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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 1910)
ll?TT1,JWf7 - The Commoner VOLUME 10, NUMBER 3J ,y jp irWFWreWf THE KANSAS CITY Journal prints this hu man interest story: "The pica of one lono littlo woman, praying in behalf of horbelf and her two childron yesterday kept August Miller, a negro, from getting a saloon license at 1329 ,Ea8t Eighteenth street. Mrs. Bertha Walters, 1339 East Eighteenth, told tho board of police commissioners thoro already were two saloons In that block ono each corner and she did not think another would help conditions. Her husband, A. B. Walters, has a littlo second-hand store thoro and they live in tho roar, over their storo. Ho did not appear before tho board. I havo two childron just growing up,' she told tho board in brokon English. 'Thoj hoar enough bad words and seo enough cutting and fighting around tho other two saloons without "putting another ono so closo to us. It's pretty bad out thoro and wo wish, for tho children's ake, you would not make it any worse.' " WILLIAM J. GAYNOR, mayor of New York City, was shot in tho head and seriously wounded August 9 aa the mayor stood on tho promonado deck of a stoamshlp preparing to take a voyage for rest. Tho shot was fired by James D. Gallagher, a discharged city employe. Tho nows dispatch sent at the time of the shoot ing says: "Tho shot was fired at 9:45 o'clock, fifteen minutes before tho Kaiser Wilholm der Grosso was duo to leave her pier at Hobokon, N. J., and tho mayor was receiving godspeed from a group of friends, preparatory to a vaca tion trip to Europe. Tho bullet struck him behind tile right ear and split, one bit of lead remaining imbedded at the opening of the wound, tho other ranging downward and be coming buried in tho lower part of tho mouth. Tr. Ferdinand C. Wolff, the "hospital house physi cian, said it was improbable that an operation would bo porformed. Tho mayor's temperature is normal, his pulse good, and his mental atti tude favorable to recovery. Unless blood poison develops, surgeons are hopeful of the mayor's recovery. Tho mayor is at St. Mary's hospital, Hobokon, surrounded by specialists, with members of his family near. All early reports from tho hospital were hopeful, and this even ing six X-ray negatives of the wound were taken to- facilitate an operation for the removal of tho bullet. Gallagher, the would-be assassin, is locked in a coll at Jersey City, hold without ball. He expresses no remorse." Resolutions expressing sorrow wore adopted by various offi cial bodies throughout tho country. Wide Bpread joy was expressed when it was reportod that tho mayor would livo. A PLAN TO CURE tho divorce evil is ad vanced by Judge J. D. Hinklo of the su perior court of Spokane County, Washington. A Spokane dispatch to tho Fort Worth (Toxas) Record says: "Publicity as a precaution against fraud in actions for divorce is advocated by Presiding Judge J. D. Hinklo of the superior courjt of Spokane county, who announces that tho rulo permitting thirty days to elapse be tween tho filing of the suit and the trial of the case, undoubtedly will be adopted by tho judges (n Spokane county, going into effect November 1. Judge Hinklo, who has studied the ques tion for years, also advocates these reforms in requirements and procedure in divorce cases not only in this counti but all over tho country: ' Six months or a year between the time of sep aration and filing of complaint in actions on grounds of cruelty and non-support. Two years' residence in the state to enable a former non resident to sue for divorce. Interlocutory de cree of divorce not to be made final until six months or a year after tho trial of tho case. Requirement that parties may not remarry Within a year of the granting of the divorce. 'The requirement now is that a suit be filed at feast five days before the trial,' Judge Hinkle Bald. 'It used to be that a case would bo start ed ono day and rushed to trial on the next. Publicity was dodged and often a year would pass beforo relatives or friends Of a couple knew they had been legally separated. The sys tem followed in several states of granting an intprJpc,uvtoi;y decr.ee. at the time of trial, which does not become final except through tho act of the petitioner, six months or a year later, would also be an advantage. Many reconciliations might take place under such conditions which are prevented now by tho divorco becoming final immediately after it la granted.' " AN INTERESTING story from life is told by tho New York 'World in this way: "While a score of army officers, soldiers and citizens looked on helpless for several minutes that seemed hours, Anna Moran, a girl of twenty, struggled yesterday afternoon in the waters of Long Island Sound with a recruit from Fort Slocum who preferred death to capture after desertion. Pluck won tho day. Miss Moran's remarkable efforts were crowned with success and last night she was receiving the congratula tions of friends and blushlngly refusing to be called Tioroino.' The man she saved spent tho night bound to a cot in a cell in the fort, raving in delirium. Peter Harvey, aged twenty-one, had been drafted from the recruiting station in New York a few days ago to Fort Slocum near New Rochelle. He evidently tired of army life quickly, for early yesterday morning, burdened with full uniform, he swam the three-quarters of a mile that separates the fort from Glen Island. He walked around the island until his clothes had dried and then boarded the ferry for New Rochelle, forgetting that immediately upon tho discovery of his absence patrols would be sent out for his capture. As soon as ho stepped off the ferry boat at New Rochelle, Har vey was arrested by Sergeant Gerthereau from Fort Slocum and put on board the army steamer General Barry, which was then headed for the fort." THE WORK OF compiling the thirteenth census will be completed some time during October. The work of the census bureau is enormous. Tho Washington correspondent for the Forth Worth (Toxas) Record says: "Some people think that Director Durand practically knows now the exact number of the population, but he declares, 'really and truly,' that he does not. sIf so disposed, however, he could ascer tain approximately the number of people some what in advance of his announcement to the public. This could bo done by means of tho preliminary count of the schedules which is made necessary for the payment of the enu merators for their services. The enumerating districts for each supervisor's area are num bered, and it is intended that each of them should contain one hundred names. As soon as these are received they are turned over to counters and a virtually accurate statement is thus made possible. Up to date the names in more than 68,000 of the 70,000 districts have been counted. The process Is moving forward rapidly and when it is completed the popula tion of the United States could be easily arrived at by footing up the total. Mr. Durand, how ever, Js not having the figures totaled and he says that it is his purpose not to do so. He is not curious as to the outcome of his work. Nor will he make any prediction as to what the result will show. It is known, however, that the census officials generally fall in with tho popular idea that there are about 90,000,00,0 people In the United States. Between the cen sus of 1890 and that of 1900 there was an Increase of about 13,000,000 and only a slightly larger Increase would now be necessary to bring the figure tip to the ninety million mark. This result la arrived at by a purely arithmetical calculation and not "by any compilation of the figures recently taken. About throe hundred nimble fingered young men and women are engaged night and day In determining the fig ures which, when the final computation is made, will show the total population. All told there are some 1,800 clerks employed in the census office in the compilation of all the facts gathered by the field agents in connection with tho recent censusj but, while tho greatest ac tivity is directed toward the ascertainment of tho population, there is still much doing in other directions. Indeed, a large number of those at work in the population division are engaged in classifying the facts relative to tho sex, ago, race and other conditions in connec tion with the people. Also there aro many employed in tho manufacturing, agricultural and mining branches. The first announcement, however, will cover only enumeration figures', and these will continue for the next two months and a half. The sociological and industrial fig ures will come later, and will be announced as a rule in special bulletins prepared by tho bureau itself." UP TO DATE, population figures have been given on two states only, Rhode Island and Oklahoma, vbut many announcements have been made for cities, towns and counties in various parts of the country. s All the returns so far given to the public have been prepared to meet the especial demands of the localities affected. In Rhode Island, for instance, there is to be a reapportionment for legislative pur poses, and in Oklahoma' the franchise is in volved. Texas has state laws affecting county administration, and has made a special demand upon the bureau. There also have been somo exactions of a legal nature from vaTious cities in Illinois, as from some other states. From tills time forward, however, those requests will receive comparatively little attention, and as a consequence the regular work of the bureau will proceed more rapidly. The Record's correspon dent adds: "The director's intention is first to tabulate the population of the large cities, and after the announcements for those centers of population shall have been made tho figures for the states will be given out as they are as certained. The returns for all the counties of each state will be announced at the same time that the state figures are made public. Many of the announcements are liable to be delayed beyond the time when they may be expected by the public. This delay, if it occurs, will bo due to the necessity for careful scrutiny of all the schedules. All of the enumeration sheets are counted from three to four times, and if there is any error, or even if there Ib any cir cumstance indicating a possibility of an error, an investigation is ordered, and if necessary a correction is made. In two cities evidence of fraud has been discovered, and in one, Great Falls, Mont,, a prosecution has been undertaken for fraudulent enumeration. In Massachusetts all of the figures have been withheld to accom modate that state in some of its own statistical work. Contrary to the general opinion all the counting of the people is done by hand. The tabulating machines, of which" several hundred are employed in the office are used only in classification as to race, sex and other condi tions. The census office is a busy place. The present force of clerks will be increased eventu ally to about 2,000. There are two shifts of them, one working from 9 o'clock in the morn ing until 4:30, the other taking up the work at the latter hour and going forward until 11' o'clock at night. Counting enumerators, special agents and supervisors, no fewer than 80,000 people will have been employed in the work of the thirteenth census by the time it is completed. So far about $6,000,000 have been expended upon it, and it is probable that the total cost will be about $15,000,000. Of this sum $12, 000,000 already has been appropriated by. congress." REFERRING TO THE democratic convention recently held in Nebraska, Louis F. Post, writing in The Public, of Chicago, says: "All who may think that William J. Bryan's influ ence in American politics has been killed again this time by his own party and in his homo state had better hold their jubilating energy in reserve until the election returns come in from Nebraska. If they have reason to use this energy then, they may possibly use it to some purpose; if they have no use for it then, they may be glad that they did not rejoice over a welcome political death following so speedily by an exasperating political resurrection. Tha truth appears to be that It is not so much a defeat for Bryan in his own party in Nebraska tha't haB taken place, as a victory in that parts; I i u s f gAuaWfcjtHv.!rv-.-g-f..'' . iw"stto jgj&t-fc' .im.t-. i- ll)ftiittBlltrt Z3bM&alLAi&A