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JUNE 5, 1903..
The Commoner.
7
It is contrary to tho regulations of the postofflco
department that portraits of any living Ameri
can be placed upon a postage stamp and for this
reason Mr. Roosevelt may be barred. If, upon the
same theory, President Loubet's portrait should
be ruled out, it has been suggested that the por
trait of Louis XIV. of France, in honor of whom
Louisiana was named, may bo considered as next
in line.
HUNDREDS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
have been sold for ?2 each in Kwang Si,
China, by their starving husbands and fathers, ac
cording to a report on tho famine, which report
has recently been made to tho state department by
United States Consul McWade at Canton. Tho
Washington correspondent for the St Louis Re
public presents an abstract of this report showing
that Mr. McWade says that unless the rice crops
for July, August and September are plentiful, tho
distress now slightly alleviated by American mis
sionaries and others will continue. Consul Mc
Wade says: "Reliable information from Ameri
can missionaries and native sources has come
to me from Kwang-Ping, Wuchow and other
places in Kwang St that tho destitution and con
sequent suffering in certain parts was appalling,
and tha't in their desperate condition the heads
of families were selling children and men for
from $2 to $5. One missionary says the famine
is increasing and thousands are suffering and' that
it is very sad to see the thin, sallow creatures
steadily dying. She says boys, girls and women
are sold for ?2, $3, ?5, $8 and $10, and that thero
are so many offered that it is difficult to find pur
chasers. From Ping-Nan to Nanning, a distance
of 300 miles, there has been no crop for three sea
sons. Well-to-do people have become poverty
stricken, and household goods, farming imple
ments and clothing have all been sacrificed."
IT WAS RECENTLY REPORTED THAT THE
original emancipation proclamation Issued
by Abraham Lincoln was destroyed in tho Chi
cago fire of 1871. William Barnes, sr., writing to
the Albany Evening Journal, corrects this state
ment Mr. Barnes says: "Tho original emanci
pation proclamation was issued on September 22,
lbo2, and the supplemental one on January 1,
1863. The January proclamation declared tho
states and districts to which the September proc
lamation was applicable. If any proclamation was
sent to Chicago it miist have been the January
one. The original emancipation proclamation was
sent by the Hon. Frederick W. Seward to Mr3.
Emily Weed Barnes for the benefit of the Albany
bazaar of 18G4 for the United States snnitarv
commission. It was put up to be drawn by tickets
at ?1 each. About 1,100 tickets were sold. The
lot fell to Gerritt Smith, of Peterborough, N. Y
(one of the noblest of nature's noblemen that ever
lived), and he returned it to the bazaar to be sold
over for the sanitary commission. The under
signed sold it to the state for ?1,000, and it is
now framed and deposited in the New York state
library, with Mr. Seward's letter to Mrs. Emily
Weed Barnes. Tho following is a copy of thi3
letter: 'Washington, Jan. 4, 1864. My Dear Mrs.
Barnes: I have the pleasure of sending you with
the president's permission tho original draft of his
September proclamation. The body of it is in
his own handwriting, the penciled additons in the
hand of the secretary of state, and the formal be
ginning and ending in the hand of the chief
clerk. Yours very sincerely, K W. Seward.' Tne
original, as above stated by Mr. Seward, is in the
bold round handwriting of Abraham Lincoln, ex
cept the formal attestation clauses and some in
terlineations in the handwriting of William H.
Seward. One of the most important and historic
documents ever issued is thus to be preserved for
ever in the custody of the state of New York."
AST. LOUIS BANK HAS A "HOSTESS" IN
its list of officials. This position is held
by Mrs. R. Graham Frost. Mrs. Frost's duty is
to meet the women depositors and explain to
them banking methods. The creation -of this po
sition was an experiment, but it is a successful
one. The bank's officials say that they have dis
covered that women generally need instructions
as to clipping of coupons, the renting of safe de
posit boxes, and other matters intimately related
to the banking business. This particular bank
has already 6,000 women depositors and the large
increase ip this class is attributed to the ef
fective work of the "hostess."
THE IRONY OF FATE IS REVEALED IN THE
discovery that the grandson of the man
most hated by Napoleon wears the badge of tho
order founded by Napoleon. The Paris correspon
dent of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat says: "The
grandson of Sir Hudson Lowe, the jailer of Na-
poleon the great In St Helena, has been discov
ered in the French army under tho name of Love.
His father, tho son of Sir Hudson Lowe, was a
distinguished homeopathic physician, but was ox-
ecuted in England. He came to Franco, and, think,
ing that his name might militate against his prac
tice, he changed tho 'w of Lowo to 'v,' and thus
made the word Love out of it Dr. Loyc's son is
a physician in tho army of 1 ranco and Is a knight
of the Legion of Honor. Thus tho grandson of
the man whom Napoleon most detested wears the
decoration of the famous order which Napoleon
founded. He is very proud of it, and invariably
wears hiB decoration."
AT A RECENT MEETING OF THE NAVAL
board of construction, Admiral Bowles de
clared that on each battleship there were 350
tons of luxuries. The Washington correspondent
for the New York Times says that this state
ment startled the members of the board. Accord
ing to the Times correspondent, included In these
so-called luxuries are materials Of every descrip
tion that cannot bo classified as necessities, such
as furniture, Ice machines, refrigerators, radia
tors, and the machinery required for them. It
is pointed out that flagships are supplied with
two bathrooms and appurtenances for tho flag offi
cer, while one bath tub is deemed sufficient for
the wardroom, in which fifteen or twonty officers
live. There will be undoubtedly a protracted
discussion as to what constitutes luxuries, but
officers generally believe that much of the weight
which Admiral Bowles described might be abol
ished and tho space given to what may bo called
necessities. There will be little discussion outside
of the flag rank as to tho necessity for two bath
tubs in tie elegant and spacious quarters set apart
for the admiral. Tho additional bath is pro
vided for the guest of the admiral in case ha
should have one, which seldom happens.
IT
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT WILL SOON BE
required to appoint a commission whoso
duty it will be to dispose of the coal and asphalt
regions now belonging to the Choctow and Chlcl'
asaw tribes in tho Indian territory. The value
of these lands is estimated at $25,000,000. Tho
Washington correspondent for the New York Tri
bune explains that under the provisions of tho
treaty, which was ratified by the last congress,
these lands were segregated and will bo sold by
a commission to bo appointed by tho president
and composed of a member of each of the tribes
named and a citizen of the United States. The
Dawes commission, to which the allotment in
severalty of the lands in the Indian territory was
confided, has nearly completed its labors, and it
is regarded as important that the commission
which will dispose of mineral lands should get to
work. As the tralary provided by law for each
commissioner is $4,uu0 a year, and tho work is
likely to last several years, considerable interest
attaches to the president's choice. The area to be
sold approximates 500,000 acres. Of this amount
about 100,000 acres of coal lands are already leased
in tracts of 960 acres or less, and the leases will
be sold separately. Tne remainder will be sold a
tracts not exceeding 640 acres to the highest bid
der. It is understood that a New York syndicate
recently offered the government $26 an acre for
the entire area to be sold, but the offer was re
jected. THE WAR DEPARTMENT HAS ADOPTED A
new set of standards and regimental, bat
talion, and other colors for tho army of the
United States. Several important changes have
been made and are described by the Washington
correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald in
this way: "The main feature of the new flag3
as well as of the buttons and ornaments, is In
the representation of the coat-of-arms of the
United States. This coat-of-arms is the great
seal of the United States, and its incorporation in
the standards of colors is for the purpose of mak
ing them more representative of the nation than
is the case with the present designs, and at the
same time makes them more uniform In general
design. The new flags, according to the samples,
will be beautiful specimens of the art They
are made of the Tsest quality of silk, in solid col
ors, and the United States seal and the Insignia
and scroll "inscriptions and other emblems are
embroidered in colors in the most artistic man
ner. The United States seal Is the principal fea
ture of each of the standards, the other emblems
being merely accessory." '
SC
ACCORDING TO THE SAME AUTHORITY,
the different standards adopted, are as fol
lows: The standard of the secretary of war is
scarlet, with white fringe, and contains the United
States seal embroidered in colors and four white
etars, one near each corner. The cord and tassel
are scarlet and white IntortwJned. Tho cavalry
standard is yellow and tho fringe and tho cord and
tassel are also of tho spmo color. Under tho em
broidored seal, is a scroll in red, with tho regi
mental designation in letters of white. Tho ar
tillery standard Is red, with red fringe, cord and
tassel. Below tho seal Is the insignia of tho arm,
crossed cannons abovo a yellow scroll containing
tho regimental designation in letters of red. Tho
Infantry standard Is blue, with yellow fringe and
blue and white cord and tassel. Below the seal
Is a red scroll bearing tho regimental designation
in letters of white. Tho standard of tho engi
neers Is scarlet, with white fringe and scarlet and
white cord and tassel. Below tho seal is tho
insignia of tho corps a battlcmcntal castle em
broidered in whito and a white scroll with tho
battalion designation In letters of red. The sig
nal corps standard is orango, with yellow fringe,
and -cord and tassel of orango and yellow. Below
tho embroidered seal is tho Insignia of the corps
'crossed flags and torch embroidered in yellow
and whito, under which is a blue scroll, with
designation in letters of white.
AN INTERESTING STORY COMES FROM THE
little Scotch village of Croft Head, Bridge
or Wolr, and is presented by tho London corre
spondent for tho Chicago Tribune. According to
this correspondent, John Carruth, age thirty years,
who has been blind from birth, recently recovered
his sight through an oporation performed by Dr.
Maltland Ramsey. Carruth was taken to tho
Glasgow Ophthalmic Institute. Tho oporation vra
successful. In describing tho sensations when
light first dawned upon him, Carruth said that
the first face ho saw was that of Dr. Ramsoy.
Ho was bewildered, but thought he must bo look
ing on a face for the first time Then ho saw
the face of the nurso and knew she must be a
woman, for her face was so pale and smooth. Tho
first meeting with his mother under tho alterel
conditions is described as a most pathetic Inci
dent "Lovely," was the word Carruth used when
ho gazed upon his mother's face, and the mother'
Joyous cry, "Eh, laauie, you can see, you can see,"
made the hearts of those who heard It throb with
sympathy. , t
A WOMAN WHO SERVED IN THE FAMILY
of two presidents died recently at her homo
in Now York city. This woman's narao was Eva
. Bates. At tho tirao of her death she was said to
bo 104 years of age. She wag kno as "Mammy
Bates," and was born In Flushing, L. I., as a
slave of slave parents. She served in the family
of John Adams and subsequently in that of James
Monroe.
THE GREAT ARMY DEPENDING ON TIPS
for a livelihood is very happy these days
because of the fact that tho United States govern
ment has officially recognized the tip. This In
teresting bit of information is conveyed by tho
Washington correspondent for the Chicago Chron
icle. This correspondent says that in fact tho
government has declared the tip to be one of
the prime necessities for the comfort and con
venience of travelers. It z explained that this
decree is promulgated by the secretary of tho
treasury. Tho decree is a very length docu
ment, tho meat of which Is contained in the fol
lowing paragraph defining what are the actual
traveling expenses essential to the ordinary com
fort of travelers: "All persons traveling upon
the official business of this department will here
after be allowed their actual tr-llng expenses
usual and essential to the ordinary comfort of
travelers, embraced in the following items of
expenditures: Actual fares ion railroads, steam
boats and other conveyances by tho shortest
practicable route; the hire of special transpor
tation where thero is no regular means of con
veyance; street car, omnibus or transfer oach
fare to and from ddpots and hotels, and where
thero are no such conveyances, moderate and
necessary hack fare and reasonable fee to porteis
and expressmen. Sleeping-car fare for one dou
ble berth for each person or customary state
room accommodations on steamboats and other
vessels; one seat in parlor car and lodgings and
actual board in hotels at a rate not greater than
?5 per day; reasonable allowance for baths and
reasonable expense for laundering where the
travel continues for a week or more." The cor
respondent adds: "So porters, chambermaids,
expressmen and all others concerned are expected
to take notice and be governed accordingly. They
will keep their eyes on government officials and
' if they don't get tipped will knag the reason
why' '
II