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PAGE TWELVE TZLE SPIRIT OT THE PUBLIC PRESS JACKSON’S BIRTHPLACE, AGAIN. (The Charlotte Observer.) The argument as to the birthplace of Andrew Jackson has been revived and is again in full swing. It is not denied by anybody that he was born at the house of George McKemey, his mother’s brother-in-law, in the Wax haws, and deeds on record in the court house of Mecklenburg prove that McKemey’s house was in that part, of Mecklenburg that is now Union county. Nothing could be more conclusive than this, but if other evidence is wanted the disputants would better refer to the most exhaustive Life of Jackson, that of James Parton, the distinguished historian. Mr. Parton, before begin ning his history, visited the Waxhaw settlement, spent quite a while there and in Monroe, personally investigat ing the facts, and lays down the posi tive proposition, supporting it by the testimony of credible persons and by affidavits, that Jackson was born in Mecklenburg, now Union county, N. C. This is the testimony also of Apple ton’s Cyclopedia, and Col. Colyer, of Nashville, Tenn., near which he lived and died, his latest biographer, agrees with the conclusion. When a thing is settled it is not worth while to argue about it and this is a case in point. Os course, when The Charleston News and Courier takes hold of a thing it holds on until it thunders, as in the case of the “Mecklenburg myth," though all of its arguments against the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration of In dependence are abundantly answered in an address by its editor delivered at Due West, S. C., and reproduced in The Observer a year ago. But one moment while we present a striking paragraph from The Petersburg Index- Appeal: “It is quite immaterial to us where Andrew Jackson was born, and the place of his birth was certainly not ma terial to his career in after life. But we attach very little importance, as shedding light on the subject, to the claim in his nullification proclamation that he was a native of South Caro lina. ‘Old Hickory,’ besides being a hard old case, was one of the most diplomatic of men as well as one of the shrewdest of politicians, and had the exigencies of the occasion made it necessary—that is to say, had North Carolina been the nullifying state —we have not a doubt that he would have been born in the Old North State as readily as he was born in the Pal metto State. There was nothing im possible to Old Hickory when his pol icy required it, as innumerable in stances in his life, public and private, serve to prove. There was just enough doubt as to the place of his birth to enable him to claim either of these states, and he gave himself the benefit of the doubt in a trying crisis, and ap parently dismissed the matter from further attention.” This is exceedingly clever, and the theory advanced is the best explana tion that has yet been offered of Jack son's exclamation in his nullification proclamation: “Fellow-citizens of my native state!” WELL-PAID MAIL CARRIERS. (The Marietta Journal.) If this thing continues the rural mail carriers will get to be such bloated capitalists that they won’t speak to common people. An order was issued Monday by the postmaster-general, in creasing salaries as follows: Twenty four or more miles, $900; 22 to 24 miles, $864; 20 to 22 miles, $810; 18 to 20 miles, $720; 16 to 18 miles, $630; 14 to 16 miles, $540; 12 to 14 miles, $504; 10 to 12 miles, $469; 8 to 12 miles, $432; 6 to 8 miles, $396. WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. iIppBLSX,! wushu 1 — H;* HARRY ORCHARD AND ADA COUNTY COURTHOUSE, WHERE HAYWOOD IS BEING TRIED. Miner Haywood to the Bar. In the Ada county courthouse at Boise City, Ida., May 9 William D. Haywood, secretary and treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners, was placed on trial as one of the three fed eration men charged with having con- f r W. D. Haywood. tions and delays. Representatives of the press were on hand from every part of the nation, and the city was filling up with people attracted out of curiosity to the scene of the trial. In anticipation of possible trouble the au thorities had surrounded all those con nected with the trial with special guards, while the militia aud two troops of regulars were held In readi ness for the least sign of a disturb ance. This was probably due to the numerous threats received by Govern- spired to cause the murder of the late ex-Gov ernor Frank Steunenberg of Idaho Dec. 30, 1905, Judge Wood presiding, noted counsel contending on both sides and the entire coun try alive to the critical nature of the legal con test thus defi nitely begun aft er numerous preliminary mo- or Gooding from sympathizers with the accused. Special quarters had been taken for the jury, so as to keep it under constant guard, and a special order was issued by the mayor against street speaking during the progress of the trial. Judge Wood on the previous day had denied the petition of counsel for the defense for a bill of particulars con cerning the evidence to be advanced by the state in support of its charge of conspiracy. Lawyers Darrow, Rich ardson and Wilson, associated in the defense with Murphy, the official coun sel of the Federation of Miners, ar gued for the petition on the ground that the defendant had a right to know before the trial what the nature of the evidence against him was, so that he might have an opportunity to prepare the evidence in rebuttal. The petition was opposed for the state by United States Senator Borah and Lawyers Fawley and Van Duyn. Commenting on the judge’s decision after the first session of the court, Haywood said: “What does it matter? I am only a circumstance in the case anyhow. The cause at stake in this trial goes beyond me or a hundred like me; it is the fight of the laboring man against oppres sion.” It was expected that the choos Ing of a jury would occupy many days, as it would be difficult to find men whom one side or the other could not successfully challenge on the score of having formed an opinion about the case. THE GREAT BIGNESS OF TEXAS. (Elbert Hubbard in the Philistine.) Texas is the biggest state in the Union—don’t talk back to me; I know. The upper part of the Pan Handle of Texas is nearer to Chicago than it is to Galveston. Texas is as wide as the distance from Chicago to Boston, or from St. Louis to New York City. That is to say, that from Texarkana to El Paso it is 1,100 miles. Texas has 3,000,000 folks, 10,000,000 cattle, 12,- 000,000 sheep and 3,000,000 horses. One horse, you see, for every man, woman and child in the state. .People who have not seen the Southwest during the past five years cannot by any de scription realize its progress. What is known as “the Santa Fe country” can feed the world. Six years ago you could buy in Texas 1,000 sheep for SI,OOO. Now 1,000 sheep will cost you SB,OOO. The real crop in Texas, how ever, is not wool, but cotton. The cot ton crop in Texas for the year 1906 was worth over $200,000,000 in cold cash. They raise a bale of cotton on an acre, and a bale of cotton is worth S6O. Texas has the second most import ant shipping port in America, and if things continue going as they have for the past five years, in ten years more the shipments from Galveston will exceed in value the combined ex ports of Boston and New York. THE SOUTHERN EXPRESS. (The Fitzgerald Enterprise.) It may be some years yet before the Southern Express Company receives the proper attention from a regulat ing commission. In the meantime they will pile up millions of profits, delib erately purloined from the pockets of the shippers who are forced, by rea son of the great monopoly, to patron ize the robber company. Peace in the Orient. The new Franco-Japanese treaty and that forming between Japan and Rus sia, coupled as they are with the ex isting alliances between England and Japan and between France and Rus sia, will unite those four great powers in a pact to preserve the peace and respect each other’s possessions and rights in the Orient. This interlocking system of treaties is a good stroke for all the parties con cerned. It heads off, as well, the prob ability of China becoming a bumptious freebooter in the East. The effect upon our American interests ought, also, to be good. There is no reason why any of the high contractors in the quadruple alliance should covet our possessions in the Orient, or combine to violate the open door policy in trade matters. Wo certainly want none of their holdings—we are overloaded as things now are! The Irish Convention. On May 21 a convention of the Irish party will be held in Dublin, when the home rulers will decide whether the Irish members shall sup port in Parliament the bill that Mr. Birrell, Chief Secretary for Ireland, proposes. The bill is one that gives a large measure of local control over communal matters, and sets up an Irish council of liberal, yet limited, powers to deal with questions of gen eral and peculiar moment to the Irish people. To some extent, government under it in Ireland would be autonom ous, but the safeguards against Irish independence of too broad an order are plainly exposed. John Redmond, the groat Irish leader in Parliament, is disposed to accept the bill.