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Columbus Journal
IL STIIOTHEIt; Publisher
COLUMBUS. -.
NEBRASKA
WASHINGTON NOTES.
President Roosevelt received so
many telegrams urging him to pre
vent the imprisonment of Gompers,
Mitchell and Morrison, sentenced for
contempt, that he asked Attorney
General Bonaparte to go over the
record with him.
Twelve months in jail for Samuel
Gompers, president; nine months for
John Mitchell, one of the vice-presidents,
and six months ior Frank Mor
rison, secretary, all of the American
Federation of Labor, was the sentence
imposed by Justice Wright of the su
preme court of the District of Colum
bia for contempt of court in violating
an order previously issued enjoining
them .from placing on the "Unfair" or
"We don't patronize" list the Bucks
Stove & Range Company of St. Louis.
Mo. The defendants were released on
bail pending appeal.
President-elect Taft decided to visit
Texas at some convenient time after
iis inauguration, preferably at the end
of the special sessioa of congress.
The Panama canal will be opened
January 1, 1915, according to an of
ficial communication received by the
California promotion committee from
Joseph Buckline Bishop, secretary of
the canal commission.
Andrew Carnegie appeared before
the house committee on ways and
means to testify about the tariff on
steel and made an entertaining but
not instructive witness.
t
PERSONAL.
Jack Johnson (colored) won
neawweieht championship of
the
the
world from Tommy Burns at Sydney,
Australia. The fight went 14 rounds
and Johnson was declared the winner
on points. The police stopped the
bout
Cipriano Castro Issued a statement
in Berlin virtually surrendering the
presidency of Venezuela.
Thomas F. Ryan, admittedly one of
the greatest powers in the financial
world, announced that, yielding to the
advice of his physicians, he had re
signed from the directorate of 31 cor
porations. H. Barr Elliott, formerly . assistant
cashier of the First National bank of
Eufaula, Okla.. was arrested on infor
mation charging him with the robbery
of that bank on the night of December
14 last.
William H. Newman resigned as
president of the New York Central,
the resignation to take effect February
1 next
John T. Adkinson, recently elected
captain of the Galveston Rifles, was
arrested by the United States marshal
on capias issued by the federal grand
jury at Waco, Tex., charging embez
zlement of government funds.
S. C. Lillls, a wealthy banker and
stock man of Lemoore, Cal., was sen
tenced to six months in jail and fined
$1,000 for illegally fencing public
lands.
William A. Dolph of the firm of
Neil-Dolph, lumber dealers of Mem
phis, Tenn., was arrested in San Fran
cisco on a Memphis warrant charging
him with embezzling $1,000.
GENERAL NEWS.
Tortured by lighted matches ap
plied to his bare feet, H. A. Schabow,
a farmer near Curtice. O., turned over
to robbers $180 belonging to an in
surance company.
Because Julia Pice, aged 14 would
accept neither as her husband, Powell
Formlch and Michael Milanovitch of
Cleveland, O., fought a duel with short
knives in a darkened room. Formich
was killed after he had buried his
knife in the neck of his opponent.
President Clement Armand Fal
lieres of France was attacked in a cafe
in the PIace.de l'Etoile by a politician
named Mappis. The aged president
grappled with his assailant and was
severely bruised.
In a game for the high-school cham
pionship of the United States, the
Longmont high-school team of Long
mont. Col., defeated the team from the
Englewood high school of Chicago. 13
to 0, at Denver.
The.Salvatlon Army prepared Christ
mas dinners for about 1.500.000 poor
people, throughout the country.
The United States Steel Corporation
Is planning to build a '$10,000,000 town
at the head V J Lake Superior, about
six miles from Superior and Duluth.
similar to Gary, Ind.
Gov. Hock of Kansas pardoned John
Collins, serving a life sentence in the
Kansas state penitentiary, for the mur
der of hf lather, J: S. Collins, a well-to-do
real estate and insurance man of
Topeka, in 1898. One of the witnesses
against Collins has admitted his testi
mony was perjured.
Federal authorities began an invest!.
, gation of the packing industry in Chi
cago. A. B. Stickney. president and one
of the receivers of the Chicago Great
Western railway, resigned his receiver
ship of that road and H. C. Burt was
appointed to the place.
Acting President Gomez or Vene
zuela ousted -all the members of Cas
tro's cabinet and formed a new min-'
istry.
Dora Fair, 16 years old, and Lewis
Rogers, 23 years old, Cherokee Indians
who eloped from Chouteau, Okla., were
arrested in Kansas City, Mo.
NEWSNOTES:
i FOR THE
BUSY ill
! Most Important Happen- g
!! - ings of the World X
;! Told in Brief! 8
As a result of a wiM automobile
race near Oakland, Cal., one man was
instantly killed and anqtherjaan and
.two young women were severely in-
Jured.-.-. -j.-.ii . a-m. .'
- I
In a col'lision.beVireen a trolley-car
andean automobile -In" New" 'York
George C. Hudbut,v the agedlibraria
of the; American, Geographical society,
and his daughter Miss Ilione Huribut,
occupants of "the automobile, were fa
tally hurt. - ' l ' .
In a fire which destroyed his home
at Bradford, Smyth , county, Virginia,"
A. Go'liahbrne.'one of themost prominent-
men ol the 'county, " was cre
mated. " tU . T i "
Practically the entire "business sec-,
tion of Ravia, Okla. a town, of 5 1,200
inhabitants, was wiped -quf by. 'fire, the
loss aggregating bout $35,000-. " s
Five negroes were mortally wounded
in a general pistol fight at Fidelia, in
the southern part of Christian county,
Kentucky.
In a -sheet which was -about . to .be
placed in a mangle in a hotel laundry
in Boston was found a $5,000 diamond
necklace of Mrs. John De Coste, wife
of a well-known English artist, who is
at present in New York.
C. W. Massingale of Valentine, Neb.,
was robbed and murdered at Eldorado,
Ark.
The fisheries committee of the
Vancouver board of trade is preparing
a strong memorial asking the Do
minion government to define the sov
ereignty of Canada in the North Pa
cific owing to the alleged poaching of
American halibut fishing boats in
Canadian waters.
On account of an epidemic of scar
let fever municipal authorities re
fused to allow any public Christmas
entertainments or Sunday school ses
sions in Warsaw, Ind.
Preparations are under way at
Naples for the reception in honor of
the division of the American battle
ship fleet, now cruising around the
world, on its arrival at that port
about January 17.
A mysterious disease is killing many
people in Hermosillo, Mexico, and the
inhabitants are terror-stricken and are
leaving as fast as possible.
The First National bank of Mon
rovia. Cal., was robbed of about
$29,000.
H. M. Cox, a wealthy resident of
Portland. Me., was killed by falling
from a hotel window in Hot Springs,
Ark.
Two men believed to be members of
a gang which attempted to rob the
bank at Milan, Kan., were captured at
Clearwater, Kan. A third man eluded
Sheriff Holliday of Wellington.
The three-masted schooner Jeanie
Lippitt was lost off Hog Island, Va.,
and the captain and five of the crew
of six were drowned.
Mayor McClellan of New York re
voked the license of all moving pic
ture shows and said only the safe and
moral ones would be allowed to re
open.
That at least $176,000 was paid coun
cilman of Pittsburg for the selection
of certain banks as depositaries for
the city's funds has been almost posi
tively established through evidence
submitted and statements furnished
by the Voters' League.
One man was killed and three other
men and a woman were seriously
burned in a tenement house fire in
New York.
Wall street's observance of Christ
mas was marked this year by a
larger distribution of gifts to em
ployes than has characterized the sea
son for a number of years. The mem;
bers of the New York stock exchange
alone subscribed $13,000 for distribu
tion among the exchange's 450 em
ployes. On the consolidated stock
exchange the amount subscribed was
$4,000 which was divided among 200
employes.
The post office at Mowequa, HI., was
robbed of $1,000 in stamps and money.
The Pan-American Scientific con
gress was formally opened in Santiago,
Chile. Prof. L. S. Rowe. head of the
American delegation, presides over the
section of social sciences.
The presidential electoral college of
Cuba met and formally cast a unani
mous vote for Gen. Jose Miguel
Gomez for president and Alfredo
Zayas for vice-president.
A large whale became entangled in
fishermen's nets at Santa Barbara,
Cal., and was drowned.
Declaring that the Standard Oil
Company of Indiana, the Republic Oil
Company of Ohio and the Waters
Pierce Oil Company of Missouri had
conspired and combined to monopolize
the oil business in this state, the su
preme court of Missouri Issued a de
cree ousting all three from the com
monwealth, and fining them $50,000
each.
Seven councilmen and two ex-bank
officers of Pittsburg were examined
and held for trial on charges of.bribery
and corruption. The testimony, showed
the councilmen of the city were easy
to approach and cheap to bay.
Our navy stands second among those
of the great world powers at the pres-
ent time, according to the Navy Year
Book, prepared by Pitman Pulsifer,
clerk to the senate navy committee.
W. I. Buchanan was sent to Vene
zuela to conduct negotiations for a re
newal of diplomatic relation.
The board of trade at Little Rock,
Ark., was destroyed by fire, the loss
being $100,000.
A new cabinet was formed In Por
tugal with Senhor Antonio Azevedo as
premier.
President Castro of Venezuela Is
charged with forming a conspiracy to
assassinate Acting President Gomez,
who arrested the ringleaders single
handed. Castro's letter of credit was
canceled. Gomez suspended the Wll
lemstad decree and took steps to set
tle all Venezuela's quarrels' with other
nations. It was believed Castro would
never return from Europe.
OBITUARY.
Frederick A. Burnham. former pres
ident of the Mutual Reserve Life In
surance Company of New York, was
found dead in his home In New York,
having been asphyxiated by gas.
Cyrus R. Teed, "Koresh I," self
styled "messiah," is dead in the midst
of his colony in extreme southern
Florida.
Gen. Edgar M. Marble, former com
missioner of patents, a well-known
figure in army and business circles of
Washington and New York, died of
paralysis.
TROOPS LEAVE CUB.
r
MOVEMENT TO START THE FIRST
t! ; DAY OF THE YEAR.,
ALL ARE TO BE 60NE IN APRIL
- c
Both Troops and Cubans Rejoice at the
- '-Move and Best of Feeling Pre
vails in AH -Quarters.
Havana. New Year's day will wit
ness the beginning of the evacuation
of Cuba by the army'of pacification,
which has been in' possession of the
island since the beginning of the pro
v visional government in October, 1906.
The first provisional regiment of
marines, numbering about 9001 which
will be 'among the first troops to leave,
is now concentrating from various
posts at Camp Columbia. About half
this regiment will sail from Havana on
January 1, on the cruiser Prairie,
which arrived here Christmas eve,
bound for Newport News. The
Prairie will return about the middle of
the month and embark the remainder.
Headquarters of Companies A, B, C
and D, Twenty-eight infantry, will
embark on the transport Sumner at
Matanzas on December 31. From there
the transport will proceed to Havana
and embark Companies F, G and H,
stationed at Guienes. The Sumner
also will sail from Havana on January
1 for Newport News, the ultimate sta
tion of these companies being Fort
Snelling.
From that time on the transports
Sumner and McClellan will be em
ployed in the embarkation at intervals
of the remainder of the army. Battery
G, Third field artillery, for the Wash
ington barracks, and the Fifteenth
cavalry, now stationed at Cienfuegos
and Santa Clara, destined for Forts
Myer and Sheridan, will sail on Feb
ruary 2. The headquarters army,
Eleventh cavalry, now at Columbia
and Pinar Del Rio; the mountain artil
lery and Fifth Infantry, now at Car
denas, Sagua and Calbarien f ,or Platts
burg; the Eleventh infantry, now at
Santiago and Holguin, for Fort D.A.
Russell, and the Seventeenth Infantry,
now at Camaguey, for Forth McPher
son, will leave Havana about February
27 for Newport News. This leaves
only two companies of engineers and
two batallions of the Seventeenth in
fantry, under Colonel Pitchel, who will
remain at Camp Columbia. These
troops will not embark until April 1,
which will complete the evacuation.
The embarkation will be effected
with as little ceremony as possible
and it is probable that their departure
will be attended with as little force as
marked their landing. The purpose
in deferring the departure of a por
tion of the Seventeenth infantry until
April 1 has been the subject of con
siderable speculation, but it Is be
lieved this was agreed upon at a con
ference between Governor Magoon and
President-elect Gomez. It is not
thought to be a measure of precaution,
for which not the slightest necessity
is apparent, but it probably is for the
purpose of keeping the barracks and
quarters in good order until it is pos
sible to turn over to the Cuban author
ities a model camp for occupation by
the new permanent army under com
mand of General Pio Guerra, the
nucleus of which will be formed, it is
intended, with the present corps of
Cuban artillery and 1,000 members of
the rural guard.
Earthquake Shakes Montana.
Butte, Mont A Miner dispatch from
Virginia City, Mont., states that at
4:30 Sunday that section was shaken
by the severest of a series of seismic
disturbances that have been going on
for more than a week. The electric
power and light plant was put out of
commission.
Supreme Court Vacancy.
Another addition has been made to
the list of possibilities for appoint
ment to the vacancy on the supreme
bench in the suggestion of the name
of W. H. Thompson of Grand Island.
Whether Mr. Thompson would have
the place if it were tendered, is a
question not now known.
CONGRESSMEN TO CANAL ZONE.
Object Largely to Investigate
the
System of Government.
Washington To familiarize them
selves with conditions under the pres
ent form of government of the Panama
canal zone, twelve members of the
house committee on foreign and inter
state commerce will leave Charleston
?ionday for Colon.
It is not thought that any measure
having for its object change In the
form of civil government for the zone
will he considered by congress at the
present session, but the committee will
find the information of value later.
There has been some discussion of
the advisability of attaching the zone
to one of the southern circuits of fed
eral courts in order to overcome criti
cism of the prevailing judiciary system.
Hitchcock to Meet Taft.
August, Ga. President-elect Taft ob
served Sunday as a day of rest, re
maining in his cottage throughout the
day. He did not attend church in the
morning, as Is his custom. Monday
Mr. Taft will receive a delegation
from Atlanta, who will ask him to set
a definite date for his visit to that
city. Frank H. Hitchcock, chairman
of the republican national committee,
who is to be postmaster general In the
Taft cabinet will arrive here Tuesday
for a conference with the president
elect AUSTRIA PREPARED FOR FRAY.
Large Body of Troeps Said to
Be
Massed on Servian Frontier.
London A dispatch from Vienna to
the Daily Express says that Austria
Hungary has a force of 55,000 in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, ready to in
vade Servia at a moment's notice.
iThe Daily Mail's Belgrade correspond
ence says typhus has broken out
"among the Austrian troops en Bosnia
land that many are suffering greatly
from the cold and exposure.
NEBRASKA NEWS AND NOTES.
t
.lUmv.ef i-Greater .'ri. Leaser
Impor-
tahce Over the State.
Homer Carothers of Utica was quite
badly Injured at Shickley by.. a fall
from a freight car. ' -
The Baptist ladies at Loup City
cleared $50 on a supper, they gave a
few evenings aso. J-
The annual; meeting of the Nebras
ka Territorial association will be held
in Lincoln, January 12.
The two months' session of the last
grand jury of Douglas county cost the
county over $3,000.
While Robert Day 'ef Gage county
was currying a mule the other day
it got unruly and kicked, striking Mr.
Day in the face and fraoturing the
Jaw bone. p ,. . . , ' ;
The Co-operative Creamery associa
tion at Germantown will hold its an
nual meeting for the election of offi
cers for the coming year January 5,
1909, at 1 o'clock.
Lewis H. Clarke, a waiter at the,
Elite bakery in Hastings, 'was quite
badly scalded from his hip to his knee
by, a pot of boiling coffee falling from
a table onto him.
Farmers should all have telephones.
Write to us and learn how to get the
best service for the least money.
Nebraska Telephone, Company, ISth
and Douglas "streets, Omaha. "Use
the. Bell."
J. O. Walker died at Ong very sud-.
denly He was ill only two hours.
Hisrage was about 36 years. He was
president of a chain of banks em
bracing Geneva,- Deshler; Clayton,
Edgar and Clay Center.
The Fremont Canning company will
raise corn on the 350 acres of land for
which it has contracted. The com
pany heretofore has depended upon
corn brought in by the farmers, but
was unable to get enough for it for
its annual campaign.
"The adjutant general is preparing
for the state inspection of tte com
I.anies of the Nebraska National
Guard, which is to take place be
tween January 11 and February JO.
The' inspection is required by act of
congress and will be done by officers
of the guard,
Mrs. R. P. Starr of Loup City re
ceived a very nice heirloom from an
aged aunt one day last week It was
a neat little diamond ring, the one
placed on her grandmother's finger by
her grandfather when they were mar
ried. Mrs. Starr will be the custodian
of it in the future.
The other night Mrs. George Buf
fington of Herman, an old lady 70
yearsrof age, but quite active, retired
feeling as well or better than com
mon, and next morning her husband
woke up about 6 a. m. and found her
dead in bed beside him, she having
expired some time during the night
without waking any one.
Negotiations are under way for the
building of an alfalfa feed mill in
Hastings. Some mention was publicly
made of the plans some days ago. The
promotion of two other projects of a
similar nature has been started.
While three sets of men stand ready
to build a mill, only one of the pro
jects is likely to be carried through.
Vera Ross, aged 14, a Scribner girl,
is the champion apron maker of the
world. Miss Ross carried off the
prize in the hand-made apron class at
the National Corn , exposition at Oma
ha. She was awarded a sewins -machine.
Dodge county's school exhibit
won the first premium for the best
collective county exhibit at the show.
Robert J. Fraas has commenced ac
tion in the county court at Seward,
in which he asks for $1,000 from Isma
Bowker, the village clerk at Pleasant
Dale, Seward county, and his bonds
men. Fraas was granted a saloon li
cense In 1907 and contends that he
sustained damages to the above
amount because the clerk failed to is
sue it promptly.
Samuel Wymore, after whom the
town of Wymore was named, suffered
a stroke of paralysis. Mr. Wymore
settled in Gage county in 1863. He
at one time owned the land upon
which the towns of Blue Springs and
Wymore are located. Some years ago
he moved to Idaho, where he now
owns considerable land. Mr. Wymore
Is 73 years of ase.
More than fifteen years after the
death of John L. Martin of Merrick
county his heirs have started suit for
the partition of his estate, and a divi
sion either of the land or of the pro
ceeds of the sale of the land among
the several heirs. During all these
years the estate has been in the pro
bate court and it was not until lately
that a petition for a final settlement
was filed by the widow, Elmira Mar
tin. It is found on checking up the reg
istration of the Peru normal for the
last few years that the registration
in the junior and senior classes is
four times what is was in 1904. It is
also found that about one-fourth of
the normal graduates have been grad
uated in the last' biennium. This
shows a remarkable growth of the
school, indicating an increased de
mand on the part of the state for
trained teachers.
A Union Pacific supply car caught
fire in the yards at. North Bend and
burned up before anything in it could
be saved.
The Wayne Normal closed the fall
term for the holiday vacation of ten
days. The new term opened the 28th.
The outlook is for the largest winter
attendance, the .school has ever had.
Accommodations are planned for 1,000
students.
The H. L. Silver Music company's
store in Beatrice was completely gut
ted by fire. The loss to the stock will
amount to $4,000, with $3,000 insur
ance. August Miller of Bellwood has
purchased 160 acres -of land in Hyde
county. South Cakota. ,
Food Commissioner Johnson is now
going after baking powder firms that
do not label the contents of their
cans. Under the pure food law the
Ingredients of compounds must be la
beled. The commissioner has decided
that baking powder is a compound.
Manufacturers do not like to label
their output because in most cases it
contains alum. A Lincoln whohsa:iir.
whose attention has been called to the
law. has promised to place proper Ia-
1 faels en cans put up by, bis firm.
THE STATE CAPIfAL
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO ALL
'? CITIZENS. I
BETTER SALARIES FOR JUDGES
The Attorney General Gives It as His
Opinion That They Are Entitled
' - a to the Higher Pay.
i. - ' - .
Salaries of Judges.
Under an opinion of the attorney
general, the state- auditor and treas
urer will .allow the claims' of the
three old judges of the supreme court
and all the judges of the district court
to participate immediately in 'the In
crease in salaries provided in the
constitutional amendment. This
raises salaries of supreme judges
from $2,500 to $4,500 a- year and the
salaries of district judges from $2,500
to $3,000 a year.
Judges Reese and Barnes have al
ready filed their salary vouchers for
the quarter ending December 31, al
though more than a week still re
mains before the quarter Is ended.
They claim for the last- month of the
time payment at the $4,500 a year
rate, or $375. The question as to
whether they can be allowed this
money under the constitution was
submitted to Attorney General Thomp
sonwho. has. given his verbal opinion
to the-auditor-that-itwill bejperfectly
regular to allow it
The constitution says:
"The legislature shall never grant
any extra compensation to any pub
lic officer, agent, servant or con
tractor after the service shall have
been rendered or the contract entered
into. Nor 'shall the compensation of
any public officer be increased or
diminished during his term of office"
The last sentence of this section
Is held by many to app'y directly J ta
the case in issue and to mean that
Judges Reese, Barnes and Letton
should not be entitled to the in
crease .provided for in the constitu
tional amendment.
Attorney General Thompson bases
his opinion on several supreme,
court reports..
An interesting question has arisen
as to how the judges could get their
money if the auditor still refused to
issue warrants for more than the old
salary provision. Under the statutes
they would hardly be entitled to man
damus the auditor and treasurer in
either the supreme or district courts
of the state, as every judge on the
bench is personally interested in the
matter.
The total claim of the judges is for
$791.66, of which $416.66 is for serv
ices in October and November under
the old salary and $375 for December
services under the new salary.
Bank Statements.
Secretary Royse of the State Bank
ing Board has issued a compilation
of the statements of the 628 Nebraska
state banks showing their condition at
the close of business November 27.
The resources and liabilities reported
follow.
RESOURCES.
Ixvins and discounts $5o,T21.C27.0l
Overdrafts 554,434.'it
Bonds, securities, judgments.
claims, etc 1.252.315.76
Due from nanks 16,254,555.1)7
Banking house, furniture and
fixtures 2,189.265.55
Other real estate 188.2S1.52
Current expenses and taxes
paid 1,029.751.0$
Other assets 43.18G.5tf
Cisli ... 4,X6o,4 oO.3
Total $81,402,206.24
LIABILITIES.
Capital stock $10,905,030.00
Surplus, fund ' 2.106.892.S2
Undivided profits 2,694.518.33
Dividends unpaid 3,213.41
Total deposits 65,338.753.23
Notes and bills re-discounted S7.148.95
Bills payable 206,650.00
Total $81,402,206.24
State Buys School Bonds.
State Treasurer Brian bought $55,
000 of the school district bonds under
the new constitutional amendment
permitting the investment of state
school funds in such securities and
has received offers from many other
school districts in the state. He be
lieves the new law will be of benefit
to the state and to school districts.
The bonds already purchased will net
the state 4 per cent interest. In
?ach case where the bonds exceed
$500 he desires te buy at this rate
providing the bonds are owned by
school districts. After they get into
the hands of brokers, they will have
to submit them in competition with
brokers.
Seat Reservations.
At the present time but eight mem
bers of the bouse and three in the
senate have failed to secure seat res
ervations. In the house'' Pilger of
Stanton, Saberson of Dixon, Talcott
of Knox, Cooperrider of Adams, Carr
of Cherry, Chase of Dawes, Marlett of
Kearney and Taylor of Hitchcock are
still not located, while Henry of Col
fax, Buhrman of Howard and Tibbetts
of Adams are without definite places
in the senate.
Ban on Headache Powders.
Druggists who have on band head
ache powders, and other medicines
which are not labelled showing their
ingredients, will be arrested and pros
ecuted. The pure food law provided
that druggists who had these inhibited
medicines on band prior to the en
actment of the law would not have en
forced against them the penalty of
the law for selling the same, when it
was so shown at a prosecution. Some
of the druggists took this to mean
that they would not be prosecuted,
and have kept on selling medicines.
Woman to Be Lobbyist
Miss Hardwick, a 'nurse employed
at the Orthopedic hospital, is the first
person to intimate that she intends
to register her name as a lobbyist
She is anxious to have a law enacted
creating a board to examine nurses
and grant them certificates to prac
tice their profession. Bliss Hard
wick was at the state house with a
copy of her bill which she desires in
troduced and was informed that if
she assisted in the passage of the
measure she would have to register
her name as a lobbyist
Gossip of Washington
What Is Goiatf Ob at the
National Capital.
iaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHaaan
Federal Sleuths Kept on the Jump
'CMBSMMIBiVHMHH
WASHINGTON. That branch of the
public service which its detract
ors called "the government spy sysr
tem," or "the Black Cabinet." has been
! brought into conspicuous prominence
I by the tiff between congress and the
president, growing out of the criticism
in the president's message of the ac
tion of congress in circumscribing the
activities of the secret service.
The system of government es
pionage, over the private citizen has
grown in an unprecedented manner
under the administration of President
Roosevelt Whether it conduces to
the general public welfare is a matter
for publicists to discuss, but as to the
fact that the secret service has
reached greater extensions than ever
before there can be no doubt.
This extension has been brought
about by the executive branch of the
government, and its justification, in
large degree, is that a law has no
value unless it is enforced, and the
only way to enforce it is to look after
violations.
to Call a Halt on the Practice
THE origin of the paragraph in the
last sundry civil bill, restricting
the activities of the secret service,
which provoked the hot denunciation
of the president, is decidedly interest
ing. While a subcommittee was fra
ming the sundry civil bill it was
brought to the attention of the mem
bers that a secret service man had
been assigned to keep watch over the
conduct of a certain naval officer. The
application for.'thedetail was made to
the navy- department by the wife of
tfie officer, who was not entirely satis
fied as to the faithfulness of her
spouse. The officer was not even on
duty at the time, but was away on
leave of absence.
It occurred to members of the ap
propriations committee that this was
the limit of governmental espionage
and that the timeahad come to call a
halt. President Roosevelt, of course,
had a secret service sleuth detailed
for such a purpose and when the sub
committee wrote and inserted a pro
Gridiron Club Gives Annual Dinner
THE annual fall dinner of the Grid
iron club, held the other night, was
made noteworthy by the presence of a
distinguished company of guests. An
extended program devoted entirely to
fun-making, made the night one long
to be remembered by the organization.
The company was one only possible
to brinur together at the capital of the
nation. The president, vice-president,
presidenc-elect, vice-president-elect,
presidential possibilities of the future,
senators and representatives almost
without number, an English lord, dip
lomats of this and other countries,
newspaper men whose names ire
known far and wide, captains of
finance and industry, and men of af
fairs generally were seated about the
gridiron-shaped table. Coming so soon
Shameful Treatment . of Uncle Ike
KySjfs ii 1 1 COMMITTEE 1 1
UNCLE IKE STEPHENSON, cham
pion buttonhole story teller or the
senate, has certainly been treated
shamefully since he came down here
last winter to take Mr. Spooner's place
as one of Wisconsin's legislators. He
has the distinction of being the oldest'
man in the senate and at the same
time of being one of the wealthiest,
and he is used" to having his own way.
He had no sooner got here last De
cember than he discovered he had
been assigned a committee room over
in the Maltby building, on B street
northwest. This was too far from base
to suit Uncle Ike, so he- made a good
sized kick, and finally got himself as
signed to a room on the senate ter
race, away down in the ground.
But a great surprise was in store for
Uncle Ike when he returned this De
cember. He had no room at all. His
office furniture was all standing out In
the corridor.. This was too much. Off
he went to see about it. What he
found out was that there had to be a
place to put a new power, plant, and
his room was the only one available.
Where was he to go now? Ob, he'd
have to go over in the house office
building until the senate office build
ing was finished.
So now, Uncle Ike, who has' more
money than he knows how to spend
and who could buy himself a thousand
committee rooms, is located away over
in the extreme southeastern corner
of the house office building Anacostia
they call it In the house and it looks
Originally the secret service of the
United States had two functions and
two only. Those were the detection
of counterfeiters and the hunting
down of illicit distillers. A good many
years ago, however, long bofore Mr.
Roosevelt entered public life, one or
the presidents detailed secret serv
ice men to serve at the White House.
There was not the slightest authority
in lawrfor such a procedure, bat con
gress had a good deal of considera
tion for the executive and this vio
lation of law went on year .after year.
Finally congress, seeing thaj the prac
tice had become permanent 'and not
wishing to engage in a dispute, with
the executive branch, conferred the le
gal authority necessary to enable
presidents to make such a detail.
Gradually the presidents enlarged
the practice of detailing secret serv
ice men and sent them hither and
yonder on all sorts of errands. Then
other administration officers cabinet
chiefs and even bureau heads with
out the remotest authority in law.
called upon the secret service branch
for agents to send out on confiden
tial missions. Chief Wilkie of the
secret service was up a tree, figura
tively speaking. He did not have
men enough to go around. Congress
allowed him a blanket appropriation,
but it was not large enough to hire all
of the detectives demanded.
vision limiting the functions of the
secret service, it was not striking at
the president, but at a custom. At
least that is the solemn assertion of
all the members who had anything to
do with it. Representative Walter L.
Smith of Iowa, drafted the provision
and it was put in with the approval of
Chairman Tawney and all the mem
bers of the appropriations committee.
Gradually congress itself has en
larged the inspection, or espionage,
system of the government, but for the
most part, it has done so under ex
ecutive pressure. Naturally, the fact
that the congressmen helped to cre
ate so many "spies" would be expect
ed to stop their criticism, but it is
fashionable now to blame a good many
things on the president The army of
government detectives numbers al!
told about 5,000. Nearly all of these
men are engaged in traveling about
the country and mingling with the
80,000,000 people outside of Washing
ton. The list includes secret service
men. postoflice inspectors, special
agents of the land service, pure food
inspectors, meat inspectors and oth
ers. The talk that in some instances
secret service agents have been used
to work up damaging information
about congressmen who are objection
able to the administration seems to
be without the slightest foundation.
after the recent national campaign, the
dinner presented an exceptional op
portunity for the merry-makers.
One of the funniest skits was a roll
call after the recent national political
battle. The mournful tap of a drum
was heard in the anteroom and there
came marching in a tattered and dilap
idated troop. Tlie uniforms showed
the members had been on the firing
line. The president of the club an
nounced In solemn voice that the
slaughter had been terrific. The
members of the troop answered
to the roll call. Sergt Jim Wat
son was reported as "killed while
riding to the front on the water
wagon." Private Charlie Landis "fell
at Watson's side," Private Charles G.
Dawes "passed" in his checks." and
Private Frank Lowden was "shot In
the pocket" Corporal Norman E.
Mack was reported as "burying the
dead," Corporal William J. Bryan was
"among the missing," Corporal Loeb
was "in the hands of his friends." Pri
vate Taft was reported present and
Color Sergt. Hitchcock was announced
as "here, with the colors."
as if he will have to stay there for h
few months anyhow.
As a consequence, he is an exceed
ingly sad-looking senator these days.
It is said that some one heard him re
mark the other day that he would put
up a temporary office building of hie
own on the capttol grounds if be could
get the permission. Vain hope.
Two ether seniors have been sent
over to the iiounc office building with
Uncle Ike. They are Cummins of
Iowa and Du Pont of Delaware. But
that doesn't console him any.
Italian Singers.
In view of the fact that In .their na
tive country most Italians of the peas
ant class are given to singing in public
on all and every occasion, it. is curi
ous that we hear so little of their
vocalizing in public here. This state
of affairs was brought sharply to a
man familiar with Italy as a tourist
when he heard a group of half a dozen
young Italian men of the working
class singing some of the lovely pop
ular songs of their native land in an
elevated train in New ToTk on a re
cent Sunday. It was delightful music
to hear and entirely different in every
way from the songs and the singing
one so often hears from a group of
native young men. It was the first
time this particular New Yorker ever
had heard Italian singing in public
and the charm of the music was great
enough to make him regret that It was
not heard more often.
The City Farmer.
"There is no doubt that Chumpleigh
has the correct appreciation of what
is expected of a city farmer."
"What has he" done now?"
"Why, he has just sunk a $1,400 well
on his place in order to supply water
to his $14 cow."
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