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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-