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LEADERS or THE MOVEMENT IN KANSAS TO INVESTIGATE METHODS OF v 'V.':;: • ' *• -f ^r'v- .V ILLINOIS STATE NEWS mois MOVES AGAINST MONOPOLY, . • California.-', •^ Railroads -were induced by Standard to raise freight rates on oil, and in­ dependent pipe line to seaboard is projected. ^ . •••"., '• Illinois.^ House passed resolution indorsing Kansas' action and providing for com­ mittee to investigate Standard Oil company's work in Illinois. •: \ Kansas. . ff"- Both branches of legislature called on president, secretary of the interior, and congress to annul leases made to Standard Oil company eight years ago by Osage Indians. Fraud is charged. Independent investigation of trust likely. ----- - Missouri. Bill to subject Standard OU com­ pany pipe lines to restrictions prepar­ ed. * Indiana. Anti-trust bill, introduced In behalf of oilmen, will give damages to per­ sons injured by Standard Oil company and require forfeit of charter. Nebraska. Bill recommended for passage to protect independent dealers. Ohio. Frank S. Monnet, former attorney general of state, employed by inde­ pendent oil men of Kansas to fight t£e trust there. Oklahoma. Lower house passed resolution ask­ ing president to investigate oil leases covering Indian lands and declared to be owned by trust. Pennsylvania. Government officials investigating at Pittsburg in belief old "rebate sys­ tem," which killed independent refin­ ers' business, still is in operation be­ tween railroads and Standard Oil company; contracts for oiling cars the scheme. Independent pipe line com­ pany to fight Standard in Scranton. T exas. Every Independent oil producer in state signed petition asking for fed­ eral inquiry into Standard Oil oper­ ations against them. Legislature is taking steps to make all pipe lines common carriers and give state power to fix rates. Wisconsin. Wholesale grocers who suffered from trust discrimination will move for more stringent legislation; anti­ trust bill now in legislature. Washington. Indians protested to renewal of leases on oil lands in Oklahoma; charged that? trust controls property *and pays too little royalty. HISTORY OF STANDARD OIL. Many attempts have«been made to. bring the Standard Oil company to account. So far, these have met with indifferent success. Some years ago the concern was, in the strict sense of the term, a trust. It was a pool whose members owned a great num­ ber of oil properties in various parts of the country. The law had this much terror for it, it forced it to aban­ don this somewhat loose form of cr- ganization and beoome an incorpor­ ated company. But the change was in name rather than in fact. The public are no wiser regarding the affairs of the combine than before; and it is not easy to see how they have bene- , fited in any direction. The Standard Oil company has be­ come a tremendous factor In Amer­ ican finance. Up to say fifteen years ago not much was said about it apart from the oil industry; but it used to Occasion very lively talk in connection with that industry. Tradition painted its methods in black colors. It had determined to acquire a monopoly in the oil business, and had practically succeeded. Competition went down before it like a card house at tjje touch of a finger. If a man with a -few hundreds of capital bought one.or two teams and attempted to peddle .any other oil than that made by the Standard Oil company, he speedily Small Boy's Definition of Duty. A small boy went to Sunday schooL When he went home his mother asked him what the lesson was about. "Faith," says the boy. "What's that?" his mother asked. • "Bellevin' what you've got every Reason to suppose ain't so," the boy replies. And then," he afterward remarks, "there was •one talk about dijty too." "What's duty?" his mother asked him. "Oh, duty," he replied, "is to any old thing that you have got to do when you want to play baseball." Ĵ IC&J77Z££&Cr The real work in the "trust-busting" movement that has brought Kansas so prominently before tho nation has been dons by four men, representing- all the elements affected by cil. Senator W. S. Fitzpatrick, leader of the upper house, comes from the oil regions, and repre­ sents the producers in the drafting of remedial legislation. Senator F. Dumont' represents the consumers, into which class nearly every citizen of the common­ wealth fails. The other two are Presi­ dent H. K. "West and Secretary J. M. Parker of the Kansas Oil Producers' As­ sociation. Senator Porter is a former em­ ploye of the Standard Oil Company, yet' he drafted and introduced the state re­ finery bill, which has become a law. found it advisable to retire from busi­ ness. The same was the case with the man who had his thousands locked up In extensive plants. In eifher instance he was offered a price, often a generous one. If he conclud­ ed to accept it, well and good for him. The few who decided to fight it out found their pocketbooks much thin? ner. The profits of the concern were so enormous that it eventually became hard to find employment for them. The owners of the Standard Oil com­ pany bought into one railroad after another. They were, for example, re­ puted a powerful factor in the Chi­ cago, Milwaukee ft St. Paul road back in the '80s. Somewhere around 1890 their names began gradually to re­ place those of the old leaders In Wall street. They kept branching out, first bringing one great stock market en­ terprise and then another under their control. . In retrospect, Jay Gould seems a small man beside them. Eventually they caught up with the Vanderbilts as railroad magnates. In 1901 they were believed- to be back of Harriman in the Northern Pacific fight. To-day they are reputed to have the dominant voice in the great­ estrailroad combine in the world. To-morrow, it is feared, the whole rail­ road situation of the United^ States may be at their dictation: But oil1 and railroads have not alone absorbed their energies. They have been active in many other directions. In 1897 the Third National bank of New York was consolidated with tfie City bank, making an institution far transcending in size anything of the kind in the country. In 1899 it had de- Boom in Horse Market. There is to be a boom of the horse market if reports are true that the r-^Tcontracts are to be awarded at Seattle • for supplying 1,000 horses for the i.-American army in the Philippines, v * when the British government was Seeking horses for its welfare In South ^.-.cr^Africa palmy days existed for those With desirable stock. The previously llespised cayuse then found a meas­ ure of popularity, as any adaptable a horse must be for cxmy use.--Yakima fOn.) Republic, ;. William Rockefeller. posit# of something like $150,000,000, and to-day they are well up to $200,- 000,000. The City bank has from the start been known as the "StandalU Oil bank." It has been a tremendous Defends Alaskan Indian. Gov. Brady of Alaska protests against talk of the "vile, dirty Eski­ mo," saying those who make such remarks are in ignorance. "I don't know what he may be like in other divisions of the frigid zone, but I do know that the Alaskan Indian is as fine a type of his class as can be found anywhere. Take them as a whole, they are sober and industrious, make homes and adopt civilization readily. They are truthful, honest, hospitable, gentle and kind-hearted." power in Wall street speculation. Its methods have been sharply criticised. The panic of May 9, 1901, was openly laid at its door. The Northern Pa­ cific deal, out of which that panic grew, was a titanic affair. It was a contest between the mightiest finan­ cial interests, in the United States. A more recent episode in the career of the City bank was the Munroe & Mun- roe affair. The failure of this concern brought to light the fact that the largest bank in the United States was as willing to aid in floating Montreal & Boston mining stock on a credulous public as to engage in great railroad deals involving hundreds of millions of capital. Nor is this all. It was Standard Oil money that started the Amalga­ mated Copper company. Boston peo­ ple have not forgotten that enterprise. They recall the methods employed to buy control of the great Boston & Montana company for a song. They re member, too, how the price of Amal­ gamated copper stock was boomed to about 130, just prior «to a dividend re­ duction, in order that the insiders might unload on the public. And the part played by the City bank in pro­ moting the Amalgamated company is also fresh in mind. The profit to the Standard Oil coterie from promoting and manipulating this enterprise will never be known; but It is almost in­ calculable. Meanwhile, the oil monopoly has been growing more and more com­ plete. As it has progressed in other directions, the Standard Oil clique has increased its means of stifling compe­ tition in the manufacture and distri­ bution of oil. It was by railroad re­ bates that it got its first real start; and now it is itself a mighty power in the management of the railroads of the United States. But last week the mandate went forth for it to be investigated. A res­ olution to this end was ! rushed through the national House, and the President has been prompt to act upon it. Commissioner Garfield of the De­ partment of Commerce and Labor has been told to institute proceedings, and to see that they are thorough. The specific task, in compliance with the congressional resolution, is that of in­ vestigating the cause of the low price of crude oil, and of the unusually large margins between the crude and tefined products. The aim is to find but how much the present situation is the result of combination or conspir­ acy in restraint of trade. In short, an effort Is to be made to find out everything possible regarding the Standard Oil company specifical­ ly. If the Commissioner of . Corpora­ tions is as successful in this instance as he was in the case of the beef trust, he is likely to produce .results that will startle the country. He is also, it is said, going to look into the doings of the "Standard Oil crowd." An adequate report on the Standard CTl company may enable us to obtain cheaper oil. But a real knowledge of the "Standard Oil crowd" will be of immense value in conserving the en­ tire financial interests of the people of the United States, now and here­ after.--Boston Post. STATEMENT BY GOV. HOCH. 8tones Affected by Weather. The fact that many natural stones swell slightly when passing from a dry to a wet condition at the same temper­ ature, and shrink correspondingly when the process is reserved, has been recognized in numerous tests at the Watertown arsenal. In the report for 1890 it is stated that a very decided swelling of the stones was observed in most, cases after soaking them for a time in water, and that this effect seemed to increase as the temperature IWNMt The fight Kansas is making Is a fight for fair play--a fight to restore competition and to relieve a great and growing industry from the grasp of an industrial despotism. We hope to prove by actual demon­ stration that the Standard Oil com­ pany has robbed the oil producer on one hand and the customer on the other. By engaging in this battle as a state we hope, first, to encourage the loca­ tion of independent refineries with the assurance that they will have the pro­ tection of the state; and, second, to enlist other states and the general government in a battle against mon­ opolistic tyranny. The proposed state refinery is sim­ ply a means to an end--not• the end itself.--E. M. Hoch. Early New England Library. It appears that there was a public library in Peru. Vermont, as early as 1811. The editor of the Manchester Journal has a. book, on the flyleaf of which Is wrjtten, "Peru library No. 37, October 8, 1811, cost fifty cents. Li­ brary meetings, the first Tuesday of January, April, July and October. This book is presented to the Christian, people of Peru by the Hampshire mis­ sionary society and committed to, the care of the standing committee of their social library."-- Fish Killed by Storm. It is a pretty rough storm which kills fish in the sea by the wholesale. After one of the recent storms there were bushels and bushels of dead cun- ners on the beach at Peak's Island. The fishermen explain it by saying the force of the gale and incoming tide drove the cunners from deep into shal­ low water near the shore where they became thoroughly cMlIed and finally helpless, after which the waves washed them up on the beach.--Ken- nabeo Journal. . . . - , •-*. TO CURB TRUSTS. To prevent the formation of trusts in Illinois in the future and to force the dissolution of any that may now exist is the purpose of a bill which has been prepared by Attorney Gener­ al W. H. Stead. The Stead anti-trust bill is more comprehensive in its def­ inition of what constitutes a trust than any measure heretofore passed in the Illinois legislature. It also con­ fers on the attorney general greater power with, regard to prosecution of such combinations. The bill follows, namely, the anti-trust act of 1893, which was declared unconstitutional by the supreme court because of the clause exempting agricultural prod­ ucts from its operation. But the definition of a trust is widened In the Stead bill by a new clause, which in­ cludes combinations among insurance companies, banks, or any form, of busi­ ness. •' ' / His new definition reads: "To com­ bine in any agency or association, or join in any contract or agreement to establish uniform or uncompetitive rates of interest, insurance, or com­ pensation to be charged for loan of money or guarantee of Indemnity for loss of life or property by. accident, casualty or disease." This clause would reach directly oiganizations like the insurance un­ derwriters. The bill empowers the attorney general to proceed by injunc­ tion to prevent the formation, opera­ tion, or continuance of a trust. The penalties prescribed are a fine of $500 to $2,000 fol" the first viola­ tion. $2,000 to $5,000 for the second, $5,000 to $10,000 .or the third, and $15,000 for subsequent offenses. The president, directors, manager, or oth­ er executive officers of a trust may be fined $20 to $1,000 and sent to Jail for one year. It is probable that be­ fore the bill is introduced the penalty will be changed to imprisonment in the penitentiary. The fact that At­ torney General Stead has prepared such a bill and will urge its passage is significant as indicating his policy to­ ward trusts. Rejuvenate Primary Bill. Lewis Rinaker, chairman of the pri­ mary law committee, and Robert E. Rendarvis, chairman of the charter committee, with a squad of stenogra­ phers, have been busy gathering up the remains of the primary law bill. It is being sewed up, reset, grafted, trimmed down, and otherwise operated on. By Tuesday it will be in shape again, sound in wind and limb, and ready to be offered , to the Republican legislators once more. The legislators themselves are back among their con­ stituent^, and they said before depart­ ing that their wishes were to gather up the "consensus of opinion" in the .various districts before they acted on the bill again. They may come back as lions or as lambs. The men who are doing the surgical work on the bill are prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. An examination of the remains as made by Rinaker and Pendarvis shows there is left the following: Provision that all primaries of all parties shall be held on the same day. Provision that primaries shall have the benefit of the election laws and election machinery. Guarantee that all voters shall know when the primaries are held and who are the candidates. Provision that all voters shall have county delegate tickets to vote oiu Provision that they may nominate governor and numerous other candi­ dates by direct vote, if they will give any man a majority. These are new features for the state and, while many of the provi­ sions of the original bill have been knocked glimmering, those retained represent reforms which were not con­ sidered in Illinois politics two years ago. Standard Oil Inquiry. The lower house of the Illinois leg­ islature Tuesday took steps to define the rights of the Standard Oil "com­ pany within the state. A Joint reso­ lution offered by John P. McGoorty (Dem., Cook) was adopted without a dissenting vote, providing for the ap­ pointment of a joint committee of the hpuse and senate to investigate the laying of a pipe line across the state, now being done by the Standard Oil company, and to confer with the state officials of Kansas and agree on steps to be taken toward declaring such lines to be common carriers. Not to be outdone by the Demo­ cratic members. Representative Charles Allen of Vermilion county also introduced an oil resolution, and secured the recognition of the speak­ er. This was declared adopted on a viva voce vote. The resolution, after referring to the conditions in Kansas and desig­ nating the Standard Oil company as a "merciless octopus, whose tentacles now encircle every state In thC'^for the*publication and distribution of the decisions of the supreme and ap­ pellate courts of the state. Union," directs that $100,000 be loaned to Kansas, without interest. Fixes Printers' Pay. Senator Campbell introduced a bill making pay of proofreader In the state printer's office $4 a day; provid­ ing assistant state printer at salary of $1,800 a year, and fixing salary of expert printer at $2,500 a year. Wilson Beats Bowles. The recount of the vote in the Wil­ son-Bowles contest has been completed by the house elections committee. It shows A. E: Wilson, the Prohibitionist, elected by a plurality of 533. until January, 1911, to be used in as­ sisting to establish a system of re- fineriea Convict Labor Law.; 'The eohvlct labor law is likely to be subjected to some hard knocks before the legislature adjourns.4 Amendments are being framed which will give the boacd of prison indus­ tries authority to sell the products of the penal institutions in the open mar­ ket and to restrict the articles manu­ factured to certain classes, so there will be no necessity for maintaining a lot of costly machinery for all the different productions which now are turned out. It is asserted that the new law increased the cost of the Joliet and Chester penal institutions alone $250,000.. for the two years end­ ing June 1, 1905. This year the Joliet institution asks for $846,000, of whi£h sum $240,000 a year is to be used frir maintenance purposes and $200,000 annually for the purchase of material:' The Chester prison is expected to ask a heavy increase, so that it is be­ lieved the cost of the present convict labor law for four years, ending June 30, 1907, will approximate $1,000,000. "Co-operative Home Concerns. Attorney General Stead has pre­ pared a bill regulating the so-called "co-operative home associatiotfs." This bill will be introduced by Representa­ tive Lindly. It compels each such "co­ operative home" company to deposit $50,000 with the state auditor before being allowed to do business. Such companies must report to the auditor and be subject to inspection by him. If organized in other states they must comply with the foreign corporations act and deposit $50,000 with the state auditor before being permitted to do business in Illinois. The enforce­ ment of such regulations would be prohibitive to these -conuc^rns. "Legislator Beautiful." ' Representative Dennis E. Gibbons c? Lake county has earned the title of "legislator beautiful." Gibbons would legislate to have two geranium beds grow where only one has grown be­ fore. He also would multiply pansies,. sweet peas, bachelor's buttons, morn­ ing glories and possibly sunflowers His bill is to provide an appropria­ tion of $30,000 for two years' experi­ menting in hothouses and elsewhere, and one of the purposes Is to "ascer­ tain and demonstrate the best meth­ ods of growing ornamental plants for home decoration." Prison-Made Text Books. Prison-made text books for the public schools, prepared .by experts under the state superintendent of schools and distributed at cost, are provided for in a new convict labor bill, if it can be framed! in suitable form. This is only one feature of the proposed measure which is designed to give the board of prison industries a wid­ er field of action. The Institutions, de­ sire, among other things, the right to sell such of the products of the prison shops as may not be required by the political divisions of the state. Aimed at School Book Trust.. Senator Henson introduced a bill empowering and making It the duty of district school boards and boards of trustees of high school districts and boards of education in cities of the first and second class to purchase all text books necessary for the school districts, and authorizing them to en­ ter into a contract not to exceed five years. Any con'tract entered into with any publisher who shall become a par­ ty to a combination or trust for the purpose of raising the price of books shall at the will of the school board be declared null and void. Election Law Amendment. House bill No. 204 by Austin en­ ables towns in Cook county outside of Chicago to keep the polls open at elections during the same hours as in Chicago, from 6 a. m. to 4 p. m. Urges War on Railroads. Senator Stubblefield introduced a bill making it unlawful for railroads to limit their common law liability in the transportation of goods. Prevent­ ing, a uniform bill of lading. Money for University. The senate committee on the Uni­ versity of Illirois reported back and recommended for passage several ap­ propriation bills, carrying aij aggre­ gate sum of $410,000. Printing at Pontiac. Senator Humphrey introduced a bill removing from the law the provision which allows printing for political sub­ divisions to be done at Pontiac. Court Decisions. Senator Burnett introduced- a bill MINERS MEET AT THE CAPITAL Ml the Old 6fficer« Retain Their 4 Places for tKe ^Ensuing Year. The annual convention of th# Illi­ nois district pf the United Mine Work­ ers of . America convened in Spring­ field with about 300 delegates present. The result of the election by mass vote of the miners of the state for of­ ficers for the ensuing year was an­ nounced as follows, the old officers being re-elected: President, Herman C. Perry of Spring Valley; vice presi­ dent, William E. Smith, of Coal City; secretary-treasurer, William D. Ryan, of Springfield; member of national board, Thomas Burk,1 of Springfield. Members of state executive boxrd-- First district, Duncan McDonald of Oglesby; 2d district, Patrick Carn of Ladd; 3d district, Samuel Edwards of Edwards ? 4th district. John H. Walk­ er of Westville; 5th district, John T. Parspns of Riverton; 6th district, Peter MCCaM of Glen Carbon; 7th dis­ trict. George Bagwill of Murphys- boro. Delegates ;t.o convention of Illinois federation of labor--George Bagwill of Murphysboro, John Strat- ton and James Radford of Springfield, J. C. Cooper of Moweaqua. F. M. Guthrie of Gilchrist. Alternates- Joseph Eslick of Auburn, James Shears of Virden, G. I. Ranson of Belleville, J. J. Wilson of Wesley City, T. P. Riley of 'Edwardsville. Audi­ tors--Albert Neutzling of Glen Car­ bon, Eben Owens of Belleville, Thom­ as Lauder of Cartersville. Alternates --Alexander Suttie of Streator, Alex­ ander Robinson of Murphysboro, J. F. Williams of Cardiff. To Buy Mines on Bluff Line. It Is stated on good authority that Chicago and Springfield capitalists have formed a company with a view to purchasing six coal mines In Sanga­ mon county" on the line of the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis. The mines are the Woodside, Dawson, two at Ath­ ens, Cantrall and Sangamon. The deal will probably be consummated soon. The following party of Springfield men went to Cora to look the mines over: C. J. Giblin, P. F. Merkle, Rob­ ert Kelly, James Phillips, Edward Ready,: M. Meagher, W. D. Ryan, Thomas Ryan, Frank McGurk, Wil­ liam Connors, M. J. Baum, Allen Enos, J. M. Murphy. Scott Castles, J. D. Schaefer, William Bressmer. Ar­ thur Nuchols and Joseph Lorscheider. Takes Secret to Prison. Haying confessed to the charge of the embezzlement of funds of the Citi­ zens' Saving and LoAn association, of which he ^ras secretary, Fred L. Grant, who for many years has been promi- nenetly identified with business in­ terests in Springfield, and who was a popular young man, was sentenced to serve an indeterminate sentence In the Chester penitentiary. Grant's peculations amounted to about $8,000. He^has answered all questions put to him except one, and that is what he did with the money. He says that question he will never answer, and he will carry the secret with him to the penitentiary. As he is not known to have any bad or extravagant habits, the case is a very peculiar one. BETTER STREETS FOR THE CIT^ i Belleville to Expend $80,000 Under D% cision by Supreme Court. City Attorney Baer has received thai - "ft-* decisions of the supreme court o^. * , Illinois in three cases, each of which .1-1} contained points which affect the mu» j-„ nicipal improvement situation in Bello* > ville. Shortly after the improvement-, | of certain streets in Belleville was undertaken last fall under the special - ] improvement act of 1903, and th» streets had been torn up, the supremft ' court, in the case of L'Hote against - sJ the village of Milford, decided that the » ' _ ii law was "unconstitutional. The coa- tractors, however, succeeded in ob- '2* taining the consent of property own- '& ers to complete the work on South! High street. The city held that, even if it were necessary for a petition t# • have been circulated, the property! ' j owners should ,not have waited unttt . ^ the judgments had been confirmed,; •. ' \ In one of the decisions the court saysi\ * "The property owner is entitled to a * ^ hearing before his property is finally * *„ j Charged with a special tax or assess* j ment, and the law has provided such a hearing, but when the propertVuwS^ ̂ ^ er has had his day in court the judg- . ^1 tr.ent is binding and conclusive as ti> every defense." This decision means ^ , that the $80,000 of Belleville street imp ".f/i provements wiii be completed as early ' = as the weather will permit, and that j the property owners assessed by th» confirmation of judgment of tke coun> ty court will have to pay. * ' Needs of Old Soldiers' Home. The trustees of the state soldier# home in Quincy have asked the legiii lature.for an appropriation of $390, 000, to be used in maintaining ths heme for the next two years. Th* requirements are as follows: Rei pairs and improvements, $40,000; new cottages, $50,000; ice house, $5,000j?.v repairs in hospital ward house, $2,- 500; for building lodge at entrance gate, $2,500; repairs, steam-heating plant, $6,000; library building and home for nurses, $4,000: fire escapes, $1,000; cemetery. $1,000; improve* ment of grounds, $1,500; maintenance of library, $1,%00. The remainder oC the Impropriation is for salaries an# the support of the inmates. m Would Preserve War Flags. Adjt. Gen. Scott is making an effort to locate all the flags carried in the civil war by Illinois troops that have not already been placed in memorial ball in the state house. Coroners to Assemble. Coroner T. C. Buxton has seat let­ ters to every coroner in Illinois invit­ ing them to meet in Decatur May 24 and 25, for the purpose of organizing a state association. Decides Against Judge Hep*. A decision was given in the Tlllnote supreme court adverse to the claim " t ^ of Judge Hope of Alton for $1,000 for , * • services as special counsel for tha : city in several law suits. The defense made by the city and sustained by the supreme court was that the city couiW cil had no authority to employ Judgfe :H Hope without first repealing a citjr - . ordinance forbidding the employment ^ of any counsel other than the corpora- tion counsel, and that any fees dua Judge Hope should have been paid bf the corporation counsel for assistance. A resolution was adopted by the city council over two years ago empower ing the mayor to employ special couo- sel. • Rural Carriers Meet. ^ At a meeting of the rural mail car* < riers at Quincy Frank Pease was re* elected' president, Rollie Castle o£ Camp Point vice-president, J. B. Frist bie of Mendon secretary, George W. Thietten of Loraine treasurer and W. E. Hulse of Fowler sergeant-at-arms. The next meeting will be held a| Camp Point on April 28, when dele* gates will be elected to attend th®v state meeting at Peoria in May. Workman Is Run Over. Gottlieb Jaunhaus, while at work at the John Schroeppel brick yaTd at Collinsville, was run over by a wagon loaded with brick. His injuries are considered dangerous. Former Senator Is III. Ex-Senator Arthur Leeper Is eon- fined to his home in Virginia by a se­ rious illness resulting from injuries received by a fall on the, ice some weeks ago. jlamages for Miners. 4 Senator Henson introduced a bill making mining companies liable for damages sustained by any agent or servant by reason of neglect of any other agent or servant and prohibiting contracts limiting liability. Judges May Suspend Sentence. A bill by Mr.^McSurely allows judges the right to suspend sentence for two years on good behavior, if a convicted person has no previous rec­ ord erf crime. j Electric Companies Are Hit. Representative Werdel introduced "the electric lighting bill. It estab­ lishes a rate of 7 cents a kilowatt and provides meters shall indicate to IJje consumer fche number of kilo­ watts furnished. Lump Sum Assessment. The house passed Allen's bill, amended by the senate, providing that counties may assess in lump sum. This bill now becomes a law unless vetoed. ... # • . Qamblers' Agent Not Liable. • Hilr.7 Williams of Cook introduced ail amendment to the gambling law, pro­ viding an agent who executes the or­ der of his employer shall not be liable if the loser in a gambling game sues to recover for the amount lost. This applies also to bucket shops.- Pay for County Assistants. Senator Berry introduced a bill pro- Tiding that assistants of the county superintendent of schools already au­ thorized to be appointed shall reoeire a reasonable compensation. Shoots Himself in Mouth. John Stead, the 17-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Stead, living near Clayton, accidentally shot himself in the mouth while practicing with a tar­ get rifle. Is Hurt- in Mine. Frank Cashup of Edwardsville, an employe in the Jvladison mine, was caught under a fall of slate, suffering the fracture of his right leg, and other injuries. - Revival at Virginia. Rev. Hay Bell of Carbondale, with the paitor. Rev. Joseph Hicks. Is con­ ducting a revival meeting at the Cum­ berland Presbyterian church at Vir­ ginia. National Bank at Goreville. A national bank has been organized at Goreville with a capital of $25,000. Following are the officers: President, T. A. Brad-ley; vice president, M. M, Pickles; cashier, R. A. Parks; assist­ ant cashier, H. A. Udgens. Asks $25,000 for Injuries. Joseph Jansen of Belleville has filed suit against the Donk Bros, eoarl and coke company for $25,000 dam­ ages as the result of injuries alleged sustained while at work in the mine of the defendants. Christian Endeavor Officers. The Quincy Christian Endeayor union has elected Rev. Walter M. Jor^ dan president, D. H. Earhart vice president, Addie E. Lake recording secretary, Julius Williams correspond­ ing secretary. Annie E. Gibbs treasur­ er and Maude Johnston superintend­ ent of junior work. Fire at Westfield. An early morning fire consumed tho M. G. Owen brick block at Westfield, occupied by Goble & Goble; also a restaurant, grocery, millinery and the office of the Westfield Review, en­ tailing a loss estimated at $20,000 on stock and buildings, which is not fully_ covered bj* insurance. The fire orig­ inated in a restaurant. . Linemen Fall Sixty Feaft. Johp Baccus of Peoria was prob­ ably fatally injured and Benj. Pretly of Peoria and Hallie West and Charles Gross of Kewanee badly hurt in a fall from the top of a 60-foot tele­ phone pole at Kewanee. The four ? linemen were working in the cross- arms. when the pole snapped at the middle. Seeks to Recover Gambling Lewis Smith has started a suit at Decatur to recover $850, which he claims he, lost at gambling. The de­ fendants are A. B. Drysdale and J. F. Schroll. alleged keepers of a gambling room; Thomas Gleason, a saloon man, who rents the room, and J. W. Race, owner of the building. Record-Breaking Mine Run. The South mine at Centralia made a record-breaking run, hoisting 1,358 tons of coal In eight hours, which is the biggest day's work ever accom­ plished by either of the three mines in this city. The day's run was for­ ty-five thirty-ton cars. Chautauqua Officers. The directors of the Decatur Chau­ tauqua association have elected the following officers: President. George \V. Mueller: vice-president. D. S. Shellabarger; secretary. H. B. Dyer; treasurer, Robert I. Hunt. Building Boom at Collinsville. It is estimated that at least $100,- 000 will be expended in the erection of business buildings in CollinsTUle during the corning summer. Alleged Slayer Is Released. Fred Micks, -who was charged with the murder of Thomas Dobbs, was re­ leased in the preliminary trial at Cairo on the ground that the alleged criiiie was not committed in the county. • « Mother Jones Addresses Miners. Mother Jones wound up a three' nights' .campaign in the coal belt by an address before hundreds of min­ ers at Marion. She spoke to big labor audiences at Cartervllle and Herrin, advocating unwpi&m. awl clallam. , . . r* Miner Demands $25,0& "V Edward Wendler has filed suit St Belleville for $25,000 rtaniages against Salvin North of Martssa for injuries alleged sustained while at work ta oafc of def. n.l,»n»'a.. 1 . Jj