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PAGE FOUR
Summary of Ebents as They Happen |
John D.» Jr., Tells a Jeke.
The Bible class, formerly led by
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., held the first
of the monthly dinners planned for
the season, last night, in the lecture
room of the Fifth Avenue Baptist
Church, on Forty-sixth street. Each
member paid 50 cents, and young Mr.
Rockefeller, who was present, cheer
fully contributed that sum. The
fifty-cent dinner was his
Following the dinner 'the entire time •
was taken up with the discussion of
a project proposed by the pastor, the
Rev. C. F. Aked. He wished the
young men to help him organize a lit
erary and debating society. A re
mark of one of those who entered into
the discussion led Mr. Rockefeller to
tell a story.
“My father,” said he, “tells many
stones, and some of them are new
ones. The other day he told me one
about a man who had been imbibing
too freely and who, when he came to
a watering trough, fell headlong into
it. A policeman came along-and pull
ed him out. ‘l’m all right, officer,’
sputtered the man, ‘but see if you
can’t save the women and children. ’’ ’
Mr. Rockefeller sat down amid
much laughter. It is said to have been
the only occasion that he has men
tioned his father to the class. It was
decided to hold a meeting in three
weeks, to organize the debating so
ciety.
Populists Fire First Gun of 1908.
The following is taken from the
Cliicago Inter Ocean of last Sunday:
James H. Ferriss, chairman of the
Populist national committee, came to
Chicago yesterday to deny the gossip
that the Populists are planning to
urge either support to President
Roosevelt for a third term or the nom
ination of William Jennings Bryan
by the Democrats.
Mr. Ferris said that while the rank
and file of the Pops greatly admired
President Roosevelt, and felt that in
many ways he was one of them, it was
his belief that the party would stand
out squarely for a real Populist next
yqar.
Mr. Ferriss will send out a call this
week to Populist leaders to convene
probably in St. Louis, early in No
vember.
At this conference it is planned to
discuss the probable course the party
should pursue in the presidential
campaign next year.
Mr. Ferriss’ belief is that while
most of the things the Populists stood
for in their platform of 1904 have
been put into operation by the pres
ent administration at Washington,
there is yet the money question, gov-'
ernment ownership, and the initiative
and referendum to be made much of.
Populist a Happy Man.
‘ ‘ The Populist is a very happy man
these days,” said Mr. Ferriss. “We
have been through a revolution in the
last three years. Nothing like it was
ever known before. Our ridiculed
and despised issues of 1904 are now
popular, even in high places in the
government. The things done in these
high places have magnified the Pop
idist theory of
Air. Ferriss said a checking up of
the Populist platform of three years
age would show that what was then
considered almost anarchistic by
many had already been made popular
by Republican leaders, such as the
president and Senator LaFollette.
“We find,” said he, “our demands
for the postal savings bank, the right
of labor to organize, the abolition of
child labor, and sweat shops, our de
mand for public ownership of the rail
roads, telegraph and telephones, the
eight hour work day, direct vote for
United States senators, and the initia
tive and referendum now being ad
vocated by all political parties. These
measures are as popular with the pub
lic as they are with the Populists.
Then and Now.
“Three years ago we hesitated to
put some of these planks into the
Springfield platform. A noted re
former Wisconsin was invited re
cently to inspect a platform prepared
by the George Fred Williams group
of Massachusetts. The platform
seemed radical. ‘Yes, it is,’ said our
Wisconsin friend, ‘but already La
Follette has put fourteen of your
seventeen planks into the statutes of
Wisconsin. 7
“The great kings of predatory
wealth, the marauders of commerce,
are in court. Reform is now the fash
ion. The stand-patters are in confus
ion. ’ ’
Mr. Ferriss, though exulting over
the Roosevelt administration, says
that neither Roosevelt nor Bryan goes
quite far enough to suit the Populists.
“The money question and the Wall
street money combine remain undis
turbed,” he said. “Neither the
Rooseveltians nor the Bryanites ap
proach close to this issue—do not give
battle to the greatest trust of all.”
Popularizing the Platform.
Os the alleged popularizing of the
Populist platform of three years ago
by the present Republican adminis
tration, Mr. Ferriss said this:
“The scenes have shifted. The
Populist is now widely esteemed for
1/is loyalty and for his sound political
economy. He is again an honored
member of the commonwealth. He
has become sanctified politically. He
has won a position among men, and
his opportunity for work is now
large. It is the Populist’s greatest
hour. In our modest way we must
now press forward to the greater
achievement, left undone by Roose
velt and Bryan—the overthrow of
Wall street.”
Mr. Ferriss said that the Populists,
while appreciating that President
Roosevelt had done much to popular
ize their platform of three years ago,
could not think of indorsing him as
their candidate next year. •
“It might be, however,” he said,
‘ ‘ that conditions would so shape them*
selves that Roosevelt Republicans,
Bryan Democrats, and all reformers
could support a presidential candi
date picked from the Populists
ranks. ’ *
The Alabama Populists have called
a State convention at Barminaham,
Marek 4, 1908, to aeleot delegatee lox
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
the national convention. This, is the
first convention of any party so far
called for the purpose.
A new Populist newspaper, “The
Alabama Populist,” is starting up
at Selma. —Joliet, Hl., Daily Times.
The President Kills a Bear.
The suspense of the nation is at an
end. President Roosevelt has killed
a bear. The Louisiana hunt will not
go down in history as a failure. Again
Roosevelt luck has snatched victory
from defeat. Every American except
Dr. Long will rejoice with the mighty
hunter from the White House that
the quarry has at last been brought
to earth. Had the expedition ended
without bear bloodshed disappoint
ment wculd have been almost univer
sal.
Since tfie President started down
the Mississippi to penetrate the jun
gles in the vicinity'of Stamboul thou
sands and tens of thousands of pale
faced, desk-emaciated but sport-lov
ing Americans have followed his
movements as outlined in the dis
patches and felt something of the
zest of the hunt. We were informed
the other day that two rattlesnakes
had been killed and skinned. There
was but little comfort in the report.
It looked as if the correspondents
were endeavoring to make the best
possible showing for the President,
but had little material upon which to
work. Again we learned that two
bobcats had been seen by the Presi
dent’s party, but they got to cover
and were lost. At several points bear
tracks were seen, but any well-wish
ing correspondent might imagine a
few bear tracks. The following day’s
news told of the President having
braved the rigors of a frosty morning
to swim 400 yards in Bear Lake. It
looked suspicious. There was some
thing more than a faint suggestion
that he realized that interest in the
hunt was waning, and that it was nec
essary to do a stunt of some sort if
no trace of the game could be found.
In another dispatch it was stated
that the Presuient had brought down
a fine buck. That was merely taking
pie when a requisition for pudding
was not honored. The hunt was.not
organized to bag bucks, but bears.
But just when it seemed all too prob
able that two rattlesnakes in the
hand and two bobcats in the bush
were to constitute the net results of
the hunt an absent-minded bear saun
tered within range of the President’s
shooting irons and bit the dust in sev
eral places. A sigh of relief goes
up from some 85,000,000 patriotic
Ithroats. Perhaps we ought to be
horrified at the spectacle of the first
citizen of the Republic slaking his
thirst for gore in bear blood, but we
aren’t. Since this hunt was under
taken at considerable expense, and
given considerable publicity, com
plete failure would have reflected
sadly upon the reputation of the Pres
ident as an achiever of results. Had
he come home empty-handed we could
but have felt that our idol was some
what chipped if not shattered. The
President had to kill a bear or be
handieapped forever. While it is, es
eeurie, a little rough npoa Bxuia, it
is highly gratifying to the rest of us
that the President has at last drawn
blood.—Courier-Journal.
Cotton Men in Chicago.
Chicago, Oct. 18. — A. party of 125
delegates from Europe to the interna
|tional cotton conference, held last
week at Atlanta, Ga., arrived here to
day from St. Louis. The delegation
visited the stockyards and inspected
some of the large commercial houses.
The party left tonight for Toronto,
Canada.
Two Large Engines Arrive.
Statesboro, Ga., Oct. 20. —(Spe>-
cial.) —Two of the largest engines
ever seen in this place arrived yester
day over the Central of Georgia Rail
road. They are to be used on the.
Savannah,. Augusta and _ Northern
Railway, which is being built from
this place to Chattanooga, Tenn.
They are 56-ton engines and are of
mogul type, 18 by 24. The capacity
of the tank is 3,500 gallons, and the
tender will carry eight tons of coal.
Sixty carloads of rails having ar
rived recently from time to time, and
the announcement that these two
large engines had arrived caused con
siderable enthusiasm, and it was a
common expression to hear one shout
out, “It begins to look like a rail
road now\”
Hundreds of people flocked to the
station to see the monster moguls, and
today being Sunday, many idlers went
to view them.
Although sixty carloads of rails
have arrived and the right-of-way and
roadbed have been finished from here
to Garfield, which is thirty miles
from here, the promoters say that it
is Impossible to give the exact day
the work of laying the rails will be
gin. *
This will be a gala day for States
boro. Preparations are being made to
celebrate the occasion of driving the
first spike with appropriate ceremo
nies.
The engines which arrived today
are numbered 1 and 2. No 1 has
the Marie Cecilia on the pilot house.
This being the first engine built for
the Savannah, Augusta and Northern,
it gets the name Marie Cecilia from
the little daughter of W. H. Lyon,
of New York, the prime promoter of
the new road and also president of
the project. No. 2 is not named.
The Constitution.
President Telegraphers Suspended.
Chicago, Oct. 13. —At a meeting of
the executive committee, President
Small was suspended. The following
message was sent to President Sifiall
by the executive committee:
“Under article 15, section 7, of
the constitution of the Commercial
Telegraphers’ Union of America, you
are hereby suspended from the of
fice of president, to take effect in
mediately. (Signed). S. J. Ronen
kamp, acting chairman; M. J. Reidy,
J. M. Sullivan. 99
National President Small, of the
Commercial Telegraphers’ Union, and
his suggestion, that a vote be taken
on the question of calling off the
MtailM, Mpadiated by members
e4 the fkioafo loot! tuion at a neet-