North Carolina Newspapers

HE SS88SSS8SSS8S8S3S 88888888888888888 8S8888888S8888888 ect 8888888888888888S 8S888S8SS8288888S SS8S88S88S888S8SS oiofca..-ea-votaD 88888882288888888 33333338888883333 fM. I a, . I.,,., i o o 10 -o oo e a 09 s k otered at the Post Office at llmtgton, N. C, ai aecona uian hi' ier. 1 subscription r ice. The nbtcripdon price of the We'-ly Star It as follows: Single Copy 1 year, pottage paid .,..,...,..tl 00 ft 6 monthi " . 60 ' " " month " . 80 HURRYING IX UP., A Washington dispatch says the promoters of the -ship subsidy scheme are hustling to push it through Congress as soon as possi ble. They Bhow sagacity in this for if that measure be delayed and dis cussed long enough to give the people time to think about it, and to ex press their opinions there would be very little probability of a plunder- gress, for the average Congressman would have too wholesome a fear of public opinion to vote for such a measure. The more this thing is stirred the ranker the odor becomes, and that's why the schemers behind it are bo anxious to get it through Congress and get their arms into the Treasury of the United States, to the tune of $9,000,000 a year, the bill considerately providing that they can't pull more than this in any one year. Bat aside from the plundering features of this bill it is a very bungling affair and will lead to some very awkward mixes if passed. I Some of these are referred to in the following editorial, which we clip from the Philadelphia Record: "The bill limits payments out of the Treasury for subsidy to $9,000,000 in any one year, or $180,000,000 in twenty years all excess to be deducted pro rata from the recipients of the bounty. It is pretended that the $9,000,000 will not be annually paid out of the Treas ury in the first years of the operation: but tie bounty mongers have given no data to warrant tbeir assertions. The provisions of the bill indicate that every dollar of the money be taken out of the Treasury, and that the lion's share would go to two or three steam ship companies. Whilst the smaller vessels, sailing ships and freight steam ers are to receive one cent per gro-s ton for each 100 nautical miles of voy age, the great steamships of upward of 8,000 tons, and having a speed of twenty knots, are to get double the rate of bounty. "Then there is to be a pension from extra bounty of from 1 to 12 cents per hundred miles for such' steam vessels as are 'suitable for mail carriers and to be employed as auxiliaries of the United States (Government in case 'of war.' Besides all this is the large com pensation of the companies owning the ocean leviathans fcr carrying the mails of the United States and other Governments. Whilst the bounty is of little consideration to the owner of a tramp steamer plying' only for freight, it means millions to two or three ocean transportation companies, The bill reads in and between every line as if it had been written solely for those corporations. It is those corpor por itions alone that employ the lobby agents and attorneys now , besieging both Houses of Congress. monster is the section providing a reg istry, with bounty, for foreign built shins. The bill provides that a regis try may granted to foreign built ships owned by citizens of the United States that were engaged in an established freight and passenger transportation business on January 1, 1899. This deftly excludes freight ships not en gaged in a transportation business, Vessels 'actually owned by and repre senting the capital of American cm zens, or of a foreign corporation of which not les3 than 80 per cent, is owned by American citizens," shall also bev granted registry. These for eign built vessels when duly admitted to registry are to receive 50 per cent, of the bounty rates allowed American built shins. "No trustworthy data exist for as certaining the number of foreign built vessels owned by American citizens or the amount of American capital in vested up to 80 per cent, in foreign ocean transportation companies. But this shipping interest is strong enough to require the attention of the authors of the Subsidy bill. By throwing a sop-to the holders of this interest the bounty mongers hqpe to secure their co-operation, or at least to purchase their silence. It would be manifestly unjust to American citizens having large investments in nominal foreign , transportation companies to handicap them with large Government bounties to rival corporations. On the other hand, it would be equally unjust to the American people to pay out of their Treasury subsidies to the Ameri can owners of foreign built ships' that are engaged in a profitable ocean transportation trade. Whilst the owners cf these ships have asked only for an American registry, they have not nnnerio areamea oi so preposter ous a thing as a Government subsidy, a i x j a . It would be well for them to carefully watch thisTill on its passage, lest the bounty provision for their foreign built ships should be dropped somewhere between toe two Houses of Congress. Such things have happened more than once. "There are other features of this monster of favoritism and spoliation that will doubtless receive the fullest scrutiny from its opponents' in both Houses. .Should the bill be passed the American people would have saddled on their backs an Old Man of the Sea not for twenty years only, but for a century to come.". Attention has been called to the . fact that it is the companies which own the fastteamers that will reap 1 the bulk of these subsidypayments. ' and they are at work now lobbying for the passage of the bill. The Pre VOL. XXXI. sident of the company which owns the four fast American liners run ning between New York and Lon don, appeared before the Senate Commerce Commission . ' and the House Committee on MerchanVMa rineafew days ago, and declared that these vessels were run at a loss to the company, and intimated that if subsidies were not given "they would have to. drop carrying the mail when the present contract ex pired, and probably drop America registry and sail under some other flag. He didn't, he said, intend this as a threat, but of course that is what it was. One of , the objections to the pro posed scheme by Mr. Spence,of New York, a prominent shipping mer chant, is that it discriminates too much in favor of fast ships,, mainly for passenger . service, whereas the kind of ships which we really need is the freighter to take the place of the foreign "tramps," which are now doing the bulk of ocean carry ing and making more money for their owner than any other vessels afloat. When Mr. Spence said what we need is. freighters of reasonable speed he was speaking as a man with some experience in the ship- ing business, not interested more in bounties and subsidies tnan ,m ships, and he doubtless knew what he was talking about. If fast ships will not pay Americans let others who can make them pay build them and sail them, and let us build the kind of vessels that will pay. The fast ships that are got up extrava gantly and are really floating pal aces are of much less importance to us than the plain unpretending ves sels that will carry bur products to other countries and bring -back to us such of their products as we may have any use for. That would be a merchant marine in the true sense. When we are in dependent on that line we might project some with the ocean grey- hounds" which Mr. Griscom, presi dent of the company which owns and operates the St. Louis, St. Paul, New York and Paris, says are a very good kind oi vessels to lose money on. What we want is a mer chant marine without any scallops, one that can be built and operated without taxing the people of the United States to do it, while all the profit that might be in it would go to the benefit of the ship-building and ship-sailing combines. WITH BATED BREATH. It is a remarkable fact that every resolution introduced in Congress asking for information in reference to the attitude of the Administration in the pending war between the British and the Boers, is met with opposition by partisans of the Ad ministration, some of whom go so far as denying the right of Congress to demand such information, or of the people to be officially informed as to what is going on, or of the part this Government is taking in our own disputes with other peoples, or in the disputes of other peoples' in which we may be directly or indi rectly interested. J. When Senator Hale introduced his resolution of inquiry as to that seizure of American flour by a Brit ish vessel and what steps had been taken to demand its release, that was opposed, the presumable reason being that its opponents did not wish to do anything that might mar the friendly relations that exist between the two Governments. They preferred to give the British Gov ernment its own time to crawfish and turn the seized flour loose. When Senator Allen introduced his resolution asking for informa tion as to whether any representa tive of the Transvaal Eepublics had come to Washington and asked to be, recognized, and if bo, if he -had been, recognized, and if not, why not, that was opposed, as if some vital issue hinged upon it. It was a plain, simple question that could have been answered in ten minutes, and it was for a kind of informa tion that under ordinary circum stances the wires send out from day to day. If in this instance the news has been withheld from the public there must be some reason for it and that is what Senator. Allen's resolution is trying to-dis- cover. . :" ' I The fact isthat there is a pretty well grounded popular belief that the Administration . is in sympathy with Great Britain in this war against the Boers, although it is a war-the object of which is the destruction of those two Eepublics and their ab sorption Tby the British Monarchy, a war to which, as Senator Hale said in his speech Friday, the large ma jority of the American ; people are opposed. But the Administration has become so tangled up with the British that it finds itself by force of circumstances virtually endorsing acts that before this entanglement it would not have hesitated to con demn, and speaking to quote Mr. Hale, "with bated breath," when be fore it would haver thundered its dis approval and indignation. Are we tied to the British chariot? , THE NICARAGUA CANAL. The latest from: Washington in reference to the Nicaragua canal is that with the favorable report of the Senate Committee on the Hepburn bill the probabilities are that it will pass this Congress. This bill dif fers materially from others in.-as much as it provides for the construc tion , and absolute control by this Government, authorizes the Presi dent to negotiate with the Govern ments of Nicaragua and Costa Rica for the control of as much territory as may be necessary for the construc tion,' operation, protection and de fence of the canal, and appropriates 1140,000,000 for the work. It pro vides for the" building of such forti fications as . may be deemed neces sary for the defence of the canal-in the event of war. r It remains, however, to be seen what course foreign governments which may be or may think them selves interested in this scheme may pursue, whether they will quietly per mit this Government x. .construct the canal and claim alsolute control over it, or insist that if built it shall be open to the vessels of other na tions without, discrimination. Report comes . from Washington that Great Britain will, when the time comes, enter her protest against it as a violation of the Clayton Bui- wef treaty, which stipulates that no exclusive control shall be had by this Government over any canal constructed through the isthmus, while it is contended by some that with the present friendly feeling between the two . countries Great Britain would waive this provision in the treaty, probably with the understanding that the gates would be open to British ves sels. But we suppose if this Gov ernment undertakes to construct the canal it will find some diplomatic wav to placate other nations that may be interested. ; The Mexican Government has hit on a unique idea to make men who are hanged useful to their families. It charges' a gate fee to see the swinging performance, and turns the receipts over to the family of the hanged. Good idea. About the best use that some men can be put to is to hang them for the benefit of their families. Several years ago the people of Hartford, Indiana, subscribed $25,- 000 towards building a tin-plate plant, which was to employ 200 workmen. The plant was built and operated for some time when the and now the 200 workmen have had to hunt up other jobs, and the sub scribers of that $25,000 are just that much out of pocket. Chicago is turning her sewage into the Mississippi river by instal ments. She hopes that by taking it on the instalment plan the people of St. Louis will become accustomed to it by degrees, get to liking it and will not object to having the whole thing dumped on them later. The mad-dog scare is going the rounds. Richmond, Indiana, has it bad, and all the dogs, good and bad, which promenade the streets, must appear with the regulation muzzle on or take the chances of being knocked on the head by; a policeman or some self-constituted knocker. Ephraim Laturlip, an Indiana pro jector with metals, says he has dis covered a process by which copper can be made as hard as steel and to take and hold an edge like a razor. He is a brother of the man who built a rawhide cannon. , The New York Journal conspicu ously calls attention to the fact that last year $33,000,000 was invested in the building of cotton mills in the South. If the present pace be kept up through the year more than that will be invested this3 year. The average Yankee is. nothing if not thrifty. Morethan half the soldiers who volunteered for the Cuban war-have already applied for pensions. The other half will come Along in due time. The champion water splitter bo far is the British torpedo boat de stroyer Viper, run by the Parsons turbine, which has made forty-one miles an hour, and Parsons Bays he can do better than that. Andrew Carnegie emphatically de nies that he spent $4,000 or any other sum. to cable that speech of Senator Hoar to Hong Kong. The fellow who says he did, is a $4,000 liar. - Ah Indianapolis man who sold an afternoon paper for $950,000, went right ofE and started another paper. Some men make a greater success in getting rid of papers than they do in keeping them. - .-; Do vou want 2.000 or 3.000 old newsnaners at your own price? If so. call at the Stab office.- They make a cheap wrapping paper t WILMINGTON, N. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1900. PO?. STATE CONVENTION- : WILL BE HELD IN APRIL. Will Fuse With Repoblicais and Oppose the Constltational Amendment and toe New Election Law. Special Star Telegram. Raleighy N. O.i January 18. The Populist State Convention will be held in Raleigh on Wednesday, April 18th. The -Populist party will oppose the constitutional amendment in the com ing campaign. This was decided to night by the State Executive Com mittee," which ; was in session here to fix the date for the convention.. ? - The committee met at 7.30 o'clock id toe senate cnamner at tne capnoi and was in session until after 12 o'clock. Dr. Cyrus Thompson chair man of the committee, presided and Hal W. Ayer was secretary. - The-roll call showed eleven of the twenty-two members of the committee present. Several other members were repre sented by proxy. . rr After discussion of the situation -by those -present, it was practically de cided to adopt Senator Butler's sug gestion of another fusion with Re publicans in opposition to the amend ment and the new election law. . This decision was announced to the public in the following resolution: "Resolved, That the letter recently written by Hon. - Marion Butler to Capt. Geo. Wilcox, concerning the election law enacted by the General Assembly of 1899 and tne franchise amendment to the constitution sub mitted by the same body, is entitled to most careful and fullest consideration of all voters and citizens who. favor political liberty and popular govern- mem,- ana mas saia leuer is uuquuu fiedlv commended and endorsed by this committee; and that the chairman of the committee take immediate steps to effect the publication and distribu tion of fifty thousand copies of the same." This done the committee proceeded to name the date of the convention. Arrangements for the Convention. As unaer . the fusion arrangement unfolded by Senator Butler, the Popu lists are to furnish the candidates and the Republicans do the voting, it was decided that the Populist convention should be held before that of the Re publicans. Hence the following reso lution was adopted, fixing the 18th of April as the time: "Resolved. That the chairman of the People's Party State committee be authorized and directed to call a State convention of the People's Party to assemble in Raleigh on Wednesday, April 18, 1900, and in connection with ii : a . i ui: sucn call lu mvno me wsiuviuig ui a general conference of members of the Feonle's arty on Tuesaay nigbL April 17, 1900, and that he be author ized to extend a cordial invitation on behalf of the State committee to such citizens of the State to address and confer as may be deemed proper and advisable by him. "Resolved. That while it does not come within the official prerogatives of the State committee to so direct, it is recommended that county conven tions called for electing delegates to the State convention defer the nomi nation of county and legislative tick ets until after the meeting of the State convention." This means that an attempt will again be made to effect fusion in all counties with Republicans. Not only was the meeting slimly attended, but it lacked the old-time enthusiasm. Before adjourning the committee issued an address Giving a note of warning to the people on the new is sue raised by the action of the last Legislature." It condemns the consti tutional amendment and denounces the neW election law. Raleigh & Gaston Railroad. "The 15,000,000 mortgage on the Ra leigh & Gaston railroad was filed here to-day for registration. It is the larg est mortgage ever recorded in this county. The registration fees are 137, while the revenue stamps required on it amount to $2,500.20. It is announced on authority that the Asheville'tTazefte is contemplat ing removal to Raleigh. Also, it is stated that J. P. Click, editor of the Hickory Mercury, will come to Ra leigh and assume charge of the Cau casian, Senator Butler's paper. Death of Mrs. Mary E. Brooks. Capt Ed. Wilson Manning, yester day morning received a telegram from Portsmouth, JVa., announcing ' the death of Mrs. Mary E. Brooks, aged 89 years, who passed away peacefully and quietly at 10.30 P. M. Thursday night There were by her ledside, her . five sons and two daughters: Capt. W. B. Brooks, U. S. Navy retired, of Erie, Pa.; E. C. Brooks, Esq., E. K. Brooks, father of Mrs. John H. Hardin, of Wilmington, and Mr. Crawford Brooks, of Portsmouth; S. F. Brooks, Of Washington, D. C. ; Mrs. Ed. Wil son Manning, of Wilmington, and Miss Jane A. Brooks, of Portsmouth. Her grand children living in Wil mington, are Mrs. M. A. Gause, Miss Katie Manninsr, E. W. Manning, Jr., and Mrs. John. H. . Hardin ; great grand -children, Miss Annief Gause, Miss Jennie.Hardin, Lauriston.Edward and Susan Lane Hardin. - ' ; Editor Swariogen Married. Mr. W. F. Swaringen, editor of 1ke Fair Bluff Times, and Mrs. M. L. Smith were Wednesday united -ii marriaee at the - home of the bride's parents in Fair Bluff, Rev. J. A. Smith officiating. Mr. and Mrs. Swaringen passed through , the city yesterday en route to Goldsboro to spend a few days with relatives. t C. C Stockholders. The meeting of stockholders of the Carolina Central Kailway, appointed, to have been held in this city yester-. day afternoon at 2 o'clock, was ad journed until Monday, January 29th, at the same hour. Only the local stockholders were present at the meeting. A FRESHET IS ON. ' The Entfrmons Rainfall -of Thursday Nljnt Floodsrhe Streams Washouts Ih Railroads Delay Trains. . There was an enormous rainfall here and throughout eastern; North Caro lina on Thursday night." In Wilming ton the Weather Bureau recorded a precipitation of 2.74 inches of rain. The streets were running streams of water in some parts of the city.. Trains Annulled. -: The rains caused the streams In the country to be flooded, and there were -washouts on the Yadkin and Wil mington and Newborn branches of the Atlantic Coast Line. An hour before the. time for the 9 A.-M. train to leave fo Fayetteville and Sanford, a tele gram was received from Currie stating that there was a serious washout on the track near Montague. The train which was to leave here was conse quently annulled, and the train bound here was stopped at Fayetteville aid annulled. A wrecking train was sent out and several washouts between Wilmington and Currie were repaired The trains will , resume the regular schedule this morning. Washout oo the W. & N. On the Wilmington & Newbern branch there was a washout at Trent river. It was repaired, however, and the train bound for Wilmington and due here at 12:15 P. M., was delayed and did not get here till 5 o'clock last evening. The train which should have left here at 2:25 P. M., left 5:30 P. M. To day all trains will run as usual. , There was high water along the Wil mington & Weldon railroad but the trains arrived and departed on time. The train due here at 12:30 P. M. on the southern branch was behind time but it was on account of delayed con nections south of Florence. Washout on the Carolina Central. On the Seaboard Air Line, two miles east of Cronly, high water caused a washout and rendered a trestle for about fifteen or twenty feet impassible. Capt T. D. Meares, the general agent of the Seaboard Air Line, went up with an extra train, and the train from Charlotte, due here at 12.05 P. M., transferred its passengers, baggage, mail and express to the extra train at the washout The passengers got here safely, but a little behind time. The damage to the trestle has been re paired, '. and trains will run on the regular schedule to-day. A THOUSAND MILES A DAY. First of the Atlantic Coast Line Florida Specials on Its Way Soath Mag nificently Appointed. The Charleston' News and Courier of yesterday, in speaking of the At lantic Coast Line's superb special trains from the North to Florida, says: The first train of the "special" ser vice left New York at 18.25 P. M. Tuesday, January 16,. and arrived in Charleston at 7.46 yesterday morning. It is unquestionably one of the finest trains in the country. As made up in JNew xors this nrst of the lour trains used in this service consisted entirely of Pullman cars. Beginning with the Pullman baggage car. No. 2, the tram was equipped throughout with broad vestibules. Next to the baggage car was the dining car St James, com partment car Guatemala, sleeping cars Amphion and Delphos and observa tion car uouruer. , The baggage car is usually an im portant but uninteresting adjunct to travelling, but "No. 2" has other functions than the mere carrying of trunks, golf sticks and grips. At the forward end is established a small. low-pressure turbine engine, driven by steam from the locomotive, and this in turn drives an electric dynamo. Not only are the incandescents fed from this machine, but it also is con stantly engaged infilling the storage batteries beneath each car. This in sures a supply of light even in the event of a temporary disarrangement of the motor. A thoroughly compe tent electrician is in charge of the electric plant The dining car St. James is a model of its kind. The fittings and furnish ings are the best that money can buy, Soft velvet carpet 'covers the floor; handsome leather cushioned seats in vite the hungry to sit and scan the menu cards, while deft waiters pass noiselessly about Over each snow clad table is a rustic stand filled with trrowing plants and flowers and ferns. Breakfast luncheon f and dinner are served, and a new menu card is made un for each meaL Liunch is at mid day, and yesterday the card read like this: Bouillon. Badishea. Toons Onions, Boast cmcKen, Btocea. Small Cutlets or Veal, Tomato Sauce. Banana Fritters. Wine Sauce. Cold Meats. Boast Beef. Tongue. Ham. Boneless Sardines, Pickled Lamb's TOHzue. Boston Baked Beans with Brown Bread Lettuce Salad Baked Potatoes. Braised Sweet Potatoes. Cauliflower. New String Beans. Jane Peas. Vanilla ice Cream. Assortea Cake. Marmalade Preserved Fruits. Golden Gate Fruits, Engiisn oranam waiera. - Apple Pie. Fruits Roquefort, Canadian and Edam Cheese. Bent's Water Crackers. Coffee. Tea. A Deserved Promotion. Mr. Samuel P. Collier, Jr., a very clever and capable young man of Wil mington, who. has for some time effi ciently discharged the duties of chief clerk in the passenger department of the Atlantic Coast Line, has been pro moted to the position of soliciting freight 'and passenger agent of the same system, with neaaquarters at - . - "i, Tn. " .11! ill racssonvuie, juia. mr. wuuer win -leave this morning .for his new post of duty, and the best wishes or a nost of friends in Wilmington and else where will attend him. Executive Committee Meeting. Mr. D. McEachern, chairman, has issued an official call for a meeting of the Democratic Executive Committee of New Hanover county to be held to-morrow night at 8 o'clock at the office of W. B. McKoy, Esq., in the Smith building. The call sets forth that 'there is a patriotic work to be done, and all North Carolina expects New Hanover county to maintain the proud position she won in the memor able campaign of 1898." . ADVANCE IN PRICE ' OR-FERTILIZERS. Increased Cost of Material Entering Into - the Product Has Caused an Advance . in Acid Phosphate, Etc. : Now that the season for the ship ment of fertilizers has; arrived, the guano factories are on the eve of the busiest season of the year in that branch of " business. The. Virginia Carolina 'Chemical 'Company's two factories ; here the Navassa factory and the Powers, Gibbs & Co. fac tory are prepared to ship an output of 55,000 tons this season, the propor tion being about two-thirds for the Navassa Company fend one third for the Powers, Gibbs & Co. factory. For the past month or more the Powere, Gibbs E& Company factory has been thoroughly overhauled and put in first class' condition, so that it is now prepared to handle an in creased output. The machinery has been" put in such condition that the full capacity of the factory can be utilised and the facilities for handling the product have also been increased. The Navassa factory is up to its usual efficiency, and both factories are in the best condition to manufacture and handle goods promptly. The feature, however, which will doubtless most concern the agricul tural interests is the material advance in the price of fertilizers this season. With the expansion of prices gener ally on all manufactures and pro ducts, the prices of fertilizers follow suit. Mr. H. 'W. Malloy, manager for the Virginia Carolina Chemical Company here, yesterday stated to a Star rep resentative that the price of acid phosphate has advanced from 20 to 30 per cent, over last year's prices. This means an j increase of $2.25 to $3.00 per ton. He says the increase is owing to the scarcity of phosphate rock and a consequent increase of 20 to 30 per cent in the priee of rock, and also on account of an increase of from 15 to 20 per cent, on the price of pyriltes and brimstone,materials which enter into the production of acid goods, as sulphuric acid is manufactured from these materials. Onse caue for the advance on phosphate rock, he states, is the unprofitableness former prices of rock. Owing to low prices, only one company out of five engaged in developing the phosphate mines in Florida weathered the storm The others were bankrupted in the business. . As for ammoniated fertilizers, Mr, Malloy states that there has been an advancement in price of from $2.00 to $2,50, or 20 to 30 per cent , due also to the advance in the price of phos- I phate rock and an increase of the price of material from which ammonia is derived. He remarked that' generally speakfng, the advance in the prices of fertilizers may be due in part to the universal revival of business through out the country. As a matter of interest in this con nection, it may be stated that potash fertiliztrs have advanced ten per cent, in ' price, the cost of kainit being now $1 per ton more than last year's price. As for cotton seed meal, the price per ton has increased from $2.50 to $5 per ton, according to the distance from producing and shipping points. Mr. Malloy informed tha Stab yes terday that the shipping of fertilizers has already commenced and that it would be a good idea for parties who already have contracts to send in their orders as promptly as possible. The two factories here are prepared to ship 1,500 tons a day. It may be explained here that the prices referred to above, nave refer ence to all parts of North Carolina. Mr. Malloy states that by the method adopted fertilizers will cost consumers the same price at the factory as they will cost consumers at some distance. This will make the increase for local consumers greater in proportion to the increased prices named. A number of the leading wholesale houses on the wharf and several far mers also, were yesterday asked in re gard to the advance of the different grades of goods and the arrangement with reference to the uniformity of price regardless of the distance from the factory. They claim that the increased cost of ingredients entering into the combination of the fertilizers does not warrant the measure' of advance adopted by the factories and trace the high prices to the arbitrary ruling of WUAW hllKD bCi. LU I, lit? lOluliAQf UlUh Acid phosphates, they say, have ad vanced at the factory from 40 to 50 per cent, while. manipulated guanos are up 25 per cent Many of the farmers and several wholesale dealers, claim that under the new ruling they will be unable to handle the goods at all. New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Columbus and other farmers who have hitherto enjoyed advantages in the way of freight rates by reason of their close ' proximity to the factory, are loudest in their denunciations of the arrangement with reference tothe uniform price." They declare that it is rr anifestly unjust to charge them as much for fertilizers with no freight comparatively to pay, as farmers and dealers at interior points where the freight rate is $2 per ton and upward. Ate White Rabbits and Died. Mr. Isaiah West reports that one night recently his pen of pet white rabbits was invaded by an "unmuzzled dog" and his entire "crop," consist ing of seven or eight, destroyed. Btrange to say, he relates, from an overdose of the pets the .canine died during the night- himself and had to be carted away. The moral he draws from the occurrence is' "Muzzle your dog.!J NO. 14 THE CASTLE HAYNES PHOSPHATE MINES. The New Hanover Land and Improvement Company to Operate Them oa An - -. Extensive Scale. The Stab mentioned a few days ago that the Hanover Land and Improve ment Company , would develop the phosphate mines land limestone or shell rock quarries at Castle Haynes. The company will work the. prop erty on an extensive scale and will mine both phosphate and limestone rock, for road and street imorove- A ments. 1 For this purpose from fifty to sixty convicts have been leased from the State penitentiary authorities, and as soon as they can, be sent to Castle Haynes the work will be commenced. The Stab yesterday noted that en convicts arrived at the mines on Fri day, and it is learned that the remainder will probably arrive 'some time this week. ' The Hanover Land and Improve ment Company is j a corporation com posed of business! men of Wilming ton. Mr. C. O. j Chadbourn is the manager and he tells the Stab that he hopes to begin mining this week. The phosphate and limestone'are mined at one and the same time, the latter hav ing to be blasted away to get to the. phosphate which is in a stratum be neath the stone. In connection with the mine the company will operat mill for separating and cleansing the phos phate. . Mr.:W. H. Shear in is superinten dent at the mines. Dr. Werteobaker Returned. Dr. C. P. Wertenbaker, surgeon in charge of the Marine Hospital here, has jreturned from a trip to Greens boro, N. C, and ! Jessup, Ga., where he went under orders of Surgeon General Wyman as an expert to ex amine into the smallpox situation in and around those points. Dr. Wer tenbaker established the certain pres ence of the disease in Guilford county and at Jessup,! and says the authori ties have the situation well in hand. He came back via Hamlet,, but did not make an official examination into the cases there, of which there' are seven teen, all of which are among a force of colored railroad Jaborers on a ma terial train side-tracked there. Badly Swollen Stream. - 'Squire Jno. G. Wagner, of Mason boro township, had a regular "up country" experience,. with . & swollen stream yesterday "morning. As he was on his way in a cart up to the city with produce for the market, he drove into Watson's branch on the old Masonboro road about five miles from theory, and this usaullyj gentle water course had swollen to such proportions that he was swept down the current for some distance and it was only with the greatest difficulty that he forced the animal attached to the vehicle to draw his cart again upon terra firma. Preacher's Conference. The Rev. R. F. Bumpass. presiding elder of the . Wilmington district, M. E. Church, South, requests that an nouncement oe made to the effect that all the ministers of the Methodist Church in the district are expected to meet in this city on Wednesday next This meeting ' will be held in the lecture room of Fifth Street M. E. Church, South, beginning at 3 P. M. The afternoon will be given to a con sideration of the subject of missions, particularly, those of the Wilmington District At 8 P. M., a consecration service will be held. - At 9:30 A. M. Thursday the j Twentieth Century movement will be considered. Nearly Ready for Operation. The Delgado cotton mills are now about ready to begin operations. It is probable that some cotton will be run through the cards to-morrow. Mr. J. S. Mott,of Lowell, Mass., who has 1 been here j installing the steam dryer, finished it -yesterday and it is now ready forvthe steam to be turned on. It is said to be the largest dryer in the United States, having a capacity for drying 5,000 pounds of raw cotton at one time. j . Not Guilty of Perjury. A case for perjury against C. W. Capps, a well known young white man of the city, was tried before Jus tice Fowler yesterday afternoon, the defendant having been discharged for want of evidence. The action was brought by Oscar Watson, who em ployed L. V. Grady, Esq., to prosecute the case. The defence was represented by Herbert McClammy and Marsden Bellamy, Esqs. Store to be Remodelled. The interior of the handsome dry goods store of the C. W Polvogt Company, No. 9 North Front street, is soon to be remodelled throughout and the different departments more con veniently arranged and enlarged. The alterations are made necessary by a constantly increasing patronage which has placed this enterprising firm abreast with the leading emporiums of the State, j FeU Prom Stairway. " Archie Benson, a white man living in the city, fell from the iron steps on Princess street adjoining the National Bank of Wilmington, last night about 7 o'clock and received a severe cut on the back of the head and several other minor injuries. He was taken to the City Hall by Policeman W. E. Wat son! and later ent to the hospital, where Dr. Ai H. Harriss attended him. ' - By Telegraph to the M eralng Btar. ' - , v ' Washington,. January 20. An in- j teresting and valuable brochure, giv ing a complete history of the ' bubonic plague, together with the means which. have been adopted for its prevention, f has been prepared and ' made public by Surgeon General Wyman, of the . Marine Hospital Service. Partly, it is a reproduction of a somewhat similar . work issued by Dr. Wyman several' years ago, when the plague made its appearance in some of the Eastern. ' countries, supplemented by facts and data gathered since then. It is shown that the plague under various names is a disease which -has ravaged the several countries of Africa, Asia and Europe almost from time immemo rable. Pestilence, supposed to have been the plague, prevailed in Athens 432-429 B. O. i One historian calculates that one-fourth the population of Europe, or 25,000,000 persons, died in all the epidemics in the fourteenth century. A very interesting account is given in the origin and spread of I the present epidemic of the plague, the ' " first recorded instance of its occur rence in the Western hemisphere be r ing at Santos, Brazil, in October last. ' The opinion is expressed that in the light of experience in other parts of the world it seems reasonable to be lieve that even were the disease intro- . duced here, its spread "would be very . limited in cities where the sanitary r conditions are good and where the precautions as to the isolation of pa- v tients and the segregations of those ex posed to infection could and would be practiced. The death rate varies in different epidemics, and is estimated at from 50 to 90 per cent BRYAN IN BALTIMORE. Addressed a Large Audience Upon Polit- ' leal Questions of the Day. By Telegraph to the Morning Star. Baltimore, January 20. Hon. W. , J. Bryan delivered an address here to night upon the political questions of the day to an audience which filled Music Hall, the biggest auditorium in the city, to its fullest capacity, and which greeted him and his remarks with the greatest enthusiasm. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Maryland Democratic Associa tion, one of the free silver wings of the Democratic party of the State, and was -not encouraged in any manner by the regular Democratic organization. In fact the latter held strictly aloof from any participation in the affair. . They made no effort to discourage it in any manner, but not one of the " Democratic i leaders appeared on the platforrd and an offer of stage tickets was politely declined by the principal members of the Democratic State cen tral committee. - Upon 'the currency , question Mr. Bryan asserted that in 1896 all of the leading political parties demanded a double standard, differing only in the method of obtaining it. Now, the Re publican party insists upon a single standard, and a bill is pending in Con gress which not only seeks that end bat 1sot' ' endeavor to ' perpetually ' force upon this country: the present r n.tinn.T Ka,W4f .v.f Am T f t Vl A lo - publicans had advocated such a meas-1 are' in .1888,- he declared, Mr. MO- i Kinley would never have been Presi dent SCANDALS AT MANILA. Causing General Talk In the United States j Squadron. By Teleirr&Ph to the Morning Star. Boston, Mass., January 20.' A let ter received from a naval officer at Manila, dated December x 12th, says . that scandals in the United States . squadron are causing general talk. One is the shooting of a Filipino on board the Monadnock by Captain Mc- -Gowan, because the man climbed over the side of the vessel forward in stead of aft, as demanded by naval usage. It is maintained that the cap tain intended to fire over the man and scare him, ' but he was hit in the hip and died soon afterward. The other subject of comment is the fact that Commander 8. W. Very, of the Castine, up to the -present time, has had every officer on . the vessel with ' one exception under , suspension, and one or mem nas ob jected. Although the authorities de sire to quiet the proceedings the officers wilfhave to be heard, and the matter will be carried, to the department at , Washington. - TWINKLINGS. Baffling "It's a very unsatis factory story 1" "Yes?" "Oh, very! I've read, the first chapter and the last chapter and I don't know yet how it turns outrVit. Daughter "Would you object to my marrying withoutrour con sent r Rich Father (significantly") "Not at all. - I'd save money by it" ' Philadelphia Record. As Exemplified "Wasn't it a strange freak for the beautiful Miss -Spudd to marry that queer-looking . Russian!" I "Yes; but we all have our . off' days.'!' Chicago Tribune. Father" You mfist adopt you think of law?" Spendthrift Son "Well, I think son-in law would suit me better.' Indianapolis Journal. . Miles "A physician told me recently that a good, hearty" laugh, Erolongs a man's life." Giles "Per aps it does unless he laughs at an other man who slips on an icy side- -walk." Chicago News. i "I disown youl" tjried the angry parent Y "I shall out you off : with a dollar." "Yes, sir," replied the erring son, meekly. "And might I have the dollar now!" Philadel' phia North American. ; Wickwire "Look here. This is the fourth time this morning you have been; here asking for the price of a meaL" j Dismal Dawson "Yep. I am the absent-minded beggar, don't you know?" Indianapolis Press. "Show me a prize-fighter," said the long-haired" man as her leaned against the bar, 'and I'll show you a loafer." "Is that so?" exclaimed a burly fellow behind the stove, jump ing to his feet ""Well, I'm a prize-fighter-rsee ?" "Of course." said the rttViav am ha ttbytlrari tnwaml ihtk AmVP. "and I'm a loafer." t : "SO you don't admire grand opera,',' said the young woman. "No," answered . Mr. Pinckinbam, of Chi cago." "I used to have a great deal of respect for it, but when the last one came to town and didn't pay expenses I said to myself : 'Anything that has not any more money in it than grand opera is no good. Washington Star. - At the present rate, North Carolina is getting a new cotton mill every day. The centre of the textile industry in this . country is ranidlv shining to the South. Nor- 'folk Landmark, Dm.