, with
possibly a lightning flick round, only
to resume its former porsition.”
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THE DAM BILL PASSED.
Senator Frye, of Maine, startled the
senate recently. He was on his feet
making a report from his committee
on commerce on several minor bills.
Suddenly raising his voice, Mr. Frye
exclaimed: “If I can get immediate
consideration for that dam bill I will
promise the senate not to report an
other dam bill this session.”
Amid general laughter, the bill was
passed and a dam will be built across
certain shoals on the Savannah river.
LOW STREET CAR FARES.
(Mayor Dunne of Chicago.)
Congress has passed a law giving
the city of Washington 3 cent fares,
Detroit and Cleveland have 3 cent
fares and Indianapolis a 4 cent fare
with universal transfers. Chicago? If
these pending ordinances are passed,
Chicago is bound hand and foot to a
5 cent fare for twenty ears.
DUTY OF AN ATTORNEY GENERAL
(New York Appellate Court.)
“He may bring, and it is his duty to
bring, an action when he is satisfied
that the law has been violated and a
person is exercising a public office or
a public franchise without authority
or legal title to the office or franchise.
The question is one submitted to his
discretion, and he must exercise that
discretion upon the facts as they ap
pear to him from time to time when
brought to his attention.
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CALIFORNIA’S CAPITAL.
Sacramento, Cal.—The assembly has
passed a resolution providing for the
removal of the capital to Berkeley by
a vote of 59 to 19. It has already
passed the senate. It will now be
voted on by the people.
tiife Weekly Jeffersonian.
PRIVATE POST CARDS.
(By Associated Press.)
Washington, March. —An order has
been issued by the postmaster general
providing new regulations governing
the size, form and weight of private
post cards entering the mails. Such
post cards must be made of an un
folded piece of cardboard, not exceed
ing three and nine-sixteenths by five
and nine-sixteenths inches, nor less
than two and three-fourths by four
inches.
They must in form and in quality and
weight of paper be substantially like
the government post cards. They may
be of any color not interfering with a
legible address and postmark. Very
thin sheets of paper may be attached
to them on condition that they com
pletely adhere to the card. Cards
bearing particles of glass, metal, mica,
sand, tinsel or other similar sub
stances will not be accepted for mail
ing except when enclosed in envelope.
*
OLDEST PREACHER DEAD.
(By Publishers’ Press)
Little Rock, Ark. —The Rev. George
Brinsfield, said to be the oldest preach
er in the world, died at the home of
his son-in-law, Thomas Cankey, near
Huron, Izard county, at the age of 108.
Mr. Brinsfield was a local Metho
dist preacher and a remarkable char
acter. He came to Arkansas eighty
four years ago from Alabama. He al
ways attended the conferences of his
church, and at the age of 100 walked
to Batesville, a distance of fifty miles,
to attend the conference at that place.
He was born in Guilford county,
North Carolina, May 16, 1799. In 1818
he married Miss Charity Skipper and
of the union six children were born.
After her death he married again and
eight children were born to his second
wife. He had fifty grandchildren,
eighty-seven great grandchildren and
twelve great great grandchildren.
*
LOOKS LIKE JOHN D.
(The Chicago Post.)
In securing a jury for the Standard
Oil trial in Chicago, persons in the
court room noticed a striking resem
blance between C. A. Fredrick, one of
the veniremen, and John D. Rockefel
ler. As the men were leaving the
court room Fredrick was stopped and
asked to pose for a photograph.
“I do not care to have my picture
taken especially in this case,” said
Fredrick. “I have heard so much of
my resemblance to Mr. Rockefeller
that it bores me. Everyone who knows
me speaks about it.”
Attorney Eddy, for the oil company,
when he heard of the remark of Fred
rick, said:
“I wonder if he already is against
us? Maybe he had been bothered so
much about it that he will be affected
by it.”
Fredrick said he had no prejudice
against the man he resembles.
LUMBERMEN AFTER RAILROADS.
Washington, March. —A hearing was
begun recently before the interstate
commerce commission in a proceeding
brought by wholesale and manufactur
ing lumber associations against practi
cally all of the railroads of the United
States for an order to compel the rail
roads to provide permanent stakes
and racking necessary to the use of
flat cars for the hauling of lumber.
The proceeding is directed against a
policy that has been in existence for
more than fifty years, under which the
lumbermen have been compelled to fur-
nish their own racking and pay freight
on the weight of such equipment.
They are now contending for the
adoption of permanent steel stakes.
The railroads are setting up the de
fense that it has not yet been demon
strated that the steel stakes are prac
tical, and their counsel announced that
they would ask for more time for ex
periments.
JOE BLACKBURN’S JOB.
(The Evening Post.)
President Roosevelt has taken care
of Blackburn, of Kentucky. When
the president needed help in the sen
ate in the Brownsville case Mr. Black
burn came to the front as an ally. The
Kentuckian called at the White House
and probably assured Mr. Roosevelt
that though a Democrat he was with
him heart and soul in the matter of
the discharge of the colored troops.
Then Mr. Blackburn introduced his
resolution which in effect declared
that the president did not exceed his
authority when he discharged the
black battalion.. The retiring senator
has been named by Mr. Roosevelt as
a member of the Panama canal com
mission at SIO,OOO a year.
M
ETERNAL VIGILANCE.
(Macaulay’s History.)
“As we cannot, without the risk of
evils from which the imagination re
coils, employ physical force as a check
on misgovernment, it is evidently our
wisdom to keep all of the constitution
al checks on misgovernment in the
highest state of efficiency, to watch
with jealously the first beginnings of
encroachment, and never to suffer ir
regularities, even when harmless in
themselves, to pass unchallenged, lest
they acquire the force of precedents.”
A GOOD CONGRESSMAN.
(By Associated Press.)
Theodore Otjen, congressman from
Milwaukee, has earned a large degree
of popularity in Washington by lead
ing the Sunday night sacred song serv
ice in one of the Washington hotels.
A few days ago he was presented with
a gold watch and fob by a number of
persons who nave enjoyed his work.
The presentation speech was made by
the wife of Congressman Crumpacker.
EXAMINE ALL TEXAS BOOKS.
Austin, Tex., March. —Gov. Campbell
has signed the bill passed by the legis
lature authorizing the attorney gen
eral to go into any business interest
in Texas and examine its books to as
eral to go into any business interest
trusts’ interests are connected with its
ownership or controlling way. The
law becomes effective at once.
ACCEPTS CHANCELLORSHIP.
Jackson, Miss., March. —Prof. J. B.
Aswell, superintendent of the public
school of Louisiana, who was recently
elected chancellor of the University of
Mississippi, has accepted the place,
and will begin his term as soon as his
successor has been named and has
qualified.
THIS IS “SOME FARM.”
Houston, Texas. —Ten million dol
lars, spot cash, is the neat little sum
that has been refused by the heirs of
the King estate for the great King
ranch in southeast Texas, two of
whose border lines are the gulf of
Mexico and the Rio Grande and whose
broad area embraces nearly all of
three counties and a part of a fourth.
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