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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1908)
I'ST as we were leav ing Heanvflle w-egot a wire saving I lie circus boss vv a s weary of waiting for ns to arrive and had skipped away to Eu rope for a few days. However, he left a handsome check be hind for our approval, and In the interim of waiting for him to re turn Tib decided we should pay another visit to old Vermont. To my best knowledge it was his second trip there since his in fancy. If he could be here to-day 1 believe he would refuse to make a third. For on this last occasion he played the part of a 60-horse-power auto In the midst of bis homeland, and I reckon he would feel a bit skit tish about appearing in the guise of a $28 bicycle. Again, there is the sheriff to consider. Hut above all sordid de terrents he climbed high on the |«>d estal on this sojourn, and for a brief period wore the ermine. Yes, sir, ho was a Solomon until they turned in an alarm. "Somehow. I like best to think ol the old chap in that stage-setting. It was the one short lull in our many ad ventures. and I love to dwell upon the time when for three hours he toyed with the scales of justice, and within that small circumference man aged to establish certain legal propo sitions so astounding as to equip the higher courts with severe headaches for many years to come. “Now, don't run away with the idea that Tib drew only about six inches of water when it came to sailing the le gal seas: for he was so good he could luck the Futurity winner in 1911. Why, in one abbreviated afternoon he firmly started the celebrated Hig button will case on its spiral way. and only escaped a grand jury acquaint ance by thoughtfully nabbing a south-bound train in the evening. Probably to this day the principals in that litigation are anxiously watch ing for'his return. Dull hinds, dream on! Would that you could behold him again! "You see. sir. Tiberius was the greatest legal teaser that ever raised blisters on the judicial brow, although he had no idea of measuring out legal loro when we darted into placid Spluckersville. i'ii admit he was not a lawyer in the technical sense of the word, but w! n it came to doing the Daniel-arrived ; ■■ judgment act. be had lilackstone and all the other calf bound antiques going for mercy And despite we ws- there on a mere vacation, and although ho was forced into the office, and while his first anti last case .was a stinger—a quadru pedal one—he didn't on to work and slur it over and pass it on to the higher courts. Xo. sited Perhaps that's where he slipped up; foi a', though I was betting five to nothing on him. I can sec now he tickled the keystone of the commonwealth out <:: plumb by trying to get it corner on jurisdiction. "Put to romp hack and catch the flag. With the fat check we were ’.veil-laden with pin-money, and when we. arrived at Splucke-sville. Tib swore it reminded him of his birth place. and his twinkling brown eyes would gather pearls as he found the oil swimming-hole he would have laved in had he been allowed to have been born and grown tip in that drowsy environment. Then came a few stanzas about his lost youth, ami •Oft in the Stilly Xight.' and other Fourth-Reader stunts. Well, probably the town never before or since pos sessed a citizen so deeply apprecia tive of Its charms. First, he gave the Methodist church a new bell, and then he hung up a prize in the school for the best essay on home. Only, he insisted the compositions should be framed up like circus posters and be largely ejaculatory To add up the talk, as we both were paying our board, that wart < f a town ultimately fell on our necks and pronounced us blessed, and studied to keep us with them for all time. Then, at the con clusion of much liberality on our part, fully realizing Tilt's intense loyalty to the coop, the town fathers grave ly convened and decided we had gained a legal residence, and appoint ed the dear old chap as a justice of the peace! That was how it all started. Tib knew all aliont circuses anil stock companies, but his legal lore, like Joe Smith's Bible, was largely a mat ter of inspiration. Yet he bowed to the public will and slipped on the yoke. Really, he felt more happy and chesty over lhat miserly, little, scant ily paid office than if he had cap tured a whole bevy of grand llamas for a side-show attraction. Of course, lie swore me in as clerk, explaining I was the only man on earth who could read his writing. And, this done, he began to yearn and hankei or a litigation. He had an idea thal uie hitherto accepted theory of juris prudence was crude and noisy, and should be fitted out with ball-bearing sockets and a chronometer movement He simply pined away the first bout of his incumbency for the want of a test case. ‘He had just dusted off two volumes of statutes and was hefting fivt pounds of Somebody on Mortgages and had expressed a hope we woulc have a busy summer, when Hiran Duzer, farm-hand, rushed into the of fice and begged for several quarts o undiluted justice. “ ‘What kind do you want?' askec Tib, nervously, opening the statutes with rather a timid hand. “ ‘A warrant fer th' arrest of Joht Peasly an' Jasper Turner, store-keep ers, fer makin' off with valuable pa pers,’ cried Hiram. “ 'Papers consisting of what?' I pru pounded, to give Tib his cue. WORK FAST AND DIE EARLY American Business Men Must Learn to Slow Down. Physicians have long been preach ing thd doctrine that American busi ness men live too fast. V/ ith the tele graph, the ocean cable, the telephone and other modern facilities the man of affairs cati do in one hour work that formerly would have occupied six. It might be thought his working day would be correspondingly short ened. Nothing of the sort has oc curred. The speed with which trade can be effected has simply accelerated his pace, and he not oniy works fast er but more hours than ever, with corresponding increase of business and responsibilities. To keep up this energy he eats too much—sometimes TIBERIUS SMITH He Decides the Higbutton Will Case -By HUGH PENDEXTER (Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.) , “‘Silas Iligbutton's las' will an' tes tament.' explained Dtizer. solemnly. " Felony!' cried Tib, eying some tax receipts wisely. 'Hand me a blank warrant, I Silly.' "And after I'd found a eliromo that looked like a board of health danger signal, he gracefully scratched it with his pen and called in a lame constable and told him to do his duty. " Hate like sin ter do it.' demurred the officer, limping to the door. ‘They 'll come, all right, but they'll be so mad i they may lick ye. They never stole ! nothin’.’ "I whispered to Tib to put cn the brakes and coast a bit, even if he couldn't back-pedal. I reminded hint j Hiram was a care-free wag who al ways decorated the town hail for the Knights of Pythias ball and played in the band, and largely attended to somebody else's business except his own. 1 wished Hi to give a bond, but Tib insisted a hired man could quaff as deeply and freely at the spring of justice as any village storekeepers, and in about .'50 minutes Peasly and Turner drifted in. escorted by a large rural chorus and the only two legal lanterns in town. "Lawyer Renimy. a tall, thin, sad faced man. folded his arms, and. sink ing his head on his chest, much like the Little Corsican, eyed the court sternly and demanded why his two j clients had been arrested. Tib cheerfully informed hint, and gently asked the hired man if he were appearing by counsel. Then Lawyer Itilger, another thin one, took the first position in repulsing a bayonet charge, ami said he owned Hi. " Very well.' said Till, shuffling the leaves of Webster's I'nabridged to find the Latin quotations. 'lad. the prisoners plead.' "At this Brother Kemmy broke ; loose, and beginning with .Mount Sinai _ only one thins to do, he ordered the lame man hence, and in about ten minutes the mooing of cattle called us all to the door. " While we are entitled to a sub poena duces tecum. declared Mr. Rem my, airily, 'we have waived that right, and now that the live stock is here let. m.v learned friend make good his vaunted boast and point out Silas lligbutton's last will.’ “.Mr. Uilger and Hiram merely grinned. They yanked a fettlesome cow up to the door and then asked the court to drag his honest orbs ove.r her right flank. And hang me. sir. if Ihere wasn't branded the words: ’I give, devise and bequeath to—' and no more! "Tib mopped his brow, staved in tently at the beast for a minute, and then gasped, in a trembly voice: 'Be queathed to whom?' " Jest wait a second, y' honor,' cried Hiram, stalking proudly back and netting a steer, whose flank bore the next installment, to wit: 'Hiram Duzer all—' and that was all. "Well, sir, the discovery of these sections of the will simply swept the defendants and their attorney off their feet, and Tib could only sit on the door-step and w-eakly ask: ‘is them any more?' " 'The will is complete.' assured Mr. Kilger. gravely. I dictated it.’ "And two more cows showed the words: ‘My property wherever situ ate.' and Signed Silas lligbutton.' "'It's worthless!’ cried Mr. Remmy, joyfully. It must have three wit nesses.' ' Hiram fractured his face with an other smile, and I instinctively knew he had big casino. For he turned the critter about, and there on the other flank was his name as well as two others. " It seems regular,' gasped Tib. ‘I denied one-hoss court,’ snarled old Peasly, his white whiskers bristling in anger. 'He's got ter take it ter a court of probate.’ "'This court must pass upon the va lidity of the will before deciding whether you are guilty as charged,' said Tib, stoutly. 'And as for the physical aspect of the court, your outre metaphor will cost you five dollars. Hrother Itemmy, what have you to say ?' “ 'I say this is no will,’ cried Mr. Hemmy, trying to throttle his clients into silence. 'The statutes say a will must be in writing—' ’’ 'If done on a typewriter it's bind ing,' jeered Mr. Bilger. “ ‘Printed characters are certainly within the statutes,’ decided Tib. " 'But not on cows!’ gasped Mr. Rentniy, pressing his tremulous hands to his fevered brow. ‘"The testator certainly had a right to execute his will on one cow.' howled Mr. Bilger, snapping his fingers under his opponent's nose. ‘And where does the law draw the line and invalidate man's sovereign prerogative and declare, di cluckttm nozzum, that he shall be relegated to one cow? What if he owns two small cows and must use them instead of one large cow? Is he a freeman or a slave? Must he swap the two crit ters for one? In the words of Jus tinian: In hoc signo vinces!’ “ 'Trying to stun me with their boarding house French.' muttered Tib, in my dazed ear. Then sternly, to Mr. Bilger: 'Honi soit qui mal y pense. Sit down, sir.' And poor Bil ger wilted, while Mr. Remmy, who had butted into other courts, spun on his heel and dizzily staggered against the wall. " 1 am of the opinion,’ continued Tib. gravely tapping the I'nabridged impressively, 'that a man has a right “BEQUEATHED TO WHOM?” flapped every legal precept that ever emerged from a bench in the court's face, and begged to inform the court, sir, that when Ethan Allen indulged in a little joke on Fort Ticonderoga the Uemray forebears were not lurking in the background. With this per sonal prelude he wound up with men tion of the Green Mountain Hoys, then quoted a section from Tom Paine’s ‘Age of Reason,’ and finally declared Hiram was a scalawag and a blood re lation of Ananias. “ ’My clients,' he added, in a soft, hushed voice, ’are only guilty of re gaining their own. For years back they trusted, to use our homely vil lage phrase, Silas Higbutton with cer tain edibles and groceries and divers staples of life. As said Silas showed no inclination to liquidate his indebt edness, they levied, if it please the court, upon his live-stock just a few days la-fore he passed on to the final arraignment. But justly did my clients seize upon his stock and mingle them with their own kine. Needless to say, no will or any paper has been taken, and we demand the warrant dismissed.’ "Then Mr. Bilger thrust one hand in the bosom of his coat, and, turn ing his watery eyes on Tib, laughed hoarsely at his fellow's audacity. ■Who spoke of papers?’ he asked, shrilly, dusting his breast with his | free hand. ’Who spoke of papers in • ! the sense of papyrus or parchment? We spoke of documents. Now, let the j constable go and drive the live stock ! here, and we will make good our i charges and get at the res gestae.' “Tib bounced sharply from his chair . at the last shot, and eyed the dic tionary wistfully. But, as there was suppose a will should he witnessed on the side where the testator signs, and yet if the hide were removed all four signatures would be on the same side. What have you to say, Mr. Remmy?' "Brother R. simply growled in his anger, but at last declared that at least there could be no question as to his clients' right to the two mediae val looking horses. But Hiram and his lawyer, you know, had all the laurels tucked in their belts when it came to being old cuties, and with a deprecatory wave of the hand Bilger slyly called attention to the fact that each horse w-as a codicil. “ ‘What’s th' jedge goin’ ter do?’ whispered one of the amazed fringe of spectators. “Tib caught it. and turned quickly, saying: 'The court will now convene within. Leave the exhibits where they are.' " 'Don't monkey with this game,' I begged of the old chap; but he looked at me sorrowfully, and whispered: “ 'Billy, this little legal nut has got to be cracked by some one, and if it wan ders into the higher courts it won't be because I’m not the child to settle it. Besides, there's a nice point of law involved, just what I've been ach ing to get at all my life.’ “1 groaned and conceded he could hang his hat on a dozen such points, but without profit, and so, following him, I called court to order. Then up jumped -Hiram's tall, thin angel, and, with a sophomoric, Italy-beyond-the Alps delivery, he explained how Silas Higbutton had died without kin, and had willed his little all to his trusty hired man. “ ‘Ye can't probate a will in this —a legal right—to execute a binding will on the side of his house, on a fence, or to spell it in colored peb bles on his lawn. Hut if a man util izes the method in controversy it would seem he were guilty of contrib utory negligence—' “ 'That's right, jedge,' cheered Mr. Turner, enthusiastically. “ 'Silence in the court. Oyez, oyez. and oyez!' I warned, beginning to feel saucy from my semi-official position. “ ‘But his negligence does not neces i sarily invalidate his will.' concluded Tib, heavily. 'He is merely taking a chance.' “ 'Hooray!' cheered Hiram. “ ‘Charge up live dollars against that person if he becomes ebullient again, Billy,' directed the court. •“‘If the court please,' soared Mr. Repimy, after whispering in his clients’ ears, ‘we contest the will on the ground the signature is forged. We have samples of the alleged testator's handwriting here, and would offer them in evidence.' “Tib looked puzzled for a moment, and finally conceded that the contest ants were entitled to dispute and dis prove the signature by offering genu ine copies of the decedent's chi rography in evidence, and the defend ants patted each other on the back in glee. ‘But,’ added my Daniel, ‘the contradictory evidence’—and here the pages of Noah's big book buzzed busily as Tib raced through the pon derous volume to the list of quota tions from foreign languages—must be Similia similibus curantur, or of a like nature, or, in the nature of a signature on a cow. Of course, a 1 man would sign his name differently drinks too much—for a man who spends most of his working hours at his desk and takes no open air exer cise. Physical deterioration is inevi table, and when a period of more than usual stress and anxiety arrives he is liable to succumb. What Arr-ericas ousiness men must learn is to slow down, take wholesome recreation and above all quit worry ing. even over real troubles when they come, whereas most of them now worry over troubles that never come. —New York Herald. TROLLEY CARS OF DAMASCUS Every time we went into the city (whether froir our tents on the ter race atywc ancient and dilapidated pleasure garden, or from our red tiled rooms in the good Hotel d'Orient, to which we had been driven by a plague of sand flies in the camp) we stepped at once into a chapter of the Arabian Nights' entertainments. It is true, there were electric lights, and there was a trolley car crawling around the city; but they no more made it west ern and modern than a bead necklace would change the character of the Venus of Milo. The driver of the trolley car looked like one of "The Three Calenders,” and a gayly dressed little boy beside him blew loudly on an instrument of discord as the ma chine tranquilly advanced through the crowd. A man was run over a few months ago; his friends waited for the when writing on a cow than he would in using a fountain pen on super-lined bond. Ahem!’ "And as a husky wight beat a cripple across the road to the tavern, where, from niy elevated position, I could see they were drinking nervously front a bottle, Mr. Bilger arose and joyously proclaimed: 'The only thing for them to do is to swear in an expert on cow writing.' “ ‘Alt’ on hosses, too,’ supplement ed the hired man. "I could now see Tib was in pretty deep water, and that the responsibil ity was wearing on hint, ami while motioning me to look -p some more phrases to have on friendly tap, ne tried to shift the line of thought by ruling that in future the impatient and initialed beasts should be re ferred to as such and such a clause in the will, or as a codicil. "By this time, sir, we had the weather-beaten, bewhiskered audience in a sickly trance, and old Deacon Mumby Umped out to gather new wis dom across the road. And as he blindly paused and attempted to fore gather the age of Codicil Number One by looking at his teeth, he received a severe kick which led him to belabor the poor brute with his cane, it re quired all of Tib's official zeal to cause him to hesitate. “ Dod rot him! He kicked me!' complained the deacon. 'I'll sue Hi Duzer if this turns out ter be his will.’ Alter me oi(i mail iiau open iom a few wholesome truths about the sacred nature of last wills and testa ments and warned not to meddle with the public archives again, Tib did a little scout work through the statutes and at last announced that the will must be filed with the court. "And this, sir, was a neat stroke. Of course, Mr. Kemmy began to argue that Tib was not a court of probate, and hence had no jurisdiction. But he caught himself in time and swal lowed his voice, for he couldn't dope out how Hiram was to file his instru ment—ergo, the defendants would win. "Then up jumped Mr. Bilger, realiz ing all was almost lost, and began to make the same point, but he remem bered in time that it was all off for his client if he doubted my patron's jurisdiction, so he strangled a sid> and began to bluff. lie said the clauses and codicils would certainly be stabled in the office, providing the beneficiary was allowed to feed 'em. Hi broke in and wanted it stipulated that he should also milk the clauses and bor row the codicils occasionally to do n little cultivating with. “ ‘Or could we file a* copy of the will?' asked Mr. Bilger, fearing Tib’s puckered brow. “ ‘Can't copy a cow—I mean those clauses—very well.' sneered Mr. Kem my, light-hearted with delight at hav ing the burden shilted to Tib’s shoul ders. you could with a camera, re minded Tib. “ Hut the law requires the original should be filed.' insisted Air. Remmy. " Til designate the adjoining pad dock as the court.' declared Tib. glee fully. Put the will in there.' "Hiram and his attorney shook hands in radiant spirits, and then the latter turned io the court and with a playful air observed: T don't suppose there is any objection to the calf staying with its mother, Clause Four, eh?' "Tib. who was busy packing up his law tomes, wheeled quickly and de manded: ‘Calf? Explain.' “ ‘If your honor please. Clause Four is accompanied by a calf, recently born.' said Mr. Bilger, with a strained, nervous smile. " Horn since the will was executed?' asked Tib. carelessly. “Mr. Bilger replied easily in the af firmative and beamed brightly again as my chief seemed about to dismiss the matter. But all pleasant vistas were sadly agitated when Tib sternly inquired: ‘Why wasn't I told this be fore?' "Poor Bilger failed to appreciate how the little, wobbly one's presence in the paddock could make any differ ence and tried to say so. but Tib cut him short. ‘While I would be the last man in Vermant to separate par ent from child,' he declared, ‘yet the child in this case cannot presume upon its mother's legal status to claim a day in court. The child is an orphan. Legally its mother is dead, or rather, has, by those subtle evolu tions in law', been transformed into a will. She cannot even claim to be in loco parentis. She is no longer a cow; she is a document. She can have no offspring.' “ Then at least the calf belongs to the creditors,’ cried Mr. Remmy, quick ly. ‘For having no parent, no owner, it is a stray, the property of the first to claim it.’ “ ‘Not by a blamed sight—’ began Hiram. " ‘Hesitate a moment,’ commanded Tib. ‘While an orphan, yet its coming into the w»orld affects the validity of the will. The will, as originally drawn, consisted of three cows, a steer, and two horses. An erasure in that instrument, say the death of any clause, would render the instrument null and void. Any tampering with a will after the testator's signature has been affixed, or after his death, such as writing in another clause, would invalidate it. The calf is an in terpolation. While a codicil can be set aside without rendering inopera tive the body of the instrument, the attesting clause cannot be disturbed. In this case the very signatures of the witnesses are eliminated.’ Well, sir, you’ll admit that was a mighty fine point, and you’ll not be surprised when 1 add that the audience as well as the litigants were clinging | to their ear-locks and staring at the j court with lack luster eyes. It was dear beyond them, and you could have brushed them from the room with a feather. “ Then.’ cried Mr. Remmy, trium phantly,’as the will was destroyed, my clients are not guilty as charged, and can go in peace.’ " That's so,' admitted Tib. ‘I so charge.’ " That settles it, and I wish to ihank this court for its su|>erhunian intellect in elucidating one of the most—er—entangled. bovine ques tions of law I ever encountered in a court of justice,’ spieled Mr. Remmy. Come on. boys, we’ll drive those crit ters home.’ " Wait a moment,’ commanded Tib, leaning his alabaster brow on the r A « ( \ ; "A Warrant for th' Arrest of John Peasly." • dee of Somebody on Mortgages. 'I I hardly think you ran take the cattle.’ • Thaf calf is merely a blank line ' in the will,' expostulated Mr. linger, at last coming to. ' Every will has blank lines.’ " Hut they always exist before the will is made,' soothed Tib. 'No; the continuity of the will has been altered since its execution, and so the instru ment is invalid. And yet the con testants are not entitled to it. or we may now say, to the live stock.' " Hooray!" shouted Hiram. " The worst is yet to come,- warned Tib. Th*' court has ruled the will is S invalid, pro bono publico; hence Mr. Higbutton died intestate. Then wo 1 find he left no next of kin. To whom, i under these circumstances, dor's the property go?’ '* To his creditors,' bawled Mr. Remniy, not doing tiie table any par . ;icular good with his fists. To his I creditors!' " Whose claims have cot been es tablished.' declared the old chap, throwing up his head. 'No; I find it that the statutes have it that under like conditions the estate would es cheat to the state of Vermont, and I so rule.' •' 'Well, sir, you could have brushed that crowd away with a yard of baby I ribbon! They never saw real, old fashioned, simon-pure justice before I in such large lumps. *• 'Ye mean 1 don't git 'em?' moaned i Hiram. "'We can't take 'em?’ Rasped Mr. ■ Remmy. " "They belong to tile state of Ver mont,' repeated Tib, firmly. ‘Court's ; adjourned.’ j “‘I’ll mandamus this court'.’ cried | Mr. Remmy, with his fist aloft, quite j like; Ajax defying the lightning. “ 'My man,' warned Tib. in his low, I dangerous voice, 'if you applied that term to me in private life I should forget my dignity long enough to go to the mat with you. But, being tha court, I can only frown and impose a fine of ten dollars for contempt oi court.’ " But court had adjourned,''gasped poor Remmy, counting the buttons on his coat to see if he were sane and awake. “ 'This court never adjourns when it comes to contempt,’ explained Tib. “As the thoroughly bewildered crowd wandered out into the open Tib proudly observed to me: There may bo legal stars ot‘ a greater brilliancy than I, my child, but I guess none of ’em ever wrestled with a more compli cated crystal maze than that. Nunc pro tunc.’ "But that night we were tipped off by the prosecuting officer of the coun ty that the matter had been rushed before the grand jury then in session, it being charged that Tib and 1 had conspired to drive the judiciary out of business, and the night train con sequently found us companions on its southern jaunt. Bur many times since I have noted with much pride in the public press that the ceelbrated Ilig button will case is still trifling with the poise and peace of mind of the va rious courts in Vermont; and re gardless of how they may befuddle it, | or solve it, I shall always believe that my old patron's diagnosis was the correct one.” car to come around the next day. pulled the driver from his perch and stuck a number of long knives through him in a truly Oriental manner.)— Henry Van Dyke, in Harper's Maga zine. Benefited by Compressed Air. Engineers declare that consump tives employed in caissons used in tunnel construction are benefited re markably by the compressed air. Emi nent physicians are testing the truth of the assertion. SENATOR FROM IOWA ALLISON CELEBRATES SEVENTY NINTH BIRTHDAY. Colleagues in Congress Unite in Ex tending Congratulations — Was Once Very Near Republican Nomination for Presidency. Washington.—Senator William Boyii Allison of Iowa recently celebrated his seventy-ninth birthday, and his col leagues. both Republicans and Demo crats, united in extending their con gratulations, for few members are more popular than the aged Iowan. Senator Allison has broken all pre vious records for length of service ami attained a maximum degree of |>er sonal influence and unusual (lbnflina tion of public affairs. He is the leader of the senate of the United States, with all that this leadership means in power and ability to create and con trol legislation, it is said, and prob ably with truth, that there is more >f Senator Allison’s influence and char acter written into the statute books to-day than of either President Roose velt or Speaker Cannon, both of whom are considered to have contributed an unusual share to the lawmaking of the present generation. Senator Aliison'.s personal history, ; briefly told, is that he was horn in Perry, O., on March 2, 1829, and after attending Western Reserve college studied law and practised in Ohio uu i til 1857, when he removed to Iowa His entry into national politics came *• Senator W. B. Allison. with his election to the Thirty eighth congress. On occasions Senator Allison ha - been very near to the nomination of his party for the presidency, some be lieve much nearer than Thomas I! Reed, Roscoe Conkliug, or even John Sherman. He would have undoubted!) made a good president, the equal many and the superior of some, had the fortune of politics turned his wa> During the progress of financial legislation in the present congress he has been often consulted and, as the ranking member of the senate com mittee on finance, has taken a quiet asd unostentatious but conservative and helpfu! part in the framing of legislation which will relieve the coun try from the conditions which resulted in the panic of 1907. Senator Allison is the author of the internal revenue law of 1X68. the e sential features of which are still it: force. Prior to its passage the tajc on distilled spirits was two dollars a ga! Ion and the revenue therefrom abouf $14,000,000, while during the first year following the passage of the Allison act the tax, while reduced to 75 cents, amounted, through the elimination of frauds and its proper collection, to $36,000,000. ; * He was chairman of ..a special com mittee which spent, the summer of 1S74 investigating the government of the District of Columbia. The bill drawn by him as a result of this work repealed existing laws ajid created tin present form of government, with three- commissioners appointed by the president. Early in 1877 a bill was passed by the house of representatives for the free and unlimited coinage of silver. There was great clamor for the enac; inent of the measure in the senate. j The bill was referred to the senate committee on finance and, helm; aware that if the senate was called upon to divide on the question of free coinage it. would follow the popular agitation. Senator Allison proposed the preservation of the gold standard, but at the same time made provision for a limited coinage of silver on gov ernment account. Senator Allison has all his life been a student of tariff problems. He had a considerable part in the framing of the McKinley bill of 1890, anil served on the sub-committee which prepared the revision of 1893. He had charge of the minority report on the Wilson bill in 1894. and was also a member of the sub-conuuittee which consi.i ered the Dlnglev act in 1897, also tak ing charge of the bill on the senate floor. Makes Collieries Safer. A new safeguard for collieries is of fered by the discovery of Profs. Elster and Geitel that firedamp contains six or seven times as much radium emana tion as the ordinary air of coal mines. An aluminum foil electroscope quickly shows the difference of electrical con ductivity due to the emanation, and this simple apparatus becomes an ef fective and Important ' means of de tecting danger. More Than These Needed. Peace, tranquillity and content are poor attributes with which ,to fight the battles of life.—Sunday. Magazine. * i
