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The Commoner
6
yOLUMB 9, NUMBER 1J
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MRS. AUGUSTA Evans Wilson, the author
of "St. Elmo" and other novels, died re
cently In Alabama. A writer in the New York
Globe says: "Mrs. Evans' famous novol, al
though still steadily called for from librarians,
scorns so much of another time, and its author
had kept horself so screened in obscurity during
her later years, that her existence was almost
forgotten. Yet in 18G6, when 'St. Elmo' came
from tho press, -lot a few declared that the great
American novelist had at last arrived. It was
not a period when the list of 'best sellers' was
regularly posted, yot it hold tho sales record
until 'David Harum' came along. The civil war
softened sontiments and great was the senti
mental appeal of Augusta Eans. Towns, hotels,
steamboats were named in honor of her work.
With impatient eagerness other things from tho
samo pen wore awaited, and for 'Vashti,' when
it was still in manuscript, tho then high price
of $15,000 was paid. But taste changes with
tho years, and for nearly a generation the
woman who was mentioned by every loyal south
erner when a northerner spoke of Harriet
Boechor Stowe had lived in her Alabama home
practically forgotten. Wo can smile in a su
perior way at 'St. Elmo,' but in spite of the
luridity of its stylo and the extravagance of its
plot, a sigh can hardly be kept back when we
think of the pleasure from which sophistication
debars."
THE CHICAGO Journal declares that it has
discovered tho "lost John Orth," otherwise
Archduke Johann Salvator of Austria, prince
of the house of Hapsburg, who disappeared
thirteen years ago after maTrying Ludmilla
Stubol, an opera singer. Briefly sketched, the
Journal story says: "John Orth was discov
ered at Painesville, Ohio, working as a ma
chinist at $15 per week. Previously he had
followed this occupation at Grand Rapids, Mich.,
and Cleveland, Ohio. His reason for making
his identity known at this time, tho Journal
states, was due to his advancing age and his
desire that he might be buried in Austria.
Johann Salvator, as the alleged archduke has
always been known since ho left the court at
Vienna, was married in London and he and
his wife afterward sailed for South America in
'Santa' Marguerita,' a schooner which ho had
chartered. It has always been believed that tho
archduke lost his life when tho schooner sank
off tho coast of Chili. According to the story
of the Plainesville machinist, he and his beauti
ful wife wore not aboard the ship. They went
ashore at Cusavana, a small port on tho Rio
de la Plata. It was planned that they should
meet the ship at Valparaiso, but the craft sank
on route. The romantic couple drifted all over
tho world, finally taking up a plantation on the
island of Martinique. In the Mount Pelee
catastrophe his wifo and their two children were
killed. Salvador, according to the Journal
story, was rescued and came to the United
States."
ORVILLE AND Wilbur Wright accompanied
by their sister Kate have returned to tho
United States. In Europe they won notable
triumphs in tho art of sailing through the air
Referring to these now famous men a writer in
the Chicago Record-Herald says: "The stay of
the brothers in this country will bo short, not
longer than ninety days. They will complete
at Fort Myor tho government aeroplane trials
S?5??.18 ?"mmeF' ftUd it is taken for granted
that they will receive tho $25,000 offered by the
government for successful demonstration of a
flying machine. Then they will return to Europe
to give exhib turns of flying in London, Berlin
and other cities, and to profit out of their in
ventions by selling the right to use them in
different countries. Several tempting offers to
romaln in the United States have been made to
them in vain It is part of tho history ot hu
manity's limitations of judgment and knowledge
that inventors and originators of ideas have
hardly ever found encouragement at home That
'a prophet is not without honor save in his own
country' is as true today as it was two thousand
years ago. Nevertheless, such men are largely
made by their environment and progress has
been made to tho extent that today recognition
comes more quickly than in the past. Dayton
gave no encouragement to tho Wrights in their
early struggles, but will honor them two years
after Wilbur Wright sailed for Europe, an ob
scure and still struggling inventor. And it is
to tho credit of the nation that a New York
hanker, Charles R, Flint, had faith enough in
the Wright aeroplane experiments to finance the
European operations in which their success haa
been demonstrated."
THE STORY of the Wrights in their early days
is a common one. The Record-Herald writer
says: "Children of a poor minister of the de
nomination known as the United Brethren in
Christ, who had a large family, they went to
work as boys. Orville was born in Dayton in
1871; Wilbur near Millville, Ind., in 1867. The
first employment of both was in a cracker
factory owned by their uncle near Dune Park,
Ind. Then they opened a small bicycle repair
shop in Dayton, and there began to study the
problem of flight. From the experiments of
Octave Chanute they learned much, and their
first experiments were with gliders, from which
they advanced to the planning of propelled,
heavier than air machines. Always they worked
together, and today neither claims more credit
than the other for what they have accomplished.
The first test of the brothers' aeroplane flying
machine was made at Kitty Hawk, N. C, in
1903. In 1905 they made a successful long
distance flight near Dayton. They have re
corded in magazine articles the fact that they
had to develop a science of aeronautics by long
and patient experiment, finding practically all
the text books on the subject faulty. Their
success abroad has been great financially as
well as mechanically. It is estimated that in
France and Italy alone they have col
lected more than $500,000 for the rights to
their machines. Outside of these sums they
have won prizes estimated at $250,000, and they
apparently are destined to become millionaires."
SECRETARY OF the Interior Ballinger has
reversed President Roosevelt's order with
drawing public land from the market and Presi
dent Taft has approved his secretary's act.
Washington dispatches say that Mr. Taft re
verses the Roosevelt policy because he thinks it
was illegal. Secretary Ballinger acted because
he thought the Roosevelt policy was unwise. The
Minneapolis Journal says: "Gifford Pinchot,
chief of the forestry bureau, has had several
conferences with the president about the Bal
linger restorations. Mr. Pinchot is said to en
tertain the liveliest fear, that before the geologi
cal survey can finish its work, the trust will have
got hold of all the best sites on the restored land.
Tho president, however, feels certain that Mr.
Pinchot is unduly alarmed. As for himself, he
feels that the geological survey engineers will
be able to locate these sites and that the gov
ernment, this being done, will have ample time
to set them apart for public use. In short, the
president is in accord with what Secretary Bal
linger has done, although for a different reason.
Mr. Ballinger is understood to be strongly op
posed to the Roosevelt conservation policy Mr
Taft favors that policy. Mr. Ballinger, accord
ing to the popular impression here, would re
store the lands to entry because he believes that
the policy behind the withdrawals of them is
wrong; Mr. Taft would restore tho lands to
entry because he believes as a good lawyer that
they have been withdrawn without warrant of
111 W
THE NEW YORK Evening Post says: "Sen
mn atr Pmr ,s most usefully applying a
little western bluntness and honesty to the tariff
debate. His exposure yesterday of the way in
which the cotton and wool Schedules have been
dictated by the very men who hope to make
money out of them, and of the tricks and de
vices and robberies with which they are stuffed
Xi?0Bf.e,fle!tlV0- And tllG eood natured ri
dicule which ho poured upon Senator Aldrich
was refreshing. The nettled Rhode Island sen
ator retorted, of course, that Senator Dolliver
was only a democrat in disguise, had private
grievances to avenge, and had got his informa
tion from wicked importers; but that is only
the usual abuse visited upon a republican who
dares to tell the truth about the tariff. What
the country wants to know is not what Mr. Dol
liver's motives may be but whether the facts are
as he states them. Is it true, as he says, that
the manufacturers who disgusted the ways and
means committee with their hoggish demands
went to Aldrich and got permission from him to
write their own clauses in the tariff? Is it the
fact -that the effect of the Aldrich bill would be
to condemn the masses of the people to pay
more for poorer clothing? If tariff rapacity is
proposing to palm off shoddy and cotton as all
wool, and force American workingmen to run
added risks of getting tuberculosis and dying be
fore their time, it is well that the nation should
know it. For Aldrich to insinuate personal
grudges and party disloyalty is of absolutely no
use to either him or his cause or his greedy
clients. ' What has to be done is squarely to
meet Senator Dolliver's charges. In frankly
making them public, he has struck a' blow for
political decency."
A TOUCH OF humor was introduced into the
senate proceedings when Senator Gallinger
laid before the senate a petition from his con
stituents in New Hampshire, praying that a re
duction of ten cents a bushel be made in the
duty on wheat. The Associated Press says:
"At the time the petition was read, Mr. Gal
linger glanced toward the senators from the
wheat growing states, many of whom have fig
ured prominently in the movement for lower
duties on the manufactured products of New
England. Senators Nelsdn, Burkett and Mc
Cuinber and others exchanged significant smiles
with the senator from New Hampshire, but no
comment was made. Senator Culberson took
the litigation against the tobacco corporation
instituted by the department of j-istice. He said
that four circuit judges of the United States
had expressed the opinion that this 'trust' was
a monopoly and existed in violation of the laws
of the United States. 'I do not know what may
be the purpose of the present attorney general
in respect to this suit said Mr. Culberson, 'but
he has made a speech recently in New York,
in which great doubt is thrown upon the course
he proposes to take with reference to the en
forcement of this anti-trust law. I want to call
attention to the fact that the attorney general
of the United States in a' case brought by his
department which is now pending before the
supreme court of the United States criticises the
opinion of the court below in favor of the gov
ernment and against a monopoly and suggests,
l Ii.kn.the meaninS of the English language,
that if that opinion of the lower court is a
proper construction of the law, the administra
tion proposes to amend the law on that subject.'
Mr Culberson then asked to have tho speech
that Attorney General Wickersham delivered in
New York, April 30, printed in the Congres
sional Record, and the request was granted."
AT THE ANNUAL convention of the Hotel
and Restaurant Employes' International
Association and the Bartenders International
League of America in session at Minneapolis,
Jerry Sullivan, general secretary and treasurer
of the association, told how local branches had
been swept away and the men thrown out of
their work Mr. Sullivan addressed the conven
tion and the following report of his remarks is
taken from the Minneapolis Journal: "We are
tree to admit that our opponents have caused
us some annoyance; that we surrendered doing
business with former locals with mighty poor
grace, and gave vent .to fervid hope that the
apex of the wave that was sweeping over the
,iiad Pffsed and that tranquil conditions
would be with us long ere this. Instead of real
izing our wishes, we are still confronted with
the increased momentum of the storm; a storm
that has been vigorous and unceasing, destroy
ing with what seemed little effort, locals whose
r!s'
