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.
*
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