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The Commoner.
JULY 3, 1903.
limiMUWumMIt fPMPHpB" 1 1 'W V M1 1 JjipfVi, nib iv - f wjpv
tho necessity of an Increased diffusion of a gen
eral knowledge of the subject appeals very strong
ly to the scientists connected "with the bureau of
forestry of the department of agriculture.
A PRETTY SCENE ENACTED ON THE
XTl streets gf Lincoln, Neb., in which Colonel
Alexander Hogeland, "tho newsboys' friend," fig
ured is described by tho Lincoln Star in this
"ttay: "Colonel Hogeland asked tho lads if they
fcnew the Lord's prayer. Nearly every hand went
tip, and when one of tho grimy-faced urchins was
asked to step up on tho platform and repeat the
words of tho familiar invocation he unhesitating
ly took his place by the side of the veteran phil
anthropist and, clasping his dirty hands in front
of him, repeated the prayer word for word. There
-were few dry eyes in that street crowd by the tima
the boy had finished."
A MONUMENT TO PIGEONS IS TO BE
erected in Paris. Tho London Chronicle
days that M. Fremelt, the famous sculptor, has
received a commission for a monument to the
caemory of the pigeons which carried messages
during the siege of Paris. The Chronicle says that
at the commencement of this siege the institution
of the pigeon post was of marked service, and
thousands of letters and dispatches were sent out
from Paris by this means. Writings were photo
graphed and reduced to so minute a size that not
a word could be read without tho aid of a very
powerful magnifying glass; hence one bird
could carry many missives. In one Instance a
cage containing a couple of homing pigeons was
appended to a balloon, with a notice offering a
reward of 100 francs to any one who would send
them back with news of the outer world. But
the Prussians captured the balloon, and sent back
word that the pigeons were both welcome and ten
der, and had made a good pie.
MR. CHARLES F. HAND OP WASHINGTON,
D. C, claims to have been the first volun
teer for the civil war. The Washington correspon
dent for the Chicago Record-Herald says: "A cer
tificate in the capitol of New York state at Al
bany attests the priority of Dr. Rand's tender of
fais services. The certificate is signed by tho
mayor and two prominent citizenB of Batavia,
3ST. Y., also by the county clerk and the sheriff of
Genesee county, stating that In less tnan ten min
utes after the call of President Lincoln, April 15,
1861, for 75,000 volunteers was taken irom the
'wires the name of Charles P. Rand was enrolled
as a soldier. Among all the war records at Wash
ington there is none of an earlier enlistment than
that of Dr. Rand, and the honor has therefore
been given him by common consent Not only
was Dr. Rand the first volunteer for the civil war,
but he was also the first soldier to win the con
gressional medal of honor for distinguished gal
lantry in action. This event occurred at Black
burn's Pord, Va., In less than three months after
his enlistment. His command was ordered to re
treat, and every man obeyed, save young Rand,
at the time but 18 years of age. The rest of his
battalion, numbering 500 men, were swept In dis
order from the field, but Rand held his ground,
notwithstanding the fact that tin field was plowed
by shot and shell all about him. The enemy
Anally absolutely refused to fire at the boy stand
ing bravely alone and shooting at them as coolly
as if he had a thousand men at his back. Rand
hen crept across a deep ravine and joined tho
command of Gen. A. H. Barnum."
if ?
OUTSIDE OF THE TELEGRAPH AND NEWS
paper offices, the difficulties of obtaining
news during periods of severe storms are not gen
erally understood. During the recent storms In
May great injury was done to the telegraph wires
J)ut the daily papers came out each morning with
the news of the world and the various methods
devised to obtain this news are described by a
writer in the Chicago Inter-Ocean in this way:
t)ne night the wires were down between Omaha
arid Council Bluffs, just across the river. An
electric light tower had been blown down upon
them. All telegraphic communication with
Omaha was cut off, but the messages came as us
ual and almost as quickly. But they did a lot of
traveling to get across the river. First they were
telegraphed from Chicago to St Louis, then to
"Kansas City, from Kansas City to Denver, and
from Denver back to Omaha, making a distance
of 2,000 miles to get across the Missouri river.
This might have been shortened if the wires be
tween Omaha and Kansas City had not been down
also. Recently the connection between Denver
and San Francisco was broken. Dispatches wers
Bent out from Chicago as usual, but could get no
farther than Denver. There could be no question
of their lying over a day or two. They simply
had to go through. And they went, but by a
roundabout way. First they wero sent back east,
via Kansas City to St Louis, and from there
.telegraphed down to El Paso, where thoy got on
the Southern Pacific system and reached San Fran
cisco by tho way of Los Angoles. Thoy traveled
2,000 miles out of the way to get thoro, but tho
morning papers had all tho news tho next morn
ing. The operator at Sioux City got a wire to St
Paul, Minn., and from there the dispatches ran
down to Chicago and thence back to Omaha. In
this case it certainly was an Illustration of tho
proverb, "The longest way round is the shortest
way home."
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWENTY-FIVE
years Valley Forgo Day, Juno 19, was cele
brated on that historic ground. Speeches wero de
livered, poems read, and hymns were sung recall
ing tho sufferings of the American soldiers dur
ing tho winter of 125 years rzo. The Philadel
phia Public Ledger says: "Every effort is to bo
made for tho completing of definite arrangements
for preserving the camp grounds as a permanent
object lesson for the nation. This Stato Park com
prises 210 acres, and last spring tho legislature
appropriated ?74,500 to extend the limits of tho
reservation by 800 additional acres in order that
every portion of tho original slto may come under
the control of tho commonwealth. There Is a
possibility that the park may bo made a national
one. It is planned to restore tho spot to as near
its original condition as possible. The entrench
ments are to bo cleared of their accumulations of
rubbish, roads are to be laid o'lt and tho several
points of interest marked." Thoro is' a spot where
tradition says Washington knelt to pray for cour
age and on June 19, 1903, tho cornerstone of a
chapel was there laid.
THE TRUSTEES OF TULPEHOCKEN RE
formed church at Lebanon, Pa., recently dis
covered that the deed wherein Casper Wiatar of
Philadelphia, early in the eighteenth century, con
veyed the property on which the reformed church
was built, stipulated that each year one red rose
should be delivered as rental to tho Wlstar heirs.
On June 1 the trustees of this church Invited tho
Wistar heirs to bo present and a score of them
accepted an invitation where a very pretty cere
mony tpok place in the delivery to them of a largo
number of red roses wnicn inciuueu me urruui
agos. The Wistar family had also made a con
tribution to the organ fund of this church on
condition that tho representatives of the family
receive one white rose annually. This obligation
was also discharged in a very interesting cere
mony. MR. ROOSEVELT EVIDENTLY APPRE
clates the seriousness of tho frauds in the
postoffico department Under date of June 24,
the president sent to the attorney general a let
ter In which he suggested the' appointment of spe
cial counsel to assist In the prosecution of these
cases. As a result of this letter, two lawyers out
side of the federal service have been retained,
Charles Bonaparte of Baltimore and Holmes Con
rad, former solicitor general, have been retained
for this special service.
EVERY DAY CONTRIBUTES A NEW CHAP
ter to the postofflce scandal. Mr, Madden,
the third postmaster general, while visiting in De
troit, heard something to the disadvantage of his
record. Consequently Mr. Madden Immediately
dispatched a letter to the postmaster general de
manding an investigation. In that letter Mr.
Madden said some very unkind things concerning
Mr. Wynne, the first assistant postmaster general,
and Mr. Brlstow, the fourth assistant postmaster
general. Mr. Madden was so Incensed that he
gave out a copy of his letter to tho postmaster
general before the original had reached his su
perior officer. The results are told by the Wash
ington correspondent for the Des Moines Reg
ister and Leader in this way: "Not si'uee tho
postofflce investigation begun has the situation
been so congested as tonight Third Assistant
Madden's action in making public a letter ad
dressed to the postmaster general twelve hours In
advance of its receipt, is regarded as a most flag
rant violation of the rules of propriety, and ab
solutely uncalled for and others with Payno arc
unable to find language to express their amaze
ment and condemnation. It is admitted an ex
planation of the facts in the case of the registry
books contract would have ended the matter.
Madden was not charged with impropriety or ir
regularity. The postofflce officials say he ""must
nave Imagined he was under suspicion and gont
to pieces in a moment of fury. His lottcr and tha
premature publication has doveloped a serious
phaso to tho wholo matter. Now tho fat la in
tho flro. Brlstow and Wynne are incensed, Payno
is disgusted and there's no telling what will bo
the end. It Is admitted Madden has seriously
impaired his usefulness at an Inopportune moment
Thcro had been a lull In tho surfaco features of
the investigation. The president has taken a
hand In the hopo conclusions might bo reached
quiotly. Madden's letter and mannor of publicity
has serlbusly complicated matters."
FOLLOWING CLOSE UPON THE SEVERAL
developments In tho postoffico department,
comos the charge that extensive frauds are sils
pected in connection with tho purchase of seed by
tho department of ngrlculture. The Washington
correspondent for tho Cincinnati Enquirer says
that It is alleged that tho government has loot
large sums of money, either through Irregular
practices or nogUgcnco, or both. It Is said that
shortages occurred In all seed shipments sent out
by the department, that packets wero divided Into
tho smallest compass, by which means the light
weight of tho packets sent out was concealed; that
tho cheapest kinds of seeds wero frequently and
knowingly substituted for tho costly varieties;
that tho cheapest kind of paper, much below tho
standard required, was used to pack seeds, by
which tho contractor saved soveral thousand dol
lars. JO )C
AS A RESULT OF THESE ALLEGED IRREG
ularitlos, tho department of agriculture re
fused to pay tho sum of $18,000 which tho Market
Gardeners' association, having the contract to
supply tho government with seeds claimed was
duo to It Last year congress appropriated $108,
874 for tho purchase of sect i and It Is said that
all this sum with the exception of $18,000 has boon
paid to this association. The question has been
submitted to the court of claims for adjudication
and referring to the pending case tho Washing
ton correspondent for the Cincinnati Enquirer
says: "It Is claimed that though tho contractor
failed to begin the assembling of seeds prepara
tory to shipping them until two months after tho
tlmo stipulated by law, tho penalty of $25 a day
was not inflicted; but few of the representatives
received the seed duo them In the proper shape,
which led to floods of protests, which were more
or less Ignored; that the employes of the con
tractors were instructed to put all packets short
In weight; that a pertain officer of tho department
ct agriculture was interested in a machine used
for a time by the contractor in making the pack
ets for the need, though there were supposed to bo
a number of government inspectors watching tho
packing and shipping of the seed. It Is alloged
that abuses wero allowed to continue until all of
t!io government funds had been spent, with tho
exception of $18,000; that the abuses wore called
to tho attention of the proper authorities, but no
action was taken, until certain protests had be
come too loud to be longer ignored."
r r
THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA BOASTS OF
a citizen who claims to have found and
returned to the owners more valuables and money
than any other man living. This citizen's name Is
Isaac Banks and he declares that he has found
valuables to the amount of $2,000,000 and that
every bit of this has gone back to the owner.
The Philadelphia correspondent of the Chicago
Inter-Ocean tells the story of Mr. Banks' flndB and
says: "It was not all cash, but nearly all of It
was negotiablenegotiable bonds and stocks and
diamonds and pearls and sapphires, watches, ring3
and tiaras, things which are surely profitable
enough. And Mr. Banks found, too, a good deal
of cash sufficient, indeed, had he kept it, to hava
made him a rich man. But of tho whole $2,000,
000 not one penny did he keep. It would seem
that Mr. Banks must have gotton, for finding so
much money, some very large and generous re
ward. These are the rewards that he received for
restoring valuables worth $2,000,000 to their own
ers: In caBh, $50; in presents (gloves, neckties,
books, etc.), $100."
AN INTERESTING APPLICATION FOR A
pension was recently received by the pen
sion department from Kentucky. This application
follows: "Dear Gentlemen: I served three years
In the federal army, in a Pennsylvania regiment,
and contracted the itch while at the front Since
that time I have had to scratck'- myself contin
ually. This takes time from my business duties,
and I think I am physically incapacitated as a re
sult, and deserve a pension. Please let mo know
if I can have one, and what will be the amount"
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