U47 barometer of the feeling of the gam bling element of the country has re cently taken a short sharp rise Tho area of land which will be plowed and seeded this winter and next spring will exceed the area tilled last year It is inevitable that a prosperous harvest brings a greater seed sowing The greatly increased demand -for cat tle and horses means more stock Breeding pastures will be fuller next year than they were ever before THE YEAR IN REVIEW Momentous Events That Have Signal ized the Past Twelve Months The all absorbing topic of January 1903 was the Venezuelan imbroglio The active events of that affair be long of course to 1902 though as late as Jan 22 the German ships bom barded the fort of San Carlo3 but on Jan 8 President Castro- restedVen ezuclas side of the case entirely in the hands of Minister Bowen who set sail for home Jan 11 After that the whole matter was thrashed out in Washington and the interest in the affair remained keen to the very close because many thought they saw in the warlike action of the allies especially Germany a determination to attack no Venezuela so much as Uncle Sams famous Monroe doctrine The attempt if it were really so intended complete ly failed for though pitted against some of the most astute diplomats of Europe Minister Bowen persistently upheld the real rights of the weaker country and negotiated terms of set tlement favorable to Venezuela with out calling the time honored doctrine Into question or dispute The Great Coal Strike The anthracite coal strike belongs even more to the history of 1902 than does the Venezuelan affair and the de liberations of the arbitration commis sion attracted even less general in terest than their importance justified The commission entered into the mat ter most thoroughly and systematical ly The last witness was not called until Feb 5 and the arguments of the opposing counsel consumed the fol lowing week President George F Baer represented the operators and Clarence Darrow the miners After a months deliberations the commission reported The miners won a portion of in crease in wages and reduction of hours of work demanded before tho strike were granted a better system of meas uring their work and a practical if not a formal recognition of their union The decision was a victory for the miners especially as they would will ingly have accepted the terms allowed before they began the strike had not the mine operators refused to concede arbitrate or negotiate In Congress The second session of -the congress may be briefly summar ized Provisions were made for an increase in the navy similar to that of rnrmfir vears a uniform militia bill was passed as was also a law creating 1 31-31- wartmwknnrm wri runrnrr a general staff in command of tho army Other important if not Interesting legislation was effected but the om nibus statehood bill was lost Little fields bill to regulate corporations never got to a vote in the senate no tariff concessions were granted to im ports to the Philippines An act that met with universal ap proval was the creation of a now de partment and the addition of a new member to the presidents cabinet the Department of Labor and Com merce As soon as created in Feb ruary the presidents private secre tary George B Cortelyou was appoint ed its secretary At the same time and a3 a part of the new department a bureau of corporation was estab lished and James R Garfield son of the late president became its chief When congress adjourned or rather expired March 3 two questions were unsettled Cuban reciprocity and the Panama canal but as the treaties con cerning them required only the action of the senate President Roosevelt summoned the new senate into exist ence immediately to consider the two measures The reciprocity treaty was ratified but the nature of its pro visions required action by the house JANUARY First cablegram U S to Hawaii -Napier Lothian died Boston died in Spain -Moses Tenney died Georgetown Hastings Penn died -Duty taken off coal shot editor S Carolina -Cardinal Parochi died Rome investigation Mass do Blowitz died Paris -Abram S Hewitt died New York Cape Cod to England -Germany sent Sternberg to U S -Julian Ralph died New York -Germans shelled Venezuelan fort -Canal treaty with Colombia Lynch guilty London -Alaskan boundary treaty Col Lynchs sentence commuted -Patrick Divver died New York -Cyrus Cobb died Allston -John D Long seriously ill resigned from navy new French ambassador FEBRUARY 1 Elisha Morgan died Springfield 3 Daniel B Lord died Salem 3 150000 fire Middlebury Vt 3 Local option won Vermont 5 Henry L Dawes died Pittsfield 5 End coal strike hearings Penn C Rear Admiral Wildes died at sea 10 Str Madiana wrecked Bermuda 14 Venezuela blockade raised 1C Cortelyou Secretary of Commerce 16 Rear Admiral Robinson died Phil 16 Chas Theo Russell died Camb 18 Beef trust Injunction IS E J Flynn died New York 20 Pope Leos 25th anniversary 24 Cuban coal station agreement 26 Dr R J Gatling died New York 27 Burdick murdered in Buffalo I MARCH 1 Gen W F Smith died Phila 1 Wm Scollans died Brighton 2 Extra session U S senate called 4 End of 57th congress C U S senate in extra session 10 Arthur Pennejl killed Buffalo 10 Woman suffrage defeated N H 12 Czar decreed religious freedom 13 Maine stuck to prohibition 17 Shamrock III launched Scotland 17 Canal treaty ratified by senate 19 300000 fire at Pepperell 19 Cuban reciprocity treaty ratified 19 Senate adjourned sine die 21 Coal commission report 22 Very Rev F W Farrar died London 2C License law in New Hampshire 27 N K Fairbanks died Chicago 28 Lowell mills ordered closed 29 G F Swift died Chicago so it remained inoperative until the extra session In November The Panama Canal The Panama canal was the burning question and at the beginning as at the close of this year it seemed a certainty For years the agitation in favor of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama had been agitated and recent ly with increased interest Thousands of dollars haa been spent surveying toe possible routes and it at last seemed assured that the United States in conjunction with Great Britain would undertake the Nica ragua route Since the collapse of the De Les seps Panama scheme a new French company had possession of and had done some work on the Panama canal but until it became evident that this country was in earnest about Nicara gua the French company refused to sell out at a reasonable price Then when competition seemed likely they surprised American lawmakers by of fering their holdings at less than half their former figures They offered to sell their concessions and everything in sight for 40000000 giving until March 4 for acceptance Congress hes itated many favoring the Nicaragua route and when the time was about to expire President Roosevelt took the responsibility of accepting the proposi tion running the risk of defeat ia tke senate or in Colombia In the mean time Secretary Hay and Div Hjerran the Colombian charge signed a treaty by which the United States agreed to pay Colombia a bonus of 110000000 and an annual rental of 250000 for such concessions as the French company had received It was the ratification of this treaty that brought the question to the issue in the senate and when congress ad journed without action an extra ses sion was called This session ratified the treaty March 17 Some Passing Sensations Besides the affairs of general im portance already noted several events of opening months of the year should be mentioned On Jan 15 J T Till man shot and killed Editor N G Gonzalez Gonzalez had attacked Till man rabidly in his paper and had de feated his nomination for governor The affair was widely and vehemently discussed but in October Tillman was acquitted partly because the fatal at tack was not entirely unjustified and partly because there was evidence to show that Tillman thought Gonzalez was armed and about to attack him Disastrous Floods Little can be said here of the disas trous floods of the year In March the lower Mississippi rose higher than ever before and on the 20th of that mouth passed all records Cities along the river especially Memphis suffered heavily levees gave way and miles of lowlands were inundated causing un told damage and great suffering SO Lowell mills idle SI Young Corbett whipped McGovern APRIL -Roosevelt on western tour B Hayes died Lynn -Rear Ad Belknap died Key West -Northern Securities merger annulled -Chap W H Milburn died California -Reliance launched Bristol -Shamrock III dismasted abroad massacro of Jews K Vanderbilt married London -China refused Russian demands -Irving M Scott died Frisco -King Edward visited the Pope -Russia for open door in far east -Stuart Robson died New York -Paul du Chaillu died Russia MAY -King Edward welcomed in Paris -Bishop Foster died Newton -Kaiser visited the Pope -Bishop Hurst died Washington -Sir Saginaw sunk 20 lost -Russia reoccupied Niu Chwang -Russia left Niu Chwang -R H Stoddard died New York -Corruption inquiry Beacon Hill -Sybil Sanderson died Paris -Max ORell died Paris 100th birthday -500000 lire in Laconia N H arrested Washington -Shamrock III sailed for New York JUNE 1 Lowell mills reopened 1 Last play at Boston Museum Forest fires ia New England 5 Roosevelts western trip ended 7 Levee broke at East St Louis 8 Rain in N E been dry 50 days 10 King and queen killed Servia 12 Gen Alex McCook died Ohio 14 Shamrock ill arrived at New York 15 Karagcorgevitch king of Servia 17 Reliance lost topmast IS Geo Wheaton died Washington IS Africander won the Suburban 20 Cardinal Vaugfcan died London 21 Maj J B Pond died Now York 23 U S squadron at Kiel 25 Hooker statue unveiled Boston 25 Yale won boat races New London 26 Cornell won boat races Hudson pecially to the poor negroes of the South The following month and in June the Missouri and its tributaries were flooded and Topeka Kansas City St Louis and East St Louis suffered from the rush of waters The cotton mills in the Carolinas and Georgia were also victims of the raging waters and many other cities notably Pater son N J were inundated Heppner Ore was practically devastated by a cloudburst Passing of Pope Leo Late in June came the announce ment of the serious illness of Pope Leo XIII That aged pontiff was 93 years of age on March 2 and on March 3 celebrated the twenty fifth an niversary of his coronation as pope thus putting an end to the long-honored tradition that no pontiff would see the days of Peter 25 years Pope Leos predecessor had reigned 32 years the longest in history and the old tradition cannot survive thisv sec ond breaking of the record On July 5 the pontiff was regarded as in a criti cal condition and in a few days his life was despaired of but though ap parently frail in body the long years of simple habits had given him a splen did power of resistance to disease and for more than two weeks he battled with the ravages of pleural pneumonia On July 20 however he died and on the following day the chair of Peter was declared vacant by Cardinal Cam erlingo Oreglia The conclave to choose his successorassembled on the last day of the month and on Aug 4 after several indecisive ballots chose Cardinal Sarto Patriarch of Venice who was elected He chose the title of Pius X and was crowned Aug 4 Eventful August August was an eventful month On the 8th Lieutenant General Nelson A Miles long the commanding general of tho army was retired from active service For seven days Major Gen eral S B M Young commanded in his stead but Aug 15 the army staff law went into effect and General Young became chief of staff The event of Aug 12 was more sig nificant for on that day misguided Colombians brewed trouble for them selves On that day the Colombian senate rejected the Hay Herran Pai ma canal treaty and this unexpecb action seemed for the time to put the canal farther away than ever Even the chagrin that accompanied the turn of affairs gave place to expec tancy when Sir Thomas Lipton ar rived with his third challenger for Americas cup Shamrock HI The boat had been launched in March and even before the defender had taken definite shape news of its wonderful sailing capacity was flashed across the Atlantic Not a few an ticipated that upon this expedition the gallant Irishman would be successful in carrying back the trophy He was however doomed to a crushing defeat 10 Pope Leos second operation 11 American riflemen won England 34 Crimes act revoked Ireland 15 Mrs J G Elaine died Maine 17 P M Arthur died Winnipeg 18 J McN Whistler died London 20 Pope Leo died Rome 22 Casslus M Clay died Kentucky 2G Masses for Pope Boston 27 Reliance picked to defend cup 29 Magazines exploded Tewksbury 31 Cardinals in conclave Rome 4- 4- 5- 8- S- S- 8- 9- 10- 12- 14- 14- 18- 19- 20- 21- 22- 22- 22- 24- 25- elected Pope Pius X steel trust resigned -Stock market slump Gen Miles retired Gen Young head of army lifted tennis bowl -Rear Admiral Melville retired -Pope Pius X crowned -Rear Admiral Remey retired -Colombia rejected canal treaty knocked out Corbett -Irish land bill passed -Trouble in Turkey -Dan Patch mile 139 -Gen Black head of G A R -Sam Parks guilty New York guilty Paris -Reliance beat Shamrock 7m 3s -Lord Salisbury died Loudon -Lou Dillon mile 2m fiat -Reliance beat Shamrock lm 19s -Reported assassination Beirut -US ships ordered tc Turkey -Joseph Haworth died Ohio consul at Beirut alive -Caleb Powers guilty Kentucky -Hamburg Belle won Futurity SEPTEMBER 1 Revolution in Macedonia 3 Reliance won 3d race kept cup 4 U S warships at Beirut 7 Radium exhibited in United States 7 Bishop Clark of Rhode Island died 8 Turkish massacres Macedonia 11 Major Delmar mile 200 11 Eustis Me swept by fire 13 J S Adams Sr died Adams 14 Rear Admiral Cook retired J 15 Sir Thomas Lipton ill Chicago 17 Chamberlain resigned London 23 Prince Alert mile 157 28 Henry D Lloyd died Illinois 29 President refused to remove Miller 30 Sir Michael Herbert died abroad 30 Czar visited Vienna OCTOBER I JULY S 5 Pope Leo seriously ill 6 Teachers convention Boston 7 Pope Leo operated on 7 U S squadron Portsmouth Eng 5 Balfour named new cabinet 6 W S Bissell died Buffalo 7 Shipyard trust disclosures S Russia stayed in Manchuria S Chinese American trade treaty Even the first trial which resulted in no race so clearly demonstrated the superiority of the Reliance that inter est began to wane at once The Re liance won three straight races but before the last race the public in gen eral lost all interest in the contest Sir Thomas it is said believes the effort to be hopeless for many years to come On Nov 3 elections were held in thirteen states seven of whicn chose governors The following governors were re elected A B Cummings rep of Iowa J C W Beckham dem of Kentucky John L Bates rep of Massachuetts and L F C Garvin dem of Rhode Island Edwin Warfleld dem was chosen governor of Maryland J K Vardman rep of Mississippi and Myron T Herrick rep was elected governor of Ohio by a plurality of over 100000 over Tom L Johnson The other elections of national interest resulted in the return of Tammany to power in Greater New York George B McClellan dem received a plurality of 60000 over for mer fusion Mayor Seth Low The en tire Tammnay ticket was elected and that organization also secures a ma jority of the board of aldermen Republic of Panama As in several other instances in 1903 momentous events conspired to occur on the same day so on Nov 3 the province of Panama declared her in dependence of Colombia The follow ing day a provisional government was established and Colombian officials and troops were sent to Cartagena On the 6th the United States recog nized the new republic and on the 10th France followed our example M Bunau Varilla was hurried to Wash ington as the minister of the new country empowered to negotiate a new Panama canal pact Soon after General Reyes of Colombia entered an earnest protest against the course of the administration insisting that Uncle Sam keep his hands off the isthmus This after the practical breach of faith and the vacillation of the Colombians in regard to the canal treaty was too tardy and Uncle Sams navy is preparing to protect Panama from threatened invasion Already an American fleet is upon the Panama coast and Colombia has reached a point when she confesses a fear of taking any drastic action A new canal treaty has been signed and once again the canal seems assured There may however be some blood shed on the isthmus before Colombia finally re linquishes her claim to Panama Russia and Japan For the last few months the ever lasting refrain has been of war clouds hovering over the far east A dozen times it has been reported that Japan and Russia had reached a point where war was inevitable The causes of the breach are vague and indefinite Briefly Russia is and always has been 10- 13 13-14-15-15-16-19-20-20-22-24-24-29- Amherst beat Harvard football Boston world baseball champion -Archbishop Kane died Baltimore -Francis A Hobart died Braintree acquitted S Carolina -Sherman statue unveiled Wash Invaded New York mile 15934 -Alaskan boundary fixed Congress called to meet Nov 9 -Dan Patch mile 130 Durand British ambassador to U S -Lou Dillon mile 158 -Emma Booth Tucker killed Mo AUGUST f 1 l NOVEMBER 1 Fire in Vatican Rome 1 Prof Mommsen died Germany 1 1500000 fire Coney Island 2 Irish land act in operation 3 Tammany won New York city 3 Panama proclaimed independent 4 U S warships ordered to Panama 6 I S recognized Panama government 7 Wm L Elkins died Philadelphia 8 Kaiser underwent operation 9 A F of L convention Boston 9 Rioting capital of Colombia 9 Congress in extra session 10 Presidents message on Cuba 1 10 May Goelet married 10 Orrin Hickok died Cleveland 12 Street railway strike Chicago 13 A H Green murdered New York 14 Dartmouth beat Harvard football 14 Princeton beat Yale football IS Canal treaty with Panama IS A F of L against socialism 19 House passed Cuban bill 19 Italian king in London 23 Chicago street railway strike settled 25 Fitzslmmons whipped Gardiner 27 Boy bandits captured Chicago 28 Jules Levy died Chicago 30 Brooklyn Acad of Music burned DECEMBER 1 Receivers for Zion City 1 Prof Bowne B U heresy charges 2 Panama ratified canal treaty 2 Dr Cyrus Edson died New York 4 W M Springer died Washington 7 Opening of 58th congress 7 Presidents message on Panama 7 Canal treaty sent to senate 8 Herbert Spencer died England 8 U S consul assaulted Turkey 8 Langford whipped Gans Boston 8 Langleys airship failed to fly 8 Zion City receivers removed 10 Rear Admiral Gherardi died Conn 12 J R Proctor died Washington 12 Walthour Monroe won C day race 14 Fleets in war paint far oast 14 Dr Hale chaplain U S senate 14 More marines landed Panama 16 Cuban reciprocity bill a law 19 Peru recognized Panama 19 La Centennial celebrated N Orleans 19 John Kernell died Detroit 19 Attempted assassination Max Nordau 30 Iroquois theater Chicago burned 3S4 dead averse to relinquishing her hold on Manchuria Instead she desires to ex tend it as far as the European allies will permit Japan looks upon Korea in the same light and the interests of the two countries conflict There is no doubt that a rupture between the two powers has been and is danger ously near but it is also certalu that overt hostilities should thty come will belong to the history of 1904 It would be improper not to mention the gigantic postoffice frauds un earthed during the present year It is not possible to so much as outline the many cases brought to light and here the curious reader is referred to the complete report of Mr Bristow made public Nov 30 Wireless Telegraphy Late last year the sensation of the hour was the Marconi wireless mes sage across the Atlantic This year nothing so spectacular has been- done but the young inventor as well as many other scientists is quietly work ing upon the problems of wireless telegraphy and it is certain some progress has been made In the realm of scientific discoveries the mysterious metal radium afford ed a mild sensation similar to that which greeted the discovery of liquid air and the X rays in former years This mysterious substance discov ered by M and Mme Currie of Paris emits rays of light that penetrate opaque substances and heat that month after month shows no diminu tion Onty small quantities of the substance have been secured too little for general experiment but during the f Tr 7 ----- - tjgjgtjifBJsgmmmma9mKmmimamnmtmmmmmmmmg m i i in i in I NOTABLE W I Ml I I II Wl IMWWMIBM P WW III lllll B W 1 The year 1903 will be known as the record year of prosperity in the Unit ed States Some few crops have not yielded so largely as they did in former years but the prices received wore so much higher that the shortage was more than made up for Cotton reached the highest figure at which it has been sold since the war Beef and leather have been unprece dentedly high Petroleum and its products advanced In price 25 per cent Iron and steel were sold at high prices and the demand was so great that orders could not be filled within a reasonable time arid seaport cities made large purchases abroad because deliveries were so much delayed The production of precious metals will probably turn out to be nearly 7 per cent greater than last year The rice crop of Texas a now indus try practically was remarkably large and sold for high figures Tremendous discoveries of petrole um on the Pacific coast enabled- that part of the country to substitute six million dollars worth of oil for coal which was previously imported either from Great Britain or Australia The total destruction of the fruit crop in Great Britain and in southern Europe made an unexpected market for American green fruits More than 7u per cent of all tho fruits sold in the LondQn markets to day is American The average increase in the cost of foodstuffs to the consumer in the United States was 16 per cent In many cases the labor unions by force of organization though fre quently not until a long and serious strike had been engaged in were able to iucrease the pay of their members thus greatly enhancing the purchas ing power of the plain people which is the basis of all prosperity in the United States In nearly all of the large cities throughout the country the population has increased and the price of real estate has done more than keep pace with the general march of prosperity Under the circumstances the coun try has every right to look forward to a continuance of prosperity Our granaries are groaning with the products of an aoundant harvest Our savings banks overflow witn the rc Borvcs of the people Our scale of ex penditure is the highest the world has ever known Tne stock market that unfailing EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1903 coming year some startling results may bo shown The Honored Dead No review of 1903 even done in such sketchy outline as has been nec essary is completo without a men tion of the famous men and women who have passed from the busy scenes of life Space here allows for only a list of the most celebrated Jan 5 Sagasta ox premier of Spain Jan 15 Cardinal Parrochi Jan 18 Abram S Hewitt New York Jan 20 Julian Ralph author Feb 26 R J Gatling inventor of the famous gun March 22 Dean Farrar British di vine March 27 N K Fairbanks capital ist March 29 G F Swift capitalist April 10 W H Milburn the Blind Chaplain of the United States senate April 11 Brigham Young of tho Mormon church April 29 Paul du Chaillu explorer April 29 Stuart Robson actor - May 12 R H Stoddart poet May 16 Sibyl Sanderson singer May 24 Paul Elouet Max ORell author June 11 The Servian assassination June 19 Cardinal Vaughn the Ro man Catholic primate of England July 15 Mrs J G Blaine July 16 P M Arthur labor leader Julv 17 Jas II McN Whistler artist July 20 Pope Leo XIII July 22 General Cassius M Clay Aug 22 Lord Salisbury ex premier of England 1 Sept 30 Sir Michael Kenry Her bert British ambassador to the United States Oct 13 Archbishop J J Kain of St Louis Oct 28 Mrs Emma Booth Tucker Salvation Army killed in railway wreck Nov 1 Thcodor Mommsen German historian Nov 7 Wm L Elkins capitalist Nov 13 Andrew H Green Father oi Greater New York killed by an In sane negro Dec 8 Herbert Spencer English philosopher and author Of Course He Might Collector Sir may I present you his little bill Owen Slay you may you Ah raj dear sir never ask ray permission again It is entirely superfluous I as sure you Why my dear man If you had ever seen any one else present a bil to me and seen how little it af fected me you would never have hesi tated for a moment See I file it away with some of the most valuable papers I possess And would you please do me this slight favor would you please tell your boss that I re ceived you with the utmost courtesy and that I beg him to send one of those every month And stay a mo ment Please tell him I said always to send you and that no other col lector Avill please me half so well Your courtesy my dear sir has won my heart and I assure you that of the nineteen collectors that have been here to day you are the only one that has gone away in a good humor Why those fellows are so aggravat ing that if they dont quit acting s rudely I shall positively pay them to get rid of them Good day Balti more American Curse That Was Fulfilled A famous Gaelic curse put upon the family of Dalrymple at the time of the massacre of Glencoe in the 18th century is recalled by the death of the Earl of Stair head of the Dal rymple family The first earl of the line took pare in the massace and Jean MacDonald the sole survivor of a large family that perished through the earls cruelty delivered a bitter curse upon him wishing that no suc ceeding earl should have children A startling comment on this malediction is that thf second third fourth sixth seventh and eighth earls of Stair all died without issue a circumstance probably unique in the annals of the neerage The family of the first earl became entirely extinct in 1840 and the succession passed to the descend ants of his next brother Sir James Dalrymple from whom came the peer just deceased Evidently the cursa did not pass with the title for the two earls of the present family had sons Signaling Under Water There has recently been put in op eration at Boston a system of signal ing beneath the waves to vessels ap proaching dangerous shores during foggy weather The apparatus con sists of two receivers located on either aide of the ship below the water line and connected by wires to thy wheel house where a telephone box is placed The signals from shore are given by striking a submerged ball at regular intervals When the observer wishes to ascertain his location he takes the ear piece and by moving the switch either to the right or left soon ascertains upon which side the sound is the loudest and upon that side the bell will be found The value of a system of this nature is at once apparent when it is borne in mind that fogs frequently obscure the most powerful light3 and that certain at mospheric conditions during stormy weather render fog horns almost if not quite valueless or r J y V 2