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McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 28 Apr 1886, p. 3

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| J. ¥MI M.YKE. M torsad PaMMMr. * MoHENBY, $ - ILLINOIS. SENATOR SPOOXER has good-humor- edly stood a great deal of chaffing about his small stature, but at last he is re­ ported to be getting rather tired of the continual notice which is taken of him. "Great Scott!" he said the other day, *do people expect a man to be seven­ teen feet high because he happens to lie a Senator?" t- fcft':' / ,, CHRISTIAN GLAUSER, of 'Reading, Pennsylvania,is one of the few dealers, if jbot the only dealer, in dogs' meat in r this country. He keeps it on hand to eell to persons -who think it may be good for their health, and also tries out the fat and sells it as a cure for colds, rheumatism, and troubles of tne chest. He says that the meat of a fat dog has rich, delicate flavor, that everybody relishes who tastes it, and there is no finer-looking meat than dressed dog. THE City of Pekin, which sailed from San Francisco for China recently, took 2,400 Chinese. Many of them were . ©Id, diseased, crippled, and poor, and /there were a number of women and children. The Chinaman in charge eaid it was necessary to send all such .Jiome, because they feared trouble this >fcummer, and wanted to get all out of the way who might be a burden on those who remain. Many of them went " lit the expense of the Chinese societies. • -F THE Hungarian Count Zichy has a remarkable personal history. Losing lit the age of 14 his right arm, from tiunting, after a foreecP rest of a few months, he determined to apply him- ,„j&elf until he could.do everything as well as if he were not physically dis­ abled. So perfectly has he succeeded that to-day he rides, drives, rows, fences, Writes, serves himself in every way, is H welcome society man, and, best of all, plays the piano finely, having been a .pupil of Liszt for six years. He was taught to replace the missing hand by # the thumb of the left hand, and is able . to make "bounds" of five and six oc­ taves. SENATOR TOM BOWEN, of Colorado, said to a party of friends the other day: "One of the most unfortunate things » that can happen to a man in this world Is to achieve an undeserved reputation for wealth. When I was elected to the , Senate three years ago I was astounded ' 4o learn from the newspapers that I was •worth between $5,000,000 and $10,000,- 000. I had never seen so much money In my b'fe, but I judge from the number ©f begging letters I received tlint every­ body believed that I had it The truth is, I have never had at one time a mil- ' lion dollars' worth of property in my life, though I hope to reach that figure ibefore I die." M. CHARLES GIRARD, chemist, of Paris, recently amused himself by in­ vestigation of. the ingredients of a beau­ tiful red currant jelly, charmingly put -Tip for export to/the United States. Tlu re was not au atom of fruit in the , mass, as was demonstrated by the add­ ing to it of methylated alcohol, which would have turned it green had it con­ tained any fruit acid. It was found to consist of gelatine, sweetened with glycerino residue, colored with pichsine (a poisonous mineral extract), and fla- Tored wifdi no one knows what. A great many people in this country imagine no currant jelly is so good as that which is imported from France. THERE seems to be a change of senti­ ment in the celebrated Senator Jones matter. A New York paper is glad that a man who has made such a spec­ tacle of himself should stay away from Washington. From this it would seem that New York papers have little mercy on Detroit. The Philadelphia News lias an editorial headed "The Great Jones Question," and it says, "His ab­ sence has helped rather than hindered legislation." The editorial is rather severe on the Senator. Its ending sen­ tences are: "Mr. Jones is merely a nuisance to one person where he is now, and in the Senate he is a nuisance to many. The great J ones question should be let alone." , Miss Rosa Squire ever goes on a strike she will have the sympathy of all the newspapers. At present Rosa is not "killing" locomotives but saving them. The fair Rosa i§ station agent at Richmond Hill on the Long Island Railroad. A heavy load of stone stuck on the railway and the driver whipped up his horses, whereupon the team broke loose and ran away, - leav­ ing the wagon asross the track. Rosa grasped the situation,, and a red flag at the same moment. She ran to the curve and waved the flag. The express succeeded in stop- pteg^twenty feet from the wagon, al­ though it nearly jerked the heads off the passengers in doing so. THE New York police have broken up * youths' sneak-thief club. The youngsters desired instruction in their trade, and hired a broken-down thief to deliver a lecture on the subject. His first discourse was on the penalties for different grades of robbery, and espe­ cially he pointed out the foolishness of taking big risks for little boodle. "Don't break into any house," he said, "unless you feel sure you can capture a heavy swag, because that is burglary, punish­ able with ad much as twenty years' im­ prisonment. Don't use force against persons, because that constitutes high­ way robbery, with the same penaltv, no matter if you only take a dime. But sneak into hallways, load yourselves with coats from the racks, and scoot away, because a year in the peniten­ tiary is the most you can get for merely stealing less than twenty-five dollars" worth, and a jury will usually scale a coat down to that figure." The enter­ prising thieves were so well pleased with the lecture that they applied to a more conscientious expert for another, and he informed the polices EHERGY, industry and persever­ ance in any one line of business is almost sure to result in fortune. Frank L. Osburn, of New York, a young man of 28, managed to accumulate $90,000 ill the short space of five months. Of course he had to deny himself many pleasures. He had no time to fool around saloons or poke long cues over green tables. He stuck to business, Osburn did, and success crowned his efforts. It is somewhat unfortunate that a little injudiciousness in the selec­ tion Of hjii business made the police crown his efforts also with a pair of un­ comfortably tight handcuffs. Still there isjio getting over it that Frank was in­ dustrious. He worked boarding houses. He would pay for a room in advance and rob the house. Per­ severance and a strict application to business enabled him to accumulate the amount named, but it is feared that a residence in Sing Sing may prevent him from getting all the enjoyment out of it that he could wish. THE Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette says: "Bill Lewis and Mrs. Maria Fe­ lix stood up beforo the minister at Edenton, in Clermont County, recently to be married, when the preacher said: 'If any man knows any good and sufficient reason why this couple should not be joined in the hoi}- bonds of wed­ lock, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace.' Whereupon the prospec­ tive bride's uncle, Jerry Denight, stepped forward and said the show could not go on, as the bride about-to-be didn't care a tinker's d- for Lewis. The parson was horrified, and immedi­ ately asked: 'Maria, da you not love this man ?' to which the 'widder' re­ sponded: 'Nav, vour reverence, I'll be blowed if I do!' Had the preacher's house been struck by dynamite the ex­ plosion couldn't have more startled the villagers; but the handsome 'widder,' a really beautiful but eccentric lady, given to curious abruptness of speech, picked up her bonnet and, turning to her uncle, said: 'Come on, Jerry, let's leave this ranch,' and tl>en lit out for home in the 'Big Woods.' The groom nearly fainted, and shot out at once to the drug store to revive his broken heart." .. BEN BUTLER can be said to have given the Massachusetts Supreme Court "too much of a good thing" in his argument defending Maria Taylor Norcross in her suit for alimony pending her application for divorce from Alvin C. NorcrOss. The case turned on the question of the legality of an agreement to live to­ gether as man and wife. There was no other marriage ceremony, but this has held good for eighteen years and Judge Oliver Holmes, Jr., in deciding the case said: "Had counsel stopped here I should have assumed that a marriage had taken place, no evidence to the contrary being introduced on the other side." But Gen. Butler went on at great length and argued the facts which he claimed constituted a marriage and this left no opportunity for the court to make a presumption. Judge Holmes concluded: It was argued that there was a marriage +>e- cause the parties had knelt down in New Hampshire and, with uplifted hands, called tkxl to witness that thov intended to live to­ gether as man and wife; that they acknowl­ edged deeds before a justice of the peace as man and wife, and visited New York, where they registered at a hotel and held themselves out as being married. I cannot find that the actsdonc in New Hampshire constituted a mar­ riage any more than they would if done in this State. Neither does the acknowledging of the deeds before a justice of the peace con­ stitute an acknowledgment by the parties that they intended to become man and wife before him, and I cannot believe that the State of New York lays hold of persons unawares and gives to their acts a construction never dreamed of by them when they are merely transitory residents in the State. The motion was dismissed, and the able lawyer lost his case by proving more than was necessary. The Fox. In fables the character of the fox is dual, says the Gentleman's Magazine. It is generally the deceiver, but also on occasions the dupe. Many animals on occasion fall a victim to it--in the single romance of lieiiicke Fuchs it outwits and infamously ruins the king lion and pretty nearly all his courtier quadru­ peds--but every now and again the same animals flout it, make fun of it, play tricks on it. Even cocks and kids have a joke occasionally at its expense, which is verv true to nature, for we often see the professional sharper, the habitual traitor, exposed and put to shame by simple honesty or innocent "mother-wit. Betty with her mop routs the fencing master. But, above all, the fox is always beaten when he tries to pass off his dishonesties upon other foxes; the rogues know each other too well to try to guess where the pea is. So when the fox falls by accident into a dyer's vat and comes out a fine blue all over, he goes back to his kindred and tells them that he is a peacock on the sly. But they recognize his voice and worry him till they pull all his blue fur off, and he dies. Stories of the same purport are abundant and familiar to all: Yet there are plenty of occasions in which the fox behaves very honorably to its friends and ap­ pears in the light of a benefactor-- notably in those tales where Reynard plays the part of Puss-in-Boots, such as Cosmo the Quickly Enriched, and others. Moreover, thS cock is some­ times found on the most friendly re­ lations with the fox, which helps it against their common enemy--the wolf. It is almost needless to say that many poets condemn fox-hunting, "which rural gentlemen call sport divine," and perhaps superfluous to add that their reasons hardly justify their condemnation. To them the sportsman appears something rather less than human. To the field ho flies. Leap? every fonco but one. tben foils and dies Like a i-Iain deer; the tumbril brings him home, Unmi«8ecl but by his dogs and by his groom. Especially does this class of poet de­ test to see women in the field. Far bo the spirit of the chase from them I Uncomoly courage, unbeseeming skill. To spring the fence, to rein t^e prancing steed. They hope "such horrid joy" will never "stain the bosom of the British fair." INTERSTATE COMMERCE. £>«ern mental Regulation or Bailreaii Discussed by Senator Palmer, of XtcMgaa. v Speech Delivered in the United Senate on Wednesday, April < 14,1886. That the experience of a little more than half a century under various conditions and under every civilized form of govern­ ment has not been sufficient to remove the regulation of railways from the field of ex­ periment is shown by the various methods of to-day on trial in Europe and America. In Belgium the Government has either built or purchased the main trunk lines of the kingdom. Branch lines are allowed to be built and operated by private capital, the Government guaranteeing 4 per cent, inter­ est upon the investment and retaining the practical supervision of the management. The competition of the canals and of the Government lines, together with the obliga­ tions of the governmental guarantee, would seem to provide a system of checks and balances most desirable. It is reported that the roads are managed satisfactorily to the people, that the rates are lixed and stable; but an early absorption by the Government under provisions in the charters of the pri­ vate lines is predicted, which would indi­ cate a dissatisfaction on the part of private capitalists. In France the main trunk lines were originally assigned a district or field sup­ posed to be profitable without competition on condition that thev should build branch lines into the less productive districts. This proved impracticable, and the Government was obliged to lend its aid for the develop­ ment of the territory. The charters provide that at the expiration of ninety years all railways should revert to the state, the state purchasing the lolling-stock at an actual valuation. Already the Government has ad­ vanced 600,000,000 francs tc the railways, and its policy looks toward an earlier ap­ propriation than that nominated in the charters. Already a perpetual committee suj>ervises the management, arranges the tariff of charges, and settles disputes between com­ peting Jines and between the public and the railways. Rates and time cards arg re­ quired to be published, and no change against the interests of forwarders of pas­ sengers can be made without thirty davs' notice and the consent of the commission. No private arrangements with individuals or corporations are permitted. In North Germany all concessions are made by the Minister of Commerce, unless there is to be a largess or guarantee of in­ terest, when an act is required. In Prussia, at the commencement of its railway system, each railway chartered was given a field without competition, the state reserving th nglit of purchase of the road afttr the lapse of thirty years. In 1882 there were it..>00 miles of state lines, 1,320 miles of private lines under state management, and 2,400 miles of private lines. The control of the Government may be considered practically absolute, and is given over to a special board, at the head of which is the Minister of Public Works. Special tariffs are pro­ hibited, correspondence in time cards in railways insisted upon, persons and mer­ chandise conveyed iu the order iu which the application is made. No variation iu rates or time table can be had without the consent of the board. Austria followed the course of France in allowiug concessions for th* period of ninety years, and in addition the (iovern- ment built several trunk lines, which it re­ tains. It also maintains supervision over passenger and freight traffic. Switzerland has no state lines, but an effectual system of supervising the tariff charges and a perpetual commission to regulate the rela­ tions of the corporations to the stockhold­ ers and the public, and provide for the oonstant publicity of railway transactions. Italy owns a portion of its railways and is in negotiation for the remainder. The policy of the 'Government is ownership by the state. In the history of English legislation on railroads and its results we find the closest resemblance to our own. In 18;l(> England had, next to Holland, the most complete canal system and service in the world, and its restrictive endeavors were guided not by a proper conception of the problem before it, but by its experience iu dealing with op­ pressive methods in canal management. The popular belief in the power of compe­ tition to cheapen rates and control com­ merce in the public interest was accepted, and in' spite of the warning of the astute Morrison and the terse axiomatic statement of George Stephenson, that "where com­ bination is possible competition as impossi­ ble," their early legislation was bent to in­ crease competition between capitalists. The natural consequences of combina­ tion, discrimination, secret-rate making, preferences, the building up of seajwrts, and the oppression of non-c6ni}>eting points followed in spite of the most stringent legislation, until, in 1872, after over .'1,300 acts had been passed and the expenditure of about £80,000,000 imposed upon the companies, a joint select committee recom­ mended and Parliament provided for a rail­ way commission, which has since become peimanent and been increased in executive and judicial power. The salaries of the commissioners are £3,000 each, and some progress has been made in the regulation of the interests of the general public. According to the statement of H. R. Ho- bart, editor of the Railway Aye, made be­ fore the Senate Committee, the railway mileage of the United States and Territories at the commencement of 1885 was about 125,500 miles. This is the .aggregate of distances between points on railroads, with­ out taking cognizance of double or side tracks. The capital stock and bonded in­ debtedness show a value of $7,705,000,000, or more than four times the national debt, and 20 per cent, of the estimated wealth of the entire country. They employ about 725,000 persons, and thus support directly more than 3,000,000 of men, women, and children; and indirectly they aid in sup­ porting many millions more concerned in the manufacturing, mercantile, and other interests of which the railways are very large patrons. These figures appear magnified when the short period of their growth is considered. In 1828 there were 3 miles of railroad; in 1830, 41 milesfin 1840, 2,200 miles; in 1850, 7,500 miles; in 18(10, 29,COO miles; in 1870, 49,000 miles; in 1880, 93,671 miles. These are the modern highways for commerce, and should differ only in extent and facili­ ties from their predecessors back to the days of the Roman roads. The laws governing the Roman highways were the bases of the laws of the road to this day. They were built by sovereigns having the right of em­ inent domain, and their use was common and equal to all. They were supported by taxes upon the bordering people, or by tolls upon those who made use of them. Under our somewhat complicated system of government the railroads were chartered by States, who b|stowed upon them the right of eminent domain, and they were builded wholly or in part by contributions directlv from the State, or by the people along their line, and they were intended for the common and equal service of all who ri?chose to make use of them. In thoir in­ ception they were supposed to bear an anal­ ogy to the canal, and traces of this mistake appear in almost all of the early charters. It was believed that the railway, like the toll-roads of that day, would be built by one company and used by any and all who chose to prepare suitable carriages. The charter of the Ithaca and Owego Railroad contains the following language: "SEC. 12. All persons paying the toll aforesaid may, with suitable and proper carriages, use and travel ufon the said railroad, subject to such rules and regula­ tions as said corporators are authorized to make by the ninth section n* this act." Special charters were the rule up to the passage of a general act, regarded as a convenience, by the Legislature^ of New York, wfefesfe was imitated by the other 8tates, and in the acceptance of some pro­ vision of which nearly if not quite all of the roads holding special charters have brought themselves under its general provisions. Liberal legislation and a speculative spir­ it among oar people led to overbuilding and mishnilding, and npon emerging from the crisis of 1857 many railroads found themselves embarrassed and the mortgages npon them were foreclosed. At this time, under a system of reorga­ nization which appeared plausible and jnst to the people, to the stockholders, and to those holding other than first-mortgage claims, bankruptcy was given a novel and dangerous turn in railroad financiering, and "additional capitalization," discounted upon the markets of the world, paved the way for the absolute control of this vast* value and interest by a handful of men ir­ responsible to the people for the condition and conduct of their highways. To-day it is represented that half a dozen gentlemen meeting in an office on Wall street may, by the power derived from ownership in these railways, and wealth not obtained by the development of the conn- by, or improved transportation, but by financial jugglery, dictate the profits or losses of men and communities throughout the land. By their fiat Rochester must slop milling that Minneapolis may thrive. All manufacturing establishments at Niagara Falls save one must suspend that the one •may become weilthy. The capital and labor invested iu thousands of oil wells and refineries must be lost that one combination may be made powerful. Villages and cities as w ell as individuals have been selected for development, or for destruction. Mr.Charles Francis Adams, formerly of the Massachu­ setts Commission, now Piesideiit of the Union Pacific Railroad, before a committee of the federal Congress in 18S0, says: "I must ask you to dismiss all preconcep­ tions from your minds, and to fairly con­ sider what is the real cause of the inequal­ ity, the injustice, the discriminations of the existing railroad service, those ills of the body-politic for which you are now under­ taking to prescribe. I will not stop to dwell upon them or denounce them. It is not necessary to do so, for I hold them to be proven, and their existence notorious. The record is full of evidence on the subject. We all know, every one knows, that dis­ criminations in the railroad treatment and chaiges do exist between individuals and between places. We all know that the railroad tariffs fluctuate wildly, not only in different years, but in different seasons of the same year. We know that certain large business "firms, the leviathans of modem business, can and do dictate their own terms between rival corporations, while the small concern must accept the best terms it can get. "It is beyond dispute that business is carried hither and thitheT to this point, away from that point, and through the other point; not because it would naturally go to, away from, . or through those points, but because the rates are madti on an artificial basis to serve ulterior ends. In re­ gard to these things I regard the existing system nearly as had as any system can be. Studying its operations as I have long and patiently, I am ready now to repeat what I have repeatedly said before, that the most surprising tiling about it to me is that the business community sustains itself under such conditions. The principles of law governing common carriers are habitually violated; special contracts covering long periods of time are made even- day with heavy shippers under which a common carrier, whose first duty it is to serve all equally, gives to certain parties a practical control of the markets. There is thus nei­ ther equality nor system, law nor equity, in the matter of railroad charges. A complete change in this respect is a condition prece­ dent to any equitable system of railroad transportation." The Senate committee, whose investiga­ tions have resulted in the presentation of this bill, present in their leport < i/liteeu specific causes of complaint against the railroad system, which may nearly all be epitomized as "discrimination" iu one form or another. They cite among the many in­ stances the case of the Standard Oil Com­ pany, which has been enabled by railroad discrimination to practically control the oil supply of the continent, and that is re­ ported to have realized $10,000,000 in a single season from diminished freights alone. A single instance, given on page 199 of the report, is sufficient to condemn the sys­ tem. It appears that the company operates the Mackshurg pipe line which carries oil to ihe Cleveland and Marietta Railroad. This road was iu the hands of a receiver, who was removed by Judge Baxter upon the investigation of the rates charged for the transportation of oil. It was found that, he was charging all independent ship­ pers 35 cents per bairel, and the rate to the pipe line was but 10 cents. It appears that the Standard Oil Company owned the pipes through which the oil is conveyed from wells owned by individuals, with tne exception of cer­ tain pipes owned and used by one George Rice, carrying oil from his wells, and to get rid of this competion the assistance of the receiver was sought and Obtained. The company offered to give the railroad three thousand dollars' worth of business each month, while Rice conld give but three hundred dollars' worth, if its de­ mands were not complied with it threat­ ened to extend its pipe line from Macks- bnrgh to Marietta, on the Ohio River. What those demands were was stated as fol­ lows in a letter tiled by the receiver as part of his defense: "The Standard Oil Company threatens to store and afterward pipe all oils under its control unless you make the following ar­ rangements, namely: ' You shall mako a uniform rate of 35 cents per barrel for all persons except the Standard, Oil Company. Yon shall charge them 10 cents per barrel for their oil, and also pay them 25 cents per barrel out of the 35 cents per barrel col­ lected of other shippers.'" It is not necessary to multiply instances. The able report of the committee, with the testimony taken at fairly selected and widely distributed points, is before each, Senator for his information. The bill, ju­ diciously drawn and based upon the infor­ mation impartially obtained, may be epito­ mized as legislating upon five points con­ cerning which it appears to me that no dis­ interested difference of opinion can exist. 1. It provides that all charges shall be reasonable and just. 2. That uujust discrimination shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a* penalty against the coiporation and a personal penalty against the officer willfully violat­ ing. 3. That facilities should be furnished without unjust discrimination under similar penalties. 4. Charging more for a shorter than a longer distance in the same direction shall be presumptive evidence of unjust discrim­ ination which may be rebutted by the car­ rier, and the commission may establish rules to regulate this. 5. That the rates and regulations shall be made public in such a manner as the com­ mission shall prescribe, and ten days' notice is required of any advance in rates. The rates so established shall not be varied from, and violation shall subject the car­ rier to mandamus upon the relation of the commission and to au injunction to restrain further violation. For the carrying out and enforcement of these provisions, with authority to require reports, and investigate all complaints, and w ith power to proceed in the courts to en­ force the law, a commission is provided, and upon the character and efficiency- of this commission would seem to depend the real and specific value of the legislation. Holding in mind the fact that the estimated wealth of this nation is divided between the railroad corporations and all other proper­ ty-owners in the proportion of 1 to 5; that the 20 per cent, represented in railways has become concentrated under the control of men who may be counted upon the ten fin­ gers, while the 80 per cent, is diffused among individuals and companies of di­ verse interests; that our present action is taken because of the oppression of the 80 per cent, by the organized 20 per cent., it would ««em that we fall short of our duty if, by the terms of this bill, we prevent th* employment of the bent talent attainable to represent the interests of the people. This commission will be regarded as the people's attorneys, and should be composed of men at least the equals in legal acumen and practical force of those whose unjust schemes they are expected to thwart and whose unprecedented powers they are designed to direct. Concentrated capital never mistakes cheapness in the em­ ployment of its agents for economy, and salaries of from #12.000 to $25,000 for those intrusted with the business manage­ ment of railways is not uncommon. This bill provides that the ^Commissioners shall have no other business and the main office shall be in Washington, thus necessitating or indicating a residence here and an income limited to the amount paid in the bill. On this account I urge upon Senators and the committee having the bill in charge the consideration of an amendment of Section 15 increasing the amount of compensation. I do not expect that the passage of this bill and the appointment of any live gentlemen who might be named under its provisions for its en­ forcement will at once bring the millennium to American transportation. For forty years a constant struggle of wits has been going on between the grasping corpora­ tions and Legislatures endeavoring to re­ strain them, and to-day we are confronted with successful, legalized wrongs remain­ ing uncontrolled and unredressed. But we shall have done our duty when we shall have done our utmost for the future se­ curity of the people. I do not believe that this bill will accomplish radical results, but it is a step iu the right direction, both for the people and for honest railroad management. For many years a contest between the safe-maker ami the burglar has been waged. Each failure of the safe to withstand its robber has begotten improve­ ments believed to be final, and each in turn has yielded to human cunning and in­ genuity. But it is not for the safe-maker to stop in his endeavors., If this bill be­ coming a law should fail utterly to supply a remedy, another attempt must be made. If it is partially successful, we shall have ac­ complished something and new remedies willbe suggested by its partial failure. An examination Of the report and testi­ mony will not show that railroad corpor­ ations are making too much money, or that the average rates of transportation are too high. On the other hand they have been in the main unprofitable, and transportation betweeu competing points in America is the cheapest in the world. The complaint of the people is of discrimination, uncer­ tainty, and secret injury. The complaint of investors is that two-sevenths of the capitalized investment is water, and that through inside combinations the masters of Wall street are able to realize vast profits npon railroad wreckage and the depreciation or railroad property, as well as upou their prudent conduct and honest mauagement. A great stride toward personal liberty was believed to have be^n made when our Gov­ ernment was organized witn the prohibition of entail; but the sovereignty of trunk lines and railroad systems, imperishable as they are, present a more dangerous ita­ pe rium in imperio for our consideration than the largest entailed interests of the world. Railroads are beneficent servants, but they must not become masters. The dwarf has grown large enough for us to impose restrictions upon his growth, else the old fabie will be illustrated in practical life. If unchecked he bids fair to develop into an Afrite of gigantic stature and overwhelming and malignant influence. Railroads are uo longer dull, insensate thiugs. They are imbued with intelligence, and au intelligence that neither slumbers nor sleeps. They are no longer joint stock companies alone; they are dynasties. They are already outlined, and in a few- years if not supervised and controlled by legislation they will have become as firmly fixed in their grasp upon continued power, commercial, social, and political, as the Hapsburgs, the Hohenzollerns, or the Guelphs. These reigning houses were bom of force. They were the triumph of the strong over the weak. These modern dynasties will have been born of law and of concession and will be the triumph of the creature over the creator. The old cry of the mayor of the palace when he appeared at the window of the Tuileries, "Ihe king is dead, long live I the king," may well be proclaimed when the railroad magnate goes to bis long home. Not a schedule is changed, not a locomotive puffs less fiercely, not a sardine less is sold in the restaurant. The same intelligence, for­ tified and intensified possibly by new blood, wields the scepter aud utters its mandate s. The fact that ihe stock changes hauds does not detract from its power or alter its purposes. It is more remorseless than man, for the responsibility is divided. The cabinet or ministers who shape its policy and-carry out its behests justify their course by the plea of necessity, and feel no tre­ mors of conscience from the fact that their personality is merged in that of the corpo­ ration. Hitherto content has come to the plain people of our land, to the farmer, to the artisan, because, as he sat by his hearth noting the progress of his fellows who had outstripped him in life's race, his eye turn­ ed to the bright boy and the laughing girl with a knowledge that to them America of­ fered every possibility of culture, wealth, and power. He knew that the history of the men whom America had delighted to honor had shown that from the humblest beginnings nothing restricted or di­ rected the development of the Ameri­ can citizen outside of himself. To­ day he sees the price of his labor determined not from his surroundings. He sees his village built up or destroyed bv a foreign will. He sees the value of his fit- tie property decreased and that of the prop­ erty of his fellow in an adjoining village increased without the action of either aud beyond the control of any. He sees his neighbor, by secret arrangement with tne railroad company, increasing bis store with no extra labor or display of energy or ability, while his fellows are correspondingly de­ pressed. These things it is the object of this mea­ sure to correct. All the American citizen has asked in the past or will ask in the future is a fair chance; no odds of the Government, but its protec­ tion, for which his life is pledged, and its schools, for which his money is paid. Special privileges for none, equal righto for A Double-Eared Ass. "I don't like to talk politics," said Henry Ward Beecher to a Chicago interviewer. "Politics now is just a fight between the terriers and the rats." "And the terriers seem to have the best of it?" "That's according to who are the terriers. The Democratic party is a double-eared ass. After being out for twenty-four j-ears they got back in, and they fall upon the man who helped them and try to tear him to pieces for honestly believing what all professed. It is just like the children of Israel had they killed Moses and Joshua for leading them through the wilderness. I believe that Cleveland is an honest man who is earnestly trying to carry out the pledges he made. I should vote for him ag lin, but there is no chance of that. He Couldn't get fifly votes in a Democratic con­ vention to-dav. I don't think, however, that he ever had any idea of a renomination. I think the height of his ambition was to carry through for one term what he believed to be right, and rest his fame upon that rather than in trying to get a second term by throwing away all the pledges he made before his election." Bid GAME IK MAINE FORESTS. THE set of public sentiment is steadily toward the return of the Republican party to control of the Government in all its departments, and this will be shown at the fall elections in the redemption of many districts now represented by Democrats aud success in others always controlled by the Democracy.--Pittsburgh Chronicle. IT is more blessed to give than to receive. And it is likewise a blessed sight harder to do. A correspondent at Lewiston, Maine, happened to drop into a furrier's shop, when an an old Dead river hunter came in. "I had A goll-fired tussel with that varmint," he paid, as he threw a bear­ skin on the floor. "I kinder thought I'd bring it in, coo I want a leetle to- barker to smoke, an'"--here be lowered his voice--"well, I don't s'pose yer know where a fellah can get his jug filled with a leetle oh-be-joyful, d'ye ? I kinder like to have a leetle sperrits round in case I'm sick. Well, yer see the pesky crittur knew I was arter him, an' so he kept out of my way for two days 'fore I got a sight at , him agin. Then the derned fool went an' got him­ self into one of my traps that I had baited for him. I stood facing him, wond'ring how twas best to tackle him, when he stood right up on his hind legs, an', walking toward me, put one of his big paws right on to my shoulder an' commenced grinning like a nigger. I stepped back quick an' drew my knife, but afore I could use it he had his tusks set into my shoulder an' was chawing a mouthful of my coat. I made a lunge for his throat, when I slipped an' fell flat on my back. Then wo had it, I tell ye. It was an awful tight, I never saw a bear scratch an' bite as he did. Some­ how or other he meant to get the better of toe all the time. He wouldn't give me any sort of fair plav. Thinks I, at last, this fooling has gone on long 'nough. an' so I said: 'I hain't goin' to stand it any longer.' He must have weighed at least four hundred pounds, an' was on top of me, frothing an' dig­ ging awav with his tushes 'an" trying to eat me up. I dnnno how I did it, but somehow I squirmed myself out from underneath him, an' when I got on to my legs I jest put toy arms round his neck an' squeezed him so hard that arter one snort he sorter lost his breath. Then I went an" picked up my knife, an' giving him a slash across the throat he never came to. Yer can't tell lue where I can get my jug filled, can yer? I've got an awful pain in my side where the bear hit me. What! only .$!> for this skin, an' secli a fight as I hail? Well, gimme the^noney, an' I'll take my jug down to Lincoln street." Old sportsmen who do not indulge in such yarns as this child of nature told say that personal encounters with bears rarely occur nowadays in Maine. Hunters who make it a business to supply the markets with the pelts of animals make their captures in an easier way. There are plenty of dangers, however, which they confront, to form thrilling adventures and exploits. Often­ times they are attacked by the moose or caribou, w hich, with deer, were never plentier in Maine forests than tlie.v are now. Of late years a great effort has been made to restock Maine forests with this noble game, which has been suc­ cessful. Under the game laws deer, moose, and caribou are protected for nine months in the year. Complaints against the laws are frequently made from the fact that, in some sections, deer have become troublesome to farm crops, while the moose have become dangerous to life. An Aroostook paper relates the story of two men who were treed by a moose, and, had they killed him, would have laid themselves liable to a heavy fine. All kinds of schemes are devised for the evasion of the laws, but the game wardens are generally so vigilant that oftentimes casts arise where one is deprived of eating venison cut from an animal legally killed. With the abundance of game, it is not im­ probable that the laws may be modified another winter, so that they will be less harsh in their workings, but equally efficacious in their protective features, The Real Arteinus Ward. A batch of reporters were gathered in the World loft. Some one having named Artemus Ward, the old gentle man said: "Artemus Ward Mas the father of Billings, Twain, and all the breed of American humorists, funny men, and comic paragraphers that we now know so well. ? knew Artemus, or rather Clias. F. Brown, as his name really was. More than twenty years ago he came round to Hamilton on a lecturing tour. After his droll and delightful platform address, he invited the local reporters, of which I was one, down to the Royal Hotel, where we put in the night in stories and other entertain­ ments, and left with the understanding that if any of the party ever came across the humorist again they were to look him up. Two years or more there­ after I was sent to Oil Springs to w rite up the excitement then pervading all Canada West over the discovery of oil in Lambton County. At one of the lit­ tle temporary hotels, then crowded with capitalists from all over, I saw on the register 'Artemus Ward.' I inquired of the landlord what sort of a man owned that name. The description did not at all tally with the humorist. 'But wait and see him yourself; he always turns up at dinner time,' said the hotel man. At noon a tall, sad-looking chap came in, and was pointed out as Mr. W&rd. I got talk­ ing to him and said: 'You are not the Artemus Ward I know,' and I began to speak of the humorist. Thereupon he exclaimed; " 'I am the real Artemus Ward; that Bcalawag took to writin' things and put- tin' my name to it. I know him.' " 'Well; were you ever in the lihow business ?' " 'Yes, I was.' " 'And was your wife's name Betsy?" " 'Yes, but she's dead now.' "While I staid there I had other talks •with the man whom Brown had immor­ talized. He had been 'broke' in the show 'business,' and had come to Oil Springs to retrieve his fortunes. Whether he did or not I never learned; but in my experience as a reporter I had run across both the real Artemus Ward and the great humorist who claimed to be his double."--Toronto World. Fingers Before Forks. " The Malay said: "Such a dirty prac­ tice. We say to ourselves, 'What do I know of the history of this fork ? It has been in a hundred, perhaps a thousand mouths; perhaps even in the mouth of my worst enemy.' This thought is very repulsive to us." "But," said I, "the fork is thoroughly cleaned, or ought to be, every time it is used, first with soap and water, then with plate-powder." "Ought to be, quite so. But how do you know that your servant does not shirk his work? If you have a lazy servant you are liable to eat with a fork that has not been thoroughly cleaned; whereas, I know that my fingers are clean, for I wash them my­ self before eating. They are quite as clean as the cleanest fork, and they have two great advantages over it--one, that they have never been in any one's mouth but my own, and another, that they are washed by myself."--"The Chersonese with the Gliding Off*'-- Emily Innes. ILLINOIS SfTATK NEWS. --Twenty-six snakes were killed ia olMi day at a mill-race in Biggsville. --Hon. Lewis Bodman, of Bement, died recently in his seventy-seventh year. | --A Browning Society has been orpa> feed among prominent citizens of Chicago. * --Frank La Porte, of Ross Grove, killed -* nine wolves one afternoon, and received $45 as bounty. --The Governor has appointed Dr. John ' Casewell. of *Chicago, Stile Veterinarian - to succeed Dr. Paaien. --In the celebrated Moony case at Was- * kegan a jury was secured after examining , about two thousand men. --All the graveyards in the vicinity of Alto Pass are filled, and the question of new cemeteries is being agitated. , i i 1 -The new city ordinance of Atlanta pro­ vides that no billiard hall shall be located within eighty feet of a saloon. * -John Miller, a Champaign Saloon­ keeper, has been sent to jail for ninety days and fined $810 for illegal liquor-selling. --The City Council of Red Bod appoint- ed each of the saloon-keepers a Deputy Marshal. Their salaries amount to $580. ^ --Emma Fleetwood w as indicted at Mat- toon recently for complicity in the murder of her father and mother in April, 1884, the aged couple being slain with an ax, after which the murderers fired the premises. --The grocery clerks of Belleville are adt- ing for shorter horns. They say they now work from fourteen to sixteen hours a day. They are willing to work thirteen hours on week days, and ask for freedom cm Sun­ days. ' --At the very first sign of a meditated strike among the school children at Salem, Prof. Bacheman seized the ringleader, and gave him an introduction to the back side of the question. The children are all se­ rene now. --The citizens of Greennp have filed with the Cumberland Connty Court the regular legal notice of their intention of circulating a petition May 1 asking for the. removal of the connty seat to their plaee from Toledo. --At the recent Joliet municipal election i a gain of one high-license Alderman was made, leaving a clear majority in the Coun­ cil for $1,000. Hitherto the Council has stood a tie on this question, the Mayor cast­ ing the decisive ballot for $1,000. --When a band of twenty gypsies, who spent the winter in Decatur, left for the West with their fifty horses and many wagons, they took with them Willie Tucker, the only son of a widow, Mrs. Mary Tuck­ er, who was rescued with difficulty. •--The State Board of Health has re­ ceived notice of the existence of six casee of small-pox at Emma and five at Cross- ville. Owing to the energetic action of the authorities at Car mi the disease seems to bo under control, as no new cases haTe been reported. --George W. Fowler, an old citizen who * died recently in Batavia, was that town's « pioneer merchant, and was a man of strict integrity and honor. For forty years he did a large and successful business, from which he retired a little over a year ago. The stores were closed during the time of the funeral, as a mark of respect. ». ^ --Charles Henry Raubenheimer, a resi­ dent of Freeport for over thirty years, com­ mitted suicide by hanging himself in the cellar of his house. Only a short time be­ fore doing the deed he placed a rope around his neck, and, showing it to his family, threatened that ha would do as he did, but they thought that he was trying to scare them. --C. Blumenthal, pretending to It* * wholesale cigar manufacturer, rented a building in Joliet to establish his factory, dt posited his draft for several thousands of dollar^ on a>i Eastern bank, and told the bank officials to ascertain its genuineness. * Meanwhile he drew checks against it, bor­ rowed several sums, and suddenly disap­ peared, but w as caught in Chicago. --A large crowd of Quincy people visited Watson SpringB to get their fortunes toll by a band of gypsies who were encamped there. The gypsies had several dogs and bears and the visitors induced then to ton the animails loose. After a fierce fight be­ tween the dogs r.nd bears tho latter ran away, scattering the crowd and sending • them panic-stricken back to Quincy. --The manager of the Macon Connty Pro­ tective Life Insurance Association is charg­ ed with using the mails in violation of the laws relating to lottery schemes, by sending out circulars urging people to send in fees of from $1 to $8 to secure membership in the Co-operative Association, and offering as an extra indncement to give each mem­ ber a share in a donation drawing, to come off when the lottery fund should reach $5,000, the manager agreeing to make up the amount by setting apart $1 from every fee he received. The officers of the asso­ ciation denounce the scheme and demand the immediate resignation of the manager. --Tha report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the year 1886, contains the following statistics: The value of school property is placed at $21,806,353; of libraries, $130,378: and school apparatus, $403,388. The bonded school debt is $3,- 672,710.18. The number of school housee in the State is 12,076, there being 201 stone, ? 1,360 brick, 10,266 frame, and 24i) log--an increase in all of 68 during the year. Num­ ber of school houses built, 269. There are 1,012 schools having libraries, and the total number of volumes is 102,549. The pri­ vate schools number 819, with 37,514 male and 40,650 female pupils. In these there are 915 male and 1,254 female teachers. The receipts from State tax and school funds were $1,384,473.80; special or local taxes, $7,915,076.90; and from bonds or notes, $467,567.92. The total balanc ̂ and receipts is $12,232,548.69. The main items of expenses are as follows: Paid teachers, $5,897,428.34; new school-houses, $1,125,960.97; sites and grounds, $73,379.- 47; repairs, $565,313; furniture, $183.8!l0l» 52; apparatus, $32,517.30; libraries, $8,317.18; incidental, $9,930.99; interest on district bonds, $275,128.9S; principal in district bonds, $541,891.69; total expendi­ tures, $9,993,123.81--an increase of $56?,- 889.15. The total of township school funds, Sixteenth Section, is $8,094.142.34, : The number of persons between the a gee of 12 and 21 that can not read and wright is 2,378--a decrease of 261 from the uniuba* , reported luaiyeiiSt . w y? ,f: -. 'ift« • vJ m

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