-P B ISHID AT- WILMINGTON. N. C , AT- JnLttli $1.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. Weekly TAR. SPIRITS TURPENTINE O O O O O O O w O WW o w w w a SSS8SSSSS8SS8S8SS " , SSS88888888888888 - 88888888888888888 Mw s SgggSSS335g3gSgg 8S8888888828S888S yowl -"5SSS3888S5;8Sga 888888S88S8888888 82886883888888888 13888888888888888 , S3 a. 73 Ssss-. - -sss :::::: cr .. to VOL. XXXII. WILMINGTON, N. 0., FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1901. NO. 20 rod at the Fott Office at tlmtgtoii, N. C, at Second Clua Ma'ter.l SUBSCRIPTION PftlCE. i'.-t subscription price of the "We'lj Star laai md le Copy 1 year, postage paid.,..;. 00 ' Smooths " " 60 ' " Smooths " " 80 CHEAP LAB0S. The Republican party will have a good working majority in both houses of Congress to carry out the suggestions of the President and to support any party measures that may be offered. Mr. McKinley himself has suggested the advis ability of a reduction of the tariff duties on such articles as no longer need protection, and the organiza tion and recent consolidation of of Trusts has resulted in drawing declarations from some of ' the lead ing Republican Congressmen . that they favosa repeal of the protective duties on articles controlled by these combinations. Possibly and prob ably they have so declared to antic ipate the introduction of bills for this purpose by Democrats, and thus secure for the Republican party the credit rof tariff reform, and a curbing of the Trusts at the same time. There is little doubt that the Hanna Ship Subsidy bill will come up again when Congress meets, and it will be interesting to see how these tariff reformers .will take positions then. One of: the prin cipal arguments advanced for the scheme is that a subsidy is neces sary to enable our ship builders to compete with the ship builders of other countries which have "cheaper labor." It can't be claimed that those countries have cheaper mate rials, for they import much of those materials from this country, thou sands of tons of plate and immense quantities of other materials neces sary in the constructionahd finish ing of vessels. As they can't play the material dodge they will throw much stress on the labor question. As a matter of fact the European ship workman apparently receives less wages than the American does, while the American employer pays really no more for labor, although wages are higher, than the Euro ttfian emnlover does. The price of x i - - labor is the corner stone of the whole protective system. It was the main argument used in the dis cussion of -the protective tariff whenever it was' a subject of dis- i i 3 A- 1 cussion, ana ic was useu iu iuui working men into the snpport of protection because they were led to believe that it helped to protect tbem from the cheaper labor of Europe, while the cheap laborers of Europe could come over here and compete with them on their own ground. The fact that our manufacturers are shipping many millions of dol lars' worth of their manufactures to other countries and . successf ally competing with the European man ufacturers who employ this cheap labor, shows there is nothing in that "cheap labor" now if there ever was, and there never was much if there ever was anything. This fact is becoming pretty gen erally recognized now and admitted in some quarters where its admission would hardly he looked for. The Philadelphia Press is a Republican paper which believes in protection. The United States Department of Agriculture is under Republican control. Chief H; W. Wiley, of that Department, is a Republican. In a recent number of the Press he has an article (and a very interesting article it is) on the ability of this country to produce food enough for its rapidly increasing population. Starting out with the assertion that this country is "essentially a food producer," he continues: "In this term, however, must be in eluded the production of the raw ma tari&la for clothing since the produc tion of food and ciothing are the two is paid for it but what it pays in the way of returns. The man who re ceives three dollars a day and pro duces nine dollars worth of work is really a cheaper man than the man who receives one dollar a day and produces two dollars worth of work The American workman, who, with his machine will turn out thousands of nails while the European workman is beating out a few on an anvil is a cheaper man at ten times the wages than the Euro pean workman, who may be and ex pert in his business but cannot pro duce the results that the more rapid American does with his machine. This contention has been made times without mention in the dis cussion of the wage question, but the Republican protectionists stoutly insisted all the same, that the American workman must be "proteoted" front the pauper laborer who beats out nails on an anvil at about half the pay the American workman received. When the writer in the Press wrote that paragraph , about wages, he had not the tariff in view, and he probably never thought that he was stating a fact that argued very strongly against the protective sys tem, but he did it all the same, and got on Democratic ground when he made the, test - of cheapness the value of the production and not the amount of jvagea paid. In tho Car "negie steel works some men are em ployed who earn from ten to fifteen dollars a day, experts in their busi ness, and hard to replace, who are considered among the cheapest of the 3,000 workmen employed in that establishment. If it were all a matter of hand work perhaps the American would be no more effective or rapid than the European workman in the same hues, he might produce no more, and would be consequently a higher priced man than the European who earned less wages. If he produced no more he would cost his employer more; but skilled as he is in manipu lating labor-saving machinery he produces enough to far outweigh any difference, however great, there may be in the wage rates in this and in other countries. The cheap est labor is the labor that produces the most and gives the employer the most profit. Judged by this, which is the true test, skilled labor in America is the cheapest in the world. WHAT HANS' A'S 8UBSIDY MAY COST. In discussing the ship subsidy scheme in which Hon. Mark Hanna is so much interested attention has been mainly centered on the $190, 000,000 it proposes to take out of the pockets of the people and put into the pockets of the men operat ing ships and ship yards. But that is only part of the cost the American people might have to pay. It might cost them vastly more m other ways, some of which are pointed out in the following, which we clip from the Baltimore Sun: " "A member of the British Parlia ment, discussing the. possibility that Great Britain may impose a tax on imported sugar, with a countervailing duty on sugar made in countries which pay bounty, intimates that sugar car -goes carried in subsidized . American ships 'would be dangerously near com ing under our proposed countervail ing duty.' If Great Britain is to de part in any degree from her policy of free trade, it is quite natural that she should turn her attention to imports brought to her shores in subsidized vessels. The shipping interests of Eogland have contributed incalcu lably to the wealth of the British Em pire Mr. Hanna1 subsidy scheme is iutended to drive British ships out of the American carrying trade. The British would therefore be justified in fighting our ship . subsidy ad vocates with their own weapons. If the British should adopt the plan suggested by the member of Par iiament quoted above, there is no reason to believe that the countervail ing duty would be limited to sugar. In time it might be extended to agri cultural imports from the United States, to cattle, frozen meats and ulti mately to manufactured products. Ia that event it is difficult to imagine how anybody would profit from the ship subsidy except those who were paid $9,000,000 a year bounty from the National Treasury. It may also be assumed that Great Britain will not be the only country which will regard imports carried in subsidized American vessels as proper subjects for counter vailing duties. Germany and France each have a merchant marine which must be "protected." The United States is not slow to impose counter vailing duties on European bounty paid products. Why should Europe be more considerate of American in terests?" With the ship subsidy schemes, and the great Trusts, the probabili ties are that we will in a few years have all the leading nations of the world fighting us commercially, and uniting, if necessary, to do it. GETTING READY FOR ADJOURNMENT Sixty Days Session of the N. C. Legislature Will Expire To-Day. BILLS PASSED YESTERDAY. A Dutch professor, figuring on the age of the earth from the amount of lime in the ocean, pnts it at 45, 000,000 years. Judging from this, the lime business must have been the original "infant industry' IS A STORM BREWING! That peace which we were assured was about to dawn upon China, doesn't soem to be as near now as wa3 when the Chinese so-called gov ernment agreed to chop off the heads called for by the allied Powers; on the contrary if there be any founda tion in the latest reports, the condi tions are more threatening now than they have been at any time since the forces of the allied Powers entered China. There have been reports for some time "that Russia was negotiating with China in her own behalf, which means that Russia was dictating what China must give Russia in the northern part of China, against which the other powers offered a polite protest some time ago. Russia must have been running China pretty hard, for a few days ago it was reported that Li Hung Chang had appealed to the other Powers to call Russia to time, and now we are told that mat ters have progressed so far as an understanding for concerted action by this country, Great Britain and Japan, while Russia and France will stand together, with Germany in doubt, but thought to be leaning towards Russia. That's just about the way some people who had watched the pro gress of the game over there tnougni when the allied Powers concluded to winter in Pekin. . They believed then tht the result would be a col lision between the foreign Powers, every one of which, with the possi ble exception of this country, had its eye upon something to grab, and wanted a pretext for grabbing, ic is beginning to look very much that way, and people who desire peace in that country will be very agreeably disappointed if it doesn't turn out that way. The result of such a racket will be the partition of China in the wind up. When Minister Wu Ting Fang is interviewed bv a newspaper man he A Scotch professor has discovered that Satan's headquarters are on the planet Saturn, which is about 779, 000,000 miles from the earth. The general" impression was that he was good deal nearer. The Amerioan bicycle doesn't seem to be humming along as it did a few years ago. The exports last year amonnted to only $3,000, 000, compared with $4,820,000 in 1899 and $7,000,000 in 1898. Mr. Carter must like the job of Mayor for Chicago, as he is going to run for the third time, and the Democrats must like Carter pretty well for they are going to run him. The question has been asked, "Will the British army be re formed?" It needs reformation, for it became badly demoralized in South Africa. The Britons will have to pay a tax on sugar to help foot the bill for the Boer hunt. In addition to that they got pretty well salted down there. A Missouri - hen has laid an egg bearing this 'legend, "Prepair for the end is neer." , That hen had an awful bad spell with that egg. CURRENT COMMENT. great branches of agricultural Indus j jjeneraUy manages to do more of the i . i j I ;nforviowinr than the Other fellow. iu wv w o, He probably got his cue from Li Hung Chang, who ia an adept at being interviewed and saying noth ing t ia ti-tiA that our country during the last decades has made wonderful progress in manufacturing, but this progress has been made possible be cause agricultural products are abund ant and cheap. "While, therefore, we pay our laborers more per man per day than is rA in any other country we get a higher return for the investment. It is a truth universally conceded that the best paid, best fed and best clothed laborer gives the best work, so that, in reality, it ia doubtiui wnemer, mess ured by the amount of work pro duced, American labor is any higher paid than the labor of any other country." - Here is an admission from a Republican in close affiliation with the party, that the true, test-of cheap labor is not the amount that The gross earnings last year of the lines operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company aggregated $172,- 000,000. It paid to the, employes voluntary relief fund $128,390, and $200,000 in pensions to old and dis abled employes, v -a Look out for trouble now. There were 13. new Senators sworn m for this Congress. T Li Hung Chang is spoken of as the Chinese Machiavelli. , There is reason to suspect that Li knows some tricks in diplomacy that would make Machiavelli seem like an ama teur. Washington Star,Rep. A suit that has been begun bv a meat dealer of Chicago against the Amour Packing Company re veals the fact that the. Meat Trust maintains a black list by which it aims to throw out of business any Wcher who does not comply with the rules it makes as to prices, etc. There is curiosity as to what the courts will have to say in the mat ter. Brooklyn Citizen, Dem. . One thing the 'Cubans must set down to the credit of the Amer t.h latter have'so reduced the death rate in Havana that the Cuban capital is quite as healthful as the average of American cities xn the same latitude. There is now but a slight fractional difference in the number of deaths per thousand of the population of Havana and New York. rniiaaeipnnia new, "Our institutions will not deteriorate by extension," says Mr. McKinley, "and our Bense of justice will not abate under the tropic suns of distant seas." Very prettily said, but there is a flaw in the rhetoric. We have not extended our "institu tions" to distant seas, but 'a lot of new inventions new so far as we are concerned, but old as to the world, in the history of tyranny. If Justice does not get a black eye in this experiment she jnay consider herself very fortunate. Motile Register, Dem. Imposing a Tax oa Dors FayettevlUc's " Prohibition BUI The Revenue Law Considered Wilmington's City Charter Comes Up To-day. : Special Star Telegram.' ' Raleigh, N. C, March 7. The bill imposing a tax on dogs passed the 8enate to-day so as to apply to New Hanover, Wayne, Mecklenburg, Ci barrus, Columbus. Chatham, Robe' son, Pasquotank, and three or four western counties. Tae tax imposed is 25 cents on male and one dollar on female dogs, the proceeds to be used for the purchase of school books for poor children. Tae bill was origin ally intended to apply to Wayne and Mecklenburg, and was amended bo as to apply to other c aunties. The following among other bills passed the Senate: To protect drain ways in Beaufort, Pitt, Tyrfell and Craven counties; to authorize Goldj boro to issue bonds; to, provide for and regulate primaries in Mecklen burg county and Charlotte ; to prevent guarantee companies from compell ing counties to deposit funds in Na tional banks; to regulate the sale of liquor in Goldsboro; to put the Agricultural and Mechanical College under control of the Board of Agriculture; to charter the Kenans -ville Air Line Railroad Co; to protect interests of infants and married women incorporations; to change the bounda ries, of Steele township, Richmond county; to amend the charter of Rock ingham; to incorporate Cape Fear Free Will Baptist Church. Bill providing for prohibition in Fayetteville and Cumberland county and abolishing the Fayetteville dis pensary system, passed unanimously, and is now ready for ratification. The House spent must of the morn ing and afternoon sessions considering the Raveaue act. No bills of public interest passed Sections 71 to 78 of the Raven u a act were adopted without material amend ment. Section 70, merchants' tax, was amended by requiring merchants to list a sworn statement of gross sale3 twice a year and pay taxes semi annually. Sections 80 to 82 were adopted without material amendment. Section 85, Schedule C, imposing a privilege tax on railroads, was adopted. Judge Graham offered an amendment to strike out section 86 and insert that the annual license tax for operating such railroads within the State shall be as follows: When gross receipts per mile exceed two thousand dollars par annum but do not exceed five thousand dollars, a tax of two per centum upon such gross receipts; where gross receipts per year exceed five thousand dollars, three per centum upon gross receipts. There was a lengthy argument, after which the amendment was lost, but came up again in the evening session, to pre cipitate the hottest discussion yet bad over the Revepue act When the Revenue act was taken up at 4 o'clock Graham renewed his motion to amend section 86, as fixing the rate of tax on gross earnings of railroads, and it was adopted 64 to 9. Winston lodged a motion to recon sider. Graham moved to reconsider and table that motion. The Speaker got the motions confused, precipita ting an angry discussion by Graham, Allen, Winston and others. The whole matter was finally left open until to-morrow. During the after noon sections 8, 88, 83, 89 to 99 passed, with some slight amendments. A bill passed increasing the salary of the State librarian to $1,000, provid ing $300 for an assistant and that separate reading apartments for white and colored people be provided. Bills passed third reading: To amend the charter of Scotland Neck ; to amend chapter 28, Laws '89, regarding New bern; to establish the stock law in Warsaw township, Duplin county; to provide electric lights for Laurinburg; to amend the charter of Wilson; to establish the stock law in sections of Jones county; to incorporate the Wayne and Seaboard Railroad Com pany; to authorize Sanford to issue bonds for waterworks; to incorporate the Raleigh and Cape Fear Railroad Company. - The House will probably remain in session several days at the expense of members and probably adjourn next Wednesday. Some members are pre paring to leave Friday night far 2.200 bills have been againstl,900 in '99. The bill to provide four additional commissioners for Brunswick passed the Senate and is ready for ratification. Raleigh, N. C, March 8. Morn ing, afternoon and night sessions in both branches of the Assembly to day characterized the great rush incident to finishing work of the session. The nay of members of the House stops to r J ... j; Thus introduced, morrow and they are anxious to dis pose of all important business by to morrow night, when many will leave for their homes. The work will not be finished up, however, before Wed nesday. . The House completed consideration of the Revenue act which passed on final fading. Grahanrfs amendment to section 86 for a tax on gross receipts of railroads was reconsidered and voted down, after another lengthy discussion. The Wilson bill to prevent discrim ination against independent manufac turers by requiring corporations to sell their products at a price to cover the cost of manufacture and ten per eent profit, came as the special order and was voted down. The object was to check the American Tobacco Com pany, but it would affect all manufac turers and close the cotton mills. ' Along with the Wilson, bill came the Ward-Robinson anti-Trust bill, modelled after the Texas bilL It passed a final reading by a vote of 70 to 9. Other bills passed the House: To repeal all laws granting exemptions from examinations for certificates as public school teachers to a student of any educational institution; to incor porate the Central Trust Co.; resolu tion appointing a committee of three to investigate expenses of the steamer Lilly and the shell fish department for jhe past four years. -'The following bills passed the Sen ate: To amend the charter of Dunn; to authorize Richmond county to issue bonds ; to provide a stock law in parts of Craven county; to incorporate the Kenansvillb Air Line Railroad; to in corporate Pinehurst; to repeal all laws granting any person immunity, from examination for certificate as public shool teacher. The Senate passed the bill creating sixteen judicial districts as it came, from the House, except slight changes of dates of certain courts. The House bill requiring that street cars be provided with vestibules and fenders passed, with an amendment that the Corporation Commission ex empt such systems as in their judg ment climatic and other conditions make it unnecessary. The House pissed the educational bill to-nfcht, appropriating $300,000 for education. Also, the general road law and the omnibus liquor bill; to amend the charter of Goldsboro; to authorize Goldsboro to issue bonds; to establish the stock law in Warsaw township, Duplin county ; to authorize commissioners of New Hanover to make annual appropriations to the Wilmington Light Infantry and Naval Reserves. The Judiciary Committee of the House will report an agreement with cotton mill owners regulating child labor which Will be spread . on the records of the General Assembly in lieu of any legislation on the subject The features of the agreement are t One week's work not to exceed sixty six hoars; no child less than twelve years of a?e to work in a cotton mill during the term cf an available public school; provided that this is not to apply to children of widows or physicialy dis abled parents, and that ten years shall be the lowest limit at which children may be worked under any circum stances. Cotton mill owners bind them selves, to co-operate with any feasible plan to promote the education of work ing people in the State and cheerfully submit to their part of the burdens and labors to advance the cause of general education. The agreement is signed by practically all the mill owners of the State. Special Star Correspondence.' Raleigh. N. C. March 9. More than seventy of the members of the House of Representatives have signed an agreement obligating themselves to remain in Raleigh until all public business before the General Assembly is disposed of and all bills enrolled and ratified. This means that the House will certainly not adjourn or take a recess before Wednesday or Saturday of next week. The Machinery act and several other very important bills are yet to be passed and the amendments by the Senate to the Revenue act must be concurred in. Then, too, there is the Election law, which has not yet been reported by the joint committee and must run the gauntlet, section by section, in both branches of the As sembly. The bill for the repeal of the dispen sary law in Union county has passed both branches of the Assembly, with an amendment that it be not effective until approved by a majority of the county at a regularly called election, the dispensary people to have until January 1st, 1903, to close out their stock. The Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns will report to the House to-day in favor of making the license' tax for the Atlantic Hotel bar, More head, $75 instead of $300 per year as was the proviso of a bill which was referred to them. Tne Secretary of State has chartered the Cumberland Manufacturing Co., of Fayetteville, with a capital stock of $5,000. The purpose of the company is the making of shirts, pants, overalls, aud in fact all manner of clothing made wholely or in part by the use of a sewing machine. The incorporators are R. W. Bidgood. W. J. McDair mid and J. R. Williams. The base ball enthusiasts of Raleigh are delighted at the news that Wil mington will be in the Virginia-North Carolina Base Ball League. The Raleigh Athletic Association is meet ing with splendid success in the work of securing players for the coming season. This work is being done by Cant GeorsreW. Kelley (King Kel- ley) as he is familiarly known, a Special Star Telegram. The Senate to-day passed the bill pro viding courts for the sixteen judicial districts by a vote of 28 to 13. Demo crats voting against the bill were Woodward, Arrington, Glenn, and Thomas. The bill appropriating $200,000 an nually for public schools passed its second reading in the Senate. An amendment by Leak, of Wadesboro, reducing the appropriation to $100,000 was Voted down. The vote on passage of the bill was unanimous except that Leak voted no, saying he feared the Legislature had gone wild on the sub ject of education and was appropriat ing beyond its means. Other bills passed the Senate: To provide for permanent registration of voters under the "grandfather clause" of the constitutional amendment, (sec ond reading) ; to incorporate the Town of MitbilL Edgecombe county; to ap point a commission to investigate the cost of the shell fish commission ; to prevent stock from running at large in Burgaw ; to enlarge the stock law ter ritory of Bladen county; to protect deer in Robeson county; to extend the time to begin construction of the At lantic and Western Railroad; to pre vent turkeys, geese, ducks and chick ens running at large in Bladen, Currituck, Cleveland, Wayne, Meek lenburg, Edgecombe and certain other counties, (an amendment by Dula which provided that the act do not prevent the free passage of humming birds through the air was not voted on) ; to levy a special tax in Tar boro; to incorporate the Wayne & Sampson Railroad Company , (second reading) ; to incorporate Speed, Edgecombe county (second reading); to give con trol of the A. aod M. College to the Agricultural Depuriment The Senate refused to concur in the House amendments to the general road law.- ... Senator Ward in, behalf of Sena tors, presented Sergeant At Arms Smith with a handsome gold-headed cane. The report of the committee to in vestigate charges of extravagance and mismanagement of the Blind Institu tion was received to day. It confirms the charges and was referred for more specific evidence upon which the 8ea ate can act. In executive session the Senate con firmed the following nominations of directors for State institution trans mitted by the Governor : State's Prison Term of four years, beginning March 15th, E.L. Travis, Halifax, chairman; Julius's. Mann, Hyde; Nathan O'Berry, Wayne, J. A. Brown, Columbus; W. E. Crosslaads, Richmond. An act recently passed provides that the chairman of the board shall be superintendent of the prison. State Hospital, Morgan ton Term six years, beginning April 1st, A. A. Shuford, Catawba; R. L. Holt, Ala mance; R. N. Page, Montgomery. Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, Morganton Term six years from con firmation, Isaac Roberts, Davie; M. F. Morphew, McDowell. Ia the House to day Wright for the Judiciary Committee, reported an agreement with cotton mill men as to child labor and mill regulations, which was adopted as reported in yes terday's Star. Robinson's Anti-Trust bill narrowly escaped going on the table, and was, at the earnest solicitation of the intro ducer, referred to Judges Connor, Graham and Allen for report Monday as the special order. Other notable bills passed the House : To allow Goldsboro to issue bonds; to incorporate the Aberdeen & Gibson railroad; to allow Currituck township,. Pender county, td issue bonds to con struct a road; to allow the superin tendent of public instruction to receive passes oyer railroads ; for consolidation and management of the colored normal schools; to amend the law of 1899 re lating to toll rates for the Brunswick Ferry Co. ; an omnibus justice of peace bill ; to provide permanent registra tion under the grandfather clause of the constitutional amendment passed by a vote of 85 ayes to 16 noes. Ebbs, Republicaa, said he would not let the bill pass without protest, because the constitutional amendment was clearly unconstitutional and this bill the worse iniquity. The House spent nearly three hours in committee of the whole during the morning and afternoon sessions, con sidering the Machinery act. There was a hard fight over the amendment to provide for re assessment of prop erty of 1901 instead of 1903; the amend ment was voted down, and the act adopted without material change. It provides that the Corporation Com mission shall act as a State board of tax assessors and supervise the work of assessors and listers throughout the State. The Senate this afternoon passed unanimously the Wilmington city charter bil), with Morton's amend ment, to submit it to a vote of the people, on third reading. It goes back to the House Monday for con currence in Morton's .amendment. ' Bills passed the Senate to-night de claring the East Carolina railroad a duly incorporated company; to con solidate the colored normal schools; to incorporate the White Oak Acad emy, Bladen county. The Committee on Appropriations finally agreed to appropriations for all State institutions. An in crease of $135,000 annually is made in appropriations for these institutions. There is $180,000 in the State school bond fund, accumulat ing for several years. The commit tee recommends its use if necessary to meet appropriations , for public schools. The Morganton hospital gets $80,000 to complete buildings; Ra leigh hospital gets $30,000 to build three additional wards-,; Goldsboro hospital, $50,000, for a new building. The A. and M. College is given $20, 000 to meet indebtedness and $10,000 for the erection of a textile building. The annual appropriation of $10,000 is continued. The University has an annual appropriation of $25,000 and was given an increase of $15,000. The State Normal School is given an extra appropriation of $15,000 The present appropriation is $22,000 annually. The Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, at Morganton, gets $3,500 for the erection of a fire escape, with regular annual appropriation of $40,000. The Deaf, Dumb and Blind institution is given an increased annual appropriation of $25,000; the present annual appropria tion of $40,000 is continued. The Morganton hospital for the insane an increased annual appropriation of $20, 000; the present appropriation is $90, 000. The Central hospital, Raleigh, gets an increased annual appropria tion of $22000 ;the regular appropria- ion is $55,000. The Goldsboro Insane Asylum gets $35,000 annual increase; the present appropriation is $45,000 annually. - THE STRAWBERRY YIELD. Many Qrowers Are Disposing of Their Crop ia the Acreage The Prospect. Dr. E. Porter, of Rocky Point, was here yesterday, Speaking of " the strawberry crop, Dr. Porter said that the cold snap would have little if any ill effect upon the plant; in fact. that while it would make the season par haps a few days later, it would cause the plants not to bloom too freely and would thereby contribute to the excellence of the yield and the good of the vines. , Dr. Porter says that several growers in his section have already disposed of their crops, some ,ot them at as high as $125 per acre, the purchaser to pay all cost of gathering, marketing, etc Dr. Porter himself has sixty acres of very fine berries, which he says he would not dispose of at that figure. The purchasers are chiefly Northern commission houses, acting through their local agents, who have been driven to this step by the remarkable stiff competition so familiar to all planters in the trucking belt. A Fire at Keith, N. C. News has reached the city of the burning Tuesday morning at about 11 o'clock of the residence and smoke house of . Mr. G. W. Corbett, one of the largest farmers in the Keith section of Pender county. The tire originated from a defective flue and the residence and smokehouse with entire contents were burned, entailing a lo-s of more than $1,500 upon which tUere was not a cent of insurance. Tne barn and stables on the plntatiou were saved with difficulty by employes on the adjoin ing farm of Mr. B. F. Keith, of this ity. Mr. Corbett and family have been munificently offered the dwelling on Mr. Keith's plantation until they can rebuild. The Ptoe Fibre Plant. Mr. H. E. Fanshawe, of the Ameri can Consolidated Pine Fibre Com pany, the recent purchaser of the Acme plant at Cronly. arrived in the city yesterday returning to his home at New York. Mr. Fanshawe ex presses himself as highly pleased with the prospect at Cronly and has given it out that the capacity of the factory will be very greatly enlarged requir ing au outlay of a very large amount of money. Regulators at Faisoo. A correspondent of the Stab writing from Faison, N. C , under date of March 7th, says that on- Um -sight . . . i m 1 previous a body or twelve "rwguia- tors" visited the house of one John Darden, a bumptious colored resident, and administered to him a "tonic," the day and date of which he will long remember. He resisted the crowd at first, and called for his gun, but was later brought to terms .and properly "regulated." Sanford Express: The San ford Furniture Manufacturing Co. has purchased a lot -of oak, poplar and other bard woods for making furni ture when their plant ia put in opera tions Much of the -machinery has' been installed and the plant will be put in operation some time soon. Monnt Olive Advertiser: If the North suffers from a famine of early Irish potatoes, it will not be the fault of Mount Olive truckers. They have ' invested quite heavily In guano and seed potatoes, and if the average production rewards their efforts, the yield will not be less than 18,000 bar rels. Tarboro Soutlterner: The body of Shadrack Price, the half-witted col ored man who has been missing from his home since February 23rd, was found yesterday in an old field on the Lawrence Home place, in No. 13 township, about a mile from Dr. W. P. Mercer's. Some persons who were burning off the field found the . body. The general belief in the neighborhood -is that there has been foul play, but at this writing it cannot be definitely so stated, as no one seems to have exam- ' ined the body. Kinston Free Press: We learned by telephone, from Hookerton this morning that the seven-year old daughter of Mr. Thomas R. Tyndall was burned to death Thursday. About 8 o'clock in the morning, the little girl started down in the field to where her father was at work The child was carrying some matches to Mr. Tyndall to start a fire with. When about 150 vards from the bouse the clothing of ' the little girl caught fire. She ran back to the house, but when she reach ed it her clothes were burned entirely off. The little sufferer died at 8 o'clock in the afternoon, after terrible agony. - Danbury Reporter: Farmers in this section say that the dry weather is improving their wheat Mr. J. A. Hill, of Brown Mountain, Stokes county, was in town last Friday, ac companied by his brother, Mr. Will Hill. Mr. Hill claims to be the in ventor of a machine that successfully solves the problem of serial navigation. He declined to explain the workings of his machine, but stated that it was constructed on three distinct princi ples which rendered it absolutely prac tical, and asserts that it will fly to any height or distance desired against any Bort of upper air current, with perfect safety. Mr. Hill is supported in his allegation by his brother. Kinston Free Press: We learn ed this afternoon of the most horrible death by fire of Mr. Cdarles Wilson, at his home at Institute, in this coun ty. Mr. Wilson went home Wednes day night in a state of intoxication. His conduct was such as to frighten his wife, who took her four children . and left the house, going over . to a neighbor's to spend the night About 9 o'clock a negro heard Mr. Wilson yelling and went in the house, and found his clothing on fire. The negro became scared, and, instead of trying to put the fire out, ran over to tell ' Mr. Thomas Wilson, a brother of Mr. Charles Wilson. The burning man ran out of, the house, and fell in a ditch, and only breathed a few times after being found. VVM. J. BRYAN INTERVIEWED. A Visitor In New York City Questioned As to Various Matters of Public In terest Some of His Replies. A Natural Curiosity. Mr. H. K. Holden has at his store, No. 121 Dock street, a curiosity from the natural kingdom in the shape of a root which has taken the form lof an animal, resembling the otter or beaver to such a striking degree that many are led to believe that it is a form of petrification. It was picked up by Mr. M. Kaminsky, of this city, about five miles below Fort Anderson, in Bruns wick county. Mr. D. F. Klein, a well in formed East Wilmington trucker, says that the recent cold weather wrought several thousand dollars damage to radish, lettuce and plants of like character in the vicinity of the city. RIOT AT ORANGE, N. J Bv Telegraph to the Morning Star. New York, March 9. William J. Bryan arrived unheralded at the Hoff man House today, and nobody had called on him before noon except bis friends. Dr. John H. Gardner and a reporter. Mr. Bryan said he had come here on business newspaper business and that he would deliver no speeches and attend no public dinners. He had not a word to say about free silver or "paramount issues." He was' here on business for his paper, he said : " ' Mr. Bryan was questioned about at A a various matters oi puonc interest. Here are some of his replies : "It looks as if the Nicaraguau canal project had fallen through. The trans continental railroads and the McKinley administration - are responsible. The railroads were afraid that if the wafer Was used for the canal there would not be enough left for their stocks." "If the Republican party makes no more progress in the next four years than it made in the last four, it will soon reach its finish." ''This big steel combine is but an other illustration of "the -trusts we fought in the last campaign. The ten dency is still for further and larger "The deadlock in the Nebraska Leg islature! Oh, yes, that is easily ex plained. Tou see, there are only two Senatorships at the disposal of the State and there are more than two rail roads. 'Each railroad can't nave a Senator; therefore, trouble." When questioned about the Popu list situation, Mr. Bryan begged to be excused. NEGRO TORTURED. A Mob Attempted to Born an Isolation Hospital. By Telegratn to the Morning Star. New Yoek, March 9. A mob at Orange, N. J to-night, composed mostly of Italians and numbering about two hundred, attempted to burn an isolation hospital under construe tion by the Board of Health. The police and fire departments were called and 4 small riot occurred. During the fracas the officers were roughly handled and James W. Hodkinson, chief of the fire department, was se verely beaten. The pest house at 10 o'clock to-night was surrounded by an ancrv crowd, who threatened to turn it before morning. The health officers declare the work will be finished and made ready for the reception of two smallpox patients on Monday, SIX MASKED MEN. Unsuccessful Attempt to Rob a Bank at Perrysbnrg, Ohio. Bv Telegraph to tne Morning Star. Toledo., O., March 9. Six masked men made an unsuccessful attempt to rob the Citizens' Bank at Perrysbursr, Ohio, six miles south of here, early this morning. They exploded dyna mite twice to gain entrance to the bank from an adjoining store and were almost into the bank when they were discovered by awakened citizens. After firing several .shots at their pur suers the robbers made good their escape. A KENTUCKY FEUD. Brutally Beaten at Duqnoin, HI., to Oct Confession of Crime. By Telezrapn to tne Morning Bttr. DuQiroiN, III., March 9. Ferdi-. nand French, a negro, was strung up by the neck four times and beaten with clubs and fists last night in an attempt to get a confession of crime, French was suspected of knowing something of the robbery of Henry Crossman's jewelry store, which was entered Wednesday and plundered of articles worth $750. The men who tortured him are supposed to be well-to-do residents of the town and efforts are being made by the mayor and State's attorney to identify tbem, out so far without success, , A mass meeting of negroes-to day adopted resolutions complaining of the outrage and demanding an investi gation by the authorities. ALL QUIET IN CUBA. Two Men Killed In a General Fight at Hindman. By Telegraph to the Morning Btar. Hindman, Kym March 9. Rufus Wooten and John Everage were killed by Benton Messus, a Knot countv nhvsician. Iduring a fight to day. Two days previous the two men with the Blanne Combs, fired in Messus' house as they rode by. Re turning to-day a general fight took place with the above result Convention Still Considering Future Rela tions With the United States. By Telegraph to the Morning Btar. Washington, March 9. General Wood and the Secretary of War ire in daily communication respecting the progress of the Cuban Constitutional hinvATitinn The latest advices from General Wood, so far as divulged, are to the effect that affairs are quiet in , Cuba, and that the convention is giv ing careful consideration to the decla ration of Congress in regard to the future relations between uuoa ana tne United States. It was stated at the War Department to-day that there is no purpose of increasing the military force in Cuba. - Governor Dockery of Missouri has signed the bill punishing kidnapping lor ransom ny a earn, me mux um u mrMnev clause and is therefore a law. ' ' Five men were badly scalded, one fatally, by the blowing oat of two testing tubes connected with a battery of boilers at tne American xrou w Pittsburg, Pa. V