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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1903)
The Commoner. (OCTOBER 9,.19Q3;V., lean diplomats it is rumored that should the presi dent be forced by public opinion or a resolution "by congress to turn to the Nicaraguan route ho would encounter as great ufflculties as havo oc curred in dealing with Colombia. Costa Rica and Nicaragua have been thus far willing to grant anything and everything that could be asked to ward getting tho canal through , their territory. But it Is said that with tho Panama route out of the way the attitude of these two republics would change, and they would begin to make demands. Mcaragua has a faction that is not friendly to tho canal on tho ground that if the United States .should build on the Nlcaraguan route it would re sult in the absorption of tho whole state as a de pendency of the United States, and the country would lose its autonomy and become a mere stop ping place for the commerce of tho world. With this sentiment at work thero would arise a pre t6xt for increased demands to appease It, and sev eral years would bo occupied in getting a suitable treaty made. This is the view taken by several disinterested Central Americans, who are' con vinced that the Panama route is physically tho best one of all that havo been studied or at tempted." a yr ACCORDING TO A REPORT ON THE RE turns of Philippine commerce, which report Is about to be issued by the bureau of insular af fairs of the war department at Washington, it is shown that the foreign trade of tho islands for tho month. of May, 1903, aggregated $6,872,982, exclu sive of government supplies and gold and silver. This increase exceeds that reported for April .of the present year, which month has heretofore been the banner month since American occupation of the islands. The importations amounted to $3, 391.G55, and of this the Importation of rice alone approximated nearly $1,750,000. It Is also shown that customs revenues to the value of $8,500,000 were collected during eleven months of 1903, this heing an increase amounting to over $1,000,000 as compared with the previous year. a a A' N INTERESTING COMPARISON AS TO THE amount of gold In the United States treasury .and that stored in the treasuries of other coun tries, was recently made by Ellis H. Roberts, treas urer of. the United States, in a ,speeeh delivered . before, the joint convention of. the Maryland and -District of Columbia Bankers' association. Ac cording to the Washington correspondent for the New York American, Mr. loberts declared that at present tjiere is the largest sum of gold ever recorded In the treasury, $653,000,000. Mr. Rob erts added: "Our treasury holds three and nine . tenths times the amount of gold belonging to the -Bank of England, more than three and eight tenths times that of the Imperial German Bank, almost three times that of the Austro-Hungarian Bank, and lacks only $8,000,000 of being equal to , that of both the fcanks of England and France. It exceeds the amount of Russia, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands combined." a? ac THE WARDEN OF. THE UNITED STATES penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kas., re cently made a report to tho attorney general of the United States, and In t-Is report it is shown that most of the 30 deaths in the prison dur ing tho year were of Indians. Two hundred prison ers are suffering from tuberculosis, the entire Ind ian population being infected. In his report, ac cording to die Leavenworth, Kas., correspondent for the St Louis Post-Disratch, Warden R. W. McClaughry says: "The southern Indians who are sent here cannot stand the climate and the con- finement, no matter in how good health he arrives . here, and every Qne of them, without exception, either dies here or goes out with the disease in eradicably fastened upon him. With the lack of proper facilities for isolating and treating pulmon ary tuberculosis, It is becoming a serious menace to this institution, practically destroying the health of all the prisoners confined here." ar $r BY INTRUSTING TREASURE TO THE amount of $3,0o0,000 to a clerk recently, the United States government saved $780 express charges. Under direction of the insular depart ment, the mints in this country and the bureau of printing and engraving at Washington has been making money for uso in the Philippines. $3,000, 000 in crisp $1,000 bills was recently ready for shipment to New York, thence to be sent to the insular possesions. Inquiry of the express com panies about transporting this treasure elicitated the Information that they would not undertake the risk for less than $800, and this was con sidered so high a figure that Marion E. Beall, an unbonded clerk in the insular department, was sent to New York; wltk the money packed in a common suit case. Mr. Beall'a trip cost $20, and thus tho government saved a considerable sum in express charges. K IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE AGITATION AND Investigation Into the affairs of the Indian territory and the dealings of the commissioners stationed thoro with tho Indians, Secrotary of tho Interior Hitchcock recently made a new rule re quiring offers for Indian lands in tho territory to bo made by sealed bids, and this rule is resulting . in marked advantage to tho Indians. The Wash ington correspondent for the Philadelphia Public Ledger says that "in the first month after tho rule was promulgated tho department returned sev eral hundred thousand dollars in checks and drafts to proposing purchasers, and It soon becamo well understood that the old game of swindling the Indians had come to an end. It Is now neces sary to have tho land to bo sold appraised by a government official, tho tract advertised for public sale, and bids must bo sent to tho department sealed. In some cases several bids have beeu re jected before a sale was made ao ac IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTIGATION Into the Indian affairs, j decision was ren dered on September 28 by Judge Anderson of tho supreme court of tho District of Columbia, where by the position taken by tho Interior department in several cases involving land In tho territory is upheld. Tho case involved no less than 157, 000 acres of land which It was claimed that tho Dawes commission had set aside for tho benefit of the Delaware Indians and could not be interfered with by any other authority. Judge Anderson, however, decided against thiB view of tho case. The Washington correspondent for tho St. Louis Globe-Democrat, in discussing the case, says: "Tho department at Washington had not approved tho action of the Dawes commission and claimed that until approved there had been no legal setting aside of tho land for tho Delawares. Tho court held that all tho actions and proceedings of the Dawes commission were subject to the secretary's supervision and control. It refused to grant tho injunction prayed, and, in effect, dismissed the suit." THE POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT OF-THE national government is facing a new problem in the difficulty of securing postal clerks on tho fast trains. This difficulty is duo to tho Increas ing number of railway wrecks caused by the great er number and higher spe"ed of trains. It is the custom of railways to put mail cars next to the engine and 'the result Is that In wrecks tho postal clerks are exposed to great danger and rarely have any warning of their peril. A telegram to tho St. Louis Post-Dispatch under date of Chicago, September 29, says: "So far this year more than forty railway postal clerks have been killed and over 500 Injured, more or less seriously. In con sequence the clerks are not attracted by tho runs on the fast trains. Many of them have asked to bo transferred from the trunk lines, where they get salaries of $1,500 a year, to tho branch lines, whore the maximum yearly salary is $1,000. Much trouble is experienced by tho superintendents of railway mall service in securing men for the fast est mall trains," ac THE ARMY AND NAVY AND EVENTUALLY the militia of the United States will be equipped with wLat the Washington correspondent for the New York Tribune calls "the most effec tive firearm in the world." According to the Tri bune correspondent this i- the result of exhaustive tests just completed with the new experimental twenty-four-inch magazine rifle, designed by tho ordnance department, embodying the best features of the army and navy service weapons, with num erous improvements over their mechanism as well as over the best points of foreign ordnance. This rifle, which has just triumphed in tho most in genious tests thr' could V3 devised by a board of Infantry and cavalry officers, uses a rimless cart ridge. The weight of the bullet is 220 grains, and that of tho powder charge s 44.5 grains The powder pressure is 42,000 pounds to tho square inch, and the muzzle velocity is 2,300 feet a sec ond. The rifling In the barrel makes one turn In eight inches. T ,e' magazine can be charged from a clip by insertl-ig either end of the clip in a seat in the rear of the receiver, and by forcing the cartridges from it directly Into the magazine by pressure of the right thumb on. the top of the cartridge. Tho clip is ejected by the for ward motion of the bolt. The gun can be used as a single loader with the magazine empty, and if the magazine is partly empty it can be filled by tho Inaertlon of ilngle cartridge. Tho experi mental rifle, with the 24-Inch barrel and rod bay onot, weighs two pounds leas than the United 8tates magazine rifle, modol of 1898, tho prcjtcnt service arm, with its bayonet and bayonet scab bard. The ponotration In plno of the formor, up to and including 1,500 yards, Is about 50 per cent greater than of the latter; and tho accuracy of tho formor Is 14 por cent grcator at 500 yards, 4.0 per cent greater at 1,000 yards, and also grcator at 1,500 yards than that of tho latter. Tho use of tho clip and tho change In tho cartridge In crease tho weight of 100 rounds three-quarters of a pound. ac tc UNDER DATE. OF DALLAS, TEX., SBPTJSM bcr 8, tho Associated press carried tho In formation that tho Forth Worth Telegram prints tho most startling story that has ever como out put tho Beaumont oil fields and states that tho informant Is one of the most prominent men of tort Worth who recently returned from Beau mont." According to tho Fort Worth Telegram, this Beaumont citizen declares that "tho Standard Oil company has porpotratol a gigantic steal in the Beaumont fields and that positively established details arc Just coming to light" According to tho Beaumont citlzon, "the independent oil compa nies of Beaumont aro the victims, many of which have been wrecked by tho Standard's work. Re cently some of tho leading men of tho wrecked or Injured companies determined to Investigate and in two days' time they raised $27,000 with vhlch to push tho work." ar ac IN THE STORY PRINTED BY THE FORT Worth paper, It is explained that "tho num erous oil wells that apparently were ruined by salt water wero put In their bad condition by tho Standard Oil company's conspirators. As fast as a company went to tho wall Its property was brought in by the trust. By accident, It Is said, tho desperate work of the Standard company was discovered recently. The Standard Oil company long ago built a pipe line from Beaumont to tho Gulf of Mexico. . A pumping station was erected at Beaumont and another at the gulf. Oil was pumped through .the pipe lino to the gulf and thonco shipped to various parts of tho world. Suddenly many wells of independent companies hod salt water in them. Tbr ruin of tho owners Is part of tho history of tho field. Ono day not long ago ono of tho pumping stations got out of working order, and oil pumping to the gulf had to be suspended while repairs were being made. Wells that had been giving out fully one-half salt water began flowing nothing but oil, good fuel oil, it is declared. That put the investiga tion on foot Tho Investlga'.ors secretly plugged up the pipe lino at tho Beaumont end. They drove several miles into tho country, dug into tho ground over the pipe line, made a tapping into the line and salt water gushed Into the air nearly 100 feet. It Is claimed that the pressure was from the gulf pumping station and that salt water was being pumped to Beaumont Into tho wells that tho Standard company's conspirators desired to wreck; that thoro was no pressure from the Beaumont end of the. plugging of the pipe. The informant of tho Telegram declares that a force of detectives is at work o 'develop who should be arrested in connection with the conspiracy." DURING THE BOER WAR LORD ROBERTS wrote to Mr. Stcyn of tho Orange Free State, under date of March 11, 1900, complaining that explosive bullets had been found in Cronje's laager. In that communication Lord Roberts said: "Such breaches of tho recognized usages of war and of tho Geneva convention are a disgrace to any civilized power. A copy of this telegram has been sent .to my government with a request that it bo communicated to the neutral powers." a J RECALLING THIS INCIDENT,. A WRITER in tho New York World says: "Mr. Stcyn explained that the bullets In question had been taken from British troops. Now it turns out that this ammunition with expanding bullets had been manufactured in England before the war to tho extent of 00,000,000 rounds; that there was every Intention of making it tho standard outfit of the British army all over the world, but that its pro duction was stopped because It was found to bo dangerous to the user in hot climates. It was condemned by The Hague convention on grounds of humanity, but It had to bo supplied to the British troops in South Africa because at one time there were only two or tbres boxes of any other kind on, hand. All that Is needed now to make the story complete is an apology from Lord Rob ertslo Mr. Steyn, but the -wire, seems to be busy i that direction." SI 41 i ii J j; -. i ftikaiif