'Cbe Conservative *
this corporation amount to $14,000,000
at this time. The 500-frauc shares are
now quoted at the ouorinous price of
1,170 fraucs , though the quotations for
shares have at times been oven greater
than this amount. The increase in the
capital of the Credit Lyonnais is also to
bo followed by an increase in the capital
of the National d'Escompte de Paris
from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 , which is
finally to bo raised to $40,000,000. Great
increase is shown in the business of this
banking corporation also. These new
shares are to bo of 500-franc value , and
are to bo issued preferentially to the
holders of existing shares at 575 francs ,
the price of the shares at present being
(505 ( francs. In the course of the last
year four of the largest banks iu France
the Societo Generale , Credit Indus-
triel , Comptoir d'Escompto , and the
Credit Lyounais have added to their
cnpital no loss than $83,500,000 , which
shows great development in business.
Working iiu Old Gold Field.
The development and 'working of
Georgia gold mines on a large scale aud
with improved machinery will soon be
in progress. Cue company at least has
gone into the work , having purchased
and consolidated a number of the old
mines near Dahlonoga. It is now erect
ing a large mill , of 100 stamps , and
chloriuation works , and is spending a
largo amount of money in the construc
tion of tramways , electric power plants
and other facilities for working its prop
erties. It is understood also that the
company will try , on some of its prop
erties , deeper mining than has yet been
undertaken in the district.
H ° U' J ° hU
THOMPSON ON
L ofFend
STEVENSON.L TllOUlpSOU ,
Fond du Lac ,
Wis. , has long boon identified with the
best elements of the old-fashioned , hon
est money deniocracracy. He is a law
yer of high repute and the confidential
friend and office mate of General Bragg
of the Iron Brigade. Mr. Thompson has
been known favorably to the editor of
TUB CONSKIIVATIVE for more than forty
years , and therefore the following let
ter from his virile pen is with greal
felicity reproduced :
"Fond du Lac. , Wis. , Aug. 8 , 1900.
Hon. Adlai E. Stevenson , Bloomiugton
III. Dear Sir : Upon this , th < 3 8th day
of August , 1900 , and the fifth torrid day
of a somewhat protracted spell of over
heated weather , there comes from the
renowned section of our old country
known as Duluth , a letter to the public
written by Charles A. Towno , a resident
of that classical burg , and distributee
through the medium of some sort of a
notification committee. This is a relief
as it simplifies to some extent the lower
end of the ticket you have been callec
upon to represent.
"From a perusal of his epistle it is
easily discernible that Mr. Towne has
) con impressed , in the not very distant
past , with the idea that he had in some
way become a nominated candidate for
; ho office of vice president , endorsed by
one wing and expected to have been en
dorsed by two other wings of the Popn-
istic , free-silver democratic combina-
ion. Mr. Towne leaves us iu doubt
whether or not he expected to bo en
dorsed by the anarchistic contingent ,
jut perhaps the mixture of that element
in the Sioux Falls convention ( the only
one issuing a certificate of nomination
to him ) was sufficiently satisfying with
out a direct reference.
"Mr. Towno's letter informing the
voting power of this great country that
he has concluded to forfeit his entrance
tee aud withdraw from the race is
; imely , and I have no doubt will meet
with the full approbation of at least all
the gold democrats. Some old demo
crats will , doubtless , insist that the tail
to the ticket manufactured at Kansas
City is still too heavy. I congratulate
you upon your escape from the danger
of bang handicapped by a scattering of
votes upon the tail of the ticket.
"Now , to be fully serious , my object
iu addressing you this letter is to inquire
by what license Mr. Towne is author
ized to inform the public , as he does at
the conclusion of his specious eulogy
upon you , that you were one who 'as
vice-president from 1893 to 1897 distin
guished himself by rebelling against the
betrayal of democratic principles by
President Cleveland. '
"If Mr. Towue is correct , then cer
tainly it would seem to bo your duty to
inform old democrats what democratic
principles President Cleveland betrayed.
This is rendered necessary for the rea
son that the old democrats , who have
only had the pleasure of voting twice iu
over forty years for a successful candi
date for president , are somewhat impa
tient when asked to adopt now creeds
and follow a 'peerless leader' just out
side the statutes of limitation.
"Such attempted disparagement of Mr.
Cleveland , coming from a 50 cent-on-
tho-dollar silver republican , will doubt
less have little effect upon the public
mind , but if left to stand with your en
dorsement it may be considered ungra
cious , to say the least. I am an original
anti-imperialist , and when the upper
end of your tiokeb was beginning to
play amateur soldiering I was , in an
humble way , suggesting that diplomacy
controlled by wisa statesmanship , could
be made effective in settling the Cuban
difficulty with Spain , and have never
doubted that disastrous consequences
would follow our going to war , and
never doubted that the time would come
when a majority of the American pee
pie would consider the war and its con
sequences nearly akin to a crime.
"Again , when your 'matchless leader
had resigned his soldiering and appeare <
in Washington to belabor senators , with
vhom it was supposed ho had influence ,
o vote for and hurry up the ratification
of the Paris treaty , I was iu a modest .
way trying to impress upon the public
mind the necessity for the senate to
make a careful and deliberate study of
he treaty and its probable effects , pres
ent and future , upon our own people ,
ogother with the duties and obligations
t would impose upon our government
; oward a foreign people.
"If auti-imporialism is to bo consid
ered the paramount issue in this can
vass , as Eoino contend , you will see I am
quite sound , but my notions and ideas
upon that subject were resolved upon
before your several times nominated
running mate was born. I have yet
great faith iu the intelligence of the
American people , but it would strain
my political credulity to believe they
would elect George Washington upon
the warmed-up Chicago plntform , if ho
were alive and running , aud yet George
Washington possessed the largest con
sistency of character. and principles.
Yours very respectfully ,
JOHN I. THOMPSON. "
A NEW INVENTION IN SHOES.
A young man , Mr. Hain of Munich ,
Bavaria , has invented a new system of
summer and winter shoes , which prom
ises to be a great success. The summer
or ventiduct shoes , as they are technic
ally termed , are so constructed that the
hot air is pressed out and the fresh air
admitted at every stop by means of ducts
in the soles communicating with the
outside air through a passage at the
back of the shoo , which is in the form of
a naif-boat. Persons who suffer from
perspiration of the feet , find immediate
and permanent relief by this arrange
ment for ventilation. They are also ex
cellent for bicyclists as they keep the
feet from getting overheated and tired.
Physicians also recommend them as a
preventive of some quite prevalent
abdominal diseases. Indeed , they will
prove to be a veryt comfortable and
hygienic foot-gear for everyone , as the
writer has learned from , his own experi
ence.
The winter or calefact shoes , so called
because they are heatable , contain an
apparature in the hollow heel of the
shoe consisting of a compact cylinder of
combustible material about an inch long
and half an inch thick , which , when
lighted , burns into a gentle glow for
eight hours or more. It is covered with
a thin layer of asbestos , over which is
the insole of the ahoe. The warm air is
diffused through the shoe from the heel
by means of a system of ducts similar to
the ventilating ducts in the summer
shoes. The calefact shoes are especially
useful to persons who are obHged to
stand out of doors for a long time in
cold weather. Both kinds of shoes do
not differ in size , weight or appearance
from ordinary shoes. The specimens
which the writer has seen were hand
made and quite elegant in form.