W1
The Commoner.
JANUAET 15,, 1004.
Curegnt Topics
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RECENTLY IT WAS REPORTED THAT
printed appeals were ,ia circulation in
Kishineff with a view of fomenting the anli
Jewlsh population to renewed assaults, robberies
and massacres of. the Jews. The New York Wond
sent a dispatch to the cssar asking him to allay
these apprehensions "with an assurance that the
ample power at his command will be employed in
presenting such a calamity The imperial min
ister of the interior replied to the World as fol
lows: "Fears of forthcoming trouoles in Kish
ineff absolutely unfounded. Reports of anti-Jewish
riots are' consequence of agitation led by per
sona evilly disposed against Russian-government."
THE STORY OF "THE OLDEST DINNER
': which has 'ever be6n eaten," is-told by the
Brussels 'correspondent for the New York Herald.
According to this1, 'correspondent, an antiquary in
the "city of Brussels named Goebel invited Ills
friends-to Hhis spread, a, description of which is
given by one of the guests as follows: "At that
dinner X ate apples that ripened more than eigh
teen hundred years ago; brend made from wheat
grown before the children of Israel passed through
the Red sea, spread with butter which was made
when Elizabeth wag queen of England; and I
washed' down .the repaBt w'th.wino which was old
when !Coluinbus was playing barefoot with the
boys in Genoa. The- apples were from an earthen
jar taken from the ruins of Pompeii. The wheat
was taken from a chamber in one of the Pyramids,
the butter from a stone shelf in an old well in
Scotland, wfierc for several centuries it had lain in
an 'earthen crock in icy water, and .the wine was
recovered fronfan "old vault in the city of Corinlh.
There were six guests at the table, and each had
a" mouthful of bread and a teaspoanfiii of wine,
but was permitted to help himself bountifully to
the i butter, faere?belng severa pounds ot it. Tho
apple"'jar held 'abbut'two-thirds of a gallon. The
rult was sweet and as finely flavored as if it had
been, picked k but yesterday'
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T:HE INDIANA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
"lias- prohibited the further emplojment of
1: J male and. female teachers in the public -schools
n tkestate because on examination they nave
beea found more or less afflicted wit- tuberculosa.
Referring to this order, the Atlanta Constitution
says: "This is a new turn in the endeavors of
authorities to prevent the spread of the dread
disease of consumption. But it seems a very
proper regulation and the precedent thus set by
the Indiana board of health may be eventually fol
lowed by those of other states. The mortality sta
tistics of the country show that tuberculosis is an
insidiously increasing and fatal affliction of the
race, and that there is, as yet, in spite of serums
and othej: inventions, no way to minimize its pre
valence and fatalities except to take precautions
against allowing the affected to spread the dis
ease among healthy people."
CANADIANS ARE JUST NOW MANIFESTING
considerable interest with respect to the
French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. The
Ottawa correspondent for the Philadelphia Press
says: "It is suggested the situation imperatively
requires Canada to lay down a Monroe doctrine
of her own, with British backing, that Canada
through Great Britain should demand a prior op
tion on the purchase of the French and Danish
territory adjacent to her coasts and should not
stand for any other nation, particularly the United
States, acquiring territory within her sphere ot
influence. 'When a Tommy in barracks is trou
bled by an aggressive and troublesome neigh
bor,' one editorial says, 'he draws a line with
pipe clay around his cot and the man who passes
that chalkllne knows he is up against a fight. It
is time Johnny Canuck drew his 'jhalkline.'
IN CANADA THE OPINION SEEMS TO BE
quite general that difficulties between the
Canadian government and that of the United
States will soon arise with respect to Hudson s
bay. On this point, the Ottawa correspondent for
the Press says: "The discussions on the subject,
here have attracted attention in England, lhe
London Express editorially suggests that the par
liament of Canada change the name of the bay to
'tho Canadian sea,' and goes on to declare that
'Canada is facing with resolute intention a new
dispute with tho United States fraught with far
moro serious possibilities than was the Alaskan
question.' Canada's territorial righU on tho
shores surrounding tho bay being acknowledged,
whore is tho danger of complications with the
United States? The answer is that United States
whalers have boon nslng thebo watqrs and occu
pying islands along the coasts and territory on
the mainland for years without let or hindrance or
any assertion of British or Canadian jurisdiction
or sovereignty. Hence Canada's precautionary
measures, the establishment of police posts and
the decision to patrol the waters of the bay and
assert the Canadian title. The main question, how
ever, is whether Hudson bay is or is not an open
sea. Canada contends it is closed, the only en
trance being a narrow strait, tho territories on
both sides of which are alt Canadian, and this Is
the main point on which it is expected some day
or other the Washington authorities may raise an
international question."
A BILL HAS- BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE
Maryland legislature conferring upon Ad
miral Schley a residence in the state. It Is ex
plained by a correspondent for the Philadelphia
Public Ledger that Admiral Schley has never es
tablished residence elsewhere than in Maryland,
his native state, but he has in the course of his
long career in the navy lived in so many places
and since his retirement has traveled so much,
that there is some question in his mind as to just
where his legal home may be. Some political
significance is attached to this move although
Admiral Schley's friends insist that there is no
significance other than the admiral s natural de
sire to obtain indisputable legal residence.
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DR. HENRY THOMAS, TRANSLATOR AT
the state department, died at the national
capital December 28. Dr. Thomas was a resident
of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He was a great student of
languages and mastered twenty different lan
guages, acquiring an international reputation as a
philologist. Referring to Dr. Thomas, the Wash
ington correspondent for tho Philadelphia Public
Ledger says: "He could read all the languages
spoken In Europe except Russian. Tho latter, he
said, he had never been able to master, although
he could make accurate and rapid translations
from it if necessary. The others he knew so well
that he rarely showed any hesitancy in reaaing
and writing them, and in several ho was an ac
complished conversationalist. Before coming to
Washington, Dr. Thomas was instructor in tno
family of S. F. B. Morse, and traveled around the
world with tho celebrated inventor. Dr. Thomas
knew, as a basis for the modern languages, Latin
and Greek, and in addition, Hebrew, Sanscrit,
Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese,
Italian, German, French, Swedish, Spanish, Nor
wegian, Danish and butch. He was descended
from ail old Dutch family in New York, and was
proud of his knowledge of the Dutch language.
He was regarded as an authority by linguists all
over the world, who often sent him manuscripts
for translation, and his opirions m philological
matters were sought by many of the most learned
teachers. His place in the state department is one
that cannot be filled. For many years he had been
occupied Ju collecting a large library of books In
all the known languages of the earth. Ho was 68
years old."
A BILL WAS RECENTLY INTRODUCED IN
congress looking to the erection at Peter
borough, N. H., of a monument to General James
Miller, the hero of Lundy's Lane. General Miller
won the peculiar title of "I'll try, sir," and many
neople will remember this man by the reference
"I'll try sir" Miller. General Miller was born in
Peterborough, April 25, 1770. He died July 7,
1851 In 1808 he entered the United States ariy
as- major of the Fourth infantry, ana became lieu
ten?nt colonel in 1810. At the battle o -Browns-town,
August 9, 1812, he was breveted colonel for
gallantry in that action. He was colonel of ttc
Twenty-first infantry at Lundy's Lane. It ir y
coried that at that; battle tho success of the
Americans depended on the capture of a British
battery ''Can you take It," asked General Win-
field Scott. "I'll try, sir," replied General Miller,
Miller led his command to tho assault, captured
tho battery, and decided tho fortunes ot tho day.
For his service lie wns breveted brigadier genera!
and was Voted a gold metal by congress. '
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REFERRING TO THE HERO OF LUNDY'S
Lano, tho Washington correspondent tor
the Chicago Post flays: "Gen. James Milter did
many other things besides saying mat ho would
try to capture a certain battery and then going
and capturing it. Beforo tho Lundy's Lnno uflair
Miller, with a small command, thrashed a ku
perlor force of British and Indians at Mngngun.
Miller drove tho crtemy for miles and wished to
pursue it further, but General Hull would net
permit him. It whs only a wcok after this that
Hull surrendered his force of over 2,apu men to tho
British commander whom Miller hadllchod out of
his boots only a weok beforo. This first Miller
matter has been lost sight or largely because of
tho disastrous termination of the Detroit cam
paign. Miller distinguished himself once moro
after tho Lundy's Lnno airalr. At Fort Erie ho
had command of tho center column of General
Brown's army, which routed an npparontly over
whelmingly superior force of the British. Brown
gave' Miller due credit for his part In the light.
There Is something that Miller did and something
that he said which possibly is more to the point
nowadays than. even his military ficrvlcc. After
thp war of1812 he went back to his farm near
Peterborough, and plowed and chopped wood.
When he was asked why lu; was playing Clncih
natus when he might have nearly anything In
the gift of the government ho said: 'When men
begin leaving the farms for the cities tho nation
will begin to decay.' "
THE GOVERNMENT GEOGRAPHERS ARE
struggling with tho vexing question Involved
in tho proper way to dosignate the people of
Panama. The Washington correspondent for tho
Philadelphia Public Ledger says: 'The perplexity
which besets them may be partially understood
when it is remembered that the residents of tho
isthmian ropublic aro variously enhed Panamcfic,
Panamanians, Panamana, ' Panamaiana, Pana
menos, Panamists, Isthmians arid la other official
nomenclature have been called Isthmonlaus, The
board connected with the geological survey, which
deals with the matter of geographical nftmes, will
meet in a few days and take up the matter .In
earnest and determine what tho new fledged na
tion shall be officially nominated In the geog
raphies, the histories, the documents and the par
lance of diplomacy."
THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE PUB
lic debt shows that at the clojc of business
ou December 31, 1903, the debt, less cash In the
treasury, amounted to $914,150,880. This Is a de
crease for the month of $11,018,530. The debt Is
recapitulated as follows: Interest-nearlng debt,
$901,747,220; debt on which Interest has ceased
since maturity, $1,190,539; debt beaing no inter
est, $390,582,025; total, $1,293,525,773. This amount,
however, does not Include $935,328,809 In certifi
cates and treasury notes outstanding, which aro
offset by an equal amount of cash on hand held
for their redemption. Th- cash in the treasury
is classified as follows: Gold reserve funds, $io0,
000,000; trtiBt funds, $935,328,809; general fund,
$148,133,774; in national bank depositories, $172,
159,338; total, $1,405,021,982, againsL which there
are demand liabilities outstanding amounting to
$1,020,247,086, which leaves a casn balance on
hand of $379,374,895. The cash in tho treasury was
increased during the month by $10,137,405, which
is largely due to decreases in disbursing officers
balances.
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THE GREATEST SOLDIER IN JAPAN IS
General Viscount Katsura, who became
prime minister two years ago. Referring to this
officer, a writer in the New York Press says: "Ho
began his fighting career in 18G7, durlns the civil
war, which resulted in the overthrow of the old
order of things in Japan and the adoption of west
ern civilization. He vas only a lieutenant then,
but he became famous for his extraordinary cour
age. He was always In the thickest of the light,
always the first to volunteer to lead a forlorn
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