THE COST OF WE 19 BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ANNUALLY IN UNITED STATES. THE CITY VS. THE COUNTRY Unequal Distribution of Business Works a Hardship Upon Many, and Retards Growth of Agri cultural Towns. Statistics as to the cost of living are ever interesting to the economist. It is estimated that only 29 per cent, of the people of the United States re side in large cities. It is claimed about $19,000,000,000 are spent each year by the 56,000,000 people in the union for ■clothing, food and luxuries. If 71 per cent, reside in rural towns and farming sections, it stands to reason that the percentage of money paid for necessaries of life is 71 per cent, of the vast sum of nearly $19,000,000,000 annually expended. These figures open up a wide field for study of economic •conditions. For sake of illustration, let it be estimated that in the large cities the cost of living is 50 per cent, more than in the country towns and farming districts, which would still leave ap proximately 60 per cent, of all spent lor food and clothes credited to the people living outside the larger cities. Then it is found that the amount rural residents spend annually is $11,500,- 000,000. But do the profits on this vast amount of business remain in the rural districts? Do the merchants in •those 65,000 country towns receive the patronage of the people who are resi dents of the districts? A conservative estimate is that one-third of all this vast trade goes to the 415 large cities, wherein reside only 20 per cent, of the population. Were the profits on the trade that belongs properly to the country towns kept within them and ■within their districts, in the course of a dozen years their wealth would be increased nearly 100 per cent. But the drifting of the business to the largo cities not alone makes the country towns poorer and retards their advancement, but necessitates alike drifting of the population of the country toward the thickly populated cities on account of the lack of indus tries to afford employment. Herein is found the cause of the complaints of students In economic conditions of the tendency of the country-bred youths to drift toward the large cities, and explains the cause. The country residents are the ones to be blamed for such conditions. It is a lack of appreciation of home enter prise, and the desire to trade in the large towns that is the cause. The sending away of dollars assists the great combinations to control manufacturing, financial affairs, and all lines of industry, and even the trusts are tightening their grips on the farms, controlling the prices of commodities that the farmers must have, and dictating the prices at which he shall sell all his products, as with the destruction of the business of the rural towns, the home market is made poorer, and in fact even before the small town merchant can supply the people living within the town with products that are produced in the im mediate neighborhood, the trusts must have their "profit" out of the trans action. Herder, do you know a remedy that can be applied that will give a more equitable distribution of busi ness and of the earnings of the peo ple? Do you not think that the home trade and the building up of home in dustries plan might bring about the ■ desired results? D. M. CARR. Need of Good Schools. Intelligence is the distinguishing mark between the savage and civil ized man. Education is one of the greatest of God's blessings, and ig norance a curse. In America there ex ists no valid reason why every man, woman and child of normal brain should not have an education. There is no phase of life where knowledge is not necessary. In the most progres sive communities is where the superior schools are found. Help along your town and help along education in gen era!. By affording your children a chance for a good education, you of fer them riches that cannot be meas ured by dollars. Because education is capital that cannot be destroyed; it is ready cash in hand, assets that one cannot be robbed of only by an aci of Providence. Is There Not Danger? Is it poor policy for the farmers and the laborers of the land to help build Tip less than a dozen large stores situ ated in great cities to do business of thousands of dollars in country towns. One Chicago concern does a business through the mails of $00,000,000 a year. Twenty thousand dollars in business is about the average for the country town store. Here we have an example of one concern doing the ■business of 3,000 small stores. Is there not danger that should these great con corns through their immense business drive the local dealers out of trade that they would become like other great combines, oppressors of the peo jple? Abuse of Credit. It is the abuse of the credit system that frequently causes trade to drift from the home town to some distant concern. Merchants extend credits to their customers, and when the bill reaches a large figure, the customer avoids the store of his benefactor, and when goods are needed sends the cash to some distant place. This is uul'air, fet it is too often l;he case. FACTORS IN TOWN PROGRESS. Some Comment Affording Tr.ccghtful Folk Food for Reflection. It is the duty of every merchant to give support to his home paper. When he pays the editor dollars for judicious advertising he is helping him self. helps the editor get out a better paper, and helps the community in general. • • • Public schools are one of the great props of national government. The more prosperous is a community the higher will be the educational facili ties. Good schools are a help to any town and bring into it the most de sirable classes, who seek to educate their children. He who assists ir building up the business of a towa also assists in bettering the schools. * * • Commercial clubs have been potent factors in the advancement of many towns. To the farmer the commercial clubs aro as important as to the man of business. There is no reason why the farmers of the community should not cooperate with tho business men in every undertaking that has for its object the benefit of the home town. * » » The young man starting in life should have a certain object in view, The seeking of a vocation is an impor tant thing. Too many seek lines of work that they are not naturally quali fied for. The greatest success is made by the men who follow that business or profession for which they havo natural inclination and talent. » » » Thousands of people are still on earth who can remember the dismal failure of the Ruskin cooperative col ony in the south, the falling to pieces of the Belamy community in Califor nia, the disintegration of the "Agricul tural Wheel" and the hundreds of thousands of dollars lost a day-dream er in Missouri and Kansas in efforts to demonstrate the practical work of theoretical cooperation. Still people will bite at baits thrown out by the alleged cooperative commercial con cerns, who have headquarters in large cities and do business through th>» mails. BUILD UP LOCAL ENTERPRISES. Individual Effort a Factor in the Prog ress of Cities and Towns. A well known eastern financier, who for some time was the president of a large trust company, recently re signed, giving as his reason that a man, according to his belief, can do better working for himself, and that no man can really earn a salary equal to what he can make in business for himself. One of the conservative financial papers in commenting upon the move of the financier here referred to says that in these days, when all kinds of business are being converged into stock companies, the number of trades in which a man may engage in business for himself have become so few that for a great bulk of men, even those having the mental equipment which in other years would have been sufficient to make them their own masters, there is now no other opening than that of service for some corpora tion. For the bulk of the people, out side of those in agricultural pursuits, it is service for the corporation or no work at all. This truth is becoming more evident day by day. Even the farmers are feeling the grasp of cor porate methods. It is true that mil lions must have the products of his lands and his hands, but the corpora tions are the mediums he must work through, and from him they exact their tithings. It is to the interest of the farmer as well as the laborer in every walk and sphere to prevent as far as possiblo further encroachment of organized capital, and this can be done by as far as possible keeping tho dollars that you earn in circulation in the community where earned and thus prevent the further concentration of money and of business in the great cities. Fools and Wise Men. Some one said that "fools, women and children need be protected." The author of the phrase seemed to not take into consideration that it is some times hard to distinguish between the fool and the wise man. He Is wise indeed who does not nibble at the baits on the hooks held out to catch him. How many people, time and time again, find themselves caught on some contract deal, find that some sleek agent has sold them a lot of inferior groceries for twice the amount that they could buy the same quantity of goods from a local dealer, and get a far better quality? Be careful when dealing with strangers. Remember the biggest frauds present tho most plausable appearance. Don't sign any kind of a contract or order without the most careful investigation. Favors Soon Forgotten. Not many years ago the majority of farmers in newly settled sections were dependent upon the business men and the merchants of the towns to carry them through between crops. There are farmers who can look back a few years ago and see where they were favored when in want of supplies and had not the money to pay for the same. Prosperity changes many, and this may be the cause why those who a dozen years ago were so anxious to see tho country develop, now send much of their money to outside places for goods needed, instead of keeping their dollars at home to further en rich their community; and how soon are favors forgotten. The merchants who assisted in making success pos sible for many by quite a few are passed by. Is this Christian grati tude? CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1908. HOWARD TESTIFIES II POWERS' TRIAL PRINCIPAL WITNESS FOR THE DE FENSE TELLS HIS STORY. DECLARES HIS INNOCENCE. He Says He Never Saw Gov. Taylor or Youtsey Before the Murder of Goc bel —Capt. Sharp Startles the Court. Georgetown, Ky. • In the ex pectation that James Howard, chief witness for the defense, would take the stand, a large crowd was in attend ance at the Powers trial Tuesday. Capt. Stephen G. Sharp, United States district marshal and ex-state treasurer, was an important witness. Sharp 'startled the court and specta tors by stating that three days before Goebel was shot he (Sharp) wns given reliable information by prominent democrats that the democrats had or dered 2,000 guns and ammunition for the same, and that men would be on hand toman the guns, and that Tay lor and other republican state officials would be forcibly ejected from office. This, he said, was why armed repub licans were about the state house and why state troops had been notified to be in readiness to move, as he had communicated these facts to both Gov. Taylor and Adjt. Gen. Collier. James Howard took the stand. Ho said that at the time Goebel was shot he (Howard) was in the public room of the Board of Trade hotel at Frank fort. A man named Robinson stepped out. in front of the hotel and brought back the information that Goebel was shot. Howard and others in the room jumped up and ran to the door, horri fied at the news. After the shooting Howard went with others to the Capi tol hotel, but he did not see Goebel then. Howard denied that be ever re ceived a letter from Taylor or Youtsey asking him to come to Frankfort. He did not know Taylor and had never seen him. Howard denied that he was on the state house square at any time during the morning of January 30, when Goe bel was shot; said that he was not in side the executive building that morn ing; that he never saw Gov. Taylor or Youtsey and declared that he had ab solutely nothing to do with the assassi nation. A FIENDISH CONTRIVANCE. An Infernal Machine Is Found in Mail at the South Erie, Pa., Postoffice. Erie, Pa. While distributing Christmas bundles in the South Erie sub-postofflce Tuesday afternoon an employe became suspicious of a package the end of which had broken open, and upon making an investiga tion the package was found to con tain an infernal machine so construct ed that the opening of the box would cause an explosion that would have undoubtedly killed all persons near it and set fire to everything in the vicinity. The package was addressed to Archie Carr, 220S Cherry street, and had been mailed in this city. The box was turned over to Postmaster Sobel, who called in Chief of Police Wagner and Detective Pinney. The chief cut out the side of the box and exposed a bottle and contrivances so arranged that the opening of the lid would pull the cork and ignite sev eral matches. The following in scription was on the inside wrapper: "You may perhaps find the cover, will catch a little when you open the box, but pay no attention to it. Merry Christmas." Dr. J. W. Wright, health officer and chemist, after an examination of the bottle said it contained a high explo sive, but would give no other details until after a further examination. A postoffice inspector is expected here shortly. A Lynching in Oklahoma. Muskogee, Okla. Riddled with bullets the body of James Gar den, a negro, is dangling from a tele graph pole in Henrietta, Okla., a coal mining town 30 miles southwest of here, as the result of the first lynch ing in the new state. Garden on Tuesday killed Albert Bates, a white man, because Bates, who was a liv eryman, refused to rent a rig to the negro. Garden said Bates was dis criminating against him because of his color and, going across the street for a pistol. Garden returned and killed Bates. Garden was lodged in jail and last night a 1110b battered down the doors of the jail and se cured the negro and hung him to a nearby pole. Then they riddled the body with bullets. Railroad Construction During ISO 7. Chicago, 111. According to sta tistics compiled by the Railway Age, railroad construction in the United States has been nearly as heavy in 1907 as in 1900, which was the heavi est year since 1888. The total num ber of miles of new track laid this year has been 5,730, of which 422 miles were in Louisiana, 341 in Flor ida, 385 in South Dakota, 314 in Texas and 311 in Washington. 111 Canada during the same time 723 miles were built, and in Mexico 349 miles. The orders for cars and locomotives in 1907 were smaller than at any time during the last seven years. Cars Were Blown from the Track. Denver, Col. The baggage <ar and first passenger coach of train No. 25, northbound on the Colorado & Southern railroad, were blown from the track and overturned in the ditch near Marshall, a coal camp, Tuesday. Six persons were seriously injured. Many Mills to Resume January 6. Pittsburg, Pa. Christmas in Pittsburg and vicinity is made doubly joyful by the announcement that by January G all the mills in McKees port, Glassport, Duquesne and allied plants in the Monongahelu valley will be in operation. CHIEFS OF BUREAUS CLASHED. SURGEON GENERAL RIXEY IS SUES A STATEMENT. When Read Between the Lines It Shows the Reason for Admiral Brownson's Resignation. Washington, D. C. —That a sprl ous breach exists between the boreau of navigation and the bureau of medi cine of the navy, involving the ques tion of the responsibility of the latter bureau was made apparent last night in a, statement issued by Surgeon Gen eral Presley M. Rixey, of the navy, in which he touches upon the circum stances leading up to the probable se lection by the president of a medical officer to command the hospital ship Relief over the protest of Rear Admi ral Willard H. Brownson, chief of the bureau of navigation, who on Tuesday sent his resignation to the president. While disclaiming exact knowledge as to the cause of Admiral Brownson's resignation, the surgeon general's statement leaves little room for doubt that the controversy he reviews was a potent factor. General Rixey maintains that hos pital ships, as a rule, always have been commanded by medical officers, with a sailing master and civilian crew for purposes of navigation. This particu lar vessel, he says, formerly belonged to the army and always was command ed by a medical officer when used as a hospital ship. In attempting to unify the medical services of the army anil the navy, he says that a joint army and navy board of medical officers which was convened by executive or der more than a year ago recommend ed that hospital ships should be com manded by medical officers, and that that recommendation was approved by both the secretary of war and the sec retary of the navy in general orders. "The internal administration of the bureau of medicine and surgery," he says, "has been in my opinion too much interfered with by the bureau of navigation. This interference has at times caused grave concern as to how I could meet the needs of those under our care." The hospital ship Relief, he says, should now be with the battleship fleet on its cruise, but he adds that the bu reau of navigation thought otherwise and the fleet of 15,000 men, with its auxiliaries, will be without a hospital ship until it arrives at Magdalena Bay, more than three months from now. He adds that he cannot understand how Admiral Brownson should be specially interested in the officering of hospital ships, as his duties lie in another di rection and that he should not inter fere in a matter pertaining entirely to the bureau of medicine and surgery. A TRAGIC VOYAGE IS ENDED. American Ship Atlas Comes Into Port and Its Crew Tell a Thrilling Story. San Francisco, Cal. The Amer ican ship Atlas dropped anchor here Tuesday night, 275 days out from Bal timore. It ended a voyage made tragic by a collision off Cape Horn, at tended by the sinking of another ves sel, the drowning of the fated craft's captain and the captain's wife, mutiny on the decks of the Atlas and death among its crew. On June 6 at G p. m.the Atlas struck the Norwegian bark Viking, Capt. Peterson, bound from Hamburg to Callao. Both were badly damaged by the contact, but the bark fared worst. Thirteen of the crew of the Norwegian bark boarded the American ship, crawling over tangled shrouds and dangling booms, but Capt. Peter son and his wife were not among those who made the dangerous transit, but it was too dark to render aid, though the Atlas stood by during the night, and next morning the Viking had dis appeared. The Atlas put into Rio Janeiro for repairs, leaking badly. On the way to this port a mutiny took place among the crew over some trouble with the mate, but it was easily quelled. Before the collision off Cape Horn three of the ship's company met death. On May 23, J. Schumacher and Charles Nolan, seamen, fell from the jibboom and were drowned. On June 15 John Hook, sailmaker, died and was buried at sea. When the ship arrived here the captain's son and the third officer were ill and the vessel was or dered into quarantine. A SENATORSHIP FOR W. J. BRYAN. A Young Floridan Is Thus Honored, Not the Famous Nebraskan. Jacksonville, Fla. Gov. Broward on Wednesday appointed William James Bryan, of this city, to be United States senator, vice Stephen Russell Mallory, deceased, for the bal ance of the term expiring March 4, 1909. Mr. Bryan is a prominent young attorney only 31 years old and now holds the position of county solicitor for this (Duval) county. He was born in Orange county, Fla., October 10, 1870. He is the son of John M. Bryan, who served 14 years as state senator and afterwards as a member of the state railroad commission. Mr. Bryan was reared in the vicinity of his birth place and attended the local schools. Later he attended Emory college, where he graduated in 1896. Three years later he graduated profession ally at Washington and Lee university and at once began to practice law in Jacksonville. About two months ago Mr. Bryan announced his candidacy for the Uni ted States senatorship to succeed Sen ator Mallory. He is not related to William J. Bryan, of Nebraska. A Doctor Murdered His Wife. Hyde Park, Mass. Dr. Walter R. Amesbury, of Milford, shot and killed his wife Anna, a teacher of music in Roanoke college, Danville, Va., as the family were about to sit down to their Christmas dinner at the home of Mrs. Jennie Rees, Mrs. Ames bury's mother, here Wednesday. Killed His Wife and Himself. Sharon, Pa. William Van Bush Blashed his wife's throat with a razor and then cut his own throat at their home here Wednesday. The dead bodies were found by a son-in law. « I Balcom i Lloyi j WE have the best stocked J 1 general store In the county jj rand if you are looking for re -1 liable goods at reasonable I prices, we are ready to serve I*" you with the best to be found. Our reputation for trust worthy goods and fair dealing is too well known to sell any H Our stock of Queensware and Chinaware is selected with 9 I great care and we have soma ji p of the most handsome dishes 8 jn|j ever shown in this section, both in imported and domestic makes. We invite you to visit us and look our goods over. I I ! 1 I Balcom & Lloyd, j jfcfICBjPHECBB 3C 3EK2S3EEEBBEI3B2EBS3HE3D 0 j! LOOK ELSEWHERE BUT DON'T FORGET jj || THESE PRICES AND FACTS AT gj •i | LaBAR S|| 1 M JU 1L M n zzmzizzzzii ** pg We carry in stock I""" the largest line of Car fcj pets, Linoleums and fi/, '[7gg£] - fcj 53 Mattings of all kinds , Vl® 53 ever brought to this |OOI ■DlTfTi[B Pj town. Also a big line ' HkwSSSsiS ** «fil of samples. A very large line of -FOR THE Caj-sdl I H 3 xSHr cmuM I! I? Art Squares and of fine books,! n a chojccd)btary §jj PI Rugs of all sizes and select J.J W kind, from the cheap- Wernicke "Elastic" • M est to the best Furnished .with bevel : Freoch | || plate or leaded glass doors. II Dining Chair#, I ,0 " »* I II Rockers and GEO. J. LaBAR, js| || High ChairS. Bole Agent for Cameroh'.Oooßty. jk|| 112 2 A large and elegant . 53 H line of Tufted and H Drop-head Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices. tt l4 M|3o Bedroom Suits, COC 1 40 Sideboard, quar- fcj solid oak at 4)/J tered cak 300 P* rj |2B Bedroom Suite, CO I $32 Sideboard, qnar- flWf* M PI eolid oak at 4)21 tered oak s?s fc* Mui §26 Bed room Suite, COfi $22 Sideboard, qnar solid oak at U tered oak 4>lo £4 M A large line of Dressers from I Ch ffoniers of all kinds and |ti| $8 up. all prices. H fcjjj The. finest line of Sewing Machines on is Ej the "DOMESTIC" and "ELDRIDGB.' All drdp- gj 53 heads and warranted. 59 A fineiline common grade and China, in 6ets the piece. PI As I keep a full line of everything that gpes to H M make up a good Furniture store, it is useless to enum- M M erateaChem all. M Si Blease call and see for,yourself that I am tejp^ng w* you the truth, and if,you don't buy ; , there is no nann done, as it is no trouble to show goods. [j GEO. J .LaBAR. 1 U3Nr33BnTjaLK.I3XTO. *4 lif 112 www 'ww w 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers