Where ignorance is bliss , 'tis folly to
.read the label. Washington Post
Whatever It was Eve handed Adam ,
seems to have got It New York
Mail.
Money may be the root of evil , but
Sack of it is the full-grown tree.
JNew York Press.
When a man's wife laughs at his
'Jokes they are pretty good or else she
ds. Washington Times.
When a woman won't say anything
nice about another it's a sign she thinks
Aer husband does. New York Press.
When a man wears a pink shirt and
reel tie it's a sign his wife is away
'visiting her mother. New York Press.
V Raisuli preaches a "holy war" not
Ahc first occasion of a holy war for a
renost unholy cause. Philadelphia Rec
ord.
Every man who gets into an argu-
Mnent seems to think that he Is a brass
; l > and hired not to stop. New York
"Press.
A man's idea of being comfortable la
wearing something it makes his wife
anad to have him seen in. New York
.Tress.
Harriman denies that he is going In
retire from railroad affairs. His busi-
aicss is retiring others. Philadelphia
IPress.
The railroads may abolish Congres
sional passps , but they cannot ignore
the laws that Congress passes. Wash-
jngtou Post
The principal in a French duel has
liieeii badly hurt However , his antag
onist used an American revolver. New
"York American.
The lawyer who reads the Shah's
will to his 800 widows will need plenty
-of nerve and a suit of armor. New
"York American.
It looks as if it would be necessary
do work the block signal system on
"Harriman before he can be stopped.
Philadelphia Press.
. The Chicago-New York Air Line is
surveyed , and all that is needed to
start the road is to heat the air. Phil
adelphia North American.
Corey threatens to take a three
-years'- wedding trip , but there are
Slopes that he may be induced to pro-
* eng it Philadelphia Ledger.
The 907 railroad pass is good only
within State limits. This will help some
Xoward maintaining the State rights
Hoctrine. Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to expectation , an "ice
famine" has been scheduled for the
-summer. The trust never disappoints
: he people. New York American.
The United States Senate is not an
< < ilc body. When it has not other busi
ness to attract attention it can always
fifall back on the Smoot case. Chicago
Eternal vigilance and obedience to
orders is the price of railway safety ,
und it must be paid even if traffic
movement is impeded. New York
Times.
Judge Gaynor intimates that the pub
lic really owns the railroads , so , if you
ire not too busy , we will g out and
watch our trains go by. New York
Slerald.
Three minutes after a Southern man
Siad been hanged a reprieve for him ar-
irived. Then it sometimes is too late
ito mend , after all. PMladelphla
Ledger.
Despite the fuss about alien labor on
± he canal , there seems to be no rush
Df native Americans clamorous for
trucks and shovels. Philadelphia
Xedger.
Science declares that man is a mere
aggregate of soap bubbles. Now we
Jcnow at last why he is considered
- uch a smooth article. Philadelphia
Telegraph.
Trust that poets generally will be
-warned by the action of the widow
\vlio is suing for § 075,000 because an
.old man wooed her in verse. New
York Herald.
No one thinks of calling a juggler a
captain of industry ; that is , so long as
< ie juggles knives or plates. When he
juggles railroads it's different New
York American.
Unless reports are much exagger
ated , sanitary conditions on the Isth-
Tinus are now so good as to make it a
safe and pleasant winter resort Phil
adelphia Record.
Until Sahara has been heard from it
-will be impossible to tell exactly how
tfar south that cold wave on the other
side of the Atlantic actually went
; New York Tribune.
The public is taking much less in
terest in the distribution of Mrs. Sage's
millions since she seems to be deter-
-mincd to have her own way about It.
Washington Post
Looks as though the Indians were
petting the graft hunger. Here are the
-Otoes of Oklahoma , who hare dissolved
Iheir tribal form of government and
* i3ve elected a white man to look after
heir business. New York Globe.
A great many employes of the Post-
Mlice Department are giving np their
Jobs because they can't Jive on their
-salaries. We thought that pay was a
.minor consideration with those who
nought places under the government
-sew York Sun.
WORK OF
CONGRESS
The Senate was in session only for a
ittle more than an hour Saturday , the
jarly adjournment being taken to permit
ittendance on the funeral of the late Sen-
itor Alger. A few bills of minor imporc-
mce were passed , and Senator Ilale's rcs-
) lution for an inquiry into the personal
nterest manifested by naval officers in
: b- > navy personnel bill was referred to
: he Committee on Naval Affairs. The
[ Icuse spent the greater part of the day
lebating the agricultural appropriation
jill. Action on the question of the five
listributiou of seeds , by a vote of 71 to
39 , was postponed until -Monday. The
Senate bill incorporating the internation-
il Sunday School Association of Amer
ica was passed. The river and harbor
tfill was reported.
Senator Beveridge occupied the atten
tion of the Senate Monday with a contin
uation of his argument in behalf of his
child labor bill. The Senate adopted a
resolution directing the interstate com
merce committee to report as to the posi
tion in its employ held by C. S. Hanks ,
who recently stated before the Boston
Chamber of Commerce that railroad rates
could be reduced 10 per cent without im
pairing dividends. The resolution also
asks for the facts on which this statement
was based. The diplomatic and consular
appropriation bill , carrying § 3,085,4:78 : ,
with an amendment repealing the act
providing for raising the rank of Ameri
can diplomatists abroad when foreign
governments raise the ranks of their en
voys to this country , was reported , as
ilso was the fortifications appropriation
bill , which carries $7,353,589. Senator
McCumbcr introduced a bill to inquire
into the salaries of federal officers and
employes and report a remedy for in
equalities. A joint resolution was adopt
cd continuing the joint postal commission
until its affairs can be wound up. Twen
ty hills relating to the District of Co
lumbia were passed in the House. A joint
resolution was passed granting permis
sion to the Secretary of War to sell at
actual cost limited quantities of hay ,
straw and grain for domestic uses to citi
zens of Montana , where 20,000 head of
cattle are threatened with starvation by
reason of the blizzard now raging. The
joint resolution continuing the postal
commission was adopted.
The Senate Tuesday passed the diplo
matic and consular and fortifications ap
propriation bills , the former carrying $3-
US5.477 , and the latter $2,011,700. Sena
tor Beveridge concluded his speech in ad
vocacy of his child labor bill. Senator
Curtis of Kansas took the oath of office
for the unoxpired term of Senator Bur
ton. The House passed the Senate bill
increasing the board of customs apprais
ers in New York from ten to twelve , and
also passed the Senate bill making pro
vision for conveying a strip of ground in
St. Augustine. Fla. , known as the
Linos. " for school purposes. Mr. Lit-
fciuor poucht immediate action on a bill
v loin $1.000,000 to the Jamestown ex-
biit much opposition devel-
o"-tjon. so
> od that he withdrew the measure. The
' -.ric-i'.tural appropriation bill occupied
. .HTIouso most of the day. The free seed
V lri'outiou item was restored. The rec-
i ' -.nemiations of the committee on agri-
the salaries of the
i ! J ro to increase
l--rf forester , and the chief of'the bureau
: chotinstry from $3,500 to $4,500 went
order. An important
01:1 : ( in points of
upondment was adopted that no part of
tl-.o money appropriated for enforcing
she iritionnl pure food law should be paid
to any Slate , city or district official.
\t ir competing nearly fifty pages of the
Vj ! the House adjourned.
r.osidps fixing Feb. 20 for a vote on the
1 l.iration that Senator Reed Smoot of
'l ilis not entitled to his seat , passing a
ill appropriating $2,000,000 to confine
tbr > Colorado river to its "banks and an-
Hhfr placing the management of the
. " anima railway under the isthmian canal
: -otttr.f.x'.on. : the Senate Wednesday listen-
> d to ostpnd.xl speeches by Senators Car-
or of Montana and Hcyburn of Idaho
n criticism of the Sepretary of the In-
-pr'.or for his order preventing the issu
er" of patents to public lands until
tor an examination on the ground by a
wial nsent. The House completed the
r'cultural appropriation bill. The dip-
svavic r.jjd consular appropriation bill
a1- . < ' * nt to conference , the managers on
. ; io part of the House being Cousins ol
lov-a. C. B. Landis of Indiana and HOW-
TO of Georgia. The river and harboi
; > -vopriation bill , carrying $84,000,000 ,
, as taken up.
? . ? n.itor Knyncr's address on the ex-
r.nsion of executive prerogatives. Sena
tor Lodge's brief reply and an extended
disrusi'ion of the administration of the
public laud laws by Senator Heyburn
constituted the proceedings in the Senate
Thursday. The river and harbor appro
priation bill occupied practically all the
time of the House. The debate was open
ed by Mr. Burton of Ohio , chairman of
the rivers and harbors committee. Othei
speeches were made by Messrs. Bartholdl
of Missouri. Rausdell of Louisiana
Snapp of Illinois , Lawrence of Massa
chusetts , Caudrey of Missouri , Morrell
and Moore of Pennsylvania , Banuon oJ
Ohio , Rhodes of Missouri and Juloi Tar-
insga of Porto Rico.
National Capital Note.t.
The President nominated Richard A
Ballinger of Seattle , Wash. , to be com
missioner of the general land office , to
succeed W. A. Richards , who is to retire
March 4.
It is semi-officially announced that
Brig. Gen. AYilliam S. McCaskey , com
manding the department of Texas , ffill
be promoted to the grade of major gen
eral on the statutory retirement on April
14 of Major Gen. James F. Wade , com
manding the Atlantic division at New
York.
A petition for a writ of certiorari wai
received by the clerk of the Supreir.4
Court in the case of Edward L. Flick-
inger , under sentence in Ohio to seven
years' imprisonment on the charge of con
spiring to wreck the Galfon National
bank.
Cnptain "Bill" McDonald , who will
5gure as an important witness In the
jxpected congressional investigation of
the "shooting up
of Brownsville by
soldiers of the
Twenty-fifth In
fantry , has been a
Texas Ranger foi
over twenty years
and Is captain of
the Rangers in the
Brownsville dis
trict It was Cap
tain McDonald
who arrested the
cAi'T. M'DOWALD. thirteen soldiers
who , as alleged , actually perpetrated
the o.utrage , and who later , upon de-
oiand of the military commander turn
ed the accused men over to him. Mc
Donald Is one of the noted characters
of the Southwest. He has been in
many desperate encounters and his
body is scarred with bullet wounds. His
own revolver , however , bears scores of
"no.tches , " but the victims of his un
erring aim had all been lawbreakers.
John "W. Riddle , the new ambassador
to Russia , is a native of Philadelphia
and graduated from Harvard. Mr.
Riddle , began hi ?
diplomatic caree :
as secretary of the
American legatioi
to Turkey , a posi
tion he held for si :
years. Then foi
two years Mr. Rid
die was secretary
o.f the American
embassy at St. Pe
tersburg , a post
for which he was
specially utteu on .iouri u. 1.1
. . . . . . .
account of his facility in the Russian
language. After two more j'ears as
diplomatic agent and consul general in
Egypt he was appointed to the Servian
mission.
* *
i
James McCrea , who has been elected
president of the Pennsylvania Rail
road , is one of the noted railway men
of the country. He
is credited with
possessing great
exec utive ability
and has held the
position of first
vice president o
the Pennsylvani
lines west of Pitts
burg since 1S91.
Mr. McCrea was
born in Philadel-
JAMES M'CBEA. pnja in 1848 , and
began his railway career in 1SG5 a *
a rodman. He has been with the Penn
sylvania Road since 1871 , having since
that time filled various position on the
different divisions. Since 189G Mr.
McCrea also has been at the head of
the Grand Rapids & Indiana Road.
For a long time he has been regarded
as the logical successor of the late
President Cassatt as executive of the
Pennsylvania.
*
Sir Alfred Lewis Jones , who , with
members of his party , is accused of
making merry on board a steamer at
Kingston while vic
tims of the earth
quake groaned and
screamed under the
treatment of physi
cians , is a noted
Liverpool merchant
and shipowner. Sir
Alfred began life
as a cabin boy on
a vessel of the
steamship line
which his company
SIB ALFRED JONES.
now controls and
rspidly made his way in life. He has
been specially energetic ha exploiting
colonial trade and was made a knight
companion of St. Michael and St
George in recognition of his Jamaican
ind West African services.
Capt. Thomas Peabody , who command
ed the transport Sheridan when it ran on
a reef off Hawaii last summer , has been
suspended for six months.
" " *
William H. Langdon , district attor
ney at San Francisco , has recently come
into prominence in connection with the
scandal in the Gold
en Gate City. Al
though he was prut
into office by the
party in power he
suspected that the
administration was
not free from offi
cial crookedness and
was instrumental in
having the Mayor
indicted for graft.
w. H. LANGDOX.
. . . Although he was re
moved by the administration forces , the
courts decided that the action was il
legal.
Senator Culberson has introduced a bill
in Congress prohibiting the sending of
any information regarding dealings in
cotton futures either over interstate tele
graph lines or through the mails.
Representative Lowden introduced a
bill authorizing the Albany Railroad
Bridge Company or the Chicago and
Northwestern Railway Company to con
struct a bridge across the Mississippi at
Clinton , Iowa.
THE GEEAT OHIO VALLEY FLOOD
The Ohio basin embraces an area of 201,700 square
miles , or 16 per cent , of the great Mississippi Valley.
The valley is divided into five divisions , of which the
Ohio and its tributaries are second only to the Missouri
basin , and include a watershed of 35,000 square miles
more than that of the Mississippi itself above the Mis
souri River.
Waters from fourteen States find their way to the
Gulf of Mexico through the channels of the Ohio great
drainage system. It stretches is far northeast as New
York and as far south as Georgia , Alabama and Mis
sissippi.
At no point on the Ohio or the Mississippi is what is
HUNDREDS DIE IN WRECK.
People of tlxe United States Face
Peril of Railway Disasters.
The people of the United States have
" " their nervesand
"new peril" to try nerves-
wrench their hearts. It is a peril of the
new twentieth century the peril of rail
road travel.
Approximately 500 passengers have
.been killed in the last few months in the
most appalling series of railroad acci
dents the country , it is charged , has ever
known , brought about by the desperate
efforts of the railroad companies to make
more money. It has not been a question
of signals and switches and regulations :
It has been a question of hurrying trains
through the fiyer , the fast freight of
getting from one end of the line to the
other , so that they can be started hack
egain. Railroad employes have admitted
on the stand that they disregarded signals
that they had to , to make schedules.
Twenty years ago persons traveled on
railroad trains with comparative safdry.
There were some accidents , but few men
dreaded a trip by rail. Even ten years
ago the peril was not great. In 1897 only
222 passengers were killed. But look at
the last four mouths ! A total of 500
human beings , passengers on trains in
the United States , were torn and man
gled , scalded and burned to death in
railroad wrecks 225 per cent more
deaths in four months than in the whole
of 1897.
The slaughter of the toll of 1907 began
with terrible mortality. The railroads
are overworked , overcrowded and over
capitalized. Earnings that should be de
voted to improving and replenishing the
equipment and paying for a better class of
labor are diverted to dividends to keep
up the value of watered stock.
The accompanying table gives the worst
of the recent railroad disasters. There
were many more the country over where
the casualties were one , two , or three.
In-
Killed. Jured.
Nov. 12 Woodville , Ind , Balti
more & Ohio , collision. . 61 39
apt. 18 Dover , Okla. , Rock Isl
and , passenger train ,
through bridge . 25
Oct. 28 Atlantic City , N. J. ,
West Jersey & Seashore
Electric , open draw. . . . 03 18
NOT. 29 Lawyers , Va. . Southern
Railway , Sam'l Spencer ,
President of Southern ,
among victims . T
Dec. s Danville , Va. , Southern
Railway , passenger and
freight collision . 5
Dae. 11 Vergennes , Vt.f Rutland
Railway , passenger and
freight , collision . 9
Dec. 23 Enderlin , N. D. , Milwau
kee & St. Paul and Ste.
Marie , collision . 10 37
Dec. 30 Terra Cotta , D. C. . Bal
timore & Ohio , collision. 53 60
Jan. 2 Volland , Kan. , Rock Isl
and , collision . 33 55
Jan. 13 Barney , N. M. , Rock
Island , open switch - 5 8
Jan. 15 Waldron , Mo. , Rock Isl
and , collision . 3
Jan. 19 Osseo , Minn. , Great
Northern , rails spread. . 3
Jan. 19 Fowler , Ind. , Big Four ,
collision . 24 10
Tan. 19 Sandford , Ind. , Big Four ,
powder explosion . 40 25
SWETTENHAM QUITS POST.
Jamaica Governor Also Apologrizea
for Letter to Davis.
In London Friday it was announced on
unquestionable authority that Gov. Swet-
tenham had sent an apology for his letter
to Admiral Davis to
the colonial secre
tary , by whom it
was transmitted
through the foreign
secretary to the
State Department at
Washington , and
that Gov. Swetten-
ham had also placed
his resignation in
the hands of the co
lonial secretary.
* ' " " " It has been treeiy
GOV. BWEnrrENHAM. stated in the British
colonial and other government offices that
It w.\s quite impossible for Swettenham
to continue in office not only because of
the incident involving the withdrawal of
the American warships from Kingston but
ftlso on account of the protests against
his conduct received from the inhabitants
from Kingston. '
known as the "danger line" as high as at Cincinnati ,
where no great impediment to transportation or incon
venience to residents is occasioned until the 50-foot
stage is reached. At other points the danger Jine varies
from 22 feet at Pittsburg to 45 at Cairo , 111. , and Vicksburg -
burg , Miss. , to 1(5 feet at New Orleans.
Although the highest known stage at Cincinnati is 71
feet % inch In'lSSl , the big Mississippi and Missouri
floods of 1903 forced the water to a height of 82 feet
at Arkansas City , Ark. , 85 feet at New Orleans and 105
feet at Melville , Louisiana.
The shaded portion of the center of the map indicates
the flooded region.
CANAL .BID IS HELD UP.
Unless Oliver Gets Partner United
States May Do the "Work.
The bid of Oliver & Bangs to complete
the construction of the Panama canal for
6.75 per cent'of the cost has been rejected
so far as Anson M. Bangs of New York
is concerned. But if Mr. Oliver can
enter into a satisfactory arrangement
with some other contractor , who is finan
cially responsible , he will be given the
contract , it is said.
Some of the Washington correspondents
seem to think that the government will
build the canal Itself without subletting
any portion of the work to contractors.
While doubt was expressed as to the ad
visability of pursuing the contract plan
any further , it was virtually decided to
advertise again for bids , although not in
the belief that any of them would prove
acceptable. The chief purpose in read-
vertising is to afford Mr. Oliver an op
portunity to enlist new financial hacking
and submit another bid.
W. J. Oliver of Tennessee and the
wilderness , is the largest employer of
negro labor in the world. He has forty
contracts now on hand , which include tun
neling Lookout mountain , damming the
Tennessee river and thrusting railroads
through Louisiana cypress swamps. If
his bid is successful he will go down to
Panama with an army of 5,000 southern
negroes who have long been in his employ ,
organized like an army , with a trained
superintendent at the head of each di
vision.
It was intimated that Mr. Oliver might
arrange to co-operate with McArthur &
Gillespie. It is known that the financial
credentials submitted by Mr. Oliver and
the McArthur syndicate have been found
satisfactory , and the statement is made
that a compromise proposal will be con
sidered , provided Oliver succeeds in mak
ing a satisfactory arrangement with Mc
Arthur & Gillespie. The Oliver & Bangs
bid was 6.75 per cent , while the McAr-
thur-Gillespie bid -was 12.50 per cent.
Poreisrn Commerce Convention.
The first national convention for cue
extension of foreign commerce of tne
United States was in session three days
at Washington. Every State in the
Union was represented , and the move
ment was started by the New York board
of trade and transportation. The tariff ,
ship subsidy and other pertinent plans
were discussed , and addresses were made
by Secretary Root and the President.
SHEA CASE WAS COSTLY.
Disagreement of 97"OOOO Jury May
Eml Prosecution.
It is claimed in Chicago that prepara
tions for a new trial in the Shea con
spiracy case will begin at once. Th
, $70,000 jury in the celebrated case failed
to reach an agreement and was discharged
after deliberating for fifty-four hours ,
with the ballot 7 to 5 for acquittal.
The defendants , while claiming they ar *
anxious for a neW | trial , do not believ *
the case will ever be prosecuted by th
State because of the great expense to
which the county has been put already
and to the difficulty in securing another
jury.
- KAISER A VICTOR.
Colonial Policy of Xational Exten
sion Indorsed.
Emperor William's policy of colonial
extension and national growth won a
sweeping victory in the general election
of members of the new Reichstag at Ber
lin. The radicals , the conservatives and
the national liberals who voted for the
government's measure when the Reichstag
was dissolved Dec. 13. 1906 , materially
increased their representation at the es-
pense of the socialists and the clericals.
Tiie socialists will lose seventeen op
eighteen scats.
