he Omaha Daily Bee
The Omaha dee
Is the moit powerful business
retter In the wem, becante It goee
to ttao hornet of poor and rich.
WEATHER FORECAST.
For Nebraska -Generally fair.
For Iowa Fr.lr.
For wathrr report rc rao 2.
VOL. XXXIX NO. 107.
OMAHA, MONDAY MORNING, JANUARY 24, 1910.
SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS.
ENGLISH VOTE
DECLARED TIE
British Political Parties in Most Per
plexing Position that History
Records.
FATIONALISTS HOLD POWER
Premier Asquith Will Need Their
Votes to Legislate.
EOTJST AS TO FATE OF LORDS
Balloting Has Wot Been Without Con
solation for Peers.
IIOIiE RULE ALSO WILL DRAG
ITtnuiih Irish Wield Deriding; Vote,
f'ovrrnmrnt !! Larger Qnnllom
at Ktake to Be Decided
First.
!;NDON, Jan. 23. Never In the recollee
lloi of the olrteit politicians have the
British parties been In such a perplexing
position as, they find themselves today and
ar? likely to face when the next House
or Common Is organized. So evenly
dlvMed with the membership of the next
hoi.se, and ao close Is the popular . vote,
thtt the result of the elections for all prac
tlcnl purposes may be considered a tie.
No hnman mind can divine which of the
principal and different questions before the
tUi'.oio had tlir most Influence at tn polls,
or whether tho results mean taht the people
demand torlff reform, or ara loyal to the
loids. or anxious to reject Chancellor
L'oyd-George's budget, or whether all three
of these hod an equal effect. Under these
circumstances neither party want the, re
sponsibility of attempting to legislate, and,
fc'.rco a division must be ao close, the union
ises are hotter satisfied to be in opposition
than to have won by a very small ma
jority. "
Mr. Balfour's speeches show plainly that
with the existing conditions he Is glad not
to have control of the government. Premier
Asquith would be equally pleased to eecapo
tho perils of piloting the party through the
troubled waters. There are precedents for
him to ask tht king to summon another
lesder to form the government, but no one
expects him to haul down his flag. All
the prophets make the prediction that the
new cabinet will find Itself In the minority
within a year and that the country will
plunge into another general election.
What Flarares Show.
- The remarkable figures recorded at this
stage of the balloting foreshadow clearly
how nearly equal both the popular vote
and the membership- of the House of
Commons will be divided between the two
great factions. The popular vote stands:
Unionists, 2.S6&.627; liberals, 1834,315; labor
Ites, S06.115. This give jLhe united ltberhl--labor
party- atoajorrt ofrl6S,8M In' tout
rote of S,28S,V7. Todty the membership of
the House of Commons Is a tie, the union
1st and the combined labor and liberal
ptrtlea each having elected 218 representa
tives. Ona 'hundred and sixty-seven seats re
main to be filled, of which 108 are English.
In the last Parliament these were: Union
ist, 96; liberal, 115; nationalist, 16. Should
the present trend of voting continue,
neither the unionists nor the liberals can
muster a majority of more than a dosen,
and the nationalists, with eighty-flva votes,
will be wholly, masters of the situation.
The peers and the Irishmen will be domi
nating forces of the next Parliament. Pre
mier Asquith haa two battles to fight, to
reform the lords and to pass the budget,
which failed, and the budget for the coming
year. The prospect Is that both the peers
and the nationalists will vote for the
budgets.
Lords If are , Chance.
The House of Lords can be reformed
only by a bill which the lords must swal
low. They may deny that the country
hra given a mandate for this. The union
ists Insist that the elections have not
proved . that the country desires a change
In the historic status of the upper house.
They argue that a bare majority la not
enough. No country with a written cotv
st'tutlon, auch as the United States, they
point out, can make, such changes by a
mere majority. i
The position of the nationalists Is unique.
With them all questions are subservient
to heme rule. The tariff reformers claim
that tha Irish are all protectionists, if they
could vote that Issue without complica
tions. The nationalists In the last Parlia
ment declared against the budget prin
cipally because they were opposed to In
creased whisky taxes, but they would
probably help It through the next house
as a measure of political strategy.
Home rule is not likely to get far next
session, according to well versed poli
ticians, because the reform of tha House
of Lords, which the prime minister has
written at the head of his program, prom
ises a great struggle. John Redmond,
)er.der of the nationalists, will be a figure
almost as Important as the premier, be
cause Mr. Asquith can do nothing with
out him.
FOURTEEN WRECK VICTIMS
TAKEN FROM SPANISH RIVER
Grnppllaar Operations Result In Re
cover? of Tkli IS amber of Dead
from Ill-fated Train.
SAULT 8TEMAHIE. Mich.. Jan. 23.
Word was received today from the Cana
dlan Pacific wreck at Spanish river that
the wrecked dining oar had been Entirely
removed from the rlverand that the first
claws coach was half out of the water,
the bodies of fourteen victims having been
recovered. Grappling operations were in
stituted today to recover more bodies from
the river.
The following additional names of dead
were given out today:
PATRICK KINAHAN, Bruea Mines. Ont.
It. A. BOOTH. Toronto.
KOl'K-YKAU-OLD GIHL, named Pees,
Bruce Minus.
T COMAS At'SSANT. Blind River.
W. J. ROBKUTSON. auditor of ths
CanHillan Paelfio railroad.
llKV. MR. CH1LDKRHOV8E, North
Bay. Ont.
V- O. 1IKMMRL8. IJsbon. N. D,
It I HAM JOHNSON, Montreal.
AN IXl.KRLY WOMAN'.
TWO MIDDLE AUKD WOMEN.
A YOt'NO WOMAN. '
A 10-YEAR OLD BOY AND 12-YEAR-OLD
BOY are yet unidentified.
Prairie Krrllua finished.
WINNIPEG. Man.. Jan. 2J.-Tho Grand
Trunk Pacific railway completed the
prairie section of Its trans-continental line
last nlRlit. (ei belli laid to Wolf Creek
at ilin font ef tho KiH-ny mountains, where
the uiouiualu section b i-
Iowa Man is
Fatally Hurt on
Eve of Wedding
G. H. Couch of Spencer, Iowa, Here
to Marry, Sustains Fracture
of the Skull.
On the eve of his Intended marriage O.
H. Couch of Spencer, la., fell from his
bed In the Continental Turkish bath, Fif
teenth and Douglas streets, and Incurred
a fracture of the skull which will prob
ably prove fatal.
Mr. Couch Is a well-to-do buslnee man
at Spencer. Ha cams fo Omaha last week
and was to have been' married Sunday to
Mrs. tei b. Clawson, 107 8outh Four
teenth street. The afternoon preceding
the accident, which It Is feared will cost
him his life, Mr. Couch and Mrs. Clawson
had ,r-en together about the city making
j e for fitting up the new home they
? establish.
7- y B. Harris, police surgeon, was
f , f, attend Couch, whom he found
ffering from a nervous spasm,
l - be.bly caused the fall from the
b " i 4 Injured man wr taken to St
Jd, spltal.
expresses grave doubts of the
posy-
recovery.
Cf" jis Due
To Big Influx
Of Immigrants
New Tork Prison Records Disclose
that Foreign Population is in
Main Responsible.
ALBANY, N. T., Jan. 23,-The recent re
markable Increase In prison population In
New York state Is due largely to the In
flux of Immigrants Into the state, thinks
C. V. Collins, superintendent of state pris
ons, who. In his annual report to the leg
islature, suggests that the federal govern
ment, which permits these alien criminals
to land on its shores, should assume th"
burden of maintaining them until they
have served their sentences, when they
should be deported and never allowed to
return.
A census of 4,330 prisoners In Sing Sing,
Auburn and Clinton prisons showed that
1,091, or 25 per cent, were aliens.
"It Is a fact worthy of note," says the
superintendent, "that among the nineteen
condemned prisoners there was no natural
ised cltlsen of the United States, nor do
the prison records show that a naturalised
oltisen has been executed In this state
since the electrical execution law took ef
fect In 1889. The total number of execu
tions during thla period was 117."
I . L '
Mill of Wasp V'
Mine Destroyed
Loss of Nearly Hundred Thousand
. Dollars in Black Hills Fire
Started in Tanks.
'LEAD, S. D., Jan. 23. (Special Tele
gram.) While drying out the sand tanks
at the mill of the Wasp No. 2 mine on
Yellow oreek this morning a fire of wood
got away from the workmen In tank No. 3
and, fanned by a high wind, communicated
with the mill building ' proper. In a few
moments the entire structure was In
flames, and there being no fire protec
tion it burned to the around. Thn lr In
estimated at from $87,000 to $100,000 and the i
insurance carried -at from $23,000 to $25,000:
The mill, which had been In" operation for
the last nine years, will be rebuilt at once,
as Wasp No. I Is one of the best paying
mines In the Black Hills. Rn
John Gray, after a shutdown 'of several
monxns, during which expensive improve
ments had been made to the nlant. had
about arranged for reopening operations
ana work in the mines. Many miners and
laborers will be thrown out of work be
cause of the fire.
RICHARD H. RUSHTON DEAD
i
Philadelphia Banker nnd Railroad
Financier Dies After Long;
Illness,
PHILADELPHIA.; Jan. 23-Rlchard H.
Rushton, president of the Fourth Street
National bank, one of the largest financial
Institutions in the elty, died thla evnlng
from a complication of diseases. "
Mr. Rushton was a vice president of
the Tonapah and Ooldfleld railroad and
was a member of the Whltnsy-Elklns
syndicate, which some years ago secured
control of the Tonapah Gold Mining com
pany. Three yeara ago Mr. Rushton'a
system waa almost wrecked by a bomb
explosion. An unidentified man who had
been refused money, dropped a bomb at
Mr. Rushton's offloa door, Instantly kill
ing the stranger and the cashier of the
bank. Mr. Rushton was Injured and never
recovered from the ahock.
Steamship Cleveland May
Have to Pay Heavy Fine
WASHINGGTON. Jan. 2S,-If tha Hamburg-American
Una steamshln Cleveland
Just completing a trip around the world
witn about 650 American tourists does
not wish to Incur a penalty under the
coastwise laws of 1200 for each pas
senger aboard, it will go to Vancouver,
B. C, Instead of terminating the vovaa-e
at Ban Francisco. In response to a re
quest for instructions from tha collector
at San Francisco, Acting Secretary Cable
of the Department of Commerce and
Labor has notified htm of this decision.
The law governing the rase, Mr. Cabla
says Is clear and prescribes:
"No foreign vessel shall transport pas
sengers between ports or vlaces In he
United States, either directly or by way
of a foreign port under a penalty of 1100
for each paasenger ao transported and
landed."
It haa been contended, Mr. Cabla says,
that ths law In question is a coastwise
law and applied only to coastwise buvl
neas and that this trip Is not coastwise
business. There Is nothing In the law
Itself ItmlLs its uunlUttun. be
CONGRESS HEEDS
WORDS FROM TAFT
President Succeeds in Uniting Repub
lican Members and Putting
Democrats to Rout.
MEMBERS BUST ON HIS PROGRAM
Senate Committees Take Up Admin
istration Bills.
INSURGENTS SEE RIGHT LIGHT
Threatened Fusion with Minority
Now Little Feared.
EXECUTIVE SHOWS MASTER HAND
More, Work Being Done In Early
Part of First Regular Session
Than in Many Years at
Capital.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23. Activity, such
as has seldom, If ever before, been dis
played by committees so early In the first
regular session of a congress. Is now In
evidence In both wings of the capitol.
Although there are practically three
parties, tho "Tegular" republicans, the "In
surgent" republicans and the democrats,
there are signs on every hand that Presi
dent Taft by. steering hi characteristic
"middle of the road" course la dally gain
ing supporters tor his legislative lrojram.
The kl!l shown by the president In avoid
ing clashes with either faction ef the rul
ing party and the knack he has exhibited
In compelling the aid of both in his fight
for the redemption of party pledges has
noticeably Impressed the democratic minor
ity. In the house there are Indications that
the threatened fusion of democrats and in
surgent republicans on several legislative
questions is now little feared by the ma
jority. ' .
Democrats Pnt to. Ront.
"Taft Is trying to beat the democrats out
of any . prosp. t of controlling the next
house," remarked a prominent democratic
deader of the senate yesterday, speakln;
frankly to his colleagues of both parties
-In a committee session considering an ad
ministration bill. "If It were not for the
way he Is knocking republican heads to
gether and making them fall into Una for
advanced lcgisla Ion democratic legislation,
if you please we Would get you fellows
sure," predicted this mlnor.ty leader, ad
dressing the republicans present.
.The senator was talking to men who had
JuHt agreed upon the principle of a piece
of western legislation that few of them
favored at heart The Incident furnishes
a good illustration of the present con
gressional situation.
Committees are now considering subjects
usually postponed until after appropriation
bills are passed by tho Jiouje.' The, senate
committees under pressure' from the 'White
Hot e have laid' plans to take up admin
istration measures ' while the housa has
supplied bills under consideration.
No More Marking Time.
The Indications' now are that by the time
the house calendar has been bared of bills
relating to the budget the senate will have
ready for the attention of that body a
number of the most Important of the Taft
bills. The picture of one branch of. con
gress marking time for the other, which
has been a feature of the laet several ses
sions, bids fair to be turned to th3 wall.
Senate .leaders who. have gone to the
W hlte House have been told that it is not
necessary to wait for action by tha house
on matters designed to carry out repub
lican pledges. Those who have been ln-
clined to stay away from the White House
have been sent for or the warning has
been delivered to them by their colleagues.
Not content with such notice, Mr. Taft has
taken the further precaution of getting
Vservlce by publication." In other words,
he has made the newspapers his confidents
and, perhaps, Incidentally his supporters,
on most of the advanced legislation pro
posed by him.
It is ( regarded as highly probable that
the president's proposed railroad legislation
will be enacted at the present sasslon, re
gardless of the fact that the bills on the
same subjects and j somewhat opposed to
the Taft bill, have been Introduced In. the
senate by Mr. Cummins and in the house
by Mr. Mann. 0
Some Opposition.
There may be democratic opposition to
certain features of the administration bill.
Mr. Tillman la now studying It and already
has reached the conclusion that the propo
sition to allow railroads, under1 certain
conditions, to make Joint rates, amounts to
pooling.. The republicans say he la mis
taken, and an Interesting session of the
senate committee on Interstate commerce
Is predicted for Friday of this week. Rail
road bills will be taken up by the house
committee on Thursday.
The president's federal incorporation bill
la expected to have the hardest sledding of
any measure In his legislative program.
Land bills and measures designed to carry
on tho work of conserving natural re
sources will receive careful attention at the
present session, regardless of probable ex
tension Into next summer of the lnvestlga-
(Continued on Second Page.)
says. The steamer Is due In Sun Fran
cisco in a few days.
HONOLULU, Jan. .-Wlth a fine of
1200 for each passenger landed here con
fronting the vessel, as a penalty for
violating the coastwise shipping laws,
which forbid a foreign ship from carrying
passengers from one American port to
another, the Hamburg-American steam
ship Cleveland, with 660 around-lhe-world
tourists from New York, Is due to arrive
at Honolulu tomorrow.
The Treasury department at Washing
ton cabled to Collector of the Port Stack
able today to enforce the coastwise reg
ulations upon ths steamship's arrival, and
that no exception will be made in this
case. While tha fine of $200, it is under
stood here, will only be Imposed on about
tea or twelve of the tourists who expect
to remain in Honolulu, thla penalty will
apply to all the passengers upon tha
arrival of the steamship at San Fran
cisco, whence the tourists expect to
return to New York by rail. The
Cleveland Is under foreign register and
sailed trout JWaw YatlL on October 14.
' . I I f
J' ril5
Bryan: There, There,
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
JOINT COMMITTEE TO BEGIN
This Week Will . Mark Start of
Ballinger-Pinchot Inquiry.
HOUSE WILL AGREE TO GRAHAM
i '
Little Likelihood of Opposition to His
Selection as Member of luvestl
Knttnir Uodyw Bltrhcpck
. Charisea.-
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.-Thls week will
probably see the beginning of work by the
Joint special committee which has been
named to investigate the subjects popularly
grouped under the title of "The Ballingey
Pinchot Controversy."
For the moment the affairs of the In
terior department are before two commit
tees, for aside from the main investigation,
the charges of Representative Hitchcock
of Nebraska, alleging reckless and Im
proper, expenditures of the deportment of
which Secretary Ballinger la the head, are
being Investigated by the bouse committee
on expenditures for that department. The
committee will resume hearings tomorrow.
When the house meets tomorrow It will
probably ratify the selection of Representa
tive Graham of Illinois as one of lh demo
cratic members of the Joint special Investi
gating committee, who was chosen by the
democratic caucus Saturday night In place
of Representative Lloyd.
Tho committee will consist of the fol
lowing; Senators Knude Nelson of Minnesota,
chairman; Frank P. Flint of California,
George Sutherland of Utah, Klihu Root of
New York, Thomas J. Paynter of Kentucky
and Duncan "U. Fletcher of Florida.
Representatives Samuel W. McCall- of
Masbachusotts, M. E. Olmsted of Pennsyl
vania, E. 'H. Madison of Kansas, Edwin
Denby of Michigan, Ollle James of Ken
tucky and James M. Graham of Illinois.
NEW YORK SENATORS
WILL HAVE INVESTIGATION
Legislative Activity Abruptly United
by Charges Made Agulnst
Senator Allds.
ALBANY, N. Y., Jan. 23. Legislative
activity In the New Yory senate has been
abruptly halted by the grave accusations
mado by Senator Conger against tha Integ
rity of Senator Allds, the republican ma
jority leader, the proposed investigation of
which promises Interesting developments.
The senate has decided to conduct the in
vestigation as a whole and In the open,
but the method of procedure has yet to be
adopted.
The man who owns
an automobile
should take advan
tage of this severe
weatfyer to have his
car th o r o u g h ly
overhauled and
painted.
On the first want ad page,
under, the classification, Auto
mobiles, are a number of firms
who are skilled in automobile
overhauling and painting.
There are also many opportuni
ties to purchase a good used car
cheap under thli popular casblflca
' tlon.
Have you read the Want Ada
tod&r?
1 1
Aft' t OHLY
Called HfM
Never Mind, Those Republicans
V
Miners Have
Wage Problem
Before Them
United' Workers This Week Will
Decide -What Increase to De
mand of Operators.
npanasnaaanat i
INXTANAPOLI9t hid.; Jan. tS. The most
momentous question before the bituminous
coal miners of ' the United States what
per cent of Increase In wages shall they
demand and Just how far shall they go In
enforcing the demands confronts the con
vention of the United Mine Workers In this
city this week. The wage scale commit
tee will report to the convention, the con
vention will adopt or amend the commit
tee's report and the demand will be sub
mitted to the owners of the mines at the
Joint conference for western Pennsylvania,
Ohio and Indiana, to be held on February
1, either at Toledo or Indianapolis. The
new wage contract Is to be dated April 1. The
per cent of wage Increase to be demanded
by the miners will probably be 10, accord
ing to the more conservative leaders, but
some local unions are Insisting-that 20 per
cent Increase be asked, and 'one resolution
submitted demands 40. .
The report of the committee preparing a
plan for the amalgamation of the metal
and coal miners' unions the Western Fed
eration of Miners and ' the . United Mine
Workers of America to be given to the
convention this week, will be of interest.
JOHN F. OBERG KILLS HIMSE.LF
Former " Living- Near 'Valley Drinks
Carbolic Acid I-gaves Wife
nn iisrse Family.
VALLEY. Neb., Jan. 23 (Special.) John
F. Oberg committed suicide at his home
this afternoon at 1:30 by drinking carbolic
acid. Oberg lived three miles northeast of
Valley and was quite well known. Ha was
eccentric at times. He 'leaves a wife and
seven children, the youngest a babe In
arms.
DEATH RECORD.
I.ary Truendcll.
BRADSHAW. Neb., Jan. 23. (Special.)
The funeral of Lacy Trueedell took place
at the farm homo, three and a half miles
west of this place, at 2:30 o'clock yester
day afternoon. Mr. Tuesdell had lived In
thla vicinity since his early boyhood. His
death occurred Thursday evening, the
Iresult of blood poisoning, after an Illness
of nearly four weeks. He leave a wife,
a brother and two sisters. Interment was
made in the Bradshaw cemetery, In charge
or the Ancient Order of United Workmen
lodge.
1 George H. Senuhmann.
LOUISVILLE, Jan. 23. George H. Schu
mann, president of the Louisville Anxelger
company and one of the oldest German
American newspaper men In the United
States, died today, aged 73. Mr. Schumann
had been at the head of the Anxelger for
half a century. He was honorary president
of the Louisville Llederkrans society.
New Comet Seen by Naval
and Harvard Observatories
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.-A new comet,
outshining Venus in brlllancy, is visible
in the sky bera last night. Along tha At
lantic seaboard in the south, where the
skies are not clouded it can be most
clearly seen.
Although unidentified by the scientists,
It is unmistakably distinguished from
Hailey's comet, and the astronomers at
the naval observatory here have trained
their telescopes upon it night and day
for nearly a week. It la now so close to
the sun that the., scientists have not been
able to see It plainly by day, and the
nights have been so clouded that their
view haa been obscured.
Early In the week the comet was
visible at Johannaburg, South Africa. Its
appearance waa reported by cablegrams
to the naval observatory bare and the
Never Could Take a Joke.
RIME OBSERVES NEW COMET
Creig-hton Astronomer Sees Celestial
Surprise for an Hour.
NEW ARRIVAL MADE A SNEAK
trader Cover of Cloudy Wrstber, thn
Comet Made Progrresa on Other
, .aide of the Sun Haa "
. ".wj.. , .1,,. . Lonat Tnii. 'it
Rev, William F. Rlgge, astronomer of
Cretghton university, picked , up the new
comet Sunday evening. It was observable
from Crelghton two or three minutes after
3 o'clock and was In sight until 7 o'clock.
"It was directly west," said Father Rlgge,
"about one-third the distance from Venus
to tha western horizon. The comet Is ap
parently of very substantial slse and has
a pretty large tall."
Father Rlgge also said this comet must
not be confounded with Hailey's comet.
"This new arrival is a traveler that has
stolen upon us on the other side of the sun
during the cloudy weather. It will prob
ably be In sight for a week."
The Crelghton astronomer talks with con.
slderable enthusiasm of the new arrival
and applies to It some comment In his own
delightful way, Indicating that the comet
haa stolen a march on even careful ob
servers. Because of the very fact that this
comet now In' sight Is new, Father Rlgge
hesitated to give public utterance to any
thing concerning It until he could see It
through his own glass. Now heT welcomes
It as a highly diverting surprise party and
is fairly reveling In quaint and original
talk on such an unexpected appearance.
Of Hailey's Comet Itself, Father Rlgge
says its location' Is so well known It Is
quite commonplace. It Is In view now, but
has not yet acquired a tall. Later on It
will, pr ought to, acquire a tail as long as
any other sky cat. But at that tha Halley
comet haa some qualifications of greatness,
If distance enhances the enchantment of
the view, for it Is thirty-five times aa far
from the sun as we are when It la at the
most distant point from that orb.
Seen from Other Points.
An Omaha traveling man who passed
through Genoa Saturday evening called up
The Bee Sunday to add his testimony to that
of others that It is a real comet that is
hanging in the southwestern sky.
"I wasn't drunk," he Insisted, "and there
were twenty-five others aa sober as I was
who saw it. We were waiting for the train
about 6:45 when we saw the comet. Venus
waa visible at the samo time and the comet
was a little southwest of Venus In the
southwestern sky. A tall seemingly a yard
and a half long projected eastward from
the comet, which waa easily seen. We all
looked at It for some time until the horlxon
became clouded. There is no doubt In my
mind about Its being a comet. It could
not have been Venus, because Venus was
visible at the same time "
scientists have been on the watch for It
night and day.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 23 -A cable
messuge has been received at the Harvard
college observatory from Kiel giving cal
culations of the orbit of tha new comet,
known as "Comet A, 1010." The comet
was nearest tha sun January IT, Its
dlstanc from It then being 1,500,000
miles. It 1 now receding and diminish
ing In brightness, but Is expected to be
an Interesting object for several days in
the southwest after sunset.
TOLEDO, O., Jan. M.-Itev. Father
Hllllg, professor of astronomy of St.
Johns college, saw a new comet last night
Just after sunset. It was plainly visible
to the naked eye. The comet appears
southwest to the right of Venus and be
tween. Venua and the horlkoo.
"ECONOMY," CUl'
PKICBJIQIITEBS
Battle Against High Charges Sounds
Note of Warning to All on
Expenditures. '
MOVEMENT GREATEST IN ,WEST
East Slower to Take Up Gage Against
Packers.
MIDDLEMEN ARE HARDEST HIT
Not So Well Equipped as Big Com
panies for Contest.
m 4
INVESTIGATION BEGINS TODAY
Chicago Pnrkera Bny They Welcome
Look In nt Methods Grand
Jury Promises to Do
Thorough.
CHICAGO. Jan. 2S.-"Rovolutlons havs
been started by leas than the American
people are suffering now," says Senator
Joseph L Bristow of Kansas. "Meat foots
up to a quarter of tha average household
expenses and It ought to be cheaper today
Instead of dearer than It was twenty-five
years ago, because of the greater economy
In Its preparation for sale. When I was
a boy, 2D per cent of the carcass went to
waste. Now, nothing goes to waste,' not
even the blood." ' .
Senator Brlstow'a words crystallse the
sentiment of protest In all parts of ths
country against the higher cost of living.
Thus far the movement, which first took
form In an actual boycott at Cleveland,
haa met with the moat of success In the
west. The east has been slower to fol
low. Influenced perhaps by a widespread
among small dealers and In the labor un
ions that a universal boycott, though ef
fective as a protest, would actually play
Into the hands of the packers, who, with
their control of cold storage houses and
refrigerator lines, could carry their pro
duct through a prolonged boycott whereaa
even thirty days cessation of trade would
put the small independents out of busi
ness. 1 ' ;
Necessity for Bcononty.
What the scattered and sporadic boy
cotts all over the country and the universal
protest have done, however. Is to focus the
attention of the nation upon the necessity
for economy. The mast serious warnings
have been sounded on ' this subject by
economists, statlatlcans and business men
without bringing the, truth home to the
pocplo as haa their sudden realization of Its
application In one particular.'
President W. C. Brown of the New Tork
Central lines said In a recent address: "The
most Important cloud upon the political or
economic horlzpn is the steady, relentless
Increase in price of, everything that goes
makeirp--he.c6t pi-liytpg.,i ,,; ,
to
rror. e. r. A. seiigham of Columbia sayat
"The situation is really so serious that the
government should awaken to it."
James J.- Hill has said that unless more
economical methods of farming are devlsod
the nation In another generation will ' be
Importing Its food supplies.. Such men as
these hope that the present national
awakening will not exhaust Itself on one
particular phase of a national peril.
Against public clamor the paoker reply-
that high prices for meats are attributable
to the high price of corn and advocate that
the poor be educated to eat oheaper cuts.
'These cuts are Just as good and more
wholesome If properly cooked,", says Harold
Swift of Swift and Company, "Prices are
very high, but there is eyery indication that
they will go higher."
Actual consumption of meat Is reported by
retail dealers everywhere to have dropped
sharply. . , . ,
Investigators Are Ready.
With the heads of all the big packing
houses gathered here and attorneys arrayed
on each side, the government's Investiga
tion of the dressed meat Industry Is ex
pected to be ready for action - when the
federal grand Jury convenes tomorrow.
Whether the price of meat is artificially
kept high 1b to be the contention of a battle
which may last for weeks.
Subpoenas have been prepared to brlnf
before the Jury witnesses from all depart
ments of the packing house business, and
It Is promised this inquiry, will : surpass
all former attempts for thoroughness.
The packers are ready for combat. "All
I've got to say," sold J. Ogden Armour,
"is that such co-operation as may exist
among the packers , is a benefit to the
public rather than the reveree,"
Three lines of action have been outlined.
These are:
Criminal prosecution for alleged viola
tion of the anti-trust law.
Civil action for the dissolution of the
National Packing company.
Contempt proceedings for alleged viola
tion of Judge Grosscup's Injunction, re
straining packers from fixing prices in
restraint of trsdo.
Practically all of the evidence gathered
by the- government In a prevfeus Investi
gation, It Is said, has been abandoned and
entirely new data, obtained during several
months, will be utilized.
Much Interest has been taken hero in tha
appointment, of Charles B. Morrison, spe
cial assistant to the attorney general,' to
the position of federal master In chancery,
Mr. Morrison has been made thorouuhlv
familiar with the beef situation. A master
In chancery will be selected by the court
to take evidence If District Attorney Sims
riles civil proceedings against tha packers.
Tho queetlon has been anaed. Will Mr.
Morrison be selected to take the evidence?
It is said the packers will oppose him on
the ground that his previous experience
has disqualified him.
EXTRA ENGINE IS CAUSE
OF FATAL WRECK IN SOUTH
Takes Track When It Hhonld Have
Observed Schedule of Reaulttr '
Passenger Train.
JACKSON, Tenn., Jan. IT-Flroman
Moore was killed. Fireman Fostee Was
fatally Injured from scalding, Engineer M.
Msroney had b?th legs broken, while F.ngl
neer John Tatum saved his life by laaplng
from his tab when passenger train No S.
St. Louis to Mobile, on the Mobile A Ohio,
collided headon with an extra engine to
dsy at Carrol. Tenn. Express Misienger
Carroll was badly shocked. None of the
passengers was Injured. The extra engine,
Just out of the shops, was making a trial
run to Humboldt, running without orders,
It Is said,, and should have oberrvad the
schedule of the passenger train. The paa
senger engine was driven through the ex
presa car.