HE MflDIRD.
lAlMiKST PAPER
VIT.IJSHKD IS CONCORD
( ..M AINS MO UK B FADING
MATT KK THAN ANY OTIIKI!
"ATKIJ IX THIS SECTIOX.
KPITOKS' TRIPOD.
,.ori.K n suiuf.o'h. as reex
01, i tl.Kl l) AUDIT IX OI R
. II VXiF.S. ;i:t aiiitioxai.
I cell iis Himself Out of lnnt.'i. Hie
lilitor Make Kerne Comment
and Observations.
1: 1 . k s probable now that Chiea
, v. ill get the World's fair.
l it,, oyster season is iu its glory
Ul,Vv. We haven't yet heard of the
v;i,u, tins
j.. ni' 'lassos.
season, who eats them
Sh:i. uiy soon, the scenes and
,v, of 1S89 wil! he numbered
with the past. How fast the alma
1:u .- Live to. W changed !
A young fellow has advertised in
tiie High Point Enterprise for a
wife. Poor man ! Has it come to
(':.n. S. B. Alexander's idea in
to the rotation of the State
f;t';r from place to place seems to
lirt with considerable favor. It
advantages.
). lirisso m is. a private citizen
Would it not be better if this
,1-0 was dropped? It is not hu
m:;:y. to say the least of it, to step
u ovi-r a
11,1,1 up!
man after he is down.
1'he "cackling of geese saved
in ." What is the mission of
it tloek of geese frequently seen
t:
i :, ;hc ."-uvets of Concord. We are
!.;: superstitious, out are we in any
Atlanta Exposition enjoyed two
".'"'.i-bnirging' weddings and Ed-
aily kissed both brides. Some
have- luck. Did a Baleigh
do anv kissing at our State
- -aid that a law suit that be-
Poland over a small piece of
just been settled. The
at r-- of the suit had nothing
'.vi;h the settlement.
:.t this time the public is
i'W-r the work of lynch -law.
! interesting to know the
f lynch-Iaw. It is said to
u derived from a Virginia
r.am.'d Lynch, who took the
;ii "'.rn hands.
!).aV
i.av.
fi:-;i
Larkue Times: "It is not every
": who can correspond with a
L'iil.' It's something dilu
te taste of these pleasures and
y this rare privilege with some
h:s: who are facing the true and
ci n iitioii of life. So said!
'list now some parents and others
are beginning to talk to the little
ovs about "Santa Clans," his corn-
in.: down the chininev, etc. Xo
"iider some children learn to exag
P rate so freely when it is taught
tii'-m at so early a period and by
tn -e dear to them. Its nonsense
hwwav.
ht-ve are about sixty student at
Agricultural and Mechanical
ge. One young man from
dy had to leave, because "the
e was too elementary and not
; enough for his advancement."
t'k
i-tiiinir wrong, gentlemen. It
1- I;
"t to be supposed that any body
'.vs it. all." Turn up the lights
give them more rope.
.i'.-itor Long was rather amused
at tli- r ports to the effect that there
"' i'- thousands of people in Lcxing-
i.i.'l that excitement ran high
'"ritiv the investigation of the
h-'"i:ii;g business. He says every
,:' i was "calm and serene," and
1' !' were no fear of trouble
"'.ii'-. s! Such imagination!
( nivicts are pouring into the
1 enitentiarv. There are too
iiiijy frivulous cases, and there
;l be a hss expensive way of
1 n . -iiiiidit. It's too bad! "We
an idea that about one third of
tl: - oi,v if-ts are there for putting up
jobs in stealing. The old
l""t!" occasionally mention the
v '"Iping-post as a good thing.
Mother Christian, of the Char-
'"'t'' democrat, has been doing Eome
I : ! 1 1 , 1 writing on the subject of
'; 1 iii for burglary. He thinks
-nig too severe where the burg
er made no attempt to murder,
J li" viestku is worthy of consider
Jl thought. Has burglary been
l" 1 1' a.-ed on account of the severe
l'; ni.dmient?
VOL. TL NO. 42.
THE CAUSES
CONDITION
OF THE DEPRESSED
OF AGRICULTURE.
A paper read at the Farmer's Insti
tute Tuesday, Oct. 15th, during the State
Fair, at Kuleigh by Capt. Charles .Mc
Donald, of Cabarrus.
Tramps arc to be seen daily trav
ersing the country, and we wonder
that men can be so lost to all self
respect as to go tramping over the
country, begging their daily food.
Wc read of the anarchists of the
large cities and of their revolution
ary teachings and acts. We execrate
them and regard them as enemies to
society; we hear of the strikes of
the workmen in the industrial pur
suits some of which are of colossal
proportions and we are amazed that
men should resort to this method of
rightiug their wrongs. Yet the
tramp, the anarchist, and the striker
are the natural product of existing
evils- in - our social orgauizion.
They exist in accordance with nat
ural law are the outcome of the
operation of nature's law.
Farmers are orgauizing through
out the country because they recog
nize that there exists an unnatural
and unhealthy condition of things
in this great interest. From all
quarters of our broad land comes the
cry of unrequited toil, ever increas
ing farm debt, the aggregation of
land in the hands of the few, the
rich becoming richer, the poor poor
er and more dependent upon the
few. We are sowing, but not reap
ing; we are planting vineyards, but
others are eatiug the fruit thereof;
the wealth we create is for the use
of others.
Ought this to be the condition of
this great industry upon which all
others are based ? Is there not
something radically wrong in our
social system, when with rapidly in
creasing production of wealth made
possible by the discoveries in the arts
and sciences and the application of
the power of steam, we see the profits
of the labor of the farmer passing
into the hands of the few ? Tramps
tramping over the country anar
chists increasing in the large citiss
in defiance of the strong arm of the
law strikes, numbering tens of
thousands of the wealth producers
of the country, occurring the or
ganization of the farmers and the
wage workers in other pursuits
oint unerringly to a stale of things
for which there are causes causes
affecting deeply the welfare of our
eloTed country.
The production of wealth in this
country dining the past twenty-five
years has been marvelous, unprece
dented in the history of the world;
and it i3 the farmers who have pro
duced the largest yart of it.
and if our social organization was
equitably adjusted, they would have
retained a just share cf it ; but this
class from vear to rear is getting
less of it, and a small minority of
the population is getting more and
more of it. The same is true of the
producers of wealth in the other in
dustries, and their mntterings of dis
content are heard throughout the
land, with tramps, anarchists and
strikers as the natural outcome.
What men want and ought to have
is the opportunity to produce and to
be assured of a just return for the
products of their labor.
The increase of the wealth of this
country from 1870 to 1880,- accord-
to the census report was about $13,
500,000,000. In the present decade
it will reach at least $15,000,000,000.
ing the number of those em
ployed in producing this wealth at
12,000,000, we have an annual pro
duction of 125 per capita of this
employed population.
Where has it gone?
Thomas O. Shearman, in the Sep
tcmber number of the Forum, says
that at lately as 1847 there was but
one man in tins country wno was
reported to be worth more than
5,000,000. Now 25,000 persons ou t
of a total population of 60,000,000,
own $31,500,000,000 of the proper
ly of this country. "This estimate,'
he says, "is far below the actual
truth, yet tven upon thw basis we
are confronted with the startling re
sult that 25,000 persons now possess
niore than one half of the whole na
tional wealth, real and personal, ac
cording to the highest estimate ($60,'
000,000) which any one has yet ven
hired to make of the aggregate
amount." And I will add in con-
connection with this statement the
significant fact that the largest and
most conspicuous of these immense
fortunes are held by railroad men ;
a fact you will do well to ponder
over and remember Avhen vou come
to select candidates for the next leg
islature. These facts of Mr. Shear
man's have been reproduced in many
newspapers, but they arc so impor
tant in their significance, and show
so conclusively the robbery under
the form of law by the non-producer
of the wealth of the wealth produ
cers, they shonl be placarded before
your eyes until they are embedded in
your memories not to be forgotten
until yon have risen in your might
and blotted forever from the statute
books every vestige of law under
which these robberies have taken
place, and placed in their stead
hnvsjcoustitutional and statutory that
will forever prevent the recurrence
of such a condition of things. I as
sert thai no man can accumulate a
fortune of a million dollars without
having wronged and virtually rob
bed his fellow man.
We have shown that the wealth
per capita yearly, produced by the
employed in these United States is
about $125, or about 42 cents per
day; and of the employed, agricul
ture furnishes 8,000,000 out ofjhe
total of 12,000,000. IIow little this
wealth seems when counted by the
laily accumulation of 42 cents per
lay, and yet in the yearly aggregate
what an enormous sum is produced.
If a just share of it could remain in
the hands of those who produced
t, prosperity would smile upon their
abors, and every industry would
flourish. The tramp, the anarchist
and the striker would not be known
n the land. But the strong arm of
the robber armed with law, lavs
lands on the lion's share of it, and
we behold in consequence 2o,0U0
persons owuing more than one half
of the national wealth. Lincoln
foresaw the rise of this moneyed
power while yet the war was in pro
gress, and wan prophetic vision
foretold the verv state of things now
existing and trembled with anxietv
for the fate of the Republic, "as it,"
e said, "meant the destruction of
the liberties of the people." The
downfall of all the nations of an
tiquity, attaining any degree of civ
ilization, dated from the time when
their wealth began to accumulate in
the hands of the few. And it needs
no prophet to predict the fate of our
Republic, should not a check be
given and t bat soon to the rapid ac
cumulation of the wealth of the na
tion into the hands of the few.
Many causes are assigned for this
unequal distribution of the people's
f labor or wealth. One says it is
the enrrency, another high protec
tive tariff. The socialists say these
wrongs exist because the slate does
not take control of all industries
in short, make the state the employ
er of its citizens and distribute the
combined products among each of
the workers upon an equitable basis.
Henry George says our land tenure
system the monopoly of land by
private individuals is the cause of
all these evils, and he would remedy
them by nationalizing land and tax
ing it alone. lut none of these are
the true causes they can at best be
only secondary causes. The real
primary cause is the centralization of
capital with and without chartered
privileges, but the more especially
with chartered privileges, in carrying
on our modern industries. This
concentration of capital was made
possible, in the first place by unwise
legislation yea, more than unwise
criminal, and capital has gone on
reproducing itself with accelerated
speed as only capital can do, until
now concentrated in the hands of
the comparatively few, in the form
of corporations, trusts, combines and
monopolies, it has become an im
mense power, being unjustly used to
extort from labor an inadequate re
compense, and from the farmer an
unjust share of his profits; or in
other words to rob labor of its just
share of the wealth labor produces,
thus setting aside, at will, the nat
ural law of supply and demand.
The causes, as can be readily seen,
are wholly of an artificial character,
and are found in the first place as I
said, and wish to emphasise, in the
unwise distribution by legislation,
State and National, of franchises
which afforded the means of making
immense sums of money. In this
State, as an illustration, all of the
railroads are combined to prevent free
competition in transportation. The
natural law of supply and demand
in this respect is set aside and the
people of the state must obey the
sweet will of fhese combined rail
roads with their chartered prileges.
In the language of one of their offi
cials, "they have got a good thing
and are going to keep it."
In England during the reign of
Elizabeth, trusts and combinations of
the moneyed power, under the name
of monopolies reached their height
with respect to their power and evil
effects upon that country. Hume
says in his history "that these griev
ances were the most intolerable for
the present, and the most pernicious
in their consequences that were ever
known in any age or under auy gov
ernment." And yet when parlia
CONCORD, N. C, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8,
ment undertook to abolish these
monopolies granted by Royal Patent
and embracing almost every com
modity of commerce the cry was
raised that it was an interference
with the royal prerogative that no
act of parliament could restrain the
royal power to create monopolies. In
deference to this acknowledged right
the bill for their suppression was
withdrawn, and parliament proceed
ed in the matter by humble petition.
But make the march of events!
Wrongs accumulated under this
Kingly prerogative uutil the people
arose in their wrath and a King's
head fell into the basket. When we
cry out against the wrongs w suffer
under the chartered rights of the
moneyed power, the answer is made
not of an interference with kingly
prerogatives,but with "vested rights"
etc The remedy for these wrongs
is in the hands of the people for,
"whenever a law is found to be in
judicious, or grants or permits pow
ers or privileges to be used to op
press rather than to benefit society
at large, it is the privilege as the
duty of the representatives of socie
ty to repeal or amend such laws,
constitutional or statutory by with
drawing said perverted powers and
privileges."
The evil effects of this centrali
zation of capital, with the accom
panying power to set aside the law of
supply and demand and thus control
the price of commodities, were first
felt upon agriculture, the leading
wealth producing industry of the
country and the purchasiug power
of the farmer became impaired by
taking from him an undue share of
his profits. With this reduced
purchasing power of 50 per cent of
our population, the industrial cnter
terprises found prices falling, and
a reduction of the wages of the
operatives naturally followed, and
their purchasing power became im
paired. Thus another dement en
tered to further impair the purchas
ing power of the farmer. When this
condition was cached both the
farmer and wage-worker found
themselves in the toils of capital,
and the train of evils under which
both classes suffer followed and must
continue, until the small minority
of our people are forced to cease to
appropriate the larger part of their
profits.
Plutarch says in his "Lives" that
Thesus, the founder of Athens, in
vited everybody to come to his
commonwealth and enjoy equal
privileges with the natives. "Yet,"
says Plutarch, "he did not suffer his
State, by the promiscuous multitude
that flowed in, to be turned into
confusion and left without any order
or degree, but divided the common
wealth into three distinct ranks
the nobleman, the husbandman, and
the artificers. To the nobility he
committed the care of religion, the
choice of magistrates, the teaching
and dispensing of the laws, the
whole city, being, as it were, reduced
to an exact equality, the nobles ex
celling the rest in honor, the hus
bandmen in profit, and the artificers
in numbers." In this recognition
of intelligence by giving the nobles
the dispensing and interpretation of
the laws, in allowing the husband
man just and reasonable returns for
his labor, and in the recognition of
the necessity of diversified'industries
by having an excess of the popula
tion artificers, Thesus laid the foun
dation for the greatness and fame
attained by that small Grecian State,
whose civilization has exerted and
still exerts a powerful influence
upon our modern civilization. Thi3
policy adopted by him in founding
Athens, although this event is
clouded in the mists of remote an
tiquity, stands out in bold relief as
a beacon to statesmen that the cer-
i.tain way to make a country prosper
j and happy is to lay deep the foun
jdation for a prosperous agriculture,
! by insuring to the husbandman re-
! munerative returns for the product
of his labor, and to encourage the
establishment of manufacturing,
mechanical and mining industries.
With a prosperous agriculture the
tendency is toward the division of
land into small holdings, with the
natural result of an ever-increasing
productive capacity of the Boil to
sustain an increasing population.
While, as we readily perceive, under
the unfortunate condition now ex
isting in this country, the tendency is
to the concentration of laud in the
hands of the few, Avho become, too
often, absentee landlords, with a
deterioration of the capabilities of
the soil, while the tenant tiller, to
all intents and purposes, becomes a
slave, though not held in actual
bondage.
A writer in Harpers' Magazine of
April last, discussing in an able
paper the condition of agriculture,
TANDA
say : "There are steadily accumu
lating conditions, which will, in the
near future, make imperative the
adoption in this country of closer
and more enlightened methods of
agriculture than now generally ob
tain among our farmers." We are
all ready to acknowledge that there
is a sad lack of intelligence and in
telligent methods among our farm
ers. 'We have recently had the ex
perience of seeing the farmer prefer
a visit to the circus, to attending
a good agricultural Fair. We saw
last week more farmers in Concord
to see the circus -than attended the
Fair during the four days of its
continuance the previous week.
Yes, there is a sad lack of intelli
geuceamong the farmers; yet it will
be impossible for them, as a class, to
attain'tjjat degree of intelligence or
anything approaching it, which will
enable them to adopt scientific meth
ods, so lcng as agriculture is
weighted down, hampered aud made
so unprofitable by existing evils ;
and the longer these evils con
tinue, the les3 possible it becomes
for them to become an educated
class, pursuing closer and more en
lightened methods. Their efforts
must be directed to securing a sub
sistence for themselves and families.
That this is the main effort of the
average farmer over the entire
country is too true. 'Tis true some
succeed, but they either do so by
the strictest economy, denying
themselves the comforts of life and
leading a life of hardship and toil no
one can envy, or by their fortu
nate convenience to market, being
thus enabled to succeed by growing
specialties.
Mr. B. F. Johnson, a farmer
and an able correspondent of the
Country Gentleman, says in . his
letter to that paper of October 3rd:
"The corn, oats, and hay crop3 of
1S89, for the black-soil counties,
are scarcely more than two-thirds of
the average per acre of the last five
years, while prices for these and
neat cattle are 30, if not 40 or 50
per cent lower. Meantime no small
portion of these products are raised
by tenant farmers who pay, some,
from two-fifths to one-half of the
crop harvested, and others from $3 to
$1 and even $5 per acre for the total
acreage of the farm. This state of
things is a distressing one for the
average tenant farmer, while the
outlook is scarcely less encouraging
to the farmer who owns and culti
vates his acres, inherited or the ac
cumulated fruit of his life-long la
bors. Meantime taxation is rather
increasing than diminishing. There
is no reduction in the salaries of
the public officers, and while the
business of county and State courts
has declined from 50 to 75 per cent,
the number of judges and costs of
courts have been increased. Such
being some of the leading features
of the agricultural situation in
counties on the black soil of Illi
nois, one of the world's most fertile
and favorably situated tracts of
land, what can be the state of af
fairs where soil is less productive
and the situation lessta be desired?'
Go where we will, the same
cry of distress of unrequited toil
comes from the agricultural classes,
that we hear coming from the highly
favored region of Illinois.
Injudicious laws have been framed,
powers have been granted by the law
making power, resulting in these evils
under which we labor. The tide of the
moneyed power through these grants
and privileges and the concentration
of capital are about to overwhelm
our boasted civilization. We are
reaching a momentous crisis in our
hisjory. We cannot, if we would,
close our eyes to the impending rev
olution between the wealth producers
and the moneyed power. The rem
edy for these evils under which we
labor must be applied and that
quickly, if it is to be done peaceably.
no is to do it: no nas me
voting power in these United States ?
The farmer. To him the country
must turn for relief, to him who
constitutes the conservative element
of this country as well as every
other country. Unorganized, he is
helpless: organized, his power will
prove resistless. In this State the
Alliance offers such an organization,
and when united with similar or
ganizations of other States, as is
contemplated, and is nor almost an
assured fact, the victory e-au be made
complete.
These questions I have briefly dis
cussed are momentous ones and the
burning questions of the hour.
They cannot be thrust aside. If I
shall have succeeded in making you
ponder them, I shall have accom
plished my purpose. Thought
leads to action.
RD
1889.
Blew the Chunk.
Home and Farm, 188(5.
The most amusing duel known to
Arkansas tradition occurred shortly
after Jefferson completed the Lou
isiana purchase. There lived in the
Territory a pompous, overbearing
Frenchman, Count Frederick Notre
be. He was greatly enraged at the
purchase, and, although he owned
mauy thousands of the best acres of
land in the Territory, yet he swore
that he would abandon them rather
than live under what he called a
government of infernal patch-work.
One day, at Arkansas Post, the,
count, as some additional evidences
of the depravity of the American
government had just been made
known to him, began to curse the
couutry. Among the bystanders
was a man named Alex Walker.
This man, a brave and amusing
gentleman, stepped forward and, ad
dressing the Frenchman, said :
"Excuse me, but who are you ?
Hold on, now ; don't swell up like a
toad."
"I am Count Frederick Notrebe."
"Well I am Alexander Walker. I
am a Deputy United States mar
shal." "But what right hare you to in
terrupt me ?"
"The right of an American citi
zen. And I just want to tell you
that you shall not curse this coun
try." The count raved. Walker con
tinued :
"I mean what I say. You may
be a pretty good sort of a
fellow, but I want you to understand
that when Fin in the neighborhood
people who ara opposed to this glo
rious American eagle .must take a
back seat."
The count, struggling desperately
with himself, said : "My friend will
call on you."
"All right Frederick."
"Don't you dare bs so familiar."
"All right, old buck, I wont."
'You infernal but this is no
time for imprecation. My friend
will see you."
The " count walked away, and
shortly afterward a gentlemanly
fellow presented Walker with a for
mal challenge.
"fcay young lellow, Walter re
marked, when he had read the chal
lenge, "I am not acquainted iu this
neighborhood, and consequently,
have no friend to take an acceptance
of this thing, but just tell the old
buck I'll meet him down on . the
sandbar at sunrise."
Walker had an old horse-pistol,
the flint lock of which was tied ou
with a leather string. As he was
looking at the weapon, he accident
ally let it fall on the floor, and when
he took it up he fouud that the ham
mer was broken off: however, he
carefully loaded it and went to bed
The next morning before daylight
he was on the sandbar awaiting
the arrival of the count. Just as
the sun was rising the count, occom-
panied by his friend and several
negroes came in a boat. Walker,
noticing that the negroes had
brought spades with them, said:
"Why look here. Monsieur le
Compte Notrebe, why did you
bring agricultural implements?
"I will show vou. I don't mind
being shot and killed, but I don't
want to be shot in the legs. My
men will throw up earth mounds
about as hisrh as mv knees. By the
way, why have you made a fire upon
such a warm morniug a3 this i
To get a chunk of fire when the
time comes."
"What in the world do you want
with a chunk of fire?"
"Well," drawing his horse-pistol,
"as my artillery is out of shape, I'll
have to touch her off.
"I have two excellent pistols; take
one of them."
"No, I could never have any fun
with a strange pistol. Say, old
buck"
"Don't call me old buck again."
"All right; but say, as I haven't
got any second, suppose we throw
up wet or dry for the first shot?
"All right."
- The count won the first shot.
Walker, without a sign of emotion,
took his position.
The count fired and missed.
"That's number one," said Walker.
"All we've got to do is to keep on
and one of us will have some fun
before we quit. Now, get behind
your ramparts," Walker added, as
he took up a chunk of fire.
"For God's sake don't use that
awful looking thing," exclaimed
the count, as he took his position.
"Let me lend yon one of my pis
tols ?"
"Didn't I tell yon that I never
could have any fun with a strange
pistol ? Just hold still, and (taking
his pistol in 1m left hand and hold
WHOLE NO. 95.
ing the chunk in the right) just
keep quiet and I'll show you some
rare sport (blowing the chunk).
Putty hard man to draw a bead on,"
(again blowing the chunk).
"For the Lord's sake, make
haste !" cried the count. "This vile
expectancy is enough to kill a man."
"Get there pretty soon, now.
Wait till I get another chunk. This
one's gone out. Now (blowing),
wait a minit" (puff, puff).
The count dropped down behind
the earthworks.
"Come, get up, old buck."
"Look here," the count replied,
again taking his position ; "I can't
stand this infernal foolishness."
"Won't detain you but a few mo
ments longer. Wait till I put iu
some fresh powder. Priming is all
mixed with ashes. Now straighten
up. Here we go (puff, puff); wait
i minute."
The count dropped down. "I'll
be d d if I can stand it," he ex
claimed. "Get up, old buck."
"I can't stand it, I tell yon."
"Is it impossible that you are
afraid to fight?"
The count jumped up, Walker
took aim and began to blow
his chunk. "Now, old buck. I'll
and several ounces of lead between
your eyes, (putt pult).
The count dropped again, "Git
up, old buck."
"I won't be murdered like an ox."
"Ain't you going to fight?"
"Not th".s way."
"You have had jour shot; now I
want mine."
"Say, what was it I said about
jour infernal government?"
"You abused it."
"Well, I had a right to."
"No you didn't. Stand up."
"SayV'
"Well ?"
"I'll take it all back if you won't
blow the chunk again."
"Pretty good government, ain't it
old buck ?'
"Yes."
"Glad Jefferson bought this terri
tory, ain't j ou ?"
"Look here "
"Never mind, answer me, or I'll
blow the chunk."
"Yes."
"Wouldn't live under the French
government again for anything,
would you ?"
"Say "
"I'll blow the chunk."
"No."
"And you heartily retract every
thing you ever said against the
United States ?"
"Yes."
"All right, come out frem behind
the ramparts."
Walker and the count became
became great friends. Years after
ward, when the count was provoked
into criticising the country, Walker
said : "Look aut old buck, I'll blow
the chunk." Opie P. Read.
Colonel Crocket 4-o Ahead."
"I never but once," said the colo
nel, "was in what I call a real genu
ine quandary. It was during my
electioneering for Congress, at which
time I strolled about in the woods,
so particularly pestered by politics
that I forgot my rifle. Any man
mav forget his riile, vou know ; but
it isn't every man can make amends
for his forgetful ness by his facul
ties, I guess. It chanced that I was
strolling along, considerably deep in
congressional ; the first thing that
took my fancy was the snarling of
some young bears, which proceeded
from a hollow tree ; but I soon found
that I could not reach the cubs wUh
my hands, so I went feet foremost to
see if I could draw them np by the
toes. I hung on the top of the
hole, straining with all my might to
reach them, uutil at last my hands
slipped, and down I went, more
than twenty feet, to the bottom of
that hole, and there I found, myself
hip deep in a family of fine young
bears. I soon found that I might
as well undertake to climb up the
greasiest part of a rainbow as to get
back the hole in the tree being so
large, and its sides so smooth and
slippery from the rain.
"Now this was a real, genuine,
regular quandary ! If so be I was to
shout, it would have been doubtful
whether they would hear me at the
settlement; and if they did hear
me, the story would ruin my elec
tion, for they were of a quality too
cute to vote for a man that ventured
into a place that he couldn't get
himself out of. Well, now, while I
was calculating whether it was best
to shout for help, or to wait in the
hole until after election, I heard a
kind of grumbling and growling
overhead, and looking, I saw the old
bear coming down stern foremost
upon me. My motto is always go
ahead,' and as soon as she had lower
ed herself within my reach, I got a
tight grip of her tail in my hand,
and with my little buck-hafted pen
knife in the other I commenced
spurring her'forward. I'll be shot
if ever a member of Congress rose
quicker in the world than I did!
She took me out in the shake of a
lamb's tail."
THE STANDARD.
WE DO ALL KINDS OF
CTOB "WOEK
IN THE
XEATEST MANNER
AND AT
THE LOWEST RATES.
TIir.Kl'ISSOKS' WORK.
F.Reh Item In Xrwn and Information
I'rom and Abont Fcoplo
and Thing.
Sir Daniel Gooch, the engineer, is
dead.
Two thousaud coal miners are on
a strike at Charleroi, Belgium.
The Chamber of Deputies, . of
France will be opened November 12.
Alliance Day drew 00,000 farmers
to the Piedmont Exposition at At
lanta, Ga.
A number of vessels have been
driven ashore by bad weather near
Norfolk, Va.
Vigorous efforts are being made in
Alabama to capture Bube Burrows,
the out-law.
The British ship Bolan, from
Calcutta for Liverpool, has foun
dered at sea. Thirty-three lives
were lost.
The strike of coal miners at
Lens, France, has been settled, the
masters conceding the demands of
the men.
Three thousand miners who
worked in Lord Londonderry's col
liery at Durham, Eng., have gone
on a strike.
A would-be assasin wounded the
Chinese minister of foreign affairs
in Yokohama, and afterward com
mitted suicide.
The Italian government has re
fused to receive Washan Effendi,
whom the Porte wished to appoint
as Turkish ambassador to Italy.
Oliver Garrison, one of the oldest
and mcst prominent citizens of Stt
Louis, committed suicide on the 28th
by shooting himself through the
head.
The California Iron Works and
Dry Dock Company of Baltimore
has received the contract for build
ing two of the 2,000-ton cruisers,
for the sum of $1,225,000.
An army of fifty thousand squir
rels has been passing over the moun
tains and valleys of. Clinton county
W. Va., for the past three weeks.
Hundreds have been slain by a large
number of hunters eager for sport.
Memorial services were held in
the colored churches of Charleston
in honor of the late Mrs. K. B.
Hayes, who was prominent in the
work of establishing Woman's Mis
sions among the colored people in
the South.
The French Board of trade re
turns for the nine months ended
September 30th show the imports in
creased 40,810,000 francs and the
exports 245,534,00 francs over those
for the corresponding period last
year.
In an address to the French pil
grims, to whom he gave audience,
the Pope protested against the atti
tude of the Italian government to
ward the papacy. The Pontiff ap
peared feeble, and his voice most in
audible. The Chippewa Commissioners
have arrived at Duluth from Grand
Portage lieservation, where they se
cured the signature of every male
adult Indian to the agreement for
taking up the land in severalty, and
selling what remained.
A telegram from Havanna says
that the cocoanut disease has appear
ed in the district of Barcoa. The
inhabitants are greatly alarmed, as
cocoanuts are their principal source
of income. The disease has nearly
destroyed the cocoanuts in the wes
tern aud central parts of the island.
In the United States District
Court, of Texas, judgment of $1,000
nas been recovered against the Bio
Grande Bailway Company and W.
L. Giddens on the charge of im
porting alien 8 from Mexico undtr
contract to labor in the San Tonias
coal mines.
George Pfeffer was found in bed
at his home iu New York, having
been suffocated by gas. His room
mate, Morris A. Bedding, was un
conscious and may die. Pfeffer was
out of work, and it is thought that
he left the gas turned ou in order to
end his life, and that Bedding was
unaware of his action.
Great excitement prevails in Lin
coln county, West Virginia, over the
fearful tragedy of Thursday night
of last week, Jwhen two men, who
had been hired to commit murder,
were riddled with bullets by an or
ganized band of sixty men ; there
are two factions both well-armed,
and further bloody work is expected.
The trade of Canada with the
United States is greater in amount
than her commerce with Great
Britain. During 1888 she sold to
us merchandise to the amount of
$42,572,005 and to Great Britain to
the amount of $42,094,984. ner
imports from this country were to the
amount of $48,481,848, or $0,000,000
greater than from Great Britain.