The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, September 25, 1903, Page 7, Image 7
SEPTEMBER 25, ,1903.. . & .v ;.',", .' ditions of purchase of private company (prop erty?). ALTHOUGH UNCLE SAM'S PRINTING Es tablishment is now the largest in the world, Jfuolic Printer Palmer will request an appropria tion from the next congress of nearly $2,500,000. The public printer thinks that the capacity of the government printing office should be doubled and lip proposes that two large wings conforming to the architecture of what Is now known as the new office be built The public printer says that the present structure which has but recently been completed does not give him one-half the room re quired to carry on the constantly Increasing busi ness of the government. If ftf THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE EXTENT, and volume of our commerce in 1903 and tnat of 1893, Is illustrated by figures recently pre sented by the department of commerce and labor through Its bureau of statistics. The Washington correspondent fpr the St Lo lis Republic says that these figures show the imports from and the exports to each of the grand divisions of the world in 1893 and in 1903, and thus show at a glance the growth during the period so covered. According to the Republic's correspondent, they show that imports have grown from $866,000,000 to $1,025,000,000, an increase of $159,000,000, and that exports nave grown from $847,000,000 to $1,420, 000,000) an increase of $573,000,000. They show that $92,000,000 of the increase In Imports comes from Europe, $55,000,000 from Asia and about $5,000,000 each from North America, South America, and Africa. The figures for Oceania show an apparent falling off of about $5,000,000, but this is due to the fact that the merchandise brought from Hawaii is no longer classed as imports, Hawaii now being a territory of the United States. If these were included in the figures of imports in 1903, It would show a growth of imports from Oceania of about $20, 000,000. On the export side the showing is equal ly interesting. Of the $573,000,000 of increase, $367,000,000 was to Europe, $94,000,000 to North America, $41,000,000 to Asia, $33,000,000 to Africa, $26,000,000 to Oceania and $,000,000 to South America, In' case the shipments to Hawaii -were included, the increase to Oceania would be about $36,000,000. In case those to Porto Rico were in cluded, the increase to North America would be more than $100,000,000. COLONEL R. T. JACOB DIED SEPTEMBER 43 at his home in Louisville, Ky. Colonel Ja cob was seventy-eight years of age. A Louisville dispatch carried by the Associated press says that Colonel Jacob was widely known as the man who saved Kentucky from going out of the union and as the captor of General Johj Morgan. According to this dispatch Colonel Jacob's career began with a trip across the plains, in 1845. He crossed in time to join John C. Fremont's command during the Mexican war. Returning to Kentucky, he was elected to the legislature as a democrat. He re fused to vote with the Breckinridge party, his vote giving a plurality of one for the unionists. When active hostilities opened, Colonel Jacob or ganized the Ninth Kentucky (union) cavalry. POULTNEY BIGELOW HAS AN INTEREST ing idea. The London correspondent for the New York World says that Mr. Bigelow writing in tue London Morning Post, concerning the rela tions between the United States and Canada, says: "The idea of hostility between Canadians and Americans I have never seriously heard expressed. There Is plenty of newspaper talk inspired by clashing commercial interests, but it goes no fur ther. In many respects Canada is better governed than the United States; there is less political cor ruption, better administration of justice and greater respect for law. I should regard it as a misfortune for the United State3 to annex Cana da; there are millions In America, however, who "would subscribe cheerfully if Canada would annex the United States." A STATISTICIAN IN THE POSTOFFICE DE partment has discovered that the clerks and oiuer employes of that branch of the government service stationed at Washington each year lose the equivalent of fifty-two months of one clerk's time while standing in line to draw their pay. The government insists on the old-fashioned way of maki g the clerks go to the disbursing clerk's "window; and speaking to the Washington corre- The Commoner. epondent for the Philadelphia North American, tills statistician explains: "feach of tne lr00 clerks loses twenty minutes twice a mouth; that is 22,000 minutes, or about 3UU hours. 'I no work ing day of a department cleric is seven and one half hours, so that the'loss of tlmo twlco a month is forty-nine days of a single clerk's time, or ninety-eight days in a montn. In twelvo months this will bo 1,176 days. A clerk, wonis about 270 days in a year, and this, divided into 1,16 days, gives a result of a little more than four years and four months of. a. clerk's timo lost Tho av erage salary, of the dents that draw uio'r mouoy by waning in lino is about $1,100, so it i3 Buro to say that tho government losc3 between $1,500 and $5,000 each year by tho present system, mis is confessedly a low calculation. It does not take into account the fact that about 50u clems have also to journey to the department twice a month from rencJd offices and lose tho time of that trip in addition to the umo whicu they spend in line." IT IS GENERALLY KNOWN THAT UNCLE Sam has no national anthem, although "Tho star Spangled Banner" among tho people generally has filled the bill In this respect Recently tho navy department at Washington issued an order the effect of which makes tho production of Fran cis Scott Key the national anthem. Thli order directs that whenever the Star Spanglod Banner is played, the officers and men in tho navy shall stand at attention unless they bo engaged on du ties whk . will not permit ttom to do so. It is further required that tho same respect shall bo observeu toward tho national anthem of any other country when played xn uie presence of official representatives of such country. The Chicago Record-Herald points out that by this order, tue United States navy is givoi an official anthem which will receive recognition in every port whore the stars and stripes which Key saw "by the dawn's early light" may float Hitherto the fleets of other nations havo heard "America,',' tho "star Spangled Banner" and "Dixie" without knowing which really was recognized by this country as its national anthem. France has its "Marsellalse," England Its "God Save the King," and uermany its "Wacht am Rhein," but the American sailor had no official anthem whlcii he could sing and know he was voicing the words dearest to his countrymen. -Henceforth no may demand that proper respect be shown not only to tho American flag itself, but also to it as described in Key's "Star Spangled Banner." THE STORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE "STAR Spangled Banner" is always Interesting. Pointing out that this anthem was written by Francis Scott Key, September 13, 1814, while he and his comrades on board the cartel ship Min den were watching the storming of Baltimore by Admiral Cockrane, the Record-Herald says: "Key had been sent with John S. Skinner of Bal timore to Admiral Cockrano to request the re lease of Dr. Beanss of Upper Marlboro, who had been captured at Washington. Tho British ad miral consented to release Dr. Beanes, but would not let the Americans leavo tho harbor, as he In tended to attack Baltimore, and dil not want the information to reach the city ahead of him. The Mlnden, on which Key and his friends were, was anchored within sight of Fort McHenry. From its decks the three friends watched the bombard ment It ceased before aawn, but it was impos sible for the anxious Americans to see whether or not the fort had fallen. They awaited daylight with painful suspense. In the dim light of tho morning they saw through their glasses the star spangled banner yet waving in triumph over the fort, and soon learned of tho defeat of the Brit ish. When the fleet was ready to sail Key and his friends were released and returned to Baltimore." ic ir DURING THE BOMBARDMENT WHILE Francis Scott Key was pacing the deck be tween midnight and dawn, he composed tho pop ular song, the first stanza of which expressed the feelings of the thousands 4f eye-witnesses to the scene. The Record-Herald says: "The rude sub stance of the song was written on the back of a letter. On the night after his return to Baltimore Key wrote it out in full and read it to his uncle, Judge Nicholson, one of the defenders of the fort The pleased Judge had it printed by Captain Ben jsmin Edes. Samuel Sands set the type and dis tributed the first copies, it was sung by Charles Durang at a restaurant next door to the Holliday Street theatre, Baltimore, to an assemblage of pa triotic defenders of the city and after that night- rti? U106 nd everywhere in public and private. Since its publication it has been heard throughout the world. It had been played by American bands in throe wars. Efforts have re- SSi i Jf fMn ma(4 to havc th0 antncm national 5ii ' S5. BOmo Tcas?n thy ahvayfl wcro fu- ISuco iSveS toPli?"thlaj " thC flF8t mdfti it jp" A RrNnSN ? J?MBR SLAVES WAS HELD holno o? SLai 81,crwood- tho pretty suburban ?!. Robcrtt K, near Salom, Va. The par- 2aWCro VJ f0rmcr Hlavcfl of Nathaniel Bur well, tho grandfather of Mr. Logan. The Salcra ht 11 ?? ?f tJI0lcvH war Mr. Durwell had on his splendid plantation near Salem, consisting of rLAih0U8an,d acrca' ,noro than a hundred con tented and loyal slaves. About thirty of theso were present at tho reunion, tho rest having died. PmfJil t1 !,pPTCr waa 8prca(1- nnd afterward liofessor Lowis Logan, of Kentucky university, brother of Robert Logan, mado an earnest talk which was eagerly listened to. Tho former slaves o Mr. Burwell are noted In this section for their thrift, their honesty and their unfailing polite ness. They are as loyal today to the family as they wero In tho grand old days ' 'fo' de waV " JO c TT IS RELATED BY THE LONDON CORRE 1 spondent for tho Philadelphia Press that tho London Times takes anything that appears In Its columns vory seriously. This correspondent says that tho department of the Times known as Letters to tho Editor," is viewed as a very solemn function with the Times, presenting an op portunity for tho serious-minded to comment upon tho decadence of .England, tho deficiencies of the county council, the mistakes of tho rfuuallsts, and the lack of the opposition leader. Recently the Times printed a letter from an American, C. R. Warwick by name, which letter was dated from tho Midland Hotel, Manchester. The writer an nounced that he had arrived from America on the White Line steamer Celtic, and went to Cork. He added that he then visited Blarney castle, where ho liberated fourteen fairly good sized rat- tlesnakes. Tho Warwick letter concluded: "Time will tell if St Patrick's edict is a myth or not "Xours for science, C. R. Warwick." IT IS POINTED OUT BY THE LONDON COR respondent for tho Press that it is notorious in England that tho Times will print tho most preposterous yan.s about Ireland and that this disposition co3t the paper a very large sum of , money In tho libel action growing out of the Parnell forgeries and led ultimately to- the suicide of Plggott The Times made no Investigation con cerning tho Warwick letter. The Press corre spondent adds: "Naturally, having admitted such a letter to its columns, the Times could not but take It seriously, as it would take more than a surgical operation to get a Joke into its columns, and so it comments very heavily upon Mr. Warwick's little effusion and says: 'If there is any truth in the writer's claim "to have com mitted a dastarUy act, the local authorities will doubtless give" their attention to the matter.' Of course, every one can see tho joke today, be cause it has been found out that no one of the name of Warwick is staying or has been staying at tho Midland Hotel, Manchester, and so far as is known Blarney castle is as free from rattle snakes as it has been ever since tho genial St Patrick drove all reptiles from the Evergreen Isle." IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE GUN BELONG ing to Robinson Crusoe, whoso real name was Alexander Selkirk, has been found In London. An antiquarian by the name of Randolph Berena found this gun in a lot of rubbish that had been thrown out of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford twenty years ago, and has recently become con vinced that he has in his possesion the real gun owned by the interesting hero of the story known as Robinson Crusoe. The London correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald says: "The gun bears the inscription: 'A. Selkirk, Largo, N. B., 1701 - 'Sealcralg' and 'Anna R.' Sealcralg, or Selcraig, was the common form of Selkirk, and Largo was the Fifeahlre ort from which Selkirk sailed upon his voyage. 'Anna It' Is of course Anna Regina, Queen Anne, who, according to the old style of time calculation, succeeded in that year. The gun is a flintlock, and on tho lock is engraved an elephant, which would seem to point to the fact that the gun once belonged to the East Irdla Company." iti K-