NEWS OFT! WEEK
CONDENSATIONS OF GREATER OR
LESSER IMPORTANCE.
I BOILING DOWN OF EVENTS
National, Political, Personal and Other
Matters in Brief Form for All
Classes of Readers.
WAR NEWS.
The Frenc h armored cruiser Gau
ho~ was torpedoed in the M edit er
rata -is on December 37 and sank in
a half hour, with a loss of four lives.
• • •
In the month of November the al
lied power? los; 138 mechant ships
of a total of 314.500 gross tons "by
the war measures of the central pow
ers "
• • •
I Iii.i ng the year just closed 17S.537
men were recruited in Canada, or
nearly half the total of 385.955 since
the outbreak of the war.
• • •
Three thousand prisoners, six can
non and more than twenty machine
gun* fell before the advancing Teu
tonic forces in Wallachim on Decem
ber 39. according to a Vienna official
statement.
• • •
The British transport Ivernia has
be»-n sunk, and one hundred and fifty
military officers and men are missing,
at cording *o an official announcement
by the British admiralty.
m • •
An entire Russian regiment of coast
artillery—about 1.500 men—with the
exception of 50 men. was lost when
the Finnish steamship Oihonne struck
a ni.n*- near the Gulf of Finland.
• • •
Th*- entente governments, in reply,
leg to Germany’s peace proposal, re
fuse u» consider the proffer and de
ileclar--d it is insincere and ineffective.
The -uggested conference without
conditions is not a peace offer, the
not.* says, but is rather a war man
euver.
• • •
Comments of the Crerman papers on
the en'> nte reply to the German peace
propo-a's indicate the univer.-al con
rirtion that peace now is impossible .
ar.d that the centra! powers must ton.
tinoe to prosecute the war with the
Btmos* vigor
• • •
Th- ig'rease in the national debt of
Grea! Britain. France. Russia. Ger
man;. and Aa-tria-Hungary is estimat
e-1 at $49.*S5,‘»<<».0<H» from the begin
ning if the war to the latter part of
!>K. ex • pt in the case of Austria
Hungary. in which the . -tin-.ate ex
tends ct-iy to May. 19J5.
• • •
In 1915 73.-V Germans were cap
turtri by the French and 40.000 by
the British, while n Serbia and Mace,
don. i th" entent- ai-ied army took
U.lTt Bulariam an«i Turk prisoner.-. ,
Iiisrir.g the same period the Italians
•ia - pri sowers of 32.230 Austrians,
mhi • the Bnssians captured more
that 4*0.000 Germans and Austrians
GENERAL.
The South Dakota suprt me court
decided tie- state tax laws under
which express companies are taxed is ;
emonstitutionai
• • •
hxpor’s of American nianufa tures
«nd commodities through the port of I
New York were $2.753.331.905 in j
1915. or approx mately $1,000,900,000
Biore than in 1913.
• • •
The first Domestic Servants’ union
reported organization east of the Mis
souri river has been form-d at Du
luth. Minn., with !<•«■ charter members.
* * *
Eleven School children were killed,
lour probably fatally hurt and eight
seriously injured when a tornado
srre< kf-d the Vreton rural school
bouse n-ar McAl. -ter. Oklahoma.
• • •
The insurance which the Cnion
Pacific railway system recently an
Boua d it had placed on the lives of
Its employes covers M.MO persons
and amounts to |?,n ooo.tqx*.
• • •
Nearly half a million dollars to
guard again-1 infantile paralysis in
Chicago next summer is the request
mane of the city council finance com
mittee by health authorities.
• • •
T»o million oranges, much too ripe
for consumption, were destroyed in
New York hr a -qua*' und. r the su
p*n>- n of l.ucius P Hrown. head of
tb* bureau of fo- Is ar.d drugs of the
-.run' nt «t health.
• • •
Cnder giant Mount MacDonald, in
the S'ikirks of British Columbia, the
Canadian Pacific railway has just
completed the longest double track
mountain tunnel In the western
hemisphere. The tunnel is over five
miles long and cost over $1,000,000.
• a •
Thf death rate for 1915 in New
Tort was th- lowest on record, ac
cording w a r«-por’ issued by the de
part uient of health With a population
estimated a* V'HJMI there were 77,
*.J deaths n the year.
* * *
Juan T Burns, consul genera! at
New York for the de facto govern
ment. was arrested by federal officers
charged with skipping aims into Mex
ico In violation of President Wilson's
embargo proclamation of October.
ISIS, and with evasion of customs
regulations.
• • •
Fort- flv •• women inmates and one
sister of the St. Ferdinand de Halifax
insane asylum at St. Ferdinand de
Halifax. Canada, lost their lives when
Industrial accidents in Pennsylva
nia during 1916 totaled 251,488, of
which 2,587 resulted fatally, according
to statistics just made public.
• • •
Ad Santel. Pacific coast champion
heavyweight grapple', will go on the
mat at San Francisco February 22
with Joe Steelier of Nebraska, it was
announced.
• • •
Breaking all its coinage records,
the Philadelphia mint during 1916 pro.
duced 238.469.769 domestic coins in
denominations ranging from 1 cent to
half dollars and valued at $9,344,266.
• • ■
Eleven persons were killed and 40
injured when a train loaded with per
sons returning after the New Yeai
holiday collided with a switch engine
ten miles outside Edinburg. Scotland
* * •
One hundred persons are believed
to have been drowned in Clermont,
Quneensland. Australia, by a flood
which washed away the main street
and ali the houses in low lying places.
• • •
The coronation of Emperor Charles
and Empress Zita of Austria as king
and queen of Hungary, took place
December 30 in St. Mathay church at
Budapest.
• • •
•
Fifty-four persons were lynched in
the I'nited States in 1916. Fifty of the
victims were negroes and four white
persons, and included in the record
are three negro women.
* * »
More than one billion dollars net
income from operations was made by
the railroads of the country during
the year now closing. Statistics
gathered by the interstate commerce
commission complete for nine months
indicate that the total neu income
from operations will be approximately
$1,098,009,000 for the entire year.
MEXICAN TROUBLE.
Villa followers have captured and
looted the town of Sabinas. Hidalgo,
between Laredo and Monterey, ac
cording to advices reaching the
border.
• * *
After levying a "war loan" of
IdO.OOO pesos on the city. Villa has
evacuated Torreon. according to re
ports a' Juarez. Villa harmed no for
eigners or their property in Tor
reon.
• • •
Continuation of the conference of
the Mexican-Americau joint commis
sion without regard to the question
ol withdrawing American troops from
Mexico is proposed by General Car
ranza in his message refusing to rat
ify the Atlantic City protocol.
• * •
One hundred and forty prisoners
were taken, twenty-five were killed
and a large quantity of loot taken
from Chihuahua City by Francisco
Villa, was recovered by a Carranza
force, near Guerrero when the 6(K»
Villa followers were defeated by the
de facto forces.
• • •
Adherents of Francisco Villa are al
ready arranging details of a Mexican
provisional government, to be set up
by the bandit chief, and a tentative
.-eat t‘f governn.i ni has been chosen
according to information in the hands
of f'nited States authorities on the
border
• • •
Increasing evidence that General
Carranza's government is being men
aced by bands of insurgent*, coupled
with the prospect that the first chief
will not accept the Atlantic City pro
ocol has brought the Mexican situa
tion to a stage that is causing grow
ing concern in Washington. Officials
admit ■ that the conditions are em
barrassing.
_
WASHINGTON.
Senator Hitchcock has introduced a
bill appropriating $800,000 for the
construction of a dam and reservoit
in the North Platte river, near Guern
sey, Wyo.
* * •
President Wilson has nominated
Lieutenant Colonel Chester Harding
army engineer corps, to be governoi
of the Panama canal zone, to succeed
Major General Got he's, who resigned.
• • •
A bill to patent to the regents of the
University of Nebraska 800 acres of
land adjoining‘the agricultural experi
ment station at Seottsbluff. Neb., was
introduced in Use house by Congress
man Kinkaid. The land is to be
used for dry farming experimentation.
• • •
Almost nine billion dollars was the
aggregate value of all crops of the
country last year. In an estimate an.
nounced by the department of agri
culture. the exact value was set at
$8,934,587,000. That was an increr.se
of $2,165,989,000 over the value of
1915 crops.
• • •
The problem of raising additional
revenue for the government to avoid
the threatened deficit at the end of
the next fiscal year has assumed such
proportions that administration lead
ers are considering the advisability
of placing tariff duties on commodi
ties now on the free list.
* • *
Exports from the United States dur
ing the eleven months of 1916, ending
November 30. jumped more than a
billion and three-quarters in value foi
the same period of 1915, the depart
ment of commerce announced.
• • •
Prompt consideration in congress
of President Wilson's proposed rail
way legislation was predicted after
announcement of the termination of
conferences between raiiroad and
brotherhood heads in New York in
an unsuccessful attempt to settle
their differences.
• * *
Railroad legislation, deficiency bills
and possible oral outcroppings re.
garding Mexican affairs and European
peace developments may make an
INDORSEPEACE NOTE
WILSON'S REQUEST FOR TERMS
APPROVED BY SENATE.
VILLISTAS SUFFER HEAVILY
De Facto Forces Defeat Rebels at
Jiminez—Many Carloads of Loot
Taken at Torreon Recovered.
Washington.—At the conclusion of
three days of stirring debate, the
United States senate voted to indorse
President Wilson’s note requesting a
statement of peace terms from the
warring powers of Europe.
Action came with dramatic sudden
ness when democratic leaders decided
to accept a form of resolution that
would not commit the senate to in
dorsement of the whole of the presi
dent’s note and ten republicans of the
progressive group joined the majority
in making the vote 48 to 17.
Senator Martine of New Jersey was
the only democrat to vote in the nega
tive.
Discussion of the subject had
reached a climax during the day with
a sensational declaration by Senator
Lewis, chief spokesman for the demo
crats, replying to republican criticism
of the president’s course.
Without referring directly to the
submarine controversy, the senator
said that the United States’* could not
keep out of the war if it continued and
that America would not again accept
misconception of orders or zeal of
an officer as an excuse for an injury
to a citizen or property.
The chief objection urged against
the original resolution offered by Sen
ator Hitchcock was that it would in
dorse the president’s offer to join in
a movement to guarantee world peace
and his declaration of the interest of
the United States in small nations.
Progressive republicans joined Sena
tor Lodge and others in this conten
tion.
The resolution adopted was proposed
by Senator Jones, republican of Wash
ington. and was accepted by Senator
Hitchcock as a substitute for his own.
Text of Resolution.
It resolves:
“The senate approves and strongly
indorses the request by the president
in The diplomatic notes of December
18 to the nations now engaged in war
that those nations state the terms
upon which peace might be discussed."
Villa Forces Worsted at Jiminez.
Chihuahua City, Mexico.—Villa was
defeated at Jiminez January the 4th
by General Francisco Murguia with
a loss of 1.500 rebels dead, wounded
and captured, with the noted rebel
leader. Martin Lopez, and another
Villa general among the slain, accord
ing to an official report received here
from the Carranza commander.
General Murguia stated that his
command pushed back Villa’s troops
five miles after coming into contact, j
Machine guns are credited with play
ing an important part in the offensive,
in which both cavalry and infantry
were heavily engaged. Villa, accord
ing to the report, personally led re
peated cavalry attacks against Mur
guia’s infantry, which was checked
with heavy losses.
Besides Villa’s heavy losses in men,
horses, ammunition, arms and other
war material. General Murguia claims
the recovery of many carloads of the
loot brought by the Villa troops from
Torreon. Government cavalry is said
to have killed about fifty members of
Villa’s bodyguard.
Earthquake Kills Three Hundred.
Tokio—Three hundred persons were
killed and many injured by an earth
quake in central Formosa, according
to a special dispatch from Taihoku, -
the capital of Formosa. One thousand
houses were destroyed.
The city of Nanto has been dam
aged extensively by fire.
The island of Formosa lies between !
the Philippine islands and Japan and
is owned by Japan. The city of Nanto
is in the central part of the island,
about 100 miles south of Taihoku.
Worst Blizzard Known.
Bismarck. N. D.—One of the worst
blizzards in North Dakota history
gripped the central part of the state
early this week with a snowfall of
seventeen inches in twenty-four
hours, breaking the record of the fall
during the great blizzard twenty
years ago.
Burgomaster Threatens to Quit.
Geneva.—The burgomaster of Vien
na. Dr. Weiskirchner, threatens to re
sign if Hungary continues to refuse to
send food to Vienna, according to re
ports received here.
Packing Firm Makes 20 Million.
Chicago, 111.—Gross sales of $575,- i
000,000 and net profits of $20,465,000 ;
were shown in the report of Swift &
Co., packers, for the year ending Sep
tember 30. 1916, submitted to the
stockholders of the company at their
annual meeting here.
Twenty-two Are Drowned.
London.—A dispatch from Amster
dam says that twenty-two women and
children were drowned through the I
sinking of a ferryboat in a collision
on the Moselle near Bellstein.
---
Fear of StHkes Diminishing.
Duluth. Minn.—Ten of the logging !
camps of the Virginia & Rainy Lake
Lumber company are working full i
crews and fear of the spread of the '
Industrial Workers of the World
strike, it is declared, has begun to
fade.
Employees to Get Bonus.
Chicago.—A bonus of from one to
five weeks’ salary, in proportion to
the length of service of the employe,
£aoa .ondfireri hx. the director of
CONDENSED NEWS
OF INTEREST TO ALL.
—-»• —- ruri COMING tVLxia.
January 15-20—State Improved Live
Stock association meeting at Lin
coln.
Jan. 15 to 2D—Organized Agriculture
Annual Meeting at Lincoln.
January 16—Nebraska Association of
Fair Managers’ Meeting at Lincoln.
January 16-17-18—Annual convention
of Nebraska Volunteer Firemen at
Auburn. ,
January 16-19—Winter Apple, Floral
and Potato Show at Lincoln.
Jan. 19—Northeast Nebraska Editorial
Meeting at Norfolk.
Jan. 24-25—Nebraska League of Muni
icipalities convention at Hastings.
Feb. 7-8-9— Nebraska Retail Lumber
Dealers’ Association Convention at
Omaha.
February 15—State Volleyball Con
test at York.
The Union Stock Yards company
of South Omaha just finished the
greatest year in its history. The to
tal receipts of live stock of all kinds
in 1916 was 7.664,195 head. This re
markable showing assures South
Omaha its position as the second
stock market in the world. It leads
Kansas City for second place by over
500,000 head of all kinds of stock.
Chicago is the leading market of the
universe. October was the banner
month in cattle receipts. 225,511 head
being received; February the best for
hogs, with' 402,152 head; during Sep
tember the most sheep were register
ed, 530,092 head; and the mule re
ceipts were the most in September,
the total being 3,332. Receipts for the
entire twelve months are: Cattle,
1,443,581; hogs, 3,021,927; sheep,
3,171,364. and mules. 27,333.
Thirty newspaner men and business
men, associates or friends of Norris
A. Huse of the Norfolk Daily News,
gathered at the Hotel Fontenelle,
Omaha, where they tendered Mr.
Huse a farewell banquet on the eve
of his departure for New York City
where he is to become vice president
of the American Press Association.
The citizens of Miller must wait
awhile longer before they enjoy mun
icipal water. After the mains had
been laid, all connections put in. etc.,
it was learned that the well was in
sufficient to supply the water, and
now a new well will have to be sunk
before the supply of water can be
turned on.
A piece of an oak tree 5x1$ inches
was presented to the Hartington
library by J, C. Smith, which had
grown around the blade of an old
pocket knife. It is thought that the
knife was stuck into the tree some
fifty years ago. when it was a sap
pling. The curiosity was found near '
Hartington by Mr. Smith.
E. M. von Saggern has purchased !
the West Point Republican from :
James C. Elliott. Mr von Saggern :
was formerly editor of the West Point ,
Volksblatt. a German publication,
which has suspended publication.
Mr. Elliott has taken up the duties of I
county attorney of Cuming county.
The Northeast Nebraska Automo- i
bile Owners’ association, embracing
the territory- which extends as far
north as Niobrara, east to Fremont
and south to Columbus, was organ- :
lzed at Norfolk just recently. The J
purpose of the organization is to pro. I
tect auto owners against theft.
Ronald Shoemaker. 7, and Walter
Apfel. 14. were run over and fatally
injured by a Northwestern switch en
gine at Norfolk. The two boys were
riding together on a sled and reached
the railroad crossing at the same time
as the engine Both boys were ter
ribly mangled.
Plans ror tne new uage county jan
were submited to the board of super
visors and accepted by the boar?!.
The plans call for a two-story struc
ture with basement. The cost will be
about $25,000.
Three thousand two hundred new
cars of all kinds have been ordered
by the Union Pacific railroad, beside
this 900 new refrigerator cars are to
be built in Its own shops at Omaha.
Levi D. Phipps, deputy grand cus
todian of the Masonic lodge of Ne
braska. died at his home in Tekaroah.
just recently.
Five hundred dollars an acre was
the price paid for a 160-acre farm ad
joining the city of Seward.
A Beatrice coal dealer states that
hard coal Is very scarce in the city,
and some of the dealers are charging
as high as $16 per ton. as against
$11.60 last winter. The dealer states
that should a severe cold spell come,
it would be next to impossible to sup
ply the city with this variety of fuel.
Madison County Farmers’ associa
tion, which employs the county
agent, has decided to retain that offi
cial and delegates of the body are
desirous of securing a woman agent
for home economic work.
Seventeen Omaha saloons went out
of business the first of the year, hav
ing failed to apply for renewal of
of their licenses for the four months
yet to run before state-wide prohibi
tion goes into effect.
A series of revival meetings are
under way at Table Rock, and will
continue for a month or more. The
various churches of the town have
united in the movement.
The Presbyterian church of Aurora
has lifted its entire debt and its mem
bership celebrated the occasion by
burning the mortgage.
Nineteen district Judges of Nebras
ka got together during the State Bar
association convention at Omaha and
perfected an organization of their
own. the first of its kind in the state’s
histor?. Judge Corcoran of York was
elected president of the new body;
Leslie of Omaha, vice president; Good
of Wahoo, treasurer, and Paine of
Grand Island, secretary. The judges
will meet again in Lincoln in the near
future.
Fire destroyed the building of the
Clark Drug company at Fremont, vitg
- -or-tVUtGP
The famous Arizona wild horse case,
which has been on trial in United
States court at Omaha for the last
three weeks, ended when the jury re
turned a verdict finding nine of the
I eleven defendants guilty and two not
| guilty. Indictments are yet outstand
ing against seventeen others, some of
whom will be brought to trial, while
ethers of the seventeen will be dis
missed. Those found guilty were: J.
S. Smith, C. A. Smith, John Bolecy
and C. M. Thompson, Omaha; J. P.
Shircliff, Sauk Center, Minn.; R. B.
Burwinkle, Des Moines, Iowa.; W.
Hinkley, Brayton. S. D.; Albert A.
Hastings, Silver Creek, Neb.; and
Charles W. West. Lincoln. The
charge upon which the indictments
were returned is that of conspiring to
use the mails to defraud, the penalty,
upon conviction, being a fine up to
$10,000, or imprisonment for two
years, or both.
Omaha has been selected as head
quarters for the fifth federal good
roads’ division, which comprises the
states of Nebraska. Kansas. Iowa and
Missouri. Kansas City was in the j
field seeking to be chosen as head- i
quarters for the fifth district. The i
federal government has appropriated 1
a good roads fund, of which $8,- |
500.000 is apportioned to the district
of Nebraska. Kansas. Iowa and Mis
souri. The condition is that before
the federal money is available for
road building in, any state, that state j
must appropriate an amount of mon
ey equal to the amount of federal
money it seeks to use.
President Calvin of the Union Paci
fic announced at Omaha that his
company contemplated the expendl- I
ture of $14,180,848 on the system in !
1917 This sum covers but three !
classifications of the entire yearly I
budget, which is said to be the largest
in the history of the road. Nearly j
$700,000 of the above sum is to be
spent in Omaha. $250,000 in Grand Is. j
land, and $42,500 in North Platte
The United States statistical ab
stract for 1915 states that Nebraska
produced 1O5.O0O.O0O pounds of sugar
during that year. Officially the aver
age person consumes 83 pounds of
sugar in the course of a year. Since
the last census of this state shows a
population of 1,258,624. this state sup
plies sugar for its population with an
annual export of over 1,000.000
pounds.
A valuable paint mineral is said to
have been discovered on the Y. E.
Skidmore farm south of Ewing last
summer. The trade name of the min
eral is ochre, and is what is usually
used as a pigment in paints. It re
sembles clay, and the sire of the de
posit appears to be unlimited, accord
ing to reports.
The Hastings Y. M. C. A. building
reopened the first of the year. The
$2,500 sought in pledges to take care
of possible deficits for three years
having been secured. During the per
iod which the association's building
was closed, it was thoroughly reno
vated and repaired.
Colonel J C. Elliott, county attor
ney of Cuming county and the form-r
postmaster and proprietor of West
Point Republican, has been appointed
a member of the West Point city
council.
Winter wheat sold for $1.92 a bush
el on the floor of the Omaha Grain
Exchange last week, the highest price
ever paid for that variety of grain on
the Omaha market.
The city council of Red Cloud
has accepted from W. T AuM, head
of the Corn Exchange bank in Omaha,
a gift of $20,000 for a library site,
building and equipment for the city.
The year of 1916 saw the placing of
beter thar $500,000 of improvements
in North Platte, the highest figure for
improvements of any city of its class
in the state for the twelve months.
Auburn invested $200,000 in per
manent improvements during the vear
1916. A number of important im
provements are being planned for this
year.
The taxes of the two railroads oper
ating in Nemaha county, the Missouri
Pacific and the Burlington, have been
paid in, the first paying $9,802.86. and
the last named $9,214.01.
It is reported that the Grand Island
Brewing company will manufacture
‘‘near beer” following the expiration
of their license May 1.
Nebraska is the fourth state in the
union in crop value, according to the
report just issued by the department
of agriculture in Washington.
Beatrice parties are promoting a
movement for a rest room for men.
It is planned to rent a building, equip
it with chairs and tables, and open
a reading room in order that men
may have a place to while away their
time when they come to town.
A well defined movement, support
ed by Hastings teachers, has been
started In the west end of the state
to split the Nebraska State Teachers’
association into two divisions. The
matter will come up for decision at
the next state meeting.
A new bridge over the Platte river
south of Yutan will be erected at a
cost of $9S.OOO. Work will begin in
the spring. The state will bear one
half the cost of the structure and
the counties of Douglas and Saunders
will pay one-fourth each.
All bids for the new government
building to be used for the federal
court and postoffice at Chadron have
been rejected as being above the
amount appropriated by congress.
Madison's new hospital, which is
the first to be established in the city, i
will be opened about January 15.
Lancaster county appears to have
hung up a record in 1916 in the way
of permits to wed and to separate.
The county clerk issued 1,044 mar
riage licenses during the year, while i
only 214 divorces were granted in the
same period. No other county in the
state with anywhere near the popula
tion of Lancaster can show such a
record, it is believed.
All records for a single year’s build- i
ing operations in Omaha were broken
in 1916, the total value being $7,253,- I
000. The largest previous year was in !
1909. whan the total was $7,204,000. I
DUMB AS^“
THAT IS NORMAL CONDITION OF
AMERICAN SECRETARIES
OF STATE.
SURPRISING TO FOREIGNERS
No Intimation of What the Govern
ment Intends to Do in Matters of
Diplomacy Ever Is Given to the
People.
By GEORGE CLINTON.
\\ ashington. — Ordinarily there is
nothing so dumb as an American sec
retary of state. Let haste be made to
say that dumb is used here simply in
the sense of "speaks not."
Most people have in mind, probably,
the recent speaking twice in one day
of Secretary of State Lansing. It was
so exceptional, that the American
world is not only amazed but stag
gered, and a part of the rest of the
world with it. The truth is that from
the dawn of the first day of the repub
lic American secretaries of state re
mained dumb so far as the public is
concerned on every diplomatic project
until the hour came to lay the thing
before the worid.
Foreigners who come to Washington
are more than surprised because the
American people do not demand, or
seemingly even do not care to have,
advance information of what the state
department intends to do.
President Wilson’s appeal for peace
fell on the ears of an astonished world.
Scarcely anyone had the slightest idea
thnt he was to speak. His secretary
of state maintained the stony silence
of a good servant, although, according
to his own statement later, the matter
was under discussion for weeks.
English People Want to Know.
Washington students of conditions
account for the readiness of the Amer
ican people to let the state department
alone and not to ask for advance In
formation. to the knowledge that the
people have that if they do not like
■ what an administration does through
: its state department they can get rid
of the administration. An Englishman
said recently in Washington that the
; people in his country always insist
that when some big thing is to be done
by the foreign office, an intimation of
what it is to be shall be given in ad
vance.
The American public did not know
until less than a year ago how close
we were to having war with a Euro
pean nation over South American mat
ters when Theodore Roosevelt was
president.
The American people did not know
in advance anything about Grove/
Cleveland’s intention to address the
challenging note that he did to Great
Britain on the Venezuela boundary
matter. Everything that comes out of
our state department comes out like a
Jack from its Box. The American
people do not even realize that a
spring is to be pressed or a button to
be punched.
Newspaper men go to the state de
partment daily and have been going
daily ever since there were any Wash
ington correspondents. The informa
tion that they get almost invariably is
on things that have been accomplished,
not on things that an attempt is to be
made to accomplish. Day after day
recently the correspondents went to i
the state department and yet they got i
no inkling of the administration’s in-!
tention to give to the world its peace j
appeal, or. rather, its request to the !
belligerents to make known the terms !
upon which peace might be accept- •
able.
uncie sam s New islands.
Uncle Sam shortly will rake three
more islands under his protecting arm
—St. Thomas. St. John and St. Croix
which are still known as the Danish
West Indies, hut which soon will drop
the adjective Danish.
Both houses of Denmark's parlia
ment have approved the sale of the is
lands to the United States. Our own
senate already has given its approval,
and as soon as the formal exchanges
have taken place the administration
will ask congress for the purchase
price, $25,000,000. and will ask also
for the passage of a bill for the proper
institution of an American territorial
form of government in the acquired is
lands.
This approval of the sale of the Dan
ish West Indies brings the Panama
canal and its provinces again into pub
lic notice. Within a few days con
gress has been told that the isthmian
waterway must be better protected
than it is today. If it is to be saved in
case of war with some nation which
might attempt to seize it for its own
purposes, or, failing to seize it. might
attempt Its destruction to prevent its
use by the Unite! States.
Plans already have been made for
the adequate fortifying and garrison
ing of the Isthmian Canal zone. Big
guns already are in place ou the is
lands off the two ocean entrances, the
Atlantic and the Pacific. It may be,
as some army officers view it. that the
present forts outlying the waterway
entrances are strong enough to hold
off any navy which might attempt to
approach the canal. Of course any
enemy trying to get to the canal t,’y
sea would necessarily first be com
pelled to defeat our navy before an
attack conld be made on the forts. So,
in a sense, the forts are a second line
of defense, but congress is to be asked
to make them as powerful as if they
were a first line of defense.
Today on the isthmus of Panama
there is a brigade of troops command
ed by Brig. Gen. Clarence R. Edwards.
It is intended before long to throw a
whole division on the isthmus and of
course to put it in command of a ma
jor general. In the various armies of
the world a division Is an elastic
thing. It is probable thnt when our
army’s full representation arrives on
the isthmus there will be about 12,000
men there stationed.
Must Be Defended on Land.
The problem of the defense of the
canal is not in the one-tenth part one
of keeping an enemy away from
the entrances. It is realized that if
the canal ever is to be attacked, the
attempt probably will be made by a
landing force which would be put
ashore some 30 or 40 miles on one
side or the other of the waterway, and
would then attempt to force Its way
overland from the canal’s banks. So
it is that a big force of men is pre
sumed to be necessary as a waterway
guard. If war came the forces at
present contemplated for peace times
probably would have to be doubled.
The government today Is studying
the problem as to where to locate its
troops in the CaDal Zone. Two re
ports already have been turned in
by oflicers of rank, and as they are at
variance one with the other, another
report by another ranking officer act
ing independently will be turned in
in the near future. Not only the health
of the troops, but the strategic value
of the positions which they occupy
must be considered when sites ore se
lected for garrisons either small or
large.
Library of Congress.
The people of the United States
have a library of 2,451,974 books to
which they have only infrequent oppor
tunities of access. They also ha\e
housed with the books 154.200 maps
and charts, 770,24S volumes and pieces
of music and 392,905 prints.
These are the treasures in the keep
ing of Herbert Putnam, librarian of
congress, and they constitute the con
gressional library's collections. Dur
ing the year that has just passed 8f>\
101 books have been added to Uncle
Sam's shelves.
The congressional library, housed in
a building said to te the most beau
tiful in the world, is almost entirely a
reference library. The rule is th.it
only the president, senators and reje
resentatives In congress, cabinet offi
cers and other high officials of govern
ment may take books from the library
shelves for perusal iu office or home.
The rule is violated frequently, always
under the cover of the excuse that
the books taken are intended for the
use of some person who comes within
the rule. In other words, private sec
retaries and clerks to the favored ones
can get hooks for perusal at their ease.
Take it all in all, however, the reg
ulations are quite strictly observed.
Every American citizen can read any
book in the congressional library, pro
vided he chooses to go to ths li
brary to turn its big reading room into
a study. This reading room, by the
way, is a commanding bit of architec
ture with its huge dome which lets iu
a soft reading light and with its many
beautiful bits of sculpture. Its carvings
and its tints and colors.
kooks ot ureai value There.
It has been said that any American
citizen can read any book in the li
brary if he will go to the reading room.
So he cun. but it is probable that if be
wants to see certain books he must
read them under guard. There are in
the possession of the library printed
books and manuscripts each worth a
king's ransom. The fear in the con
gressional library is always as the
fear is in other libraries, that some
precious thing may be stolen.
Take for instance the original copy
of what is called the Elephant Edition
of Audubon. Presumably the name
Elephant Edition comes from the size
of the volume. It is a huge book and
it contains the tirst colored prints
taken from the engraved plates of
American birds drawn and painted by
John Janies Audubon, the great Amer
ican ornithologist.
Herbert Putnam, the librarian of
congress, has just issued his yearly
report. In it lie says that 5.S911 vol
umes have been added within twelve
months to the Chinese, Japanese and
Korean collections of the library. Dr.
Walter T. Swingle of the bureau of
plant industry went to the far East
a year ago to study plant life with a
view, of course, to introducing new
and vegetable growths into this coun
try. While there he did some work
not only for the bureau which em
ploys him. but for the congressional
library. It was he who bought (We
Chinese, Japanese and Korean collec
tions to add to the shelves of the K
prary.
Making Some Change.
Patience—I hear your brother Is
making some sort of change in busi
ness?
Patrice—Yes, he is,
“Quitting the movies, is he?”
"Oh my, no!”
"But I thought you seld he was
making some sort of change in busi
ness?”
“So he Is. Ee has charge of the
box-office now.”
Back to the Land in Luxury
Pleasing evidence that the “back
to the land” movement is making head
wav appears in a statement by the pub
lishers ot New York s Social Register.
The figures show that at least one
quarter of the families entitled to men
tion in that exalted record now have
country places. What this implies it
is easy to imaging One sees a vista
of “cottages,” costing $150,000, sur
rounded by Italian gardens. Included
also must be the “camp,” which It re
quires a half-million to build and main
tain, along with the many bungalows
and their outlying garages and hot
houses. One thinks, too. of the grov
ft in ou at of work on the soil furnished
to an army of employees, with tile re
sult of making flowers and vegetables
stand the happy farmer in about three
times their normal market price. All
this witnesses to the increasing ap
peal of country life, of the Petit Tri
anon order, and should bring cheer to
those who contend that the only way
to lower the high cost of living is to
make larger use of the land.—New
York Post.
The Last Resort.
“I guess I'll have to’go to the den
tist.”
“No way out of it, eh?”
“No. I’ve been to his office twice
and the tooth didn't stop aching when
I got to his door. There's nothing to
it now but to go right on in and l
him go to work on it.”—Detroit Fr,
Press.
Or Subsidized Him.
“So you read Addelpate's novel. II >
did it come out?"
“It’s a mystery to me. I guess t>
must have livnotized the publisher.' —
Boston Evening Transcript.