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Nelvs and Vie Ins From All Around
A HOPELESS PUZZLE.
(Long Branch Record.)
The New York World has revived
discussion of the state question, “What
is a Democrat?”
The World frankly admits that it
is puzzled. It is entangled in a mesh
of questions.
“What is a Democrat in this par
ticular year of the Lord?” it asks. “If
Mr. Bryan is a Democrat, what is
Mr. Cleveland? If Mr. Cleveland is
a Democrat, what is Mr. Hearst? If
Mr. Hearst is a Democrat, what is
Judge Parker? If Judge Parker is a
Democrat, what are Murphy, Con
ners and McCarren? If they are Dem
ocrats, what is Woodrow Wilson? If
he is a Democrat, what is Tom Tag
gart? If Taggart is a Democrat, what
are Daniels and Rayner and Culberson
and Morgan and John Sharp Williams?
And if they are Democrats, what are
Ryan and Belmont?”
There is not one person in a thou
sand who can go over this list with
out getting dizzy.
The word Democrat is used to cover
such a multitude of sins that anyone
willing to take the risk can thus des
ignate himself.
AN OLD-FASHIONED COURT.
(Cordele Rambler.)
The supreme court of Florida thinks
that a railroad, before it pays out any
dividends to its stockholders must
first give the public a safe and com
fortable mode of traveling. We hope
that this decision will be made the
basis of all railroad decisions of the
courts, even of different states, but
so many of our judges have been cor
poration lawyers and feel that the
railroads owe their first duty to its
stockholders, even to declaring divi
dends on watered stock, that it will be
hard to get this decision generally ac
cepted by our courts.
THAT COMMODITY BANK.
(Florida Times-Union.)
When the farmers asked that the
treasury come to their relief, the Re
publican orators and journals scouted
the idea as destructive of all law and
every principle of political economy.
But since then an agricultural bank
has been providd to lend funds to Fili
pino farmers, and the treasury has
made a practice of “going to the relief
of Wall street” so that whenever a
speculator is “pinched” he promptly
indites a prayer that is heard in Wash
ington. The farmers could not have
the use of the money they paid in, al
though they offered good security, but
the aliens and the speculators can
have it “on tap” as well as on time.
HAS A RAILROAD MIND.
(Cordele Rambler.)
They say that Mr. Crawford Wheat
ley made a speech over in Americus
the other day and said that those
people who were agitating the subject
of railroad legislation were dema
gogues if they were against the roads.
We suppose he feels that that crowd
who believe that the railroads should
get all they ask for are the real pat
riots. Mr. Wheatley understands
these things, he having been a state
senator.
UP-TO-DATE.
The New York Herald thinks that
when the devil was sick the devil a
monk would be, but when he got well
he resumed his job as president of the
Styx and Sheol Railroad Company.
USING UP THE COAL.
(American Review of Reviews.)
Edward W. Parker, the govern
ment’s coal expert, has shown that if
the coal areas of the United States
were simply spread out in a layer six
and one-half feet thick, which he con
siders a fair average, we should ob
tain 7,000 tons of coal per acre, after
leaving enough coal underground to
support the roof.
Our 400,000 square miles of coal ter
ritory at this rate would give us a
supply of 1,500,000,000,000 tons in all.
We used up 393,000,000 tons of coal
in 1905 and 425,000,000 last year. In
all we have used so far 6,000,000,000
tons —that is, we have worked out a
little less than a million acres of coal
up to the end of 1906.
Os course, at the rate of production
during the last year or two, our coal
supply would last (as nearly as we can
estimate) between 4,000 and 5,000
years. But we produced as much coal
in the last ten years as in all of the
previous years since the United States
has been a nation. The entire coal
product has doubled even ten years.
If that rate of increase were to con
tinue, the total supply would be ex
hausted in the next century. Even at
the present rate of production the an
thracite areas of Pennsylvania will be
exhausted in the next 75 or 100 years.
IN THE RECENT SLUMP.
Alfred H. Curtis, president of the
New York State Banking Association,
said: “I heard of one instance where
a man lost more than $1,000,000 an
hour between the hours of the opening
and closing of the stock exchange. At
the beginning of the day he had a
credit of $7,000,000 with his brokers.
When the market closed at 3 o’clock
it had been reduced to $750,000. Still
a rich man, you say, but in his own
mind doubtless a veritable pauper.
Things that he could do a couple of
days ago are now impossible, unattain
able. Luxuries that he regarded on
Tuesday or Wednesday merely as the
necessities of life are now only things
to dream about. And this $6,250,000
loss is only one instance. There are
hundreds of other men who have part
ed with amounts ranging from SIOO,-
000 to $1,000,000.
TAXING FRANCHISES.
The attorney-general of New Hamp
shire has given an opinion of the le
gality of a tax on corporate franchises,
and finds such a tax constitutional,
“subject to such limitations in regard
to double taxation as are imposed by
the constitution.” The Boston Herald
says of this opinion: “If this is fol
lowed by a carefully drawn franchise
tax law, the state of New Hampshire
will have laid its hand on a very fruit
ful and very proper source of revenue
—not as a penalty, but only as a fair
contribution toward the needs of the
state.”
THE ENTERPRISING EMIGRATE.
The Illustrated London News says
that Canada’s excellent land and en
terprising advertisements will doubt
less tend still further to diminish
Great Britain’s agricultural popula
tion, and after a time leave nothing at
home but the very young, very old, or
very stupid and unenterprising sec
tions of the rural dwellers.
THE SPINDLES ARE COMING!
The south might coax a few more
spindles to settle there, too, and get
busy, with advantage.
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
THE BATTLE SHIP GEORGIA.
Mr. E. W. Hyde, of Bath, Me., who
is a member of the noted shipbuilding
firm that has turned out so many
staunch vessels both for war and com
merce, said to the Washington Herald:
“While at Newport News recently
I was gratified to get a look at the bat
tle ship Georgia. This gallant craft
was produced in our yards, and it is
no exaggeration that names the Geor
gia the queen of the American navy.
She is the fastest and most attractive
of them all, and I think if ever the oc
casion is presented she will give a glo
rious account of her ability as a fight
ing machine.”
DOES IT OWN THEM?
The Chattanooga Times says that
Senator Cox has introduced a bill in
the legislature to the effect that the
Louisville & Nashville R. R. hasn’t any
right to be publishing a daily news
paper in Tennessee. The senator
probably expects his bill will not pass
but he might accomplish some good
purpose if he can and does show up
just what papers are owned and con
trolled by this railroad, if any.
CHILD LABOR IN ALABAMA.
Marion Standard says that the man
who invented and put in operation thq
swindle that deprived the poor cotton
mill children of Alabama of the sore
ly needed protective legislation may
be some day forgiven, but not until
the manhood of the state has rubbed
his political nose in the dirt, and
forced him to recant his hypocrisy and
money grasping idols.
MADE THE PRESIDENT ROAR.
Representative Gardiner, of Massa
chusetts, son-in-law of Senator Lodge,
and a friend were trudging along
Pennsylvania avenue to the White
House the other day when there were
two sharp, short claps of thunder.
“What was that?” inquired the
friend.
“Oh, nothing!” said Mr. Gardiner.
“The president has just taken another
railroad president out in the White
House lot and shot him.”
When Mr. Gardiner reached the
White House he told the story to the
president, who laughed uproariously
and seemed to enjoy the joke.
EXPRESS RATES FILED.
The Southern Express Company has
filed with the Alabama railroad com
mission a partial schedule of its rates,
as required by an order of the com
mission at its last meeting.
The new law gives the commission
authority over the express companies
as well as the railroads.
The ruling with reference to express
companies is new. It is said the South
ern Express Company has 131,000
rates in Alabama. Heretofore none
of these rates were distributed to the
public.
SCHLEY NOT A CANDIDATE.
At Wilkesbarre, Pa., a few days ago
Admiral Schley said that under no cir
cumstances could he be induced to ac
cept the Democratic nomination for
vice-president. The admiral was the
guest at a Masonic banquet.
LICENSE IS NO ASSET.
It has been finally decided by the
United States supreme court that a
liquor license is not an asset and that
it can neither be assigned, attached,
sold nor transferred in bankruptcy pro
ceedings.
HENRY CLEVELAND DEAD.
From Louisville comes word that
Rev. Henry Whitney Cleveland, died
there recently, aged 71 years. He
was a native of Georgia, was pri
vate secretary to Hon. Alexander H.
Stephens; chaplain of the Fifty-fourth
Georgia during the war and served in
President Davis’ secret service. Rev.
Mr. Cleveland was a relative of former
President Grover Cleveland.
MORE TRUTH THAN PICKLES.
(Brockton Tinies.)
As soon as the 57 varieties of Demo
crats discover a successful method ot
merging they will elect another presi
dent. This may seem indefinite, but
it is as definite as the conditions jus
tify.
MOVING IN A VICIOUS CIRCLE.
(Providence Tribune.)
It would seem to be hardly worth
while for Mr. Rockefeller to devote
millions to educational purposes if he
must so increase the price of oil that
only the rich can afford to read and
study.
MONUMENT TO COLUMBUS.
Congress passed a bill appropriat
ing SIOO,OOO for a memorial to Christo
pher Columbus, to be erected in Wash
ington.
CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK.
(Philadelphia Ledger.)
San Francisco has gained promi
nence even among American cities by
the utter depravity of its municipal ad
ministration.
THE FAILURELESS PANIC.
(Kansas City Journal.)
The financial panics are always bad,
but the failureless panic is obviously
preferable to the kind that wrecks and
ruins.
INTERESTING ITEMS.
It is estimated that London’s laun
dries use more than 750 tons of soap
a week.
Charles Law Watts, a sixteen-year
old boy of Kent, England, weighs 373
pounds and is still eating.
Each day there drop into the coffers
of the New York elevated railway 27,-
500 nickels, to say nothing of the other
coins and bills.
Shipload after shipload of railway
sleepers and cold storage products is
arriving at Manila and other Philip
pine ports from various Australian
ports.
Out of a fortune of $775,000, Mrs.
Henry Todd of Oakwood, Hastings, En
gland, left $5,000 for distribution by
her executors to homes for cats and
dogs.
Benjamin F. Hamilton, of Saco, Me.,
claims to be the first storekeeper in
New England to empoly women clerks.
He recently passed his eighty-eighth
birthday.
It is announced that a Scotch com
pany is about to manufacture by a new
process seamless iron and steel tubes
for boilers, which it is said will not cor
rode.
Os the tuberculosis patients treated
in Pennsylvania’s “Camp Sanatorium,”
which was established with the aid of
the state, 75 per cent have either re
covered or been greatly improved.
A Reuter telegram from Athens an
nounces that excavations at Thebes
have brought to light the ruins of what
is believed to have been the palace
of King Cadmus, the legendary founder
of Thebes.
a week.
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