PECEMBEB 8, 1005-
The Commoner.
fCURBeNT Topics
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IT COSTS ABOUT $2.92 to ship one thousand
feet of rough pine lumber from Tonowanda
to New York, tho freight being 13 cents on each
hundred pounds. The Dingley law imposes a duty
of $2.00 a thousand on-imports of Canadian lum
ber. The New York World rays that if an admin
istration had power to regulate freight rates it
might be able to clip a few cents off this freight
charge of $i.92, adding: "But if it would per
suade congress to revise the Dingley lumber
schedule the consumer would gain the benefit of
a reduction of $2.00 a thousand in the price of
lumber."
THE ORIGINAL Dingley bill imposed a rate
of only $1.00 on lumber, but the "World
Buys: "Julius Caesar Burrows, who represents
the lumber interests in the United States senate,
was a member of the conference committee and
forced the $2.00 rate into the bill. The result
was an immediate advance in the price of lum
ber. The Ontario government adopted retalia
tory measures which prevented the further raft
ing of Georgian Bay logs to Mlchi.in mills for
manufacture. Thousands of American working
men along the Huron shore were thrown out
of employment, and it is now said that twenty
eight men control more than 80 per cent of the
available pine stumpage in the United States.
The American forests are being slaughter d and
the American consumer is paying an excessive
price for lumber in order that this handful of
owners may fatten off their monopoly."
IN ONE OP HIS "Frenzied Finance" articles
published in Everybody's Magazine, Thomas
W. Lawson tells how a Boston banker by the
name of Coolidge once interrupted a conference
of four other Boston financiers among them Mr.
Lawsonand secured $100,000. Mr. Lawson's
story follows: "The following incident will give
my readers an idea of how fast financial history
makes when it's making: During this confer
ence Coolidge rapped at the door and said: 'Law
son, our bars are down unexpectedly. Here is
with me; he loaned me $100,000 for two
days to tide us over, and if he does not receive it
nowthis minute he will levy an attachment,
and the jig's up.' I turned to my three visitors
and said: 'Here is Coolidge with a problem
which must be solved at once or we need waste
no more of our time.' And I quickly gave them
the situation. Til chip in $25,000 with the rest
of you? said the Standard Oil man. 'Same here,
said the Ijeef trust official. 'I'm in,' I answered,
and there was nothing now for the Globe man to
do but chip in, too. In about five minutes I hand
ed Coolidge a check for $100,000; the other three
each handed over to me one rf $25,000 and we
resumed our confab. In that brief space we four
had parted with $100,000 as though we had used
it to ignite a cigarette so far as its meaning any
thing to us was concerned. That was the last we
ever saw of our money and as I write, years after,
all that remains to remind me of the transaction
is a square bit of paper setting forth in a few
brief words the facts I have given above."
C. W. CRANNELL of Rockyford, California,
has, according to the Denver News, per
fected a nallless horseshoe. Concerning this in
vention the News says: "The base of the shoe
is made very much like an ordinary horseshoe,
except that the toe and heel calks are removable.
They are fastened by short, heavy screws from
the upper side. If, in icy weather, a rough shoe
is desired the smooth calks which are usually
used in dry weather, may be taken off re-dily
and replaced with sharp ones. The weights and
extensions may be adjusted in a ike manner.
The shoe is held in place by clamps made of
cold steel -that is so pliable that it may be doubled
without breaking. The band, or clamp, touches
the shoe at each heel and at the toe, but does
not cross the back of the hoof, thus affording
natural expansion of the frog of the foot, when
the weight of the animal is thrown upon it. There
are four short brads coming up from the sole of
the shoe which extend Into the shell of the hoof
a quarter of an inch. These are merely to stay
the shoe. The, shoe Is fastened with the aid of
a small wrench which fits the -flatheaded screws
on the front of the hoof. This shoe may be taken
off and replaced at will. Every prrt of tho shoo
except the calus will wear for years. All thct is
necessary after one has tho shoe, is to havo on
hand a few calks. By this means every farmer
or horseman becomes his own horseshoor. Tho
shoe is specially useful to racehorses. At night
tho shoe is taken off and the feet given the need
ed rest. Mr. Crannel, tho inventcr and patentee,
has -been in the blacksmith business in Rockey
ford for a number of years. Ho is a genius in
the work of usefulness, but never until now had
the forethought to 'hang on to Lis patent.' Ho
patented the first too weights ana others became
rich from his genius. He patented a suction pump
that made a set of Kansas men rich. Tho first
pair of nailless horseshoes to be turned out for
sale are to go to President Roosevelt's staples in
"Washington by special order. Temporarily the
shoes will be made in an eastern factory. Later
Mr. Crannell will build a big factory in Colorado.
There is no lack of capital to back up his new in
vention." IF JAN KUBELIK, the violinist, should get a
splinter in one of his fingers and bo forced
to abandon his public engagements, accident in
surance at the rate of $71.50 a day according to
a writer in tho New York World would bo paid
to him. Should the finger fall to heal and ampu
tation be necessary, Kubelik would receive $50,
000 in cash. The World writer adds: "Should
Kubelik bo killed in an accident his widow would
receivo his entire insurance $160,000. The only
way Kubelik could get as much as that would
be to have both hands and legs amputated, and
both eyes put out. Kubelik, who arrives in Now
York next Monday for a tour of twenty-three
weeks, has been insured for six years. His pres
ent policy is with a guarantee company, of Lon
don, and he pays $480 a year, on it. Tho
policy stipulates that Kubelik, in the event
of losing a toe or foot shall receivo $25,000.
Two toes, if on the same foot, would not
net any more than one toe, nor would the
loss of the foot draw more than that of a toe,
big or little. If, however, he should lose both
feet, or a toe on each foot, he would receive a
check for $50,000. His fingers havo been insured
for just twice as much as his toes, being listed
at $100,000. Loss of one hand would bring
$50,000, just as would the loss of one digit. His
eyes are protected by joint insurance of $25,000.
There is no insurance on ears or nose. As yet
Kubelik has uot drawn a cent of insuranco money,
having been singularly free from accident."
REFERRING TO THIS same system of Insur
ance, we are told by this authority that
Jervace Paderewski, the pianist, holds a policy
of $50,000 with the London company, insuring his
fingers at $4,000 each. Thus far his fingers have
met with three slight accidents, and Paderewski
has been paid more than $10,000 for engagements
he has missed. This is $3,500 more than he paid
in premiums. Mme. Lillian Nordlca, the singer,
has $50,00u of insurance against accident, ai Anna
Held holds $100,000 worth. Neither has as yet
called upon the companies insurinj 11 i. Lillian
Russell, on September 9 of last year, paid a year's
i 9 onn in nrivnnr.fi on a $40,000 policy
to a casualty company. On May 4 lastho fell while
getting out of her carriage, sustaining injuries
that caused her to lose fifteen weeks of bookings.
For this the company handed over ,3,000. Near
ly all prominent actors carry accident Insurance,
carrying from $25,000 to $100,000.
THE COURT MARTIAL brought about by the
nrize fight between midshipmen Merriweth
er and Branch of the naval academy has devel
oned that in naval circles fighting is winked at by
the authorities, or at least they make little effort
to suppress it. It seems that prize f ts in
Taval circles have become quite common and
?hat officers as well as seamen have not only
been interested spectators on these occasions
nut have gone out of their way to encourage such
COnfliCtS. KrO
EMILE LOUBET'S term as president of the
French republic will terminate February
18 1906 On that day the two branches of the
French parliament will meet jointly as a national
Lsembly to dhoose President Loubet's successor.
It Is now said that President Loubet will accept
re-election, but that In tho event of that honor
being conferred upon him, ho will during the
yoar 190G rctlro from office President Loubot
Is G8 years of age, and until recently It was under
stood that he would dcclino re-election. It socins,
however, that a change has como over tho spirit
of Loubet's dreams.
THE REASON for this chango, according to
a writer In tho St. Louis Globo-Domocrnt,
lb that President Loubot thin Its tho prcsont par
liament docs not accurately represent tho Ideas
of tho French people. This writer says: "Chosen
in May, 1902, for its regular four years' torm,
it expires next May. At that time Lo Frcuch
people will have an oportunity to oxpreBS an
opinion of tho work of tho past four years, and
to indicate tho sort of work it wants to bo done
in tho coming yoar or two. Tho purposo attribut
ed to President Loubot Is to get reelected, if he
can, and then to stop down six or eight months
hence and givo tho now parliament a chance to
choose his successor."
EMILE LOUBET Is tho soventh of tho presi
dents of tho third republic, tho president's
term being seven years. Tho Globo-Domocrnt
writer explains: "Julos Grevy was tho only ono
of Loubet's predecessors who servod out his full
torm, and ho was re-elected, but a scandal In
which his nephew was Involved forced him to
resign soon after his Becond torm began. Sir
Henry Maine said the French president is tho
most abject of functionaries. Franco's kings
reigned and governed. Britain's sovereign relngs,
but does not govern. The president of tho Uni
ted States governs, but does not reign. Franco's
president neither reigns nor governs. Neverthe
less, all of her presidents except one or two havo
been men of ability and they havo advanced tho
prestige of tho post. Tho report of President
Loubet's intention to snub tho present parliament
by holding over so as to let the incoming body
name tho president may he resented on January
18, and a new man chosen who will hold the
office the full term, If he lives that long."
GOVERNOR DOUGLAS and a delegation of
Massachusetts boot and shoe manufactur
ers called on President Roosevelt and pointed out
that the duty on hides was levied primarily for
tho benefit of tho cattle raisers, but that it is
absurd to suppose that tho price of cattle would
materially chango by placing a tariff on ono ot
the by-products of the beef Industry, and that
the 15 per cent duty on hides compels all tho
peo-le to pay high prices for boots and shoes.
They therefore urged the president to givo ser
ious consideration to the tariff question In his
forthcoming message. Tho Houston (Texas) Post
says that "Texas is the largest producer of ani
mals which furnish the hides to the manufacturers
of boots and shoes. Since the duty was levied
on hides the making of leather has passed Into
tho 'control of a huge monopoly which, in con
junction with the beef trust, fixes the prices at
' which the cattle raisers must sell, as well as the
price at which tho consumers of the meat and
shoes must buy. The destruction of this duty
will not injure the cattle raisers of Texas."
THE INCREASING INTEREST taken In tho
demand for a revision of tho tariff is shown
when, in concluding the editorial referred to tho
Houston Post says: "The Post has no hesitancy
in saying, however, that oven If the duty of 1G
per cent on hides affected the several thousand
cattlo raisers in the state, the benefits accruing
are slight compared with tho injury dono to 4,
000.000 people who wear shoes, ana who are now
threatened with an average advance of 50 cents
a pair on all the shoes they wear. Such an ad
vance would exceed several times over the en
tiro value of the hide business of Texas, let alono
it.. 1C .. sinnf nrnfnrHnn Invnlvfid. But What
is most impressive In Governor Douglas state
ment Is the willingness of tho manufacturers to
consent to a reasonable reduction of the 25 per
cent duty on boots and shoes. This brings the
whole question to a po-lnt where its fair con-
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