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The Commoner.
Current Topics.
NEWS OF THE DEATH OF DR. EDWARD
Eggleston will bo received with universal
regret. His charming novels have cheered many a
lonely hour, and his homely wit and intimate
knowledge of character made his books welcome
visitors in thousands of homes. Dr. Eggleston was
a Methodist minister, and what is generally con
ceded to be his best book, "The Circuit Rider,"
was based on his own experiences "while riding the
circuit in Indiana. "The Hoosier Schoolmaster,"
"The End of the World" and "The Mystery of
Metropolisvlllo" were hailed with delight, and
were in many respects the advance heralds of an
American literature that has since become uni
versally popular. Of late years Dr. Eggleston lived
in retirement and a majority of those who had
read his books did not, perhaps, know that he was
still among the living.
THE NEBRASKA STATE FAIR JUST CLOSED
was the most successful in its history. The
agricultural and live stock display, has never been
equalled in the west, and the attendance was
larger than ever before. The Nebraska state fair
has been permanently located in Lincoln, and it is
believed that permanency will add much to the
growth and development of the fair. Secretary
Furnas is one of the best fair managers in the
country, and to him and his corps of able as
sistants is due the credit for the magnificent suc
cess just scored. Secretary Furnas has put into
operation one scheme that is calculated to work
great good to the fair. "Complimentary" tickets
are no longer issued to the press. In their place Is
a book of tickets "good any day or all on one day,"
good attached or detached, transferrable, and the
cover is indorsed, "No strings attached." Secre
tary Furnas says: "The newspaper men earn these
tickets a dozen times over, and it is only right
that they should bo allowed to use them as they
see fit. They are not complimentaries. They
have been bought with a price." Other fair man
agers might profit by Secretary Furnas' example.
MR. BRISTOW, THE FOURTH ASSISTANT
postmaster general, is having trouble with
the juCmfnistration. The Wa&hington correspon
nontof the New York World describes Mr. Bris
tow's sins in this way: "Ho offended Mr. Hanna
in ferreting out the Rathbono frauds; he has op
posed the removal of small postmasters for politi
cal causes; he has discovered flaws in the record
of 'Scott's man' for a West Virginia 'place.' " Mr.
Bristow. is indeed a guilty man. If memory is not
at fault, this is not the first time a faithful public
servant by the name of Bristow has had serious
trouble with a republican administration.
RECENTLY IT WAS MADE THE DUTY
of the interstate commerce commission to
prepare bulletins every three months, showing the
number of railroad accidents. A bulletin covering
the first ,three months of 1902 is summarized by
the Now York Sun in this way: "The number of
persons killed in raflroad accidents during the
first quarter of tho present year was 212, and the
number injured was 2,111. Accidents of other
kinds, including those met with by employes while
on duty and by passengers in getting on or off
cars, bring the total number of casualties up to
10,225. Tho total number of persons killed was
6G5. The interstate commerce commission has
printed an analysis of these casualties which
shows that of thodead, 26 passengers, 95 train
mon, 1 yardman, 2 switchmen, and 6 general
employes were killed in collisions; 15 passengers
and 53 employes in derailments; 1 passenger and
21 employes by being struck by bridges or side
structures while on moving trains; and 8 passen
gers and 124 employes by falling from cars or
engines while getting on or off.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF COLLISIONS DUR
ing tho three months was 1,220 of which 194
wore caused by trains separating. There were 838
derailments from tho following causes: 143 from
defects of roadway; 3G9 from defects in equip
ment; 55 from negligence; the same number from
accidents and unknown causes; 10 from malicious
obstruction of tracks, and 20G from miscellaneous
causes. Two hundred and twenty-ono of tho col
lisions and 84 of the derailments affected passen
ger trains and tho total loss to the railroad com
panies from both causes in three months was
$1,914,258. -Of this amount tho loss by collisions
was $1,005,024 and by derailments $909,234. The
ruuruuu casualties uunng tho last three months
of last year were evon morn 7inmfrnn ! n,oo
of tho first quarter of tho present year. They
numbered 11,048 and 813 persons were killed. Tho
preceding quarter, July, August, September, 1901,
had a still greater list.
THE PUBLIC HAS FREQUENTLY BEEN
treated to unique statistics, but it Is safe to
. say that nothing in this line is more interesting
than that given by an expert mathematician who
undertakes to describe the dimensions of heaven.
This genius takes as a basis for his calculations
the verse, "And he measured tho city with tho
reeds twelve thousand furlongs. The length and
the breadth -and the height of it are equal." Tho
results of this mathematician's work are do
scribed by a writer in the Chicago Tribune as fol
lows: "The entire space represents 469,783,088,
000,000,000,000 cubic feet. He generously con
cedes half of this space for the throne and the
court of heaven and half its remainder for streets,
which would still leave 124,198,272,000,000,000,000
cubic feet Dividing up this space he gets 30,321,
843,750,000,000 rooms sixteen feet square. Figur
ing in a like airy way upon the population of tho
earth he finds that if 100 worlds containing tho
same number of people as this should send all
their inhabitants for a thousand centuries to como
to heaven there would be more than 100 of tho
sixteen-foot square rooms for each person."
THE CASE OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE
Pious Fund claim is on trial before an in
ternational court. This court consists of five
judges, two of whom have been chosen by Mexico
and two have been chosen by the United States,
while the four are to choose the fifth member of
tho court. Sir Edward Fry, formerly chief jus
tice of tho English court of appeals, and Dr. F.
Martens of Russia were chosen by tho United
States. Mexico selected Senor Chelli of Italy and
Dr. Lohman of Holland. The cause to be deter
mined by this court Involves a claim made against
the United States by the Catholic archbishop of
California, which claim was made through the
Mexican government. The archbishop seeks to re
cover a sum of money now in the United States
treasury, the title to which the United States au
thorities have not been able to determine to their
satisfaction.
AN INTERESTING MEASURE IS .PENDING
in tho parliament of Italy. It, is called tho
"Journals Contract Law." This biiluwas intro
duced by the government at the instance of the
newspaper men, and it is designed to protect the
rights of the profession. According to a writer in
the Chicago Record-Herald this measure provides
that after two months' of satisfactory service an
editor, reporter or correspondent or other employe
of a newspaper in a literary capacity shall be en
titled to continuous employment for not less than
two years, and that either tho employer or the em
ployed may have tho right to demand a contract
to that effect in writing. If there is no contract,
however, the equities are the same. The mere act
of retaining a man after a trial of two months, or
of his remaining at his post for that term, is to
be considered equivalent to a two years', contract.
If during the term either party should become dis
satisfied and desire release from the obligations,
it may bo arranged by mutual agreement. If that
is impossible, tho matter shall be settled by arbi
tration in the usual manner but at least one of the
arbitrators shall be a journalist and atleast one
shall be engaged in some other occupation. In tho
event that a newspaper shall change its politics
and any of the editors shall decline to support its
new policy with his pen, he may bo released from
his obligations, but shall be entitled to indemnity
to one-half of the salary ho would draw if he re
mained until the end of his two years. If a news
paper becomes bankrupt the editorial force has
the first lien upon the property for its salaries.
Tho Italian government is very generous ., vard
the newspapers of the country and give3 hem
greater freedom of discussion and more privileges
than aro enjoyed by the profession elsewhere "In
Europe outBide of France. The parliament is
especially careful to cultivate tho correspondents
who reside at Rome. They have free transporta
tion over the government railways, free use of the
government telegraph and telephone lines, and a
room is set apart for their use at tho general
postofllco building, with free stationery, messen
gers to do their errands, files of all the principal
papers and hooks of reference for their use. Tho
press club of Rome is furnished sumptuous quar
ters in one of the old palaces free of charge, and
receives a subsidy of 10,000 lire from tho public
treasury to assist in the payment of its expenses.
AN INTERESTING AND INTRICATE CASE
involving American property valued at five
million dollars is now in process of adjudication
before the United States consul at Prague, who is
aldod by a largo number of American andBohem-
Vol. a, No. 34.
ian lawyers. A Vienna writer to the New YorK
Journal says: "An Austrian named Johann Mul
ler died two years ago in Minnesota, tho pos
sessor of a big tract of marsh land. This was
claimed by a person named Kosmerl in payment
for a debt of $300. Ten minutes before the expira
tion of the one year's grace allowed by the Ameri
can law, the official administrator, named Bates,
paid the debt, the reason being that Muller's
marsh land was found to be rich in mineral oro
worth five million dollars. Heirs appeared forth
with. A Detroit woman with several children de
clares she is Muller's deserted wife. Ira Geisl, of
Vienna, claims one-third of the estate which was
ceded to her by Kosmerl, who is endeavoring to
prove that his debt was paid the day after the ex
piration of the period of grace. The Bohemian
Falzna institute, in Wlaschin, also claims a big
-sum, on the ground of having been defrauded
thirty years ago by Johann Muller of a large sum.
Finally, all the Mullers of Bohemia are eager for a
slice."
A LONDON CLERGYMAN, REV. FORBES
Phillips, Vicar of Garleston, has created con
siderable discussion in London because of a plea
he made for a close union between the church and
the stago. Mr. Phillips suggests that each parish
maintain a theatre under the management of the
church, presenting such plays as will awaken an
Interest in religious affairs. In support of his
proposition Mr. Phillips says: "Clergymen overdo
tho religious side of life, thereby ruining the spir
itual liver like that of overfed Strasburg geese."
ACCORDING TO LONDON DISPATCHES
Lord Roseberry is preparing for a vigorous
campaign in behalf of the liberal league. It is
claimed that -the league has recently made some
notable accessions and a number of speakers have
already been assigned to deliver addresses. The
grain tax and the education bill will be the chief
subjects for discussion.
RECENT STATISTICS ISSUED IN ' LON
don show a marked decline in the English
birth rate. In London the decrease since 1881 is
from 27.4 to 20.6 per 100 of married women under
the age of forty-five. It is reported that in tho
Blum areas there has been neither decrease nor in
crease, but that the decline is largely In. the fash
ionable quarters. In territory outside of London
where the rate was 25.8 in 1881 it is how 30.3.
THE ENGLISH PAPERS ARE HAVING CON
siderable to say concerning the Atlantic ship
combine. Balfour is to make a statement on this
subject on the reassembling of .parliament and it
is urged by some financiers that a ship subsidy
will provide the proper solution for the problem
with which England is confronted by this proposed
combine. Tho London correspondent of the Chi
cago Tribune reports a leading ship owner and a
close friend of Joseph Chamberlain as saying:
"America must not think the imperial govern
ment is going to leave the colonies at the mercy
of the shipping or any other trust. The discontent
is acute enough now in many quarters of the em
pire. While Great Britain does not want a com
mercial war with the United States, she will not
stand indefinitely being shut out by the American
tariff wall while keeping open houso for American
traders' in the United Kingdom. The question of'
retaliatory duties is not so improbable as many
people imagine. There is no reason why'the Brit
ish colonial markets should not be opened to Brit
ish goods on a preferential basis."
THE IK-ERESTING FACT THAT 25 PER
cent of tho entire tax revenue of the French
government is contributed by Paris is made known
by the Paris correspondent of the Chicago Tribune.
It is said that a large deficit confronts the Paris
ians in the city budget and that more taxes will
be imposed on the already overburdened inhabi
tants. To fill up the enormous hole made in tho
city's treasury it is proposed to 'increase the tax
on food, such as chickens, eggs, butter, etc. A
storm of protest has been raised, but tho measure
probably will be passed, r.s an increase of taxa
tion is the city's only resource. The Paris taxes
have doubled within a few years, and both tho
government and the city tax collectors impose
new taxes with reckless frequency.
CANADIAN CAPITALISTS ARE PUSHING TO
the front witli offers to provide the money
necessary for the establishment of trading com
panies that will seek to take advantage of the
opportunities of the enormous markot provided by
France. Sir Wilfred Laurier is engaged in nego
tiation for the purpose of effecting commercial ar
rangements between Franco and Canada. These
involve certain reciprocal tariff arrangements,
wuicii it is said will not only be an immense ad-
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