BHmniiK Tell of Labor Troubles Past and Present SAYS IT IS NOT A TRUST. Mr. Jeffrey Talks About the American Bicycle Co. CANNOT CONTROL PRICES. A Itesiilent of" Kenosha, Wln., Asserts tUat lie Il:i«l to Mini Hown His Hike Factor) Ifceaiisc Iciioll .Hell IMdll'l 110 Work, Chicago, March 24. T. B. Jeffrey, a member of the Gormully & Jeffrey •concern, which was absorbed by the American Bicycle Co., was the first witness before the sub-committee of the industrial commission here Friday. Mr. Jeffrey, after relating some of his experiences with labor unions, was asked if the American Bicycle Co. was mot a trust. "It is not a trust," he said, "if you mean that it controls prices. There is still competition which would make it impossible for the American Bicycle •Co. to raise prices. The ultimaite ef fect of the combination will be to cheapen wheels to the public, while preventing the failure of many a small concern which might have gone under in cutthroat competition. I have be come an employe of the American Bi jcycle Co., northing more. For one year my company is in the hands of the bigger organizaition. If this organiza tion is a success I will probably re tire: if not 1 will resume business for myself." The witness said that the 1599 out put of bicycles had been 10,000,000. Within the last six months, he said, the export demand from this country had doubled compared with the half year preceding, while the export busi ne.-s of Kngland, Germany and France •was diminishing. In this fact Mr. Jeffrey saw one of the benefits of the .big bicycle company. He said that years ago he had dis covered that he could get, non-union •metal polishers for one-third the price he was paying union men. His at tempt to take advantage of this brought on a strike and also a boycott against his firm, which he said still exists. The strikers, witness averred, protested because he hired non-union men and refused to discharge women who worked for him. A smile went round when the witness told how the strikers had pint soap in the nickel so lution and spoiled a lot of work. "The union principle is all right," said Mr. Jeffrey in conclusion, "but the men need enlightenment. Were it not for the labor difficulties exist ing in Chicago at present, the city would enjoy an unprecedented period of prosperity." Charles 11. Liege, of Kenosha. Wis., •was the second witness. Mr. Liege said he had 'been in the bicycle busi ness in Kenosha, but had been com pelled to shut down his factory be cause his men were members of a union which would not let its mem bers do sufficient work in a given time. He found in conisequenoe that he could not compete with other firms where labor conditions were better. He said he did not sell out to the American Bicycle Co. because lie did not think that concern was in need of any more .factories. A 2*ii nch of" War News. London. March 24. — Lord Roberts' main army continues waiting at Bloemifonti in. The sentimental inter est in tile fate of Mafeking has inten sified with Col. Plutner's forced retire ment to Crocodile Pools, where he was two months ago. Belief from the north now dwindles to improbability. Lord Methuen is skirmishing with the Boers at Warrenton, 167 miles away. • Jen. French's cavnjry and mounted in fantry. according to a rumor, are fighting somewhere cast of Bloemfon tein. This suggests more Boer bad news, as Commandant Olivier's com mando, with 2,000 wagons, is reported on the Basutoland frontier, toiling northward toward Krooiiisfcad. A Trio of finl'llie Disasters. Vancouver, B. C.. March 24.—Ac counts of marine disasters in Austra lian waters, brought by the steamer Warrhnoo, follow: The cutter Espei gle went to pieces 011 Otoma reef. < apt. J. Castle and 20 Tongans were drowned and a valuable cargo lost. The iron ship Duntrune, seen last off Canmbridge island October 17, is given up as lost. The bark I'hnile Kenouf ran upon a rock 80 miles south of Mare island. February sinking immediate ly. Oapt. lloujou, his wife, children and a cr 1 w of 36 men escaped in boats and were picked up and landed at .Noil men. Alleged tliinterer Caught at itlanila. San Francisco, March 24.—The Bul letin says: The military authorities a,t Manila have a prisoner who will be sent to this country shortly, who is believed to be Bill Bed man, who is accused of a murder in Kansas City, and who escaped from the Hough * IJidcrs iu Cuba when recognized by a <eomrade. Hied in u Well. Rushville, 111., March 24.—-Mrs. Mark Sellers and her babe, 14 months old, were found dead in a well near this city Thursday night. The baby was drowned and the mot her, who was but 20 years old, had died from exposure. They were in the well eight hours. The Ixi,be fell into the well and the mother went to the rescue. The wa ter was Is inches deep and with the babe in her arms the mot her attempt ed to scale the sides. Time and again she was near the top, when she fell back again. She removed lit* shoes and oress and tried again, only to fall, bruised and bleeding. FOE A LONG SEIGE. Boera Claim that Pretoria Is Fully Prepared. Prospects for llie Itellel of the Be- Irasiicri'd (Harrison at .llafeklui; are Not Itrlglit- Late New! Irom the Neat of War in MOll tli Africa. London, March 19. —A dispatch to the Daily Mail from Bloemfontein, dateil March 10, says: "We are getting' ritlcs surrendered faster than a factory could turn tlietn out. It is quite certain that if a Brit ish official can reach tlif northern laagers with Lord Roberts proclama tion, the whole Boer population will declare for peace." A dispatch to the Times from Lady smith says: Our advanced camp is on Sunday river, two miles north of Elandslaagte. The Boers hold two positions on the liiggarsberg range, about ten, miles north. The strongest is on the New Castle road, where sev eral guns have already been mounted and where they are digiring extensive trenches. The second position, which is 011 the Dundee road, is not so strong. London, March 21.—While there is a lull in the military operations, the po litical surroundings of the war show interesting developments. The colo nial oilice has telegraphed to Cape Town the text of the proclamation concerning the destruction of proper ty. This ivill not'be published in Lon don until after its promulgation in South Africa, but it is known that it will convey an intimation that any •wanton destruction of British proper ty during the war will be regarded as warranting a claim for compensation and as justifying a levy upon private property, should the resources of the. Transvaal prove inadequate. The fact, that the. proclamation is Issued by the colonial office is regard ed as a significant indication that the republics will be administered as crown colonies. In this connection it is understood that the leaders of the opposition in parliament now admit that 110 other settlement is possible. The war office has received the fol lowing dispatch from Lord Roberts, dated Bloemfontein, March 20: "Kitchener occupied Prieska yester day, unopposed. The rebels surren dered their arms. The Transvaalers escaped across the river. "Mr. Steyn is circulating a notice, in reply to my proclamation, to the ef fect that any burgher who signs a dec laration that he will not fight against us again will be treated as a traitor and shot. "The Bloemfontein people are af fording us every assistance in the mat ter of hospital accommodations. We have consequently been able to ar range for 500 beds. "Thirty-three prisoners were taken at Prieska, 200 stands of arms and some supplies and explosives. "The Boers have begun to surrender on the Basutoland frontier." London, March 22.—Several tele grains have passed between President Kruger and the British government in addition to the Salisbury-Kruger cor respondence already published. The foreign office received a dispatch from Pretoria yesterday. The contents of these communications cannot ;>e ob tained. So far as the military situation is concerned there is practically no change. London, March 2H.- —Again there is a persistent rumor that Mafeking has been relieved. It is even asserted that the war office has received a dispatch positively announcing the relief, but that publication of it is withheld be cause the form of the message admits the possibility of mistake. The war oilice, however, declares that there :s no confirmation of the rumor and that no further news 011 the subject is at hand. No attention is paid in any quarter to the Boer rumors of Commandant Olivier's victory over Gen. (iatacre, which are only designed to revive the drooping spirits of the burghers. It seems certain that Mafeking's only chances lie hi relief by the col umn supposed to be advancing from the south, or in the possibility tha.t Col. Baden-Powell is still strong enough to attempt a sortie with a view of capturing the Loer guns, at a time when Commandant Snyinan has withdrawn his men to oppose Col. Plu,mer's advance. All the reports regarding the British operations in the Free State continue satisfactory. It is reported from Lorenzo Marquee that Pretoria is prepared to stand a siege of two years, and that the Boer women, frantic at, the reverses to the Boer arms, are entreating to be allow ed to shoot the British officers impris oned at Pretoria. A dispatch to the Daily News from Springfontein, dated March 21, srays: (ien. (iatacre and his staff are still 1 here. He is most strict regarding the private property of the Boers. Some I Kaffirs who had looted Boer farms have been tried and severely punished, to flic great astonishment of the Boer residents. A special correspondent of the Times at Bloemfontein, telegraphing Thursday, says:"Yesterday Mr. Kru ger issued a proclamation annexing the Free State to the Transvaal. Mr. Steyn immediately issued a counter proclamation, declaring the Free State intact." Warrcnton. March 23. —The Boers have vacated Klipita.ni and Windsor tori. which are almost, deserted. Their wives and families lied with them. New York is the chief place where facturers of candy Faster eggs, show time, and the revenue commissioner estimates that the government is de frauded to the extent of at least SIJ,- 000 a day in this matter. The stamps most frequently cleaned are the $lO and the $1 stamps; next come the s.'i and s."> denominations. It is unfor tunate for the government that the $lO stamp is printed in black, which makes it very easy to clean. The state of Washington furnished over 500,000 tons of coal to California last year. CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1900 IS HIGHLY ESTEEMED. CrowriLii Tlirotitf the Hon**- (ißllerkfl When CongreMinan Ijl 11 letleld IN Slated for a Speech. Rarely floes a congressman ascend to a prominent position before the peo ple of the country as rapidly as the newest member of the delegation from Maine, Charles E. Littlefield —the late Nelson Dingley's successor. It was seen when Mr. Littlefield first ap peared on the floor of the house that he was large and strong physically, and now, after his speeches on the question of seating Brigham 11. Roberts and im posing a tax on Porto Rico's commerce with the states, it is observed that Mr. CHARLES E. LITTLEFIELD. (Congressman Who Has Achieved Fame Within Three Months.) Littlefield is a large, strong man men tally. Mr. Littlefield, who is 49. began at an early age to provide himself with money by his own toil. At 13 he went haying, and thus earned his first dollar laboriously. Later he became a car penter, and ho was earning four dol lars a day when he decided to study law. Ills professional education was based 011 a common school education — all he ever got. As a lawyer he worked 14 or 15 hours every day but Sunday, and for 15 years lie seldom reached home in the evening before the rest of his family were nsleep. Sundays he usu ally went with his wife to a Congrega tional church in his home town of Ilock land. He became a state representative, speaker of the Maine house, attorney' general of the state and Mr. Dingley's successor at Washington. Naturally, says the Chicago Record, Mr. Littlefield thinks that the chief secret of his success is work, but he admits that his working day of 14 hours was made possible by health and power of endurance. He has been a total ab stainer all his life, and he "chews" only the spruce gum of his native state. He says he has found more trouble in sav ing and investing money well than in earning it. He has a higher estimate of married men than of bachelors, and his sympathy goes out to the lawyer in congress who is trying to preserve his practice and at the same time do his full duty to his constituents. THE FIRST CABLE CAR. It tV»» Ilullt Fifty Years Ago and Is Still In Operation lletween Two New Jersey Towns. Running from I'hillipsburg, X. .T„ to Newark, X. J., there is a canal that is in many respects the most remarkable in existence. It is GO miles long, and was in operation in New Jersey before a railroad existed in the state. It runs in many cases side by side with the Lackawanna railroad, and furnishes the most striking example of the dif ference between the old-time and mod ern methods of freight transportation that can be seen. Its most remarkable feature is that in place of the lock system in use on FIRST CABLE CAR. (It Is Still in Operation Between Two New Jersey Towns.) canals the boats are drawn up and down elevations on great cars with high sides and open ends 011 a track IS feet wide. These are the original cable cars. The prinicple by which they are operated, the endless cable, is exactly the same as that which was utilized for operating cable cars in cities. This method of transportation lias been in use on the Morris canal for half a century, and antedates t he intro duction of cable cars by at least ,'!5 years. The illustration was taken on the canal from Boonton to Montville. X. J., where the unusual features of the canal are most in evidence. An interesting feature in connection with the Morris canal is that this is likely to be the last year of its opera tion, as an effort will be made at the next session of the New Jersey legis lature to secure it as a means of fur nishing Jersey City with additional wa ter supply. Flattery Always Tickles. We may think people who always agree with us are mushy, but somehow we keep on liking them. Chocolate In Confectionery. Chocolate is used for confectionery more extensively than any other ma -1 terial except sugar. HATCHET BUMED.j Carnegie and Frick Sign a Peace Treaty. Law Suits ICegun !>y Frick are to be I>ro|i|>e<! and Their Combined In terests are lo be Jlerged Into One Corporation witli an Immense Capital. Pittsburg, March 23. —The differ ences between 11. ('. Frick anil Andrew Carnegie have been settled. This an nouncement was made officially by the Carnegie Steel <'o. late Thursday afternoon. The parties interested have agreed upon a plan of reorgani zation, the new concern to be incor porated under the laws of New Jer sey. The effect of the proposed reor ganization will be to terminate all equity proceedings now pending. The Carnegie Steel Co. becomes a stock company with a capital various ly estimated at from $21)0,000,000 to $250,000,000. The famous "ironclad agreement" is wiped out and 11. C. Frick, the former president of the company, virtually secures all he lias contended for. Atlantic City conferences resulted in an agreement signed by all the parties interested except Air. Frick and John Walker, the. latter the principal plain tiff in the suit against the Frick Coke Co. The document reached Pittsburg yesterday and, after a brief conference between the two gentlemen, was sign ed by both of them. To President Schwab is given the credit for effecting this amicable ar rangement. From the first he was op posed to allowing the contentions be tween the partners to reach the courts. Unable to prevent this, after the litigation was begun, he bent his energies toward securing a settlement that would be satisfactory to all the parties. The Carnegie Steel Co. and the 11. C. Frick Coke Co. authorize the follow ing statement: "The partners of the Carnegie Steel Co. and the stockhold ers of the If. C. Frick Coke Co. have agreed ii|K>n a plan of reorganization, vesting the ownership and control of said companies in one company, to be incorporated under the laws of Nenv Jersey. "The effect of the proposed reorgan ization will be to terminate the equity proceedings instituted against the Carnegie Steel Co. and the 11. C. Frick Coke Co. "The articles of association of the Carnegie Steel Co. as a limited partner ship organization expire by limitation April 1, 10(11. but the change contem plated will be effected before that date, as the future form of the organ ization has been under consideration for some time and the plan is now about fully matured. The corporate form for the business lias been deter mined upon in preference to the lim ited partnership organization for its obvious advantages. The objection to the corporate organization has been overcome, a way having been found by which deserving employes can be re ceived into the company from time to time upon exactly the same terms as others have been admitted in the past. "All the various interests, including the H. C. Frick Coke Co., will remain as now, under Pennsylvania charters, the steel company taking a Pennsyl vania corporate charter instead of re newing its articles of limited partner ship. As 110 charter can be obtained under the laws of Pennsylvania under which all the various departments and interests of the Carnegie companies [•tin be consolidated, it is necessary to obtain a charter under the laws of Xew Jersey which will enable the con trol of the interests concerned wher pver situated. Other powers are also obtained which are essential to a con :ern whose sphere of operations has Trown to embrace the mines and mar kets of the world, with railroads and fleets; something never contemplated ivlien Pennsylvania's present restrict ed laws were adopted. The stocks and bonds of the new corporation, instead of being offered to the public, as once jontemplated, are taken by the pres ent owners. The basis of the corpora tion proposed last year lias been igreed to by all the parties and will be adopted, rendering new negotia tions unnecessary, but this is a matter if no public concern, since 110 respon sibilities to the public whatever are neurred. It concerns the owners llone. "The new company absorbs the stock of the coke company and thus all of the coke company's stockholders become stockholders of the new con cern, including Mr. Frick, whose in terest in ti.e steel company will be thus protected, "Mr. Carnegie has given President Charles M. Schwab his proxy to act as required, and Mr. Schwab will con tinue as the executive head of the new company." Winers Itvi'iiscd to Organize. Dunbar, Pa., March 2lS.—Messrs. Dilchler and McKay, the representa tives of the United Mine Workers of America who came into the coke re gions several weeks ago to organize the miners and coke workers, have re turned to their homes in Ohio. Their efforts to organize the miners met with a flat refusal. A number of meetings we re called, lint in every in stances the workmen refused to at tend. In the many strikes hi the Con nllsville region the men never asked a higher rate of wages than $1.12 )>er 300 bushels. Under the present scale the miners are paid 31.25 per 100 bush els. The three city school buildings of Kureka, Kail., are connected by tele phone. "It used to be necessary," says the superintendent, "to have a teacher's meeting every day or two for the discussion of current work in the schools. Xow. however, the teach ers keep in such close touch with each other by means of the telephone that meetings are necessary only every two or three weeks. The directors of the Paris exposi tion have received 10.000 requests for permission to erect refreshment :;nd newspaper booths on the grounds. AN ARISTOCRATIC ORDER The Noble I.nilies of Pranue, Ilohemla, Srculur Coiioncmei and Itoy- II I Alilirsarit. The secular canonesses of I'rague be long to the proudest religious order in Europe. To their rank 110 maiden is admitted who cannot prove on both eides 16 quarterings of nobility. It was founded by Empress Maria Theresa, and has had ever since for its abbess a daughter of the imperial house. Intended as a provision for the "penniless iass, wi* a iang pedigree," its rules are not of the strictness to be found in less aristocratic associations. Its members are free to marry —if they get a good offer —and though they are required to spend a certain number of months annually in the royal palace of the Ilradschin, they are allowed to visit when they like, to receive visits, and to seek change of air in summer. Each canoness has at her disposal a carriage end horses, and a box at the theater, while medical attendance and drugs are provided. In addition, she receives a pension of over 100 guldens a month, or about $45. While Marie Theresa's foundation af fords a retreat for many girls of high birth, but limited means, it must not be taken that all the members are im pecunious. To belong to the Stift is es teemed an honor. A sister of the pres ent Count Taaffe (one of the many Aus trian nobles of Irish descent), Countess Walbburga, Clementina Taaffe, was a canoness. At the present day Count Taaffe's own daughter is numbered amongst the members of the commun ity. Amongst those who have held the post of abbess have been the unfor tunate Marie Antoinette, and the pres ent queen regent of Spain. The Stifts Damen are privileged to appear at the Austrian court attired in black. Besides the private apartments al lotted to each lady in the Ilradschin or royal palace at Prague, two fine recep- QUEEN REGENT OF SPAIN. (Once was Abbess of the Secular Canon esses of Prague.) tion rooms with paraquet floorings and lofty windows are placed at the general disposal for large gatherings. These contain portraits of former abbesses painted on their resignation. In one of these salons stands a curious fire screen embroidered delicately by poor Marie Antoinette with flowers in silk. From the balcony is a beautiful outlook on the city beneath, with its slopes, its innumerable towers, the winding Moldau, and the height of Weissberg beyond. One of the obligations of the ladies who are so comfortably endowed for life is to pray for the soul of their founder. This they do in the adjoin ing cathedral of Saint Vitus, remark able for the huge mausoleum of Saint John Nepornucen in solid silver, con taining a silver coffin inclosing a second in crystal in which are his remains. At the end of the choir is the hereditary burial place of the kings of Bohemia. Beneath a monument of marble and alabaster lie 12 monarchs with their queens. The last to be buried there was Tiudolph 11., in 1012. Close by is a second church dedicated to Saint George, and adorned by fine dog tooth moldings. It contains the crown of Saint VYenceslas, which has been worn only by Emperor Ferdinand (The Good) since Bohemia became an ap panage of Austria. That it sliojild be once more placed upon the head of his ruler is the desire of every true-born czeeli.—Louisville Courier-Journal. The Onion ax a Medicine. Onions are a kind of all-round good medicine. A whole onion eaten at bedtime will, by the next morning, break the severest cold. Onions make a good plaster to remove inflammation and hoarseness. If an onion is mashed so as to secure all the juice in it it will make a most remarkable smelling sub stance that will quiet tlifc most nerv ous person. The strength of it inhaled for a few moments will dull the sense of smell and weaken the nerves until pleep is produce/S from sheer exhaus tion. 1* all comes from one property possessed by the onion, and that is a form of opium. Japanese Women Diver*. Over a hundred Japanese women fol lowing the profession of divers are found along the coast of Japan. They are from 17 to 30 years of age. Their earnings are not uniform, as they are paid according to the amount of their work, which consists of diving for agar seaweed, sea ear and cucumber. YVliere l'eeaii* (Jrow. Texas is the greatest pecan nut growing state in the union. It pro duces two-thirds of the pecan nuts that are inasfceted. AS WOMAN'S CHURCH. First Unpllst Snnotoary nt Colnmbni, 0., Ik ax Comfortable as Any Playhouse. The people of Columbus cannot com plain that they have no church as com fortable as the theater. It has for years been a stock complaint among 1 the males of any family that church seats were uncomfortable, and for that reason they did not care to attend Sun day services. They have also said that the air was bad and they were not al lowed the same liberty as in a theater. If they were uncomfortable they could not get up and go out a few minutes, for there was no place togo except into the street. Women have also complained of this matter and for 3'ears the theaters of the different cities have been a standing re proach to Ihe churches. The comfort able lounging rooms, the convenient dressing rooms, the easy chairs, and the resting spots have all been con spicuous by their absence. But a church has just been finished in Columbus which is a triumph to those PLANNED BY WOMEN. (Interior of Sittlng-Room In New Columbua Baptist Church.) who designed it; they are said to be the women of the church. It is the First Baptist church, and it is unique in its ar rangements for the comforts of both the men and women of the congrega tion, though it must be admitted that the plans are more for the women than for the men. Looking in the church you w-ould be reminded a little of a theater, for there is a lobby and there are "boxes," lire escapes and a check-room for wraps. There is also that which no theater has —a kitchen and a dining-room; be sides these there is a bicycle parlor. The temple stands on Broad street, three-quarters of a mile from the state eapitol. It is placed 60 feet back i'roin, the street drive and has a 12-foot-drive way on the west and 32 feet of lawn on the east. The temple is built of a light bluish sandstone and has a red tile roof. All the social rooms are very com pletely furnished. The halls and cor ridors also are finished in colored mar bles and valuable hard wood. Looking through the arched openings by which the foyer is connected with the auditorium, one sees first circular rows of quarter-sawed oak pews, di vided by aisles, in which a new and striking curve has been introduced, and then the minister's platform, immedi ately back of which the great organ and the space occupied by the choir of 49 voices, which leads in the singing that is so much a feature in the tem ple services. The platform, which is bare of every thing resembling the old-fashioned pul pit, its furniture being a comfortable tete-a-tete, a small ebonj' table and an onyx stand of flowers, is surmounted by an unmistakable proscenium arch and has boxes at the right and left. These are really retiring rooms, fur nished to correspond with the foyer, but the heavy plush curtains that hang in the arched openings permit the spaces to be utilized for seating pur poses whenever necessary. The floor o the auditorium has a decided slope to it, as has also the spacious gallery that circles around it.and the further ends of which gracefully swell to correspond with the box effect below. —Chicago Democrat. How to Clean Kid Glove*. Gloves of smooth kid can be cleaned very easily at home; so can those /nade of chamois. For the latter a little am monia dropped into a. basin of water is all that is necessary, with the addi tion of a soft soap. The gloves should be carefully rinsed and put on a dummy hand so that the fingers will not shrink while drying. Or if one has not a dummy the gloves can simply be stretched out in the sun 011 a piece of clean cloth until they are dried. Wash gloves in gasoline, being careful of the tire. l?o not light the gas. Clean the gloves carefully with a piece of flan nel, air well, and before they are put away sprinkle a little sachet powder into them to take away any odor that may remain after the cleansing- proc ess. —Chicago Daily News. Chinese Woman Art* llnrrrd. Maiwatehin. on the borders of Kus s>a. is the only town in the world ex clusively inhabited by men. The Chi nese women are not allowed to live in this territory, and are even forbidden to pass the great wall of Kalkan, and to enter Mongolia. All the Chinese oi this border town are traders. Elephants Use«l a* Knrses. Siamese women entrust their chil dren to the care of elephants, who are careful never to hurt the little crea tures; and if danger threatens, the sa gacious animal will curl the child gen. y up in his trunk, and swing it up anil out of harm's way upon its own broad back Indorsed by the tiallery. "Aha!" exclaimed the heavy villain, "the plot thickens." "It's about time," remarked the oc cupant of the gallery; "it'sbeen pretty | thin so far."—l'hiladelpliia Record. 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers