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The Commoner.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 30.
i-
f CURB8NT ATOPICS
Tig immm I .i Jt.
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f r.-"J ."NJrjk
LONDON NEWSPAPERS SAY THAT THE
British consul general at Canton has made
a report in "which he says that there is great de
mand for American .flour in China, particularly
among the immigrants who have returned from
the United States. This consul reports that in
1002, the flour imported exceeded the flour impor
tations of 1901 by 95.831,328 pounds; also that the
1902 iiapnrtations were 78,000,000 pounds in ex
cess of the average for the past five years. The
value of American flour now sold in China is
estimated at 4,t00,000 per annum.
A CHAPTER ON HORSE INSURANCE IS CON
tributed by James L. Workman, United
States consul general in Munich. The Washing
ton correspondent for the Chicago Tribune pre
sents a synopsis of Mr. Workman's report In
that report the consul general says that Bavaria
has, within the last thirty years, made remarkable
progress in the domain of governmental insur
ance. The centralizing and modernizing of in
surance by the government against fire in 1874
was followed in 1884 by an insurance provision
against hail, which the state officials and farmers
alike consider a most unique institution. In 1896
Bavaria provided government insurance of cattle,
recognizing the great importance of the cattle
industry to this kingdom. After that provision
had stood the test of time, the minister of the
interior, Dr. Baron von Fell Itzsch the originator
of hail and cattle insurance took steps leading
to the solution of the more difficult problem of
the insurance of horses.
BAVARIAN HORSE INSURANCE, ACCORD
Ing to the consul general's report, went in
to effect November 1, 1900, and of this form of
insurance it is said: This latest benevolent In
stitution of Bavaria awake -s the deepest inter
est among horse owners, and is furthered by the
state and the townships. It has already overcome
the initial difficulties and developed so surpris
ingly that it may be reckoned as one of the great
est of horse insurance institutions. Like all other
Bavarian governmental insurance, it rests upon
the foundation of unions. These unions embrace
entire districts as subdivisions. There are now
398 combined unions, with 34,748 horses, and an
insurance capital of 28,660,540 marks (?6,822,636).
This remarkable success is due to the co-operation
of the Bavarian government and influential
people interested In horse breeding. The manage
ment has eschewed all bureaucratic tendencies,
and the state and township officials have been
mainly friendly counselors to the parties directly
interested.
THE UNITED STATES GRANTED ITS FIRST
patent July 31, 1790. According to the
"Yvashington correspondent for the New York
World, this patent was Issued to Samuel Hop
kins and protected his method of making potash
and pearlash. This correspondent says: "Prob
ably the most important of early patents was
taken out the same year by William Pollard,
Philadelphia, for a water-power spinning ma
chine. Three patents were granted the first year,
thirty-three the second and eleven the third.
None of these early models survived the destruc
tive flres of 1836 and 1877. One commissioner and
an assistant, appointed by tho president, and over
1,000 clerks, are now required to transact tho
business of the office."
SC JO
FOR YEARS 'NEW JERSEY HAS BEEN
famous for its mosquitoes and the people
of that state do not appear to nave enjoyed the
consequent notoriety any more than they have tho
mosquito pest itself. It may not be doubted
therefore, that Now Jersey people found consid
erable satisfaction in two dispatches that re
cently appeared in the New York Tribune as fol
lows: "St Louis, July 20.-Mosquitoes stopped a
700 horsepower engine in the plant of the Pitts
burg Reduction company at Alta Sita, a suburb of
East St Louis. For several days the engine had
not run smoothly, but Engineer Robinson could
not locate the trouble. Raising steam to an un
usual pressure had no apparent effect, and Anally
the big drive wheel stopped dead. Renewed ex
nraination showed that mosquitoes, attracted pos-
t IX nhneU n th.e engin0' had been shed
to death on tho crossheads and along the piston
runs until they formed a gummy mass that oven
steam pressure could not overcome. The factory
now has screens." "Vancouver, B. C, July 20.
One of the worst plagues of mosquitoes ever suf
fered by ranches in the Fraser River valley now
infests that district This summer tho river
flooded the lowlands, leaving pools from which
were bred millions of big, fierce mosquitoes that
have attacked and killed ns. At Mount Leh
man, a large district protected by a dike, the
plague of mosquitoes is so bad that life is a
burden to those compelled to labor in the open
air."
so sT
A FAMOUS CHARACTER ON THE WESTERN
frontier, "Calamity Jane," died at Terry,
b D., August L The real name of this woman
was Martha Burke. Her strange personality is
said to have inspired Bret Harte to write bis
most popular story, "The Luck of Roaring Camp."
Mrs. Burke is said to have been the original of
the character of "Cherokee Sal." The Deadwood
correspondent for t.e New York World, referr
ing to "Calamity Jane," says: "Though she was
known for more than thirty years as 'Calamity
Jane, her real name is said to have been Mrs.
Clinton Burke. She was married to Burke in
1885, long after she had obtained her odd so
briquet, and it is said this was not her only
marriage. According to her own story of her
life she was born in 1852 in Princetown, Mo., and
her maiden name was Martna Canary. When she
was thirteen years old her parents started over
land for Virginia City, Nev., but never reached
r heir destination. Her mother died in Montana
in 1866 and the girl went with her father tp Salt
Lake City, where the latter died the following
year. Inured to outdoor life and an expert rider,
the girl, thrown on her own resources at fifteen,
determined to become a scout Her only asso
ciates were soldiers and Indians and she speed
ily adopted their ways. She soon became a dead
shot, and at the same time also learned to swear
like a trooper.' She donned male attire in 1870,
when she volunteered to go as a scout with Cus
ter in one of his Indian raids, and wore it dur
ing the greater part of her remaining years."
I T WAS IN 1872 THAT, ACCORDING TO THIS
JL Deadwood correspondent, Mrs. Burke was
christened "Calamity Jane" by Captain Egan
then commander of the army post of Goosecreek!
S D. Mrs. Burke had saved Captain Egan s life.
The captain had been shot from his horse by an
Imu The Deadwood correspondent says-
The woman scout killed his slayer, and picking
up the wounded officer she placed him across the
saddle and rode off to the fort under the fire of
other Indians. When Captain Egan, who was
unconscious at the time, learned the circum
stances of his rescue, he said to his preserver:
aou are a good person to have around in t me
of calamity and I christeu you Calamity Jane,
hn hZ? wiS? the & About four years later
25?i . ,et ,Willia.m Hickk, better known as 'Wild
Bill, beside whose body she asked on her death
bed to be buried. A strong friendship sprang up
between the pair, but a few months later 'Wild
Bill' was shot dead in a gambling house in Dead
wood by 'Jack' McCall, a notorious desperado.
Calamity Jane led the party which captured and
lynched McCall. In her career 'Calamity Jane'
tatal Si" w?rS lbattles with Indians and
J?,! If a?S WiX. wuIte men- In 18 she met
JS?a Vm?- Fy- Just as a band of Ind
ians had killed the driver, mounted the box her-
?.? i m rove the Passengers safely into Dead
mfl W rf? ago 'Calamity Jane' was found
ill and deserted in a cabin near Horr, Mont, by
Mrs. Josephine Winfiold Drake, tho novelist The
- 8? Ver to her own home near
Buffalo, N. Y., but when 'Calamity Jane' recov-
hreerdolSeiiCfeUlin Z 'wesl l0nginS to rtu to
SOME IDEA OF THE CHARACTER OF THE
immigrants of 1902 is shown by a report
received August 1 by Mr. Sargent, commissioner
fw rnn Jtion. In this report it is -said
that 600 of the foreigners who landed in New York
during the past twelve months are now inmates of
penal or charitable institutions in that city and
state. It Is also said that during tho year 8 000
immigrants were sent back to Europe. Speaking
to a correspondent for tho New York World Mr
Sargent said: "These figures form om? a iSt
MoZhatT Whole instigation Is Uke t pda
close. I have no doubt but that the other big
cities are going to show a similar condition. The
situation Is certainly startling and we have de
elded to make the matter of landing undesirable
aliens more stringent than ever. We are now
somewhat hampered by the looseness of the law
but certain changes have been suggested which
are likely to mend matters. We are working in
Europe, where we hope to prevent the undesir
able people from sailing for this country only to
be sent back again."
A PLAN TO "NATURALIZE" A BOAT IS BE
ing considered by a resident of New York
er "ate"?wn, N. Y., correspondent for the
World explains: "W. W. Dyckman, of New Yore,
who has been spending the summer vith his
lamiiy on the tt. Lawrence, has recently had a
house-boat bunt which bids fair to be a most
noted craft It is expected it will be made the
subject of a special bill to be presented in con
gress. Mr. Dyckman's new house-boat is fifty
five feet long aai luxuriously fitted up. She cost
several thousand dollars. She v.as built in Kings
ton, Ontario, and Is therefore a Canadian boat,
and is under the international commerce laws
which provides that leaving one American port
with passengers or goods she cannot' land them
at another American port Mr. Dyckman is an
American and wants to use the boat for tue
Sm ??rt in American waters. So these laws
will naturally mean great inconvenience to him.
His only means of relief is to have the boat nat-
nt?HffiJ lS TUe?' hV an act of congress.
This, It is said, he is planning to do."
Gtc KT
ENERAL MILES' NINETY-MILE RIDE
prompted a writer for the Chicago Chron
icle to make investigation concerning officers on
S, flet,r,?d. llst ,and revealed that th?re are now
or. the list no less than 108 retired major gen-
X !Sdbrlgadier Senerals, as against thirty
eight of these officers in active service. lb all,
there are 800 officers on the retired list-and a
large part of these officers, although past tho
maximum age of 64, are quite able to do service.
In the navy where men are retired at 62, there are
sixty rear admirals on the retired list, as against
twenty-four in active service. b
STATISTICS OF ATTENDANCE AT " THE
leading universities of the country is made
wo Vbtel an interesting article in the
World s Work for August by Franklin J. Turner.
Mr. Turner says that while these statistics show
that great universities which rest upon private
foundations take the lead, they are closely fol
f bAy the 8tate Oversales in tho middle
?!? f .CTdlnA to Mr Tur!1er, Harvard has
5,468 students Columbia 5,352, Chicago 4,296. The
ate. university of -Michigan comes next with 3,
lc& o0i0Wn hY California, 3,696; Minnesota, 3 -SSvJSi
lniS' 288' The Privately endowed
SS ffQ y f G0r,ne11 has 3'281- after which comes
the state university of Wisconsin with 2,884. The
2S!SWe w1? I8" on nrlvate foundations,
shows a total of 2,875. The ancient institutions of
i?wn 1 ennsylvania are closely pressed in
numbers by theyoung state university of Nebraska
which has 2,289. v Both Indiana university and
t JL"11 oe.rslty of Missuri surpass Princeton and
T nd Stamord in numbers and have more than
double the attendance of Johns Hopkins. When
L. is remembered that but a few years ago am-
LS,tU(ef in search of th higher educa-
?ocSd in .great numbers from tho middle
nf e?i00,tne.easfern institutions, the significance
of this showing is still mo-: highly emphasized.
if &
SOME ONE HAS PREPARED STATISTICS
showing that Germany heads the list as a
reading nation. The London correspondent for tho
Chicago Inter-Ocean refers to these statistics al
though he does not say who compiled them. In
a cablegram to the Inter-Ocean this London cor-
iJS? oder lays, that these statistics show that in
id, 5d,607 books were published in Germany, as
compared with 8,082 in Russia, In .regard to
newspapers, tho Inhabitants of tho United States
fire catered to by 22,000 journals, ' while Russia,
Ith a population of 130.000,000, lias only 800.
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