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tho world lias had substantially its whole suppiy
from Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, and Santo Domin
go. Up to within about ten years tho proportion
secured from these districts was about 60 per
cont from Mexico, 30 per cent from Honduras and
10 per cont from Cuba and Santo Domingo com
bined. Now comparatively little is obtained from
Cuba, and practically nono from Santo Domingo.
Tho product of all of tho four districts belongs
to tho samo species, but there aro marked differ
ences in tho fiber of tho wood from West India
islands and that from tho mainland. Tho Mexi
can and Honduras growth is of a better grade
than any othor. Tho mahogany of Mexico is worth
in tho United States and Europe from $80 to $100
per 1,000 fcot on the average. The value of in
dividual logs, howovor, is occasionally very high,
single sticks bringing as much as $5,000."
TUB coldest city in tho world is said to bo
Yakutsk, in Eastern Siberia. Referring to
tnis city a writer in Leslie's Weekly says: 'It
is the great commercial emporium of Eastern Si
borla and tho capital of tho province of Yakutsk,
which in most of its area of 1,517,063 square miles
is a baro desert, tho soil of which is frozen to a
groat dopth. Yakutsk consists of about 400 houses
of European structure, standing apart. The in
tervening spaces aro occupied by winter yoorts,
or huts of tho northern nomads, with earthen
roofs, doors covered with hairy hides and win
dows of lco. Caravans with Chinese and Eu
ropean goods collect tho produco of the whole
lino of coast on the Polar Sea between the paral
lels of 70 and 74 degrees from tho mouth of tho
Rivor Lena, to tho furthest point inhabited by the
Chookchoos. Lastear a colporteur of tho Brit
ish and Foreign wblo society made a tour of 11
weeks down tho.Lona, a river 3,000 miles long,
visiting Yakutsk and selling gospels in their own
language to tho Yakuts in tho villages along tho
banks."
REPRESENTATIVES or Japan In this
c country have been told that a considerablo
shipmont of arms and ammunition was recently
made from New York city to tho Russians. Tho
Bridgeport, Conn., correspondent for tho New
York Sun says that this information was laid be
fore tho Japanese consul general by two young
men who wanted ?500 for the full information.
This correspondent says: "This story is probably
oxplalned by tho departure from horo some time
last night of about 30 guns from tho factory of
tho Amorican and British Manufacturing company,
successors to the defunct American Ordnance
company. Tho shipmont was made by the steam
lighter Hustler, owned by tho Morritt-Chapman
Wrecking company of Now York. The informa
tion is that a representative of tho Russian gov
ernment came hero early In tho week and bought
out ovorything tho factory had in the shape of
guns and rapid-flro rifles. For two days truck
men have been busy day and night carrying guns,
which wore inclosed in heavy casings, from the
factory to tho steamer. Secrecy was maintained
at tho factory ofllco when an effort was made to
day to get a statement concerning the matter.
Tho company's representatives would neither
dony nor confirm anything. Tho story here is'
that tho guns aro to bo transferred to an ocean
going vessel which is in New York harbor and
will take the shipment direct to the far east.
There is said to be a large amount of ammuniti
tlon in tho cargo."
A RESIDENT of London is said to earn a
living by a habit ho has contracted of meet
ing with accidents. Tho London Chronicle says
that according to a statement made recently m
tho Southwark County court, this enterprising in
dividual is known to have accomplished five more
or loss successful accidonts in tho last year or
two and to uso a common form of application for
damages afterward. Tho Chronicle tells tho story
in this way: "It was a ladder on two occasions
a collar flap on the remaining threo. The 'victim'
was stated to have claimed 50 unsuccessfully af
ter tho last mishap but ono. Then, it was repro
sonted ho claimed 15 against a publican, but
the solicitors he engaged withdrew on learning
.iH8,,1?011111?10 rcconl of accidents, and tho
suit fell through. Now a barrister asked on be-
SrC, ?.tho Bubllcan and the public for costs on
tje higher scale. Judge Addison was sympathetic
I remember,' observed his honor, 'once being in
a case whore a man used purposely to fall over
carpets put down across tho pavement to save
WoL bl?1 8hoesA13tc' frm ling soiled. But
iw my getting any good by showing that
ho had seyoral times purposely fallen over car
pets, a noble law lord, who tried the case was
very much interested In the manTfaTor InJ
The Commoner.
thought it was' very hard that ho should havo met
with so many accidents.' However, Judge Rus
sell decided that ho had no power to grant tne
present application. 'But,' argued the barrister,
'you havo power to certify where it is a matter
of public importance. And where you get a man
of this kind, who makes it his hobby in life to go
about and put his feet through people's cellar
flaps or coal gratings or to run up against ladders
and then claim damages, it is a matter of public
importance to resist such claims.' 'If you could
stop people altogether from falling down outside
public houses it would be conferring a great boon,'
admitted the judge. 'That is most essential,' re
joined the other, 'but failing that we are trying
to stop a man who doesn't fall, but says he does. "
CHARLES BEE CHER, at ono time in
timately associated with Abraham Lincom,
died at Marysville, O., April 11. A writer in tho
Cincinnati Enquirer says: "Mr. Beecher was ono
of the surviving pioneers of the republican party.
The contemporary and close associate of Lin
coln, he later became one of the five that with
Lincoln first preached rebellion against the whig
party in Illinois, and afterward made Lincoln tho
first republican president Republicanism in Il
linois and the Lincoln presidential boom may be
said to have started in the law library of Beecher,
at Fairfield, Wayne county, 111. Beecher's library
was the county law library. It was here that the
legal lights of Wayne met for academic and
political discussions, and it was at ono of these'
sessions that Lincoln, Garrett, Bloodgood, Ridge- t
way and Beecher declared themselves for, and be
came the pioneers of republicanism in Illinois.
From the library there a few years later proceed
ed the Lincoln boom that swept the country and
resulted in Lincoln's nomination and subsequent
election."
AT THE time referred to Mr. Beecher was
less than twenty-five years of age, having
been born' in Herkamer county, New York, in
1829. The Enquirer writer adds: "At an early
date, Mr. Beecher removed with his parents to
Marysville. Graduating from Ohio Wesleyan uni
versity, and admitted to the bar, he went to Fair
field, 111., to practice in 1858. Much younger than -Lincoln,
his talent nevertheless attracted the at
tention of the latter and he became one of the
famous Illinois coterie that was determined to
make history. He never accepted public ofllco
beyond that of delegate to the convention that
nominated Lincoln, and a ten-years membership,
from 1858 to 1868, in the republican state central
committee. His attitude was always that of an
adviser, in which capacity he was the close asso
ciate of President Lincoln. His friends say that
had it not been for his kind offices the nation
would probably have never known of Grant. In
1861, the latter, a late graduate of West Point,
came to Illinois and applied for a captaincy in the
state volunteer service. For some reason he
failed to Impress tho authorities and applied to
Beecher. The result was that Grant returned to
his homo with the coveted commission. In 1881
he removed to this city, where he lived with the
family of Mr. A. Hayward. As the receiver of
the defunct Ohio and Mississippi he led the move
ment that resulted in the merging of that line
with the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and built the
Springfield division of the latter. He was closelv
associated with the late President Harrison and
it was through his efforts that Dr. J. M. Crawford
received his appointment as consul general to
Russia." uu
AN INTERESTING contest is on be
IX tween the civil and the military authorities
in Co orado. For some time military rule has
prevailed at Telluride. Miners who were engaged
in the strike have been required to leave town
Men havo been imprisoned and military authorilv
has been very generally and forcefully assert?
3laFZ SiQy!m grantQd a wit of habs cornu '
which required the military officers to brin bP
fore his court Charles H. Moyer president of Sfl
western federation of miners; whSm he m?l It2?
Ho further ordered tho sheriff to anW ? U
officers. nuw-m io arrest the two
IN MAKING the order referral t t i
Stevens severely criticised ttTiettoJS
Governor Peabody and tho miiifot. eJnoas of
Judge Stevens said: A verv J auth?rttles.
presented a8 to whether -it is th! strlk?8" ls
or the governor of Colorado Lf Ik ng miners
guard that are ViiJU& St
. .VOLUME 4, NUMBER 14,
bellion against the laws of the 'state. If there
Is to be a reign of military despotism in this
state, and .civil authority is to have no jurisdic
tion, the latter migh.t as well go out of business.''
GOVERNOR PEABODY, when informed
of the order issued by Judge Stevens, said
"We will not recognfze the writ of attachment
and the military authorities will not appear in
court. Neither will we give up Moyer. We will
claim that the courts have no right to enjoin or
arrest the officers or members of the military
while they are on duty. They are not subject 10
attachment or injunction at this time. If the
district court of Ouray is to bo allowed to inter
fere in the carrying out of the plans of the mili
tary under martial law, there is no reason why a
justice of the peace might not with equal au
thority intervene and render the military abso
lutely powerless and impotent. The court maoo
known its wishes in the matter, and we havo
stated our position. It is now up to the court to
make the next move in .the matter. What that
will be I am unable to say."
IT IS apparent that the military authorities
have not the slightest intention of recu&
nizing Judge Stevens' court. An Associated press
dispatch, under date of Telluride, April 11, say?:
"When General Sherman M. Bell was informed
today that Judge Stevens had ordered himself
and Captain Wells arrested and confined in the
Ouray county jail on the charge of contempt, ho
.said: 'If Sheriff Corbett takes us to Ouray it
will have to be over the dead bodies of all the
soldiers under my command in this county, lie
has not got men enough to do that. The situa
tion demands that we stay in Telluride. Mr.
Moyer will never be produced in court until Gov
ernor Peabody orders me to do so,; unless he es
capes and goes over the range on snowshoes.' "
A TEXAS newspaper recently criticised for
mer Governor Hogg, because he declined to
declare for Judge Parker. Governor Hogg wrote
a letter to the editor of that paper in which let
ter the governor called attention to the fact that
some time ago the editor had asked him to sup
port Judge Parker. Governor Hogg said that he
had no objections if Judge Parker was sound on
the leading issues and was a straight democrat.
The governor says that the editor could riot then
state positively how Judge Parker stood, but said
he was confident "he was sound all along'the line."
Subsequently the Washington correspondent for
tho Texas paper called upon Judge Parker in New
York, and, as Governor Hogg says, wrote inter
estingly about his home, his library and family,
but not a word did he tell us about his political
views or convictions. Governor Hogg said when
later he met this correspondent and asked him
how Judge Parker stood on .several of the im
portant questions, the correspondent replied that
he did not know. Governor "Hogg says that for
several months he has beon seeking information
as to Judge Parker and he submits to the editor
of the Texas paper a number of questions which
he would like to have Judge Parker answer, Gov
ernor Hogg saying that if the judge will answer
these questions affirmatively he will either sup
port him or will not oppose him.
NI N E questions are submitted to Judge Parker
by Governor Hogg. They are as follows:
1. Is he opposed to the republican colonial policy,
borrowed from England? 2. Is he opposed to the
Cleveland-Carlisle "financial endless chain," by
which the government was forced to issue bonds
to procure gold with, which to take up treasury
notes? 3. Is he in favor of submitting a constitu
tional amendment -to authorize the collection of
an income tax? 4. Is he in favor of completing
the Panama canal under tho present treaty? 5.
Is he opposed to the Aldrlch financial bill, where
by the secretary of the treasury is given author
ity to accept railroad bonds instead of govern
ment bonds to secure government money in tho
sub-treasury and depositories? 6. Is he opposed
to transferring the power of the government to
issue money to the national banks? 7. Is he in
favor of suppressing trusts engaged in foreign or
interstate commerce? 8. Is he in favor of reduc
ing the taxes and curtailing the expenses of gov
ernment to an economical basis? 9. Did he vole
in 1896 for the "regular democratic nominees,"
headed by William J. Bryan?
Some more soldiers sent-to pacify the al
ready pacified sultan of Sulu have "been killed,
i he pacification that fails to paciflcate is running
a neck-and-neck race with the anti-trust injunc
tion that does not enjoin, '
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