News and Notes

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 5, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 10.

FOREIGN.

—Earl Grey has been appointed by the British Government administrator of the Chartered South African Company.

—A sabbath (Sunday) observance bill has been introduced in the Ottawa House of Commons by Mr. Charlton. The bill provides for the closing of all canals, the total stoppage of every traffic and of the publication of newspapers on Sunday. In support of his measure, Mr. Charlton stated that the Sunday newspaper was the cause of the widespread disregard for Sunday in the United States. Six similar bills, all presented by the same gentleman, have been defeated at as many former sessions of Parliament.

—Advices from Australia brought by the steamship Miowera state that unprecedented storms have been visiting the eastern coast of that continent of late, causing immense loss of property. From Sydney to the west coast also there have been hot waves, followed by electric storms. In one week 250 deaths were reported in Sydney, due to sun-stroke and the excessive heat. In one day 80 deaths were reported. The thermometer in different places stood at from 100 to 130 degrees in the shade. In the gold districts of Western Australia it is reported that hundreds have perished from this cause, the gold fields being barren and desolate, and reached only by crossing the burning plains.

—It seems that peace is able to reign at short intervals only, in Central America. A revolution is on again in Nicaragua against President Zelaya, who is said to have proclaimed himself dictator. The U. S. cruiser Alert has been ordered to Corinto to protect American interests, which port has already been ordered closed. A despatch from Managua intimates that discontent and clamors against Zelaya have been aided by the efforts of the priesthood, the reason being that there is a growing tendency in the government toward the liberal ideas of America, meaning the United States. Already a severe engagement has taken place at Matares, in which the government was victorious, and government gunboats have bombarded the town of Momotombo, on the west shore of Lake Nicaragua. It is feared that the trouble is liable to draw in other of the Central American republics. The entire province of Leon has declared for the insurrectionists. A despatch also states that the president of Honduras has offered the services of 2,000 men to President Zelaya.

DOMESTIC.

—San Francisco is soon to have its mail system improved by the introduction of two street railway mail cars.

—Seven persons were asphyxiated in a burning residence in Baltimore, February 23. Six others received injuries.

—The National Council of Jewish women, formed in 1893, had at the beginning of the year 1896, 2,650 members, in 35 cities.

—The New York Yacht Club has dropped the Earl of Dunraven from its list of honorary members because of his false charges against the owners of the Defender in the race with the Valkyrie III.

—The two Oakland boys, Majors and Willmore, who were captured, and confessed to numerous burglaries, have been sentenced to ten years each in Folsom prison.

—On February 27 Father Superior Bergmeyer, of the Franciscan monks at the old Santa Barbara Mission, this state, was shot and killed by an insane laborer who had resided at the mission for some time.

—Twenty-six Protestant ministers, representing about half the membership of the Kansas City Ministerial Alliance, have petitioned the board of education of that city to restore the Bible to the public schools.

—The secretary of the Senate of the state of Utah is a woman, Mrs. Lillie R. Pardee. Before the decision of the Utah Supreme Court against the legal right of women to vote at the recent election, the lady was a nominee for a seat in the Senate.

—About two hundred negroes from various parts of the south are en route to Liberia under the auspices of the International Migration Society. They sail from Savannah, and are promised land, oxen, and provisions from the Liberian Government.

—Paper cans made of pulp are being introduced to take the place of tin cans for fruit and other canned products. It is believed that this will do away with any danger of poisoning, as is now occasionally the case, besides offering other points of superiority for canners.

—A despatch says that President Hill, of the Great Northern Railroad, has threatened to remove the shops of that company from Hillyard, near Spokane, Wash., if the authorities do not disincorporate the town. It had recently been incorporated against that gentleman’s wishes.

—The two bank robbers who killed the cashier of the City National Bank of Wichita Falls, Tex., February 25, wounded the bookkeeper, and secured $400, were captured on the evening of the same day, and lodged in the city jail. On the following night a mob of several thousand people besieged the jail, battered in the doors, took forcible possession of the prisoners, marched them to the bank, and hanged them on an improvised scaffold.

—Professor Harper, of the Chicago University, in defending that institution against the charges that have recently been made, that its policy is controlled by the trusts and moneyed men connected with them, says that Mr. Rockefeller, who has already given the University several million dollars, has never visited the institution, never has written letters except those beginning, “Inclosed find check,” and never heard of Professor Bemis until that gentleman’s name was dropped from the list of instructors.

—There has been considerable talk, since the resignation of “Commander” Ballington Booth and wife, of the Salvation Army, at the call of “General” Booth, of establishing a separate American organization, with the two at the head. Already one, “Major” Peter Glen, has resigned, but other division commanders are reported as having taken the oath of allegiance to Miss Eva Booth, now in charge. The two former commanders have received numerous offers of support, and requests from pastors of churches in various large cities have been made for them to conduct series of meetings.

—The authorities at the government proving ground, Indian Head, are again surprised and gratified at the remarkable penetrating qualities of a new shot, the Johnson cast-steel shell. A plate of Harveyized nickel-steel seven inches thick was pierced by the shell, which continued its course through the heavy oak backing and twelve feet into a clay bank. The shell was hardly injured, while another shell, hitherto considered high grade, when subjected to the same test, was broken in pieces after penetrating the plate a few inches. So the tests and experiments go on, first for harder plates, and then for heavier and better shot to pierce them.

—The case of Miss Flagler, of Washington, D. C., daughter of General Flagler, Chief of Ordnance of the U. S. Army, who was arrested for shooting a colored boy who was robbing fruit from trees in her father’s yard, has been tried. The lady pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, claiming that her desire was only to frighten the boys. It is believed that a private agreement was arranged between her attorneys and the prosecution, for the case was called before regular hours of court. The sentence was a fine of $500 and three hours in prison. The fine was at once paid by her father, and the lady was taken to the United States jail, where, in company with a friend, the three hours’ imprisonment was undergone. It is generally conceded that the sentence was exceedingly light; still, the disgrace to one of Miss Flagler’s social standing may balance the scales of justice.

—The U. S. Senate on February 28 passed a resolution recognizing the belligerency of the Cubans. The vote was 50 to 6. The question will come up in the House on March 3 and will probably pass that body by a large majority. It is urged that the resolution be made a joint resolution, in which case it must be treated by the President the same as a bill, that is, he has ten days in which to sign or veto it. Or he may let it pass that time without action, when it will become a law. This action is what the country has been looking for for some time, as it is evident to all that the oppressive rule of Spain should be shortened in Cuba. Such action will enable the Cubans to fit out vessels and expeditions in the United States without molestation by this country. On the other hand, should Spain unexpectedly blot out the rebellion, she will be released from any claims for damages made by the United States in behalf of its citizens in Cuba.

—The House of Representatives on February 24 took up the Indian Appropriation Bill, and, after quite a spirited debate, adopted the amendment of Mr. Linton, of Michigan, cutting off all appropriations to sectarian schools. This saves $250,000 from going into the coffers of the Catholic Church. Mr. Linton characterized such action a union of church and state, and declared that both political parties were pledged to a divorce of the two. On the same line Mr. Cooper, of Wisconsin, referred to the statement of religious freedom found in the Declaration of Independence, and to the first Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids Congress making any law respecting religion. These gentlemen were followed by Mr. Walsh, of New York, a Roman Catholic, who said the motives actuating the opposition were not patriotic, but intended as a blow aimed at the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, he said the Catholic Church was able to take care of her scholars without the appropriation—a statement doubtless very true.

—On February 27 the Senate of the Kentucky Legislature by a vote of 26 to 8 killed the bill to repeal the Kentucky charter of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The fight has been followed with interest and especially by the people of California, who are most directly interested. The country at large is watching the efforts now being put forth in Congress to pass the Funding Bill, which is designed to grant the stockholders of the Central Pacific from 50 to 100 years longer in which to pay their debt to the government. This debt, including principal and accrued interest, is in round numbers $60,000,000, which represents, however, only a small part of the total indebtedness of the road. None of the principal or interest has been paid, and the road is now bankrupt, altho its four principal promoters have become since 1861 multi-millionaires. It is claimed on good grounds that the proceeds of the Central Pacific have been diverted to the building up of other lines, notably the Southern Pacific, owned by the same parties. The people of California have long groaned under what they consider the oppressive operations of this monopoly, whose Kentucky charter enables it practically to defy the laws of this state, because of the delays and roundabout methods of prosecution for grievances, and hence they desire to see government foreclosure, and many desire government management of the associated line if that can be brought about. At the present crisis, a repeal of the Kentucky charter—which state, by the way, has never been paid for its license for the same—would have crippled the efforts of Mr. Huntington to secure a refunding of his debt to the government for 100 years. The story is a long and complicated one, with its history of mortgages and prior claims and other matters too numerous to mention, which any one will judge who has followed the investigations of the House Committee on Pacific Roads. To an ordinary observer, it would appear that the government should proceed precisely as it would against a private individual, but men are beginning to learn that the ways of government are past finding out where the powerful influence of money is concerned. A strong fight is being made for and against the bill, but no surprise need be experienced if it passes the House as a relief measure in some form.