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The Commoner.
JANUARY 22. 1904.
Con de nsed N e w s of the Week
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The steamer Clallam of the Seattle-Victoria
fleet, sank in a terrific storm on January 9 in the
straits of Juan do Puca, and fifty-two persons
were drowned. The women and children on board
the ill-fated vessel were placed in the life boats,
but these capsized, and all in them, perished.
Former Governor Foster of Ohio died at
Springfield, that state, on January 9. Mr. Foster
served as governor of Ohio from 1879 tol81 and
he was secretary of the treasury under President
Harrison. He died at the age of seventy-six years.
Governor Nash of Ohio issued a proclamation on
the death of Mr. Foster and the flag on the treas
ury building at Washington has been ordered, to
be kept at half mast.
On January. 9 the -democratic state committee
of Massachusetts indorsed a movement in favor
of having the national convention nominate Rich
ard Olney for president of the United States.
Resolutions to this effect were introduced in the
committee by Congressman McNary who classed
Mr. Olney as one of the "foremost Americans and
foremost democrats."
It was announced from Peking on January 9
that the Chinese emperor had ratified the Ameri
can and Japanese treaties of commerce with
China.
According to recent reports from Paris, it is
believed that the Legion of Honor, the celebrated
French order, and admittance to which was for
merly one of the most coveted privileges in Eu
rope, is in a fair way to be abolished, on account
of grave abuses of the .distinctions given by it.
Gen. John B. Gordon, a noted figure on the
confederate side in the civil war, died at his
home near Miami, Fla., January 9. General Gor
don was born in Georgia February 9, 1832. Ho
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1850.
"When the civil war broke out, General Gordon
raised a company of men for the confederate ser
vice and was elected captain,. He served with
distinction through the war, and at its close re
sumed his law practice, being also a prominent
figure in politics. He was elected to the United
States senate in 1873, and re-elected in 1878, but
resigned. He also served two terms as governor
of Georgia, and at the time of his death was
commander-in-chief of the confederate veterans.
On January 9 the Missouri supreme court en
joined the state board of arbitration from inter
fering in the threatened strike of the carriage
drivers, and also from pressing charges of con
tempt it had brought against certain members of
a labor organization, who left a meeting of the
board before which they had been summoned to
'testify. It is said that ihe action of the state
board thus far has prevented the calling of the
carriage drivers' strike, involving 900 men and
more than 100 concerns, which was to have been
called January 1.
Several important developments in the labor
World took place on January 9 when orders were
issued to open no less than five blast furnaces of
the Carnegie Steel company in the Pennsylvania
district, thus giving employment to about 10,000
men. Over 4,000 men returned to work at the
South Sharon Pa., mills on January 11. The H.
C. Frick Coal company also ordered the resump
tion of 1,500 coke ovens, thus making 3,000 idle
ovens to be started immediately.
Tn n nannml nrrJor ls:iAr1 nr .Tnrmnrv 10 it
K was made known that Lieutenant General Stephen
fr D. Lee has assumed uie omue ojl commuuuer-iu-I
chief of the United Confederate Veterans' asso
ciation, made vacant by the death of General John
;B. Gordon.
.Tfifm Leon Gerome. the painter and sculptor.
died in Paris January 10 at the age of eighty
K years. M. uerome uas ueeu Known iur many
'years as one of the most prominent painters ana
sculptors of his time, having proaucea many
bworks of art.
The thirtieth general assembly of Iowa con
vened at the state capltol at Des Moines on Jan
lary 11, and proceeded to the election of tempo
rary and permanent officers. James A, Smith or
Itchell county was made, president pro tern or.
the .sonate and Georgo W. Clark of Dallas was
chosen speaker of the house.
Congressman William W. Skiles, represent
ing the Fourth district of Ohio, died at his homo
at Shelby, that state, on January 9, at the ago of
fifty-four years.
News was received from Colon, on January 9,
to the effect that the authorities at Cartegena arc
much concerned as to the intentions of the peo
ple of the islands of San Andreas and others, as
it is well known that these people sympathize
more with Panama than with Colombia.
A clash between Turkish and Bulgarian troops
v was reported January 11 from Kochana, fifty
miles southeast of Uskub, in Turkish territory, lu
which engagement the Bulgarians lost 100 killed.
At Havana, on January 11, the Cuban senate
passed the ratification of the so-called permanent
treaty with the United States, with no debate.
This treaty contains all the provisions of the
Piatt amendment, and was signed May 22, 1903,
but was not ratified with the other treaties be
tween the United States and Cuba at tho close
of. the last session of congress.
An Associated press dispatch from Macon,
Ga., under date of January 11, said: Au event
unusual in United States courts occurred today
when Judge Emory S'peer of the southern dis
trict of Georgia paid an eloquent tribute to Gen
eral John B. Gordon from the bench and on mo
tion, declared the court adjourned until after tho
funeral.
The inauguration of Myron T. Herrick as
governor of Ohio on January 11 was witnessed
by an unusual number of people. In his ad
dress, Governor Herrick recommended tho revi
sion of the laws governing primaries and elec
tions, urged amendments to existing school Jaws,
and among other things, advised legislation" that
would make the state laws milder for corporations
and encourage tiielr organization in the state. At
the close of liis address,- Governor Herriclr re
viewed the inaugural parade, in which fully 10,
000 men participated.
An Associated press dispatch, dated Youngs
town, O., January 11, says: At the bi-moiithly
wage conference here today betweon representa
tives of the Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers and representatives of
the labor bureaus of the Republic Iron and Steel
company and the American Steel Hoop company
the rate for puddling was reduced from ?5.75 to
?5.25 per ton. Bar-mill heaters were reduced 4
per cent and finishers 3 2-3 per cent. About. 30,
000 workmen are affected.
According to advices from New Haven, Conn.,
under date of January 11, 'twenty prominent citi
zens of New Haven, heade'd by Prof. Theodore S.
Woolsey, professor of international law at Yalo
university, have signed and forwarded to Senator
George F. Hoar, a petition asking that the senate
defer ratification of the Hay-Bunau-Varilla treaty
and that this government's action In Panama be
subjected to careful and deliberate investigation."
On account of the prominence of the signers of
this petition, it has awakened much interest in
Washington among members of congress.
An Associated press Paris cablegram, dated.
January 12, says: Henri Lachambre, the aeronaut
and balloon constructor, is dead. He made the
balloon in which his friend, Andree, started July
1, 1897, on his journey to the north pole. Andree
has not been heard of since. He also constructed
a balloon for Santos Dumont.
An organization known as tho "Iroquois Me
morial Society," which society is composed of rel
atives of victims in the Iroquois theatre fire at
Chicago recently, when about 600 people lost their
lives, was formed recently, and tho society has
been promised unlimited funds to aid In prosecut
ing the persons responsible for tho fire. At a
meeting of the committee recently, the following
recommendations were decided upon: "First, to
establish a suitable memorial to commemorate
the names of the victims of the fire. Seconds to
render assistance to those made destitute thVough
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tho loss of relatives in the fire. Third, to devise
and carry out mothods to provent similar occur
rences in tho future Fourth, to assist in and com
pel tho enforcement of existing and future ordi
nances and statutes enacted for the purpose of
safeguarding human life in public assemblages."
It also was decided to appoint a committee to aid
the coroner in his investigation.
Tho war office in London on January 11 gave
out a dispatch containing details of the bloody
work done In Somallland by tho expeditionary
force sent against tho forces of the Mad Mullah.
Tho dispatch gives tho number of deYvlshes hilled
as 1,000, and many prisoners wore taken.
Joseph Chamberlain opened his tariff cam
paign In England again by delivering his first
speech of the new year at a 'banquet held in
Birmingham on January 11. His speech dealt prin
cipally with the conditions in England and ar
guments for "tariff roform."
Tho situation In tho Orient between Russia
and Japan seems unchanged so far as actual hos
tilities are concerned. Rumors of preparations
for war are still coming In, and tho government
at St. Petersburg seems to be more concerned
about tho matter than heretofore. The native
press in China appear to take it for granted that
war Is at their doors and it is feared that China
may be Involved and that tho scenes of pillage
and murder of 1900 may bo repeated. January 12
It was reported that divisions of Russian troops
arc on routo to tho Bceno of troubla, and that tho
now Chinese railroad has been occupied by tho
Russians, who have taken possession of tho ter
minus. In all quarters it is conceded that the
Manchurian question is the main issue. Russia
recently informed tho powers that it will respect
fully tho rights any nation has in Manchuria un
der treaty with China.
As a result of the meeting of the democratic
national committee in Washington on January
12 it was decided to hold the national convention
for 1904 at St. Louis on July G. St. Louis was
selected on tho second ballot.
It has been decided that the national commit
tee of tho people's party will meet in St. Louis on
February 22 to set the date for a national conven
tion, which convention vill name the candidates
for president and vice president.
Ex-Congressman Edmund H. Drlggs of Brook
lyn, recently convicted of accepting money, while
a congressman-elect, for securing a government
contract for the purchase of automatic cashiers
from the Brandt-Dent company for the postofnee
department, was sentenced on January 12 to im
prisonment for one day in jail and a fine of
?10,000.
A dispatch from Columbus, O., dated January
12, says: "The house and sonate voted separately
today 'for United States senator, the house cast
ing for Hanna, 21 for John H. Clarke (dem.) of
Cleveland, two republicans and one democrat be
. ing- absent. In tho senate Hanna received 29 and
Clarke 4 votes." Senator Hanna therefore re
ceived the senatorship by a vote of 115 to 25.
Tho annual convention of tho National Live
Stock association opened at Portland, Ore., on
January 12. In his address, Governor Chamber
lain said that during the last year there has been
a falling off in tho price of live stock of nearly 50
per cent, aggregating a loss to the industry of
5865,000,000, and these conditions, the governor
declared to have been brought about by the
manipulations of the leading packing houses of
the country.
A new organization, to be known as tho Na
tional Order of Railway Clerks of America, is in
process of formation, -and no less than 20,000 rail
way clerks of the United States, Canada and Mex
ico are members of the new association. Accord
ing to a Buffalo, N. Y., dispatch, the announced
obje'ets of the now organization are "the elevation
of the standard of efficiency, the promotion of
the welfare of its members, socially, morally, in
tellectually and financially, and the assisting of
worthy memberg to secure 'employment as well as
to 'give them pecuniary aid in time of sickness."
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