CRITICISES ELECTION METHODS
OF NEBRASKA'S METROPOLIS.
COUNTY OPTION BJJL 'COMES UP
Gill Introduced by Ollis Providing
That 20 Per Cent of Voters
is Sufficient to Submit
the Question.
| { In his fourth special message to the
present legislature Governor Aldrich
criticises Omaha , .City Clerk Dan But
ler and the election officials of the
metropolis. '
He also makes trecommendation
which , if adopted , would give the gov
ernor absolute control of all the election -
* tion machinery of the city.
The message is a lengthy affair. It
requires about 1,800 words for the
executive to call attention to what he
'declares is an evil situation in the city
of Omaha.
He charges indirectly that Omaha
Is governed by a "boss or gang , " that
its affairs are handled at a financial
loss to the taxpayers and that its busi
ness is crippled and checked and suf
fers in many ways. After describing
the picture of a city ruled by a boss
or gang he names the city in the fol
lowing language :
"It is to prevent this situation from
getting a foothold in some cities and
to destroy it in others that I urge
upon you to give immediate attention
early ir ; the session to the situation
Ithat exists at the present time in our
metropolitan city. ' '
Action was deferred for further con
sideration.
County Option Bill.
Ollis of Valley , one of the "insur-
gjent" members of the-majority side
/
of the legislature , introduced a bill
for the regulation of stock yards and
presented the first county option bill
offered1 in either house. The county
option bill introduced by .him follows
the general plan of the county option
conference held by county option re
publicans and democrats recently ,
with the possible exception th. * ; it
pro vie-3 for submitting the question
of cousiy option at a general election
instead of at a special election. The
friends .of the bill became convinced
that submission at a special election
would add to' the expense to be paid
t y tax-payers and that it would be better -
ter to/submit the question at a gener
al election.
The Ollis couvty option bill is sen
ate file 118. It provides that 20 per
cent of the voters'is sufficient to sub
mit the question and that submission
Bhall not be had oftener than once in
three years , each time at a general
election. Petitions must be filed for
submission not more than sixty days
nor less than thirty days before elec
tion. A majority of those voting on
the question shall control. The bill
simply seeks to suspend the present
license law as it applies to city , vil
lage and county boards wheto county
option carries.
- - -
*
Initiative and Referendum.
H. R. No. 1 , the initiative and ref
erendum bill , as drawn by the Ne
braska direct legislation league , was
reported from the house committee
for passage. It is now on general file.
The report was favored by nine of the
eleven members. Grossman of Doug
las , democrat , and SagI of Saline , dem
ocrat , serving notice that they would
insist on an amendment when the bill
comes up in committee of the whole
where it is made special order for
February 1. It is understood that both
favor an increased petition from that
called for in the bill and wanted it to
read 25 per cent both for initiating and
for referring measures. The bill as
recommended calls for a 10 per cent
initiation and a 5 jer cent referendum
petition. So far as is now known no
effort will be made to require a ma
jority of all votes cast at the election
shall be required for passing any such
measure.
The measure was made a special or
der of the day for Wednesday , Febru
ary 1 , at the afternoon session.
New Commandant.
Governor Aldirich has issued a com
mission to Henry Howard of Elk Creek
to be commandant of the soldiers'
lioine at Milford. The commission is
to. take effect Fe'bruary 1. On that
date Dave Rowden leaves the 'home
and will consign the institution to the
mercies of a republican administra
tion.
Lincoln , Neb. , Jan. 26. Governor
Aidrich's charges against the conduct
of the last election in Omaha , as con
tained in his sensational message of
Wednesday , created a storm in the
senate Friday morning.
A Memorial Building.
J. W. Steinhart of Nebraska City
appeared before the finance commit
tee in support of the bill which seefts
to 'have the state appropriate $20,000
tor a memorial armory at Nebraska
City on the site of. Fort Kearney , the
first military post to be located west
jof the Missouri river. Mr. Steinhart
toad' ' copies of documents to show tnat
.the United States government ex
amined the location as early as 1836
nd that ten years later the" actual
onstruction of the fort was begun.
Capital Removal Bill.
Bailey of Kearney has introduced
the much-talked'-of ' removal bill. He
does not appear as the author of the
measure , which is on the contrary
signed by twenty-seven house mem
bers. It Is understood that the capi
tal removal association , "with head
quarters at Kearney , drafted the bill
and had it introduced. Bailey - has
rather stayed in the background in
handling the bill and did not care to
introduce it. Hence he- spent some
time in securing signatures for a joint
introduction of the proposition. The
bill was printed In full in some of the
western newspapers interested in Iti
fate the day before it was presented
in the house. Representative" Bailey
had the , bill in his possession much
of the time before he got it in shape
to Introduce.
As drawn it provides for the sub
mission vn 1911 at the fall election ,
all cities" who desire to do so being
eligible to compete in the contest for
the prize , providing always that they
are west of the west line of Lancas
ter county. If a majority of all votes
are cast in favor of all the compet
ing towns , the capital shall be re
moved. If none of the candidates for
the capital receive a majority of all
votes cast in favor of capital removal ,
then in that event a second election
must decide between the two high
candidates.
i
Makes Some Appointments.
Governor Aldrich has exercised his
power under the guaranty of deposit
law in making appointments of em
ployes of the state banking board ,
The guaranty law permits the gover
nor to make all apppintments for the
state banking boarcV of which he is
one member. His appointments are
to take effect \v\henjver \ the mandate
of the United S ats supreme court
upholding the Novb/aska / law is re
ceived by the district court of the
United States. The governor desired
to make the appointments in advance
of the arrival of the mandate in order
to get rid of applicants for position.
With , few exceptions he has reappointed -
pointed the employes chosen by the
old banking board.
Universal Game License.
Dan Geilus , state game warden un
der the administration of Governor
Shajlenberger , has secured the intro
duction of bills embodying the recom
mendations made in his biennial re
port. Most of these are changes in
the game laws which have already re
ceived hearty indorsement from the
sporting fraternity.
One provision is for a universal
sportsman's license of$1.10 , the 10
cents to be retained by county clerks.
The proposed law provides that all
persons must have such a license to
hunt anywhere in the state except
upon their own land.
House pages have developed into a
body of aggressive and > persistent lob
byists. They are after a raise in pay
and , if they do not get it , it will not
be because of any lack of juvenile ar
gument used upon members. House
pages have been receiving for years
$1.50 a day , but 'the senate is more
generous this year and has allowed its
pages § 3 a day. The youngsters in
the house think they are entitled to
the same amount and 'have secured
the promise of Representative Fries
to introduce a resolution for them allowing - ,
lowing the amount.
Against Hypnotism.
Anderson of Kearney wants to pro
hibit expositions of hypnotism and
animal magnetism where such exhibi
tions are given for ain. He intro
duced a bill which provides ' 'that any
person or persons who shall thereafter
cake part in the -practice , assist in ,
or become a subject in giving a puo-
lic open exhibition , or seance , or show
of hypnotism , mesmerism , animal
magnetism , or so-called psychical
powers for gain shall be deemed guilty
of a misdemeanor.x
Lincoln Monument.
Daniel Chester French of New York
city , the sculptor commissioned to de
sign and execute a statute of Abraham
Lincoln which is to be 'placed ' on the
capitol grounds in Lincoln , has writ
ten the committee which has the me
morial monument in charge that he
has shipped his two models to Lin
coln , and that he will arrive here Jan
uary 30 to confer with the commit
tee.
_
f
In Memory of Paul Morton.
Horton of Douglas offered a resolu
tion on the death of Paul Morton , who
died suddenly in New York Thursday
evening. The resolution states that
Paul Morton was formerly "secretary
of the navy and the. son of one of Ne
braska's greatest \ citizens and was
himself a Nebraskan. The resolution
was adopted and copies will be sent
to Mr. Morton's family.
Citizens of southwestern Nebraska
have presented a petition to the sen
ate asking that an agricultural college
be located in that 'part of the state.
It was referred to the committee on
'
agriculture.
*
Tax Collections.
Two Jills having for their object the
collection of taxes by special proce
dure were introduced ! Thursday in
the house of representatives. One of
them , H. R. No. 159 , by Quackenbush ,
is revolutionary in character because
it proposes to legalize the employment
of private agencies for this purpose.
The other , H. R. No. 164 , by McKis-
sick , allows extra/ / compensation , to
county attorneys who bring suits and
secure judgments against estates upon
which the county realizes its tax
claims.
FOR EXTRA SESSION
ST. LOUIS POST- DISPATCH SEEKS
I MM EDI ATE ACTION.
MS * i
Gives Reasons Why People Should Be
Relieved of Iniquitous Tariff
Taxes as Quickly as
Possible.
The St Louis Post-Dispatch presents
the following reasons why an. extra
session of congress should be called
for immediate revision of the tariff :
Because the wool and woolen sched
ule ( K ) of the Payne-Aldrich tariff is
"indefensible , " according to President
Taft. A woolen blanket , imported last
week from Glasgow , weight 36 pounds ,
value $22 , paid duty at 33 cents a
pound and 40 per cent , additional.
That is $20.68 on a $22 blanket ;
freight , storage , etc. , $4.04 , or $24.72
"protection" to be added to-the Ameri
can selling price of foreign and do
mestic woolen blankets , plus the re
tailer's profits on the duty more than
a doubling of the price to the con
sumer.
Because the American woolen trust
gets the lion's share of these out
rageous taxes in added prices on its
products. In 1907 the United States
treasury got only $33,000 revenue from
a year's importation of woolen blank
ets. The tariff tax was prohibitory.
But the trust got double prices on all
its enormous product sold to the
American monopolized market.
Because this system applies to all
woolen cloth , to woolen garments , to
woolen underwear , to woolen dress
goods for women and children , to all
woolen fabrics covered by the infa
mous schedule K.
Because these prohibitory duties on
woolens lay the lives of the people ,
during the winter , open to consump
tion and pneumonia. "Shoddy" at a
high taxed price , "must do for wann
woolen garments among the poor.
Because flannels' for underwear are
taxed ( schedule K ) on from 86.39 per
cent , up to 143.67 per cent , and the
highest tariff tax is put on the cheap
est grades for common use.
Because the tariff tax ( schedule K )
on women's and children's woolen
dross goods average 100 per cent. ,
thus doubling the price , or causing a
scaling down of this quality.
Because this schedule K was the re
sult of a corrupt deal between\the
woolen trust managers of New/Eng
land and the political "standpat" sena
tors of the northwestern states , repre
senting a few millionaire wool grow
ers.
Because the consumers , nearly 100-
000,000 Americans , were not consid
ered in this corrupt deal and Presi
dent Taft stated he was unable to
break it up when the Aldrich tariff
was hatched in the senate.
Because the people voted last No
vember to smash this blood tax at
once , along with the other tolls on
food , cotton cloth , steel and iron ,
lumber , paper , coal , building mate
rials and all the necessaries of life.
Do the people want it down now or
when they are passed away and a tar
iff commission "reports progress ? "
The Falsity of "Protection. "
. . Should protection make one
honest campaign under * true colors ,
announcing its purpose as a measure
to give the steel trust , the cotton and
woolen , goods trusts , the implement
trust andall * other trusts more for
their goods than they are worth
abroad , it would be buried in a deep
grave , face downward , with no other
mourners at the funeral than the en
riched beneficiaries who had grown
and were growing corpulent through
pilfering the public under the sham
and guise of protecting the public.
The awakening evidenced in theae-
cent election does not indicate an im
poverishment of "the people , but it
evidences an indignant public's com
ing into an intelligent understanding
of the real purpose and result of
modern protection , it becoming' a
recognized fact that equitable govern
ment and protection are incompati
ble , and that vitality in the one works
the extinguishment of the dther.
Protection means donation of one
man's earnings to another man's en
richment , and the discrimination Is
the same whether the donation be 10
per cent , or 25 per cent. , hence there
'
is no such thing as'scientific adjust
ment of schedules unless It be con
struction of a scheme for scientific
methods of graft : Any' movement ,
therefore , for readjustment of tariff
schedules from the standpoint of pro
tection is a move to perpetuate graft
in some degree. From a Letter from
H. B. Kelly to a Member of Congress.
J
' Their Cause for Gloom.
The prospect that congress may not
finish its work by March 4 and that a
special session may be necessary is
said to be an occasion of gloom at
Washington. Undoubtedly. It would
mean that a lot of Jobholders would
lose their salaries in March instead
of next December. No prospect is
better calculated to cause g. o. p.
gloom.
Must Be in the Beginning.
Declaring for a "genuine , perma
nent and thorough-going tariff com
mission , " Senator Beve'ridge asserts
that "wewill get it In the end. " It
will have to be in the beginning of
a tariff framed for business instead of
politics.
Senator Aldrich proposes , presum
ably as a "feeler , " not a central bank
but a "Reserve Association of Amer
ica , " with a capital of $300,000,000.
The question is for the present an
academic qne. ' .
. \t' -
"JL
TO FRAME THE TARIFF BILLC
Personnel of Committee Selected by
the Democrats to Do Im- r
'portant Work.
The country will be interested In
the 14 Democratic representatives se
lected by the caucus in Washington to
frame the tariff bills that wilt be in
troduced in the Sixty-second congress.
Of the 14 Democrats who are to'form
the majority of the ways and means
committee in the next congress , four
are minority members of the commit
tee In this congress : Oscar W. Un-i
derwood of Alabama , Francis Burton ,
Harrison of New York , Choice Boswell ;
Randell of Texas , and William G.j
Brantley of Georgia. It is worthy ofj
note that only four came from Impor-i
tant manufacturing cities : Mr. Under- ;
wood , who will be chairman of the ?
committee , from Birmingham , which
has blast furnaces , rolling mills , steel
works and railroad machine shops ;
Mr. Harrison from New York , Mr. Andrew - ,
drew James Peters of Massachusetts'
from Boston , and Mr. William Hughes
of New Jersey from Paterson , which
'has locomotive and bridge works and
manufactures of cotton , , wool , silk ,
linen and velvets.
Ten of the men who will frame the
tariff bills come from small towns. For
instance , the Hon. Cordell Hull of
Tennessee , from Carthage , which in
1900 had a population of 600 ; the Hon.
Ollie James of Kentucky from Marion
(1,064) ( ) ; the Hon. Claude Kitchin of
North Carolina from , Scotland Neck
(1,348) ) ; the Hon. W. 8. Hammond of
Minnesota from St. James (2,067) ( ) ; the
Hon. Henry T. Rainey of Illinois from
Carrollton (2,355) ; the Hon. Lincoln
Dixon of Indiana from North Vernon
(2,823) ) ; and the Hon. A. Mitchell Pal
mer of Pennsylvania from Stroudsburg
'
(3,450) ( ) . The remaining three are
claimed by more populous communi
ties : The Hon. Dorsey W. Shackle-
ford of Missouri by Jefferson City
(9,664) , which has foundries , shoeknd
carriage factories , breweries and cigar
manufactures ; the Hon. C. B. Randell
of Texas by Sherman (10,243) ( , which
boasts machinp shops , foundries , cot
ton , cotton-seed oil and flour mills ;
and the Hon. William G. Brantley of
Georgia by Brunswick (9,081) , which
has cotton mills and canning and cot
ton compress factories and is a phos
phate port. „ . '
The veteran of the Democratic tariff
bill framers is Mr. Underwood , who
dates from the Fifty-fourth congress ;
Mr. Brantley made his bow in the
Fifty-fifth ; Mr. Shackleford made his
first appearance in-the Fifty-sixth ; Mr.
Randell in the Fifty-seventh ; Mr.
James , Mr. Hughes , Mr. Kitchin and
Mr. Rainey in .the Fifty-eighth ; Mr.
Dixon in the Fifty-ninth ; Mr. Harri
son , Mr. Hammond , Mr. Hull and Mr.
Peters in the Sixtieth , and Mr. Palmer
in the Sixty-first
Foreign Trade Domestic Rights.
"Build up foreign trade if you can
but do not do it at the expense of the
American people , " said Mr. Frank B ,
Kellogg , special assistant to the at
torney general , in his argument on
the Standard Oil case before the Su
preme court.
There seems no sound justification
for the practice of selling abroad of
American manufactures at lower rates
than are charged in the domestic mar
ket. Yet this practice is common un
der the existing tariff system. Pro
tection is demanded for the American
manufacturer , but it is frequently
used , not for protection against for
eign competition , but as license to'op
erate domestic monopolies.
The real status of the American
manufacturer , as to his needs of pro
tection , is shown when he sells in an
unprotected country like England , for
example. Yet congress continues to
grant protection to the sugar trust
while that trust shows that it can sell
its products in England , marine
freight added , for approximately two
cents per pound less than it exacts in
this country , where it has a monopoly.
And sugar is only one of very many
American products sold for less
abroad than at home.
\
Would Increase Power of Senate.
The house of representatives is
more responsive to the wishes of the
people than the senate , not because it
is larger , but because its members
are elected directly by the people
every two years. The framers of the
constitution intended that it should be
the more responsive body and that
.the senate should be a check upon it.
The house , however , is not a good
legislative body. It is big and clumsy
and unwieldly. That is why the sen
ate has become more powerful than
the house in shaping legislation. Its
smaller membership enables the sen
ate to debate measures more thor
oughly and to give the necessary at
tention to all the details of important
bills under consideration.
Increasing the size of the house
will still further increase the influ
ence of the senate. New York World.
Longworth's Tariff Bill. '
But fohat did these people who are
condemning the Longworth tariff com
mission bill expect from the gentle
man from Cincinnati , in the light of
Longworth's record as written In the
acts i of the Ohio legislature and hi *
terms in congress ? Was there anj *
thing to warrant the expectation that
he would prepare a tariff commission
bill in the interests of the public T
Why should he be expected to change
at this stage of his career ? Youngstown -
town ( Ohio ) Vindicator.
ALL OVER NEBRASKA
Horse Killed by Steer.
Burt County. As William Johnson ,
living in the Argp neighborhood ,
southwest Of Craig , was driving some
cattle to market a steer turned on
him and gored the horse he was rid
ing so severely that it died.
Probable Fatal Fall.
Richardson County. Mrs. Davy N.
Jones , aged ninety years , sustained a
fall and received a broken hip. Her
old age and frail health precludes a
setting of the injured member and it
is feared recovery is impossible.
Credit Association.
Jefferson County. Fairbury busi
ness men have organized the Mer
chants' Credit association , which is
under the jurisdiction of the state
and national association. The object
of the association Is to eliminate the
"dead beat. "
Physicians Indicted *
- Lancaster County. Two Lincoln
physicians , Dr. Walter R. Townsend
and Dr. William J. Adamson , were
indicted by the grand jury on a charge
of performing criminal operations and
bound over to the next term of the
district court.
Kills Himself In Street.
Madison County. Louis Herdes ,
aged 25 years , a carpenter well
known in that vicinity ended his life
at Madison by firing a bullet from a
32-calibre Colt's revolver into his
right temple. He was despondent
over financial matters.
An Attempt at Suicide.
Richardson County. J. W. Wisdom ,
a farmer about 30 yeairs old , living
three miles southwest of Salem , , at
tempted to kill himself by cutting his
throat. He severed the trachea and
just missed the jugular vein. He had
been despondent for several days.
v Bondsman Pays Coin.
Johnson County. Franklin A. Tay
lor of Tecumseh , has just made the
first payment to the county of John
son upon the judgment secured
against him in the matter of the
county's loss in the Chamberlain
banking house of Tecumseh. When
the bank laided the county had a
deposit there amounting to $6,708.80.
Farmers Organize Grain Company.
Howard County. The farmers in
the vicinity of Dannesbrog met and
organized a co-operative grain and
supply company. They were ad
dressed by F. E. Pope of St. Paul on
the subject of co-operation. After
due deliberation the farmers decided
to incorporate as a company and will
file articles of incorporation at once.
A Musical Nebraskan.
Johnson County. Prof. Joseph Chi-
arini , band master of the Tecumseh
Military band , has just completed
v/riting a "Musical Poem , " arranged
for orchestra. The orchestra score
includes the writing of 134 pages of
music , and offers an opportunity for a
great selection of instruments. There
are solos for the French horn , for violin
lin , duet for violins , solo and duet for
cellos , duet for flute and clarinet , a-
trio for violin , flute and clarinet , and
an abundance of other arrangements.
After the Bootleggers.
Merrick County. Merrick county
has no saloons within its borders
but the bootleggers have been unusu
ally busy , and prosecutions have been
started by County Attorney W. H. C.
Rice. Among "the first was Charles
Clark , who was brought up from
Clarks on a boqtlegging charge. He
waived preliminary examination in
the county court , and the district
court being in session he was taken
before Judge Thomas and pleaded
guilty , and this being his first of
fense before the district court he was
given a fine of $100 and costs.
Humphrey Files Complaint.
Platte County The Humphrey Com
mercial club has filed a complaint
with the Nebraska state railway com
mission against the Northwestern
railroad because of its refusal to car-1
ry passengers on train 365 , a freight
gbing west at 5 p. m. , and for not fur
nishing waiting room facilities at its
depot in Humphrey.
Doctor Charged With Assault.
Webster County. Dr. Bartholomew
of Blue , Hill is under arrest in Hast
ings charged with being the man who
attempted an assault upon Miss Elaine
Hyatt of that city , when the latter
was returning to her home from her
day's work in the Globe dry goods
store.
According to the girl's story a man
rode up in the darkness and , jumping
from the car , attempted to dragjher in
to the vehicle and to stifle her
screams by stuffing a cloth into her
mouth. Two men came to her rescue ,
however , and the auto driver jumped
into the car and sped away , but not
before one of the men had- read the
number of the car. The girl has iden
tified her assailant.
Doxey Bigamy Case.
Platte County. St. Louis papers
state that Mrs. Dora Doxey , formerly
of Columbus , will be tried for big
amy Feb. 6. On two previous occas
ions the case has been continued ,
owing to Mrs. Doxey's illness.
Divorces for a Month.
Cass County. Of the 16 divorce pe
titions filed from Feb. 1 , 1910 , to Feb.
1 , 1911 , 32 have been filed by the wife.
The causes are as follows : For de
sertion , 5 ; for cruelty , 5 ; one pleads
extreire cruelty ; drunkenness , 5
M'GULLY'S BIG-ONIA ,
i
She Was Proud of Plant That Little
"Hennery" Davis Found In Ash
Barrel.
"If I was asked , " said Mrs.
throwing up the window with a bang )
and letting the cold air In. "I'd tell !
'em to give me flowers while I'mj
alive not wait till I can't see 'ennor
smell 'em. " ' j
She carefully set outside on the rusted
ed iron fire escape of the tenement !
a tomato can in which drooped o
broad-leaved plant , apparently one oft
sickly rather than robust health.
"What d'ye call It ? " Mrs. Ramsey In
quired. "I keep after Aleck to brlngr
me home a plant , but he just can't *
seem to get at it"
"That , " said Mrs. McGully , proudly ,
"is a blg-onla. Down at th' seed store :
I looked in a catalogue an' it calls it1
Big-onia Rex "
That's a dog's name , " Mrs. Ram
sey objected. "I mind me of a dog "r
"It was little Hennery Davis , " inter
rupted Mrs. McGully , "that fetched me-1
th' blg-onla. He found It In a ash bar
rel back o' Neiner's greenhouse and/ /
fetched it straight to me , knowln' ,
*
bless his heart , I wanted a plant so
bad. " She carefully poured a cupt
of water over the plant and closed the *
window.
But she had closed It too late. Heat
ed from the exertion of sweeping , and' '
overheated from the huge cook stove , .
the cold air had done its work , and
that very night the doctor came andJ
looked seriously.
"I'm afraid you're in for It , Mrs.
McGully , " he said , "you'll have to keep *
to ycuir bed for awhile. "
"I'm ready for it , " Mrs. McGully
wheezed , stoutly. "I've got $19 saved'
get it for me , doctorbehlnd th '
clock. But who's to water my plant , .
an' give it fresh air ? " The doctor
took a look at the plant , and turned. )
abruptly away.
On the landing he met * Mrs. Ram
sey.
sey."Is
"Is she much sick ? " she In
quired.
"Pneumonia , " said the doctor , short
ly. "See here , Mrs. Ramsey , can your.
stay with her ? "
"Sure I can , " said Mrs. Ramsey.
"She's worrying now , " said the doc-
ior , "about a plant in the window.
Keep her quiet. I'll send her a plant
to-night and you must watch it. "
"Plant ? " said Mrs. Ramsey ; "she's
got what she calls a blg-onia. "
"Begonia ! " snorted the doctor ; "it's
a cabbage plant. If you tell her 1'H
tell your husband , and you know what
that means. You watch both plants. "
"Sure I will , " said Mrs. Ramsey.
"She calls it a big-onia , and a blg-onia
It is. " ff
Stronger Aeroplanes.
Among the leading French firms
most important advances are to be
found in structural details. There are
not any radical changes in design , but
In the matter of strength , finish and
workmanship there Is a world of dif
ference between the leading makes
of aeroplanes of today and those of
a year ago. An important feature la
the strong tendency shown by some
of the leading makers towards the
use of metal for the framework of"
aeroplanes. The French "Wright bi
plane , although" employing American ,
spruce for its running gear and main
traverse members , now has steel
tubes for the stanchions separating
the two main planes. The Voisin
brothers have abolished wood entire1
ly , with the exception of the fuselage
receiving the pilot's seat , the essen
tial framework being constructed of"
steel tubing. Bayard-Clement , in their
little Demoiselle , confine the use of
wood to a portion of the wings. Rob
ert Esnault-Pelterie , who has now-
produced a most pleasing and" suc
cessful monoplane , builds it entirely
of steel tube , and there is not an inch-
of wood to be found on the Breguet
biplane. W. F. Bradley , in Cassier's ;
Magazine.
Unfortunate Experiment :
Until a few years ago not a rat was
seen in Cocos. But a ship was
wrecked off the Islands and the rats ,
swam shore. They increased at such-
a rate that they became nuisance *
and caused a tremendous loss by spoil
ing the buds of the cocoanut , which !
are extremely tender , and' are spoiled )
immediately anything touches them. .
The king of the Cocqs Islands , there
fore , endeavored to exterminate the \
rodents , and at last he imported cats.
But the cats did not do then ? work at
all. The trouble of catching the rate
was apparently too much for them ,
and finding a delicious- shellfish on ? the
shores' which they liked1 much betterv
they within a short time became large *
and wild , and , in fact , a tremendous
nuisance , so much so that now the
islanders have not only the trouble ot
rats , but also of cats.
The Extraordinary Thfng.
A young attorney not noted for hfs
brilliancy recently appeared In court
to ask for an extra allowance in an.1
action which he was so fortunate as
to have been retained in. The court
not discovering anything at all un
usual , complicated , or extraordinary
about the. litigation , inquired of the
young man : "What is there about this
case that to you seems extraordi
nary ? " "That I got it , " blandly and
innocently replied the youthful as
pirant for fees.
Result of a Fad.
Poverty came In at the door.
Love immediately flew out of the
window.
"Ah , " said those who observed ,
"thisis what comes of being fresh-
air faddists ! "
. . ,
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