2 s&wl
A DEMOCRATIC JOURNAL THE PEOPLE AND THEIR INTERESTS.
VOL. VII. NO. 52
MAXTON, N. C TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1893.
SI.OO A YE AK.
Sw W ri i i it
v.l i Ms?
HERE'S THE MESSAGE
IT TOUCHES BUT ONE SUBJECT
JIEPEAL, THE SILVER PURCHASE ACT
Tim Pronldent Sees in the Act of Jnlj 14,
1S0O, the Source of All Our Woes, and
Calls for Ita Immediate Repeal He Sug
gsts No Substitute But Demands that
the Exciting Cause of Panic and Distrust
lie Iiistautly Removed Other Needed
Legislation Can Follow The Tariff is as
Important as Ever and the Party is Defi
nitely Committed to It, But the Question
Can Walt.
Capitol, Washington, AugUBt 8
The following is the President's mt esage
as rend in both Houses of Congress to
day :
To the Congress of the United
States :
The existence of an alarming and ex
traordinary business situation, involving
tbe welfare and prosperity of all cur peo
ple, hs constrained me to call together
in extra session the people s representa
tives iu Congress, to the end that through
a wise aud patriotic exercise of the legis
lative duty with which they solely are
charged at present, events may be mit
igattd sad the danger threatening the
future my be averted. Cur unfortunate
financial plight is not the result of unto
ward evcnt3 nor of conditions related to
our natural resources, nor is it traceable
to ar.y of the tfflictions which frequently
cheek national growth and prosperity.
With plenteous crops, with abundant
promise of remunerative production and
manufacture, wiih unueual invitation
to ssfe investment and with satisfactory
aasutaucc to business enterprises, sud
denly financial distrust and fear have
eprirog up on every tide; numerous
money id institutions have suspended be
cause abundant assets were not immedi
ately available to meet the demands of
frightened depositors; surviving corpor
ations and individuals are content to
keep in hand the money they are usually
anxious to losn, and those engaged in
business are surprised to find that the se
curities they offer for loans, though here
tofore satisfactory, are no longer accept
ed. Values, supposed to be fixed, are
fast becoming conjectural, and loss and
fai ure have invaded every branch of
business.
THE CAUSE OF THE ALARMING SITUATION.
I believe these things are principally
chargeable to congressional legislation
touchicg the purchase and coinage of
silver by the general government. This
legislation is embodied in a statute passed
on thel4.h day of July, 1890, which was
the culmination of much agitation on the
subject iuvolved, and which may be con
sidered a truce after a long struggle, be
tween the advocates of free silver coin
age and those intending to be more con
tervative. Undoubtedly the monthly purchases
by the government of four millions and
five hundred thousand ounces of silver,
enforced under that statute, were re
garded by those interested in silver pro
duction as a certain guaranty of its in
crease in price. The result, however,
has been entirely different, for immedi
ately following a spasmodic and slight rise
the pi ice ot silver began to fall after the
passage of the act and has since reached
the lowest point ever known.
THE EFFECTS.
This disappointing result has led to
renewed and persistent effort in the di
rection of free silver coinage. Mean
while not ocly the evil effects of the op
eration of the present law constantly ac
cumulate, but the result to which its
execution must inevitab'y lead is becom
ing palpable to all who give the least heed
to Huaccial subjects. This law provides
that in payment for the four million and
five hundred thousand ounces of silver
bullion which the Secretary of the Treas
ury is commanded to purchase monthly,
there shall be isfeutd Treasury notes re
deemable on demand in gold or silver
coin at the discretion of the Secretary of
the Treasury, and that said notes may
be reissued. It is, however, declared in
the act to be "the established policy of
the United States to maintain th9 two
metals on a parity with each other upon
the present legal ratio or such ratio as
may be provided by law." This declar
ation so controls the action of the Secre
tary of the Treasury as to prevent his
exercising the.discretion nominally vest
ed in him, if, by such actioD, the pari
ty between gId and silver may
be disturbed. Manifestly a refusal by
the Secretary to pay these Treasury notes
in gold if demanded, would necessarily
result in their discredit and depreciation
as obligations payable only in silver, and
would destroy the parity between the
two metula by establishing a discrimina
tion in favor of gold.
FURTHER REVIEW CF RESULTANT CON
DITIONS Up to the 15th day of July, 1893, these
notes had been issued in payment of sil
ver bullion purchases to the amount of
more than one hundred and forty-seven
millions of dollars. bile all but a very
small quantity of this bullion remains
uncoined and without usefulness in the
Treasury, many of the note3 given in its
purchase have been paid in gold. This
is illustrated by the statement that be
tween the 1st day of May, 1892, and the
loth day of July, 1893, the notes of this
kind issued in payment for silver bullion
amounted to a little more that fifty-four
millions of dollar?, and that during the
e&me period about forty two millions of
(Joliars were paid by the Treasury in
goi.i for the redemption of such notes.
The policy nectssirily adopted of pay
leg these notes iu gold has not spared
tbe gold reserve of one hundred millions
tf dollars, long ago set aside by the gov
ernment for redemption of other notes,
'or this fund has already been subject to
the payment of new obligations
annulling to abrmt one hundred
and fifiy millions of dollars on account
" &;Jv(r purchases, and has, as a conBe
'lneiiC f , f ,r the first tinif since its crea
tion, been encroached upon. We have
tnua uia.la the depletion of our gold easy
a.n'' Uave tmpted other and more appre
ciative nations to add it to their stock, j
Tlj'H the opportunity we have offered
J'8s n.t been neglected is shown by the
J-"K'j fwnounts of gold which have been
re(iiiy drawn from our Treasury and
ePrU v increase the financial
etren .h of foreign nations. The excess
f' expoita of gold over its imports
rr the year ending June 80, 1893,
"mounted to more than cighty-Beven and
""If millions of dollars. Between the
Jy of July, 1890, and the 15th day of
July, 1M the gold coin and bullion
,- J -jiuH,.,iyH,,.i I'.'Mr.m w nil i ii il ---f"lw,''lll''lw'w'"i',''MJ1'1 "
l,llwlll"lll'Wwiwww,if iwniitwiwr'wi iwprciwwwpn jpntw WT "ipMMiaiwff ity ff irw iafflMW"ii;liPWNlf(r! iwifg1" phwW'W
in our Treasury decreased more than one
Hundred and thirtv two millions of dot
Ibtp, while during the same period the
silver coin and bullion in the Treasury
increased more than one hundred and
forty-seven millions of dollars.
DANGERS THAT THREATEN.
Unless government bonds are to be
constantly issued, and sold to replenish
our exhausted gold, only to be again ex
hausted, it is apparent that the operation
of the silver purchase law now in force
leads in the direction of the entire subeti
tution of silver for the gold in the gov
ernment Treasury, and that this must be
followed by the payment or ail govern
ment obligations in depreciated silver
At this stage gold and silver must part
company and the government must fail
in its estab'ished policy to maintain the
two metala on a pantv with each other
Given over to the exclusive use of a
currency greatly depreciated according to
the standard of the commercial world,
we could no longer claim a place among
nations of the first class, nor could our
government claim a performance of its
obligation, so far as such an obligation
has been imposed upon it to provide for
the uss of the people tbe best and safest
money. If, aa many of its friends claim,
silver ought to occupy a larger place in
our currency and the currency of the
orld through general international co
operation and agreement, it is obvious
that the United States will not be in a
position to gain a hearing in favor of
such an arrangement so long as we are
willing to continue our attempt to ac
complish the result single handed. The
knowledge in business circles among our
wn people that our government cannot
make its fiat equivalent to intrinsic
value, or keep inferior money on a
parity with superior money by its own
independent efforts, has resulted in such
a lack of confidepce at home, in the sta
bility of currency values, that capital
refuses its aid to new enterprises
while millions are actually withdrawn
from the channels of trade and com
merce to become idle and unproductive
in the hands of timid owners. Foreign
investors, equally alert, not only decline
to purchase American securities but
make haste to sacrifice those which they
already have.
A QUIBBLING EXCUSE.
It does not meet the situation to say
that apprehension in regard to the future
of cur finances is groundless, and that
there is no reason for lack of confidence
in the purposes or power of the govern
ment ia the premises. The very exist
ence of this lack of confidence, however
caused, is a menace which ought not for
a moment to be disregarded.
Possibly if the undertaking we have in
hand were the maintenance of a specific
known quantity of silver at a parity with
gold, our ability to do so might be esti
mated and gauged, and perhaps in view
of our unparalleled growth and resources
m'ght be favorably passed upon; but
when our every endeavor is to maintain
such parity in regard to an amount of
silver increasing at the rate ot nity min
ions of dollars yearly, with no fixed ter
mination to such increase, it can hardly
be said that a problem is presented whose
solution is free from doubt.
The people of the United States are
entitled to a Bound and stable currency
and to money recognized as such on
every exchange and in every market of
the world.
TOO VITAL A MATTER FOR EXPERIMENTS.
The government has no right to injure
them by financial experiments opposed
to the policy and practice of other civil
ized States nor is it justified in
an exaggerated and unreasonable reliance
on our national strength and ability to
jeopardize the soundness of the people's
money.
This matter rises above the plane of
party politics. It vitally concerns every
business and calling and enters every
household in the land.
There is one important aspect of the
subject which especially should never
be overlooked. At timeB like the pres
ent, when the evil of unsound finance
threaten us,the speculator may anticipate
a harvest gathered from the misfortune
of others; the capitalist may protect him
self by hoarding or may even find profit
in the fluctuation of values, but the wsge
earner the first to be injured by a de
preciated currency, and the last to re
ceive the benefits of its correction is
practically defenseless. He relies for
work upon the venture of confidence, of
contented capital. This failing him,
his condition ia without alleviation,
for he can neither prey on the misfor
tunes of others nor hoard his labora.
One of the greatest statesmen our
country has known, speaking more than
fifty years ago, when a derangement of
the currency had caused commercial dis
tress, said: "The very man of all others,
who has the deepest interest in a sound
currency and who suffers most by mis
chievous legislation in money matters, is
the man who earns his daily bread by his
daily toil."
These worda are as pertinent now aa
on the day they were uttered and ought
to impressively remind us that a failure
in the discharge of our duty at
this time must especially injure thou
sands of our countrymen who labor, and
who, because of their number and condi
tion, are entitled to the most watchful
care of their government.
RELIEF NEEDED AT ONCE
It is of the utmost importance that
such relief as Congress can afford in the
existing situation be afforded at once.
The maxim, "He gives twice who gives
quickly," is directly applicable. It may
be true that the embarrassments from
which the business of the country is suf
fering arise as much from evils appre
hended as from those actually existing.
We may hope, too, that calm counsels
will prevail and that neither the capital
ists nor wage-earners wi 1 give way to
unnecessary panic and sacrifice their
property or their interesta under the in
fluence of exaggerated fears. Neverthe
less every day's delay in removing one
of the plain and principal causes of the
present state of things enlarges the mis
chief already done and increases the re
sponsibility "of the government for its
existence. Whatever else the people
have a right to expect from Congress
they may certainly demand that legisla
tion condemned by the ordeal of three
years' disastrous experience shall be re
moved from the statute bjoks as soon as
their representatives can legitimately
deal with it
TARIFF REFORM CAN WAIT A LITTLE.
It was my purpose to summon Con- J
gress In special session early in the com
ing September that we might enter
promptly upon the work of tariff reform
which the true interests of the country
clearly demand and which so large a ma
jority of the people, aa shown by their
suffrages, desire and expect, and to the
accomplishment of which every effort of
the present administration is pledged.
But while tariff reform has lost nothing
of its immediate and permanent impor
tance, and must in the near future en
gage the attention of Congress, it has
seemed to me that the financial condition
of the country should at once and before
all other subjects be considered by your
honorable body.
UNCONDITIONAL REPEAL RECOMMENDED
I earnestly recommend the prompt re
peal of the provisions of the act passed
July 14, 1890, authorizing the purchase
of silver bullion, and mat otner lezisia
tive action may put beyond all doubt or
mistake the intention and the ability
of the government to nil its pecuniary
obligations in money universally recog
nized by all civilized countries.
Signed. GROVEB CLEVELAND,
Executive Mansion, August 7, 189S.
CONGRESS.
Monday. The Senate and House
simply went through the formalities of
opening and choosing seats.
Tuesday. Senate It took 15 minutes
to read the president's message, which
was referred to the committee on finance.
The first bill of the session was intro
duced by Senator Hill. Us title was:
"To repeal certain sections of the act of
July 14, 1890." It was referred without
reading to tbe committee on finance. The
next two bil's were introduced by Mr.
Stewart, of Nevada. Their titles were:
"To restore the right of coinage," and
"to supply the deficiency in the curren
cy." The latter bill was read in full. It
directs the Secretary of the Treasury to
issue silver certificates, equal in amount
to the silver bullion in the Treasury pur
chased under the act of July 14, 1890, in
excess of the amount necessary, at its
coinage value, to redeem the Treasury
notes issued under that act, and to use
the same to provide for any deficiency in
the revenues of the government, the sur
plus of such certificates to be used in the
purchase of 4 per cent, bonds at their
market price, not exceeding 12 per cent,
premium.
The Senate was then addressed in a
speech on the financial situation by Mr.
Dolph, of Oregon, who contended that
the Sherman act was not the sole or the
principal cause of the existing business
depression, and that no permanent im
provement could be expected so long as
the destruction of the present traif sys
tem was apprehended or feared. At
4:30 adjourned.
House. After the reading of the
Message nothing of interest was trans
acted. WHOLESALE SWINDLING.
The Chaig-e Against a Well-known
Lawyer of Columbia, S. C.
Washington, D. C. Acquaintances
of Capt. C. C Birrett, a well-known
lawyer of Columbia, S. C, express much
surprise at his arrest on a charge of
wholesale swindling.
He was in. Washington not long ago
pressing his claims to an appointment as
chief clerk in the office of the Assistant
Attorney-General. He was clso a candi
date for the Railroad Commissionership
of this State, and it is said his chances
for getting it were good.
The accounts of his operations say that
he induced a number of fourth-class Post
masters to order, on letter-heads bearing
their name3 and official titles,from North
ern dpalers large quantities of various
kinds of merchandise and manufactured
articles.
Credit was asked and Barrett given as
reference. When the goods arrived Bar
rett took possession and sold them for
whatever he could get. When the bills
became due the manufacturers and deal
ers discovered the swindle.
In connection with this, Barrett dis
posed, through his Post Office accompli
ces, of quantities of stamps which had
once been used and the cancellation
stamp removed.
Upon the discovery of this the Govern
ment took a hand, and an investigation
followed, resulting in the Captain's ar
rest. In default of f 10,000 bail, he was
remanded to jail. Additional arrests are
expected.
THE NEWS IN BRIEF.
The Latest Happenings Condensed
and Printed Sere.
John J. Henson was found in a lonely
spot twenty five miles from Greenville,
8. C, with his neck broken. He had
been informing on moonshiners .
The statement telegraphed from Rich
mond Saturday night of the failure of the
Abingdon Va. banks was so coistructed
as to make it appear that two banks in
Lynchburg had failed. There has not
been a bank failure in Lynchburg in 40
years.
Gov. Tillman's dispensary constables
were rotten-egged in Sumter, S. C, and
the Governor is going to arm them. He
says: "I am going to issue orders for the
first one of them to shoot when ha is
struck. I'm not going to allow the State
constables to be made dogs of by the bar
keeper and their followers."
It has beet demonstrated this year
that lightning strikes moving trains,
and strikes twice in the same pIi
fJlRII AND HOUSEHOLD,
tomato culture.
The average productiveness of to
mato plants, in boih number of fruits
and weight of pre luct, appears to be
in direct proporty n with the earliness
of setting in the field, reports W. M.
Munson, of the Maine station. Little
or no benefit seems to be derived from
the practice of bagging fruit. The
individual variation of plants i3 large.
Crossing between small fruited plants
of very prolific habit and the larger
fruited sorts is a promising method of
securing valuable varieties which shall
be sufficiently early for the best results.
Plants grown from seed of small
fruits those receiving little pollen
were slightly inferior to those grown
from large fruits from the same parent
plant. The best variety grown last
year at the Maine station was the Op
timum. American Agriculturist.
pruning pumpkin vines.
If yon desire to utilize the entire
strength of a pumpkin vine in the pro
duction of only one or two fruits, then
thinning out will be necessary. Wait
until there are three or four pumpkins
on the vine, then thin out. leaving the
most promising. To check the growth
of the vine and , concentrate its
strength, pinch off the end of the main
vine four to six feet beyond the pump
kin. Side shoots may be treated the
same, only they need not be permitted
to grow any considerable length un
less they are to produce fruit. Ag
great size is your only object, it will
be best to allow only one pumpkin on
a vine, and only one plant to a hill,
and after the fruit is set and as large
as a man's head, mulch the hill with
coarse manure or old hay, and give
water in liberal quantities during dry
weather. In other words, force the
plants ia every possible way, but do
not overdo the matter by giving them
too much water or manure. American
Agriculturist.
THE BEST ENSILAGE.
The best crop for ensilage is corn,
planted in the usual way as if for grain
that is, in drills with three or four
seeds together at thirty inches apart.
The rows are three feet apart. This
method, by affording all the light and
air needed by this plant, produces the
most nutritious fodder and a large pro
portion of grain, by which the ensi
lage is largely increased in value over
the common method of growing it
more closely. The corn is cut as soon
as the grain is glazed, and is stacked
in the field until it is partly dried. It
is then taken to the eilo and either
packed in tightly whole or is cut by
machine into slices not over half an
inch' thick. It is well trodden down
and covered with a double layer of
boards, with tarred roofing paper be
tween to exclude the air. It is thought
best by experienced siloists to defer
the covering until the ensilage becomes
quite hot. The heat kills the acid germs
and then, by covering, the ensilage is
kept sweet. New York Times.
POULTRY HINTS.
Cook the vegetables, such as pump
kins, cabbage, apples or onion, in the
evening ; mix in the meal while hot
and put away, covering tightly, so that
it will be warm when fed to the poul
try before sunrise. If the he s are
obliged to wait for their breakfast af
ter getting their beds made, it will
have its effect upon them for the en
tire day. The man who isn't willing
to torn out early to feed the flock
must not expect to pocket large re
turns. It's the early riser that gets
the eggs.
This question of profits in the poul
try yard hinges not on breed, but on
birds. Breeds have certain character
istics, but it is the individual which
pays or fails. In dealing with the
question it will always be well to keep
track of each bird, and not rely on the
fact that they are of this or that
breed. Any variety can be made of
profit to the owner by keeping close
watch of the individuals. Result
must be measured with reference to
each rather than to all, and in seeking
for this a high average will be secured.
New York Observer.
BROOD MARES AND FOALS.
The best food for a mare in foal ik
oats, bran, some corn, a little oilcake,
carrots, corn fodder and good hay in
small quantities. Concentrated food
is best where there is a tendency to re
laxation of the bowls. A large quan
tity of food given at any time ia con
nection with vigorous exercise is likely
to bring a miscarriage; oats or flax
straw in large quantities may produce
diarrhoea, and abortion may follow.
Regular exercise and good nourishing
food in moderate quantities is always
the sure road to success with a mare
in foal.
After the foal is up and around it
should have free operation of thy I
bowels. If it should not you will
notice that it is uneasy ; it will switch
its tail, draw up at the 'flanks, breathe
short and staring more or less. It is
time now to prepare an injection of
slippery elm water, flaxseed water, or
even castile soap suds, and inject it
into the bowls until the bier bowla ara
emptied; to be repeated if found
necessary. But don't resort to physio
unless you are compelled to. Better
depend on laxative food for the dam
than to derange the stomach of the
little fellow by medicines that irritate.
The Horseman.
FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.
The better the cultivation the better
will bs the vegetables grown.
In transplanting be sure to press the
dirt firmly around tiio roots.
Plums should be carefully handled,
eo as not to injure the bloom.
Sweet potatoes thrive best in i
warm, eandy and rather rich soiL
Persian insect powder is said to be
a good remedy for the sheep louse.
One March pig is worth two May
pigs, though there is money in May
pigs.
Thin out the grapevines and other
small faults which have been set too
thickly.
The variety of wheat known as the
American bronze is said to thrive on, a
poor soil.
The value and quality of the manure
depends entirely upon what you feed
your stock.
The self-hiver is pretty generally
pronounced a success by those who
have tried it.
If you have not already done bo, the
thinning out of plants should be
looked after.
It is not too late to plant a crop of
sweet potatoes if they are given a suit
able location.
When an early crop has matured it
is good to have another crop ready to
take its place.
Some writer claims that twelve
bushels of cooked corn will make as
much pork as seventeen bushels of raw
Corn.
There is no profit in an average
crop. If you cannot get more corn,
or wheat, or potatoes from an acre
than the average yield reported to the
Department of Agriculture, then you
had better reform your land and your
practices, for surely there is something
wrong about them.
RECIPES,
Salisbury Steak Chop surface of
round eteak with dull knife. Scrape
off pulpj make into cakes and broil.
Season with onion juice, if liked. Serve
with sauce piquante.
A Pretty Dish Half fill a bowl with
cold stewed and sweetened fruit ; pour
on a cold boiled custard from which
you have saved the whites . make a
meringue of the whites with one table
spoonful of sugar to each egg and pour
over the custard.
Cocoanut Pie Beat one-half pound
of butter and one-half pound of pul
verized sugar to a cream j then add
half a pound of grated cocoanut ; stir
in the whites of six eggs, well beaten,
and a wineglassful of rosewater or
cxeam. This will make two pies.
Cream Muffins Three eggs, beaten
separately; one tablespoonful of but
ter, one pint of sw' t cream, one-half
teaspoon of salt . flour enough to make
a stiff batter , whites of four eggs, well
beaten ; fill the hot, well-greased mu
fin xings half full and bake quick.
Sagacity of Shepherd Dogs.
General John Bid well related to the
Oroviile (Cal.) Register the following
as showing how well trained the shep
herd dog becomes. He and a friend
were riding in the Salinas valley when
they came to a band of 1000 or more
sheep guarded by ten or twelve shep
herd dogs. There were from twenty-
five to thirty coyotes along the edge oi
the hills and within a short distance of
the sheep, but between the two were
the well trained and vigilant dogs.
"Two or three times while we were in
sight one cr more of the coyotes made
a dash for the sheep, but each time
they were driven back by the guardians
of the flock. We rode on and put up
at the Gomez ranch, which was owned
by a wealthy native Calif ornian. About
sundown the sheep, driven by the dogs,
came up to the house and the flock en
tered a corral. Two of the dogs laid
down at the entrance and waited there
until the owner came out and put up
the bars. Then the master patted his
different dogs and fed them well. He
told us that the dogs drove these sheep
out on the plains two or three miles in
the morning, remained with them dur
ing the day, kept the coyotes and
other animals at bay, and each even
ing drove them up to the house vnJ
into the corral. "
The Ram in Naval Warfare.
As a result of the Viotoria disaster
renewed attention will be given, naval
experts say, to the ram as a special
implement in naval warfare. The
United States has taken the lead in
this direction and hag already launched
and nearly completed the famous Am
men ram, the Katahdin, designed by
Admiral Ammen, now retired. Ad
miral Ammen has written much in
advocacy of the principle of the con
struction of this kind of craft, and one
of his latest utterances on the ram in
naval warrfare, printed in the Sea
board, contains the following ;
"As rams, such vessels won't bo
greatly superior to ordinary battle
ships as now constructed, and to the
armored cruisers in facility of
manoeuvre, that they would not
use guns against them. In the
face of such rams the old con
structions would be obsolete. Sev
eral weeks ago a telegram came
from Malta that a torpedo boat had
run into the battleship Nile, and in
jured her to such an extent as to fill
her forward compartments with water.
The Nile was docked without delay,
and nothing more has appeared in the
newspapers in relation to this singular
occurrence. The many collisions of
armored vessels and the consequences
have abundantly established the fact
that armor is of no avail against a ram,
but that so light a weight as a torpedo
boat should bring to grief so heavy a
weight as a battleship is indeed a
revelation of which there is more to
learn.
"The one pressing necessity with us
is to secure an effective coast defense.
Until then our assertions of what we
will do should any other power annex
the Hawaiian Islands, or take military
possession of the American isthmus,
are merely idle words. In the event
of a war, with our present and pros
pective means of defense, we would
have either to abate our pretensions or
suffer the punishment that could
readily be inflicted on us were all the
navy that we possess and now in
progress of construction quadrupled
in force.
"Had we fleets and squadrons of
rams, the battleships and armored
cruisers of a hostile navy would not
feel easy on our coasts. Were we to
attempt to meet them gun for gun it
would be an expensive and a losing
game , we could not concentrate an
inferior force in the face of an enemy,
but a ram force would move with im
punity at any and all times. Rama
with guns such as I have indicated
could go to the uttermost parts of the
earth, and would meet no adversaries
on the high seas that would be able to
successfully encounter them. Com
pared in cost, vessel for vessel, with
the battleship of to-day, they would be
much less, would be far better sea
boats, would last much longer and
fewer of them would be required."
Washington Star.
Prices of Wild Beast.
Earl Hagenbeck, who has a menag
erie on Midway Plaisance, at the
World's Fair, is the greatest animal
trader in the world. At his establish
ment in Hamburg he keeps on hand
assortments for the supply of the great
zoological gardens. Barnuni bought
his animals of Mr. Hagenbeck, and the
Cincinnati and Rio Janeiro menageries
were both stocked from his establish
ment. Mr. Hagenbeck is prepared to
supply, at Hamburg, animals at reason
able prices, though no fixed price
holds good for very long, since the
price differ from time to time, accord
ing to the fashion.
There is as much fashion in wild ani
mals as there is in ladies' dresses.
Prices are also rising and falling, ac
cording as the market supply is high
or low. A full-grown hippopotamus
is now worth $5000. A two-horned
rhinocerous, which was worth 3000
in 1883, cannot now be obtained at any
price. Elephants vary, according to
size and training, from $1250 to $2500.
A good forest bred lion, full grown,
will fetch from $750 to $1000, accord
ing to species. Tigers run from $500
to $750, according to their variety.
There are five varieties of royal tigers
besides the tigers which come frm
Java, Sumatra, Penang and even from
the wastes of Siberia. Snakes are very
much down in the market at present.
The se which formerly fetched $25 or
$50, you can now get for $10. Very
large ones sometimes run up to $250.
Leopards, $150; black panthers, $200
to $300 ; striped and spotted panthers,
$125. A good polar bear will fetch
from $150 to $200 ; brown bears, $30
to $50 ; black American bears, $50 to
$100. Monkeys run from $1.50
apiece. They are most expensive in
the spring, when they will sometimes
fetch as much as $6.50. Giraffes are
altogether out of the market, but four
years ago they could be bought for
$6000. McClure's Magazine,
POPULAR SCIENCE.
An iron railway lasts sixteen years;
a steel one lasts forty.
One man out of every four is trou
bled with defective vision.
The common frog can change its
color, to some extent, in harmony with
its surroundings.
Glass bricks are on exhibition at
the World's Fair. They are intended
for buildings wherein great light is
needed.
A botanist has found by experiment
that there are grown in tho country
sixteen species of trees which, when
thoroughly soaked, will sink in water.
Telephonemcter is the new instru
ment that registers tho time of each
conversation at tho telephone from the
time of ringing up the exchange to th
ringing-off signal.
In 1863 measurements of many
thousands of men in tho United States
Army showed that tho average height
of men born in the United States was
67.8 inches; of Englishmen, GG.7; of
Irishmen, 07 ; Frenchmen, 05.5; Ger
mans, 6G.7.
The prevalence of crimson colors in
certain fishes on our New England
coast on portions of which scarlet and
crimson seaweeds abound, is explained
by Professor J. Brown Goodo by the
red pigment derived by the crusta
ceans from the seaweeds they devour,
and which in turn form the food of the
fishes.
Some writers think the process of
turning white among arctic animals is
in some way connected with a decrease
of vital energy ; and in his notos on re
cent science in the Nineteenth Cen
tury, Prince Krapotkin brings forward
as an example the alleged permanent
white colors of domesticated animals
in sub-arctic regions, such as tho Ya
kutsk horse.
Doctor W. C. Phillips, of New York
City, recently made an interesting ex
periment at the Academy of Medicine.
?ji a boy's mouth he placed a email
electric light, then the extinguishment
of the gas left the spectators in the
dark. They saw that the boy's faoa
was illuminated, the light shining
through his cheeks, revealing every
vein and imperfection.
One of the most curious rock for
mations in the world is to be seen in
Arizona. It is a short distance east
of the stage road between Tucson and
Oracle and stands on a knoll several
feet above the surrounding sand hills.
It is a most perfect representation of
a camel and is formed of one piece of
granite. It is about sixty feet high
and is very white and smooth.
An apparatus has been constrcted
for telephoing simultaneously over tel
egraph wires. The system has been in
operation for some time on the tele
phone line from Buda-Pesth to Szege
din, a distance of 121 miles. The re
sults were satisfactory. The apparatus
can easily be inserted in a telegraph
circuit and used at once. It is said
that simult aneous telegraphy along the
wire does not in the least interfere
with telephoning and that tho eecs
of induction and all disturbing noism
ire completely removed.
Printing on Leather.
Some beautiful, artistic effects hava
been secured lately by printing on
leether. These are the results of a
carefully perfected method of treating
the leather after tanning. The skins
are kept free from grease, and, if they
have been prepared with tannin, must
first be steeped in a preparation ot
sumac. The application of the color
can be done in several ways, according
to the effect it itt desired to produce.
It can be done by dyeing the skin and
afterward treating it with acids in cer
tain parts, so that the natural color ol
the leather appears, or priming withe
preparation composed of virgin wax,
four parts; castor oil, four parts,
borax and copal resin, each one part,
mixed together and warmed. Tha
rastor oil may be replaced by any veg
etable or mineral oil. Chicago Record.
Connecticut ia now added to the list
of States where the practice of medi
cine is regulated by law. Thera are
now but nine States in the Union
where the practice of this profession u
absolutely unrestricted by any rules
whatever, and, the Boston Herald re
grets to say, that Massachusetts is one
of "the delinquent States. The only
equipment that is essential for the
practice of medicine in Massachusetts
is a signboard hung outside the phy
sician's office, and even this is fre
quently dispensed with. Massachu
setts is the irregular practitioner's uar
adise. The title of nabob belongs to tha
administrators under the Mogul emmre
of the separate provinces into which
the district of a subahdar was divided,