H&iSmLLSLtaiii K PfK :K !THE PITTSBURG- DISPATCH; MONDAY, -DECEMBER 21, 1891 B$mfrj. ESTABLISHED FEBBUAUT 8, 1846 Vol. 48. No. 37. Entered at Pittsburg rostofllce N ovembcr. IsST. is becoml-clas matter. Business Office Corner Smithf.eld and Diamond Streets. News Rooms and Publishing House 78 and So Diamond Street, in New Dispatch Building. T.X'rrT.r.s Anvnimsivo office, room a. TItir.l'V!: Hm.PIX'5. CTYi:K. wherecom Vlcle files of T1IF. DIsrATCIIean alwavbc found. For' ten advertisers nuriTcI.-te ll" comenionce. Hone advertisers anil friends r Till". Dl-PATCH, while In New York, are also made welcome. THE DrSP.l TCH i" re-lrlif' unltntHrntnnn't. r Union .SVvorr. .Vtr Inri. ruut 17 Art tleWpera. Tnris. lYftnee. lohftr rnjiw fi lin tieen disap pointed til a tioM wvv fitana can obtain it TEKMS CF inn DISPATCH. roJT'OT, TF.rr. IK TJin united statxs. THILT PisPATrn. OncYc-r ? 01 Daily Dispatch, IVrQiiarter ICO Daily Iitatc:t. )v.e Month TO Daily Disrvron. Including buiiday. 1 rear., icon Daily I)lrATCH, IncInilingMindsy, Sn'ihs. ISO Daily I)i-r vti 11. including Sunday. 1 ra'th.. so f-rv day DisrATdi. One Yar t .V) VtEKLT PisrATCII. One Yea'. 1 ts Tm. Daily DisrvTCilis delivered by carriers at J.' rents per week, or. including Sunday Edition, at rn cents )cr w crk. riTTPr.L'KO. MONDAY. DIX. SI, ISM. TWELVE PAGES A rOUCIBLK WAKM"G. Senator Plumb's sudden death yesterday is typical at once of an erroneous natural characteristic and a political vice. A man of immense energy and striking physical vitjor, he had eiven himself up to the work surrounding his position uutil his brain gave out. He had warnings that he was tasking himself to a degree which no strength could resist, but confidence of liis strength, and his ambition to do all that a Senator of the United States could be called upon to do, kept him at his work until the end came suddenly and deci sively. Of course, when confronted with a case like this, wc recognize that the aims to be secured by such efforts are not worth the sacrifice. "Where a great aim was to be sccompiUhed the peril to health and life may be justified. If Senator Plumb had been in the position of Lincoln or Stanton dining the war, his death would have had the noble character of a soldier who dies at his post. But men like Plumb, Man ning and Vi11dom had not sufficient reason for the overwork which caused their deaths. Wo can all see. after the fact, that this is true: but the Americ : characteristics are su"h that mm will keep on working them selves to udden deit."i in the absorption of iheir aim.". Another lesson must not be overlooked in Senator Plumb's case. The report of his death, in describing the labors which caused it, says: "He looked after the in terests of his constituents." This is very well understood to mean that he sought appointments for them, and devoted a large share of his energies to the passace of bills in which they were interested. Here we have an explanation or' the over work. A man of Senator Plumb's vigor could probably have borne the labor at tendant on lecislation of a national char acter. But when in addition I13 under took the work of looking after offices, pushing private bills, and doing all the errands the political system imposes on the men who are designated by the Con stitution to simply legislate, the strain was more than human strength could stand. Tiie warning of Senator Plumb's death is a. very strong one asainst the American error of overwork, and is especially forci ble against the political vice of turnine national legislators into patronage-clerks and private claim attorneys without fee. TKK NKWEST PARTY. The formation of a new party is an rff 01 1 which always 1ms charms, but has not been very successful of late, excepting the case of the Farmers Alliance. Seven gentlemen of Boston are, however, using the mails for the work of forming a new party by circular letters, the platform of the party being a gold basis for currency, a tariff for revenue only and the abolition of the spoils system. The original feature of the plan is the system of classif ying the principles of the members by numerals which signify their adhesion to certain of eight different declarations. Thus E. M Farnsworth, 245S, asserts that he is a former Democrat, joins the Xew Party with enthusiasm, would support Grover Cleveland without a Democratic nomina tion, and will circulate the documents of the new organization. The idea is novel, but hardlv likely to woo many voters from their subjection to Republican or Demo cratic organization merely to be classified as a numeral in four figures. This Xew Party may be selec:, but it is not likely to beeffecthe. SENATOK MIIXEK'S PROFESSIONS. The position taken by ex-Senator War ner Miller, as President of the Xiearasua Canal Company, in his speech to the New York Chamber of Commerce, would, if fully maintained in good faith, relieve that enterprise from th character of an enor mous job. Miller there declared that the company does not ask the aid of the United States, as proposed in the Presi dent's message; and expressed his belief that the enterprise can be carried through by private capital. On that basis Mr. Miller is wholly justified in bringing his scheme to the consideration of New York capitalists on its merits. This is a verbai f ulflliment of the pledge given when a charter was secured from Congress that no financial aid should be desired from the United States. The Nica ragua Canal people are to be credited with a little more than tho ordinary tenderness respecting pledges in the profession of im partiality as to whether the proposed loan passes Congress or not Perhaps that at titude is stimulated by the conviction that the proposed measure will have the slightest possible chance of passing the lower branch of the present Con gress. But so long as the disavowal confines itself to the form in which Miller puts it an abstract asser tion that the canal .company does ask what the President is represented as urging upon it the people will regard such a iulfillment of the pledge as keep ing the word of promise to the car but breaking It to the sense. Indeed, it is not censorious to suspect the canal company's disavowal of asking for the loan, to be of the same generic rank of Quay's disavowal that he is a candidate lor the Pennsylvania Senatorship. The Nicaragua people may not formally ask for the indorsement of the Government; but it is hardly credible that the adminis tration would be so anxious to have them enjoy the Government credit to the tune of 5100,000,000 on a job estimated by the ! effete, cumbrous and purely formal Elec oi '.- : " T. O.V." 15. -"t vS ert t"-'l C"'I- r-. I- - ! e T'Ts''iit rnd .ais-, w i- .; W.'-v--i.A ;..! ' ii i i iilllliWii hffiWilarf- tti ifPifMwlmrfVitWm1r1nlf TlilMMMwrtyMlMWMirTiif tiT' measures were taken to ensure that the Government shall not omit to press the loan on the company. The fortunes ot Tho fortunes corruption are not showered so spontane ously as to urge the profits of a 535,000,000 rake from the public treasury on people who do not stretch out their hands for it; nor do the gentlemen who vote for such jobs in Congress confer such enormous wealth unless very active and judicious work is exerted to secure their votes. MTc do not believe the Nicaragua Canal Company will set that $100,000,000 job in any event. But wi- tin assure Mr. Miller and his associates that they certainly will not get it without energetically pulling the wires for it PRINCIPLES OF TAXATION. The correspondence between the Xew York Tax Reform Association and Rt. Rev. John J. Kcane, of tho Catholic Uni versity, published elsewhere, is instructive The New York Association presents the Henry George theory of taxation with a number of propositions well enough in the abstract, but which might, if tried, be found very difficult of application. The auswer of the cleiical gentleman indorses some of the principles in the abstract, but points out the qualifications and difficul ties which practically make it necessary for the Govprnmenf to do the best it can. The trouble with all these propositions to raise public revenue by direct taxation, especially as they generally take the form of a single, tax, is that no single interest would yield the necessary revenue. The single-taxers have urged the taxation of rental values with the declaration that this would eliminate the speculative value from laud. But they have never been able to refute the fact, pointed out in The Dispatch some time ago, that when the speculative value is taken out of land, ana all the additions to its value made by human labor and expenditure are ex empted, as they propose, there will not be enough value left in it to support a decent township government Rev. Fr. Keane refers to the good policy of taxing not the agents of products but their net proceeds. This looks toward the taxation of profits or income an ideal tax in the abstract. But the practical difficulty is intimated in the further rule that taxation should not invite fraud or perjury. The rules laid down bv the correspond ents on both sides are very good in the ab stract and should be applied as far as cir cumstances permit, except those which contradict each other. Thus the Tax Re form Association holds that the agents of production should not be taxed, and then proceeds to the dictum that land should bear the main burden of taxation. But land is an agent of production in the real sense, as it will produce if worked by human labor and intelligence, and not otherwise. To tax idle land and disused machinery might be a wise discrimination in the abstract, but? how much revenue would it yield? To thes ideas, which systems of taxa tion will do well to apply so far as prac ticable, The DisrATCH will add some others which may be hinted at in Rector Keane's letter, but- whose importance de mand a specific statement They are per haps just as hard to apply practically as the rules laid down in the correspondence, but they are also as well worth bearing in mind. Taxation should, so far as possible, be levied so as to make the burden on the subjects of taxation the least It should place its weight on certain classes or relieve others so as to create taxed and un taxed classes. It should not make the products of a taxed industry compete with the products of an untaxed industry. Finally, an ideal, but so far impracticable, scheme of taxation would seek to encour age the distribution of wealth among the masses and discourage the accumulation of great estates. A HIGH TIME FOR CONGRF.SS. There is a decidedly Chicagoan magnifi cence in the proposition to take the whole of Corgress on a visit to Chicago to view the progress of the World's Fair enter prise, and, inter pocula, or, to use the ver nacular translation, "between drinks," to settle the question of that 55,000,000 loan or gift Concessional committees have frequently enjoyed junkets of less broad gauge dimensions, and railroad corpora tions desirous of legislative favors have been known to give State Legislatures very enjoyable trips. But this is the first time it has been proposed to take the Con gress of the United States into camp. There would be a wide appreciation of Chicago determination to cut a wide swath in this matter if the 55,000,000 appropria tion did not loom up in the background, and of the intimation that Congress though enjoying a free blowout must not be a deadhead in the enterprise. If that loan business were settled before the excursion then the main drawback to the affair would be the natural disability of the national lawmakers to attend to business for some days after the junket was over. AN AATIQBATED IUEA. Senator Turpie's recent though rather reiterated speech in favor of electing United States Senators by direct vote of the people has been commented upon wilh a degree of favor, that indicates the trend of popular opinion in that direction. There is nothing in the Senator's speech which differs materially from the argu ments in behalf of that change heard at intervals for years. The new feature is the growth of sentiment toward accept ing it The important phase of the change is that it would be a formal reversal of the theory of the United States Constitution. That theory has been clearly avowed for years. It contemplates one branch of the Legislature elected by the peoplo for short terms, and which is distinctively the pop ular branch. It then sets up another, elected for longer terms, and removed from the fluctuations of popular opinion by being elected by the State Legislatures. Finally, it tries to remove the Presidency from direct reliance on the popular vote by vesting it in an Electoral College, the mem bers of which were expected to exercise a free choice. The theory of the Electoral College has been abandoned long ago, but the other part of that theory with regard to the Senate has more life to-day. The proposition, therefore, is to displace the last remaining fragment of the origi nal idea by removing some of the co ordinate branches of the Government from direct dependence on the popular vote. As the separation, even in the case of the Senate, is more theoretical than practical, the change will have to be con sidered mainly a .question of time. The dynamic force of popular institutions brings Senatorships as well as Presidenc sooner or later down to the expressed will of the people. The change might prove an unexpected benefit in relieving State Legislatures from the complications and dominations that grow out of their duty of electing Senators. But if this old theory of the Constitution is to be abandoned, the formal change should not omit a clause abolishing the Vice President to be elected in theory, as ( well as in fact, by the popular vote. The political correspondents who are making much of the industry of Senator Kyle in applying to the leaders of both parties for committee appointments fail to note that it proves Senator Kyle to be about as active a politician as the older Sonators. The discovery that diamonds are brought to the earth in meteors is thought by scien tists to contain a suggestion as to tire tray In which the first germs of organic life were brought to this globe; "and so," says a commentator, wo may have advanced one step nearer the solution of the question to which the wisest brains have given so much thought for aires." Instead of this w have only re moved the solution one step further away. For if life came to this earth on meteors we are only confronted with the question: How did lire originate in the worlds whence the meteors came? San Francisco's municipal plunderers have been discharged on a legal technicality, and tlfc backins of organized political cor ruption is rather plainly pointed out on tho assertion that Southern Pacific influence got them off. . . General Algeb has been interviewed In New York for the purpose of asking the ppople of the United States the conundrum why Mr. Blaine should be asked to declare himself with regard to tho Presidency any more than General Harrison or Mr. Cleve land. The conundrum is not so unanswer able as General Alger seems to think. It is because no intelligent man has any doubt whether General Harrison or Mr. Clevel-.nd will take a nomination if either or both of them can get it. A New York policeman charged with assaultine au old woman says ho only gave her a push. A policeman's push, together with his pull, make him a bad man to fall out with. The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce is in the sulks and opposes the participation of England in the Chicago World's Fair. Nevertheless there is reason to believe that as long as John Bull has anything to sell he will not miss such an opportunity to sell it. The absence of Liverpool from the Chicago Exposition will be taken as an avowal that Liverpool has nothing fit for the American market. TnE strata of beautiful weather, sand wiched with light streaks of moderate cold snaps, please the public and confound the predictors of a stormy December. The grip is evidently no respecter of per sons. This year it has taken hold of three Grand Dukes and a hereditary Prince in Europe, a Speaker of tho Honse, the framers of two opposing tariff bills and Madame Modjeska, Fortunately, all the distin guished sufferers have good prospects for recovery. Mr. Joseph Manley's communication to the supporters of Mr. Blaine is rather too much In tho line of "You elect Elaine dele gates and we will do the rest." The Republican press is following the lead of the President in attacking Demo cratic gerrymanders. Quite natural. But might not press and Piesidont reflect that they will effect more In the line of abolish ing the gerrymander abuse by attacking those perpetrated in their own party? The League and Association have joined hands, and the white dove of peace broods over the situation at a cost of $1CO,000. Ex pensive dovet Captain -Hugh Coleman, of New Yoik, who wants that other warrior. Colonel Shepard. muzzled for his attacks on Catho lics, makes a mistake in taking Shepard seriously. Before Captain Coleman the only person foolish enough to do that was Shep ard himself. PERSONAGES OF PROMINENCE. President Eliot, of Harvard, is ex tremely sensitive about the bright red birth mart on his right check. One of Mr. Springer's conspicuous char acteristics Is his invariable habit of wearing a flower in his buttonhole. Secretary Foster was reported to be stronger and brighter yesterday, and may be able to leave his room this week. Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland are expected to visit Mr. nnd Mrs Pembroke Jones in Wilmington, X. C, during the winter. George X. Curzon, the new Under Sec retary for Ireland, is said to bo the best dressed man in the House of Commons. Mrs. Barrett, of Newport; Mrs. and Hits Roberts, of Philadelphia, and the Misses Jackson and Barker, of Washington, are in Berlin. Eugene D'Albert, the pianist, having obtained a divorce, is about to marry Mme. Teresa Carreno, the American pianist, who has also succeeded in securing a decree of divorce in a suit brought against her second husband. The Czarewitch will visit Paris in Febru ary and will remain in the city ten days, after which period he will proceed to Lon don to attend the wedding of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Princess Vic toria Mary of Teck. "William Morris, the English poet, who is deemed a probable successor to LordTen nyson in the laureateship, is the manager of a factory for wall paper, has a profltablo bric-a-brac shop, and owns several shares in a successful magazine. Miss Geraldine Morgan, the Ameri can violinist, will sail for New York from Berlin on tho North German Lloyd steamer Elbe. Miss Morgan will make her debut in America at Carnegie Music Hall, in New York, shortly after her arrival in that city. OLD EAKDIIS' HIDDEN PLUND3B Unearthed by Two Hunters Beneath a Stone Near Marietta. MAniETTA, Dec. 20. Special. To-day two young men named James Kendall and Peter Boilly, living a few miles above Marietta, on the Muakingum river, while on a hunting expedition came upon a large flat stono of peculiar shape, certain marki on which ex cited their suspicions. They removed the stone, disclosing a circle in which was a quan tity of clothing some old-f.ishioned and well-rusted aims, and finally a small Iron knttlc rilled with silver coin. Tho men de cline to make public the amount of money found further than to say that is will boa very comlortable sum for each of them when divided. It is supposed the plunder was concealed where it was found by members of the noto rious Stover gang that infested that part of the country years aso. and who committed many crimes, nnd that this particular cache was but one of many others. Parties are be ing organized to search for bnried treasures'. THE LOTTERY MUDDLE. The Louisiana lottery muddle has reached that stage where splits are being played as winners. Washington Post. Tuk enteritis wedge of the lottery influ ence has already split a great party in one State. iV. 1 Commercial Advertiser, LoTTEar and anti-lottery aro the gon falons down in Louisiana. Republicans and Democrats are nowhere. Boston Herald. The Louisiana lottery may do some cood yet. It appears to have split the Demo cratic party of that State 'from neck to heels. Boston J'etes. Wrm tho Louisiana Democracy split in two on the lottery question, it is not easy to foretell just who, at the next election, will win '-tho cnpital'prize." Boston Globe. The lotteryites are ahead In Louisiana, of course, and will dictate the Democratic nom inations. That is to say, tho old story of Democratic affiliation with fraud and scan dal is to bo repeated. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. The lottery campaign in Louisiana has opened with a flourish of trumpets and a disrupted convention. It Is thought that the usual heavy odds against a lottery ticket winning do not apply In politics. f"7 f-rvo Tin C- &k - 'i&e&&ge2&!&r '- v --" THE MISTAKES OP CHARITY. JWHiriJlN FOB THE DISrATCH.5 An honest beggaris the hundredth man. That is to say he is the exception. Tho other 09 are frauds and rascals. Even this esti mate is probably too generous. The chances are that out Of the next hundred peoplo who come into our offices, or . who knock at our doors, with petitions lor help, not a single one will bo deservine of a penny. This is the result of some experience In endeavoring to help the poor. I have no doubt that it will accord perfectly with tho experience of nearly every other man in Pittsburg who has given assistance to out-door petitioners and has taken pains to follow the matter up, and.see just in what way the assistance assisted. In a good many instances the assistance assists that great institution of our Christian civilization, tho saloon. Moro of the dimes get into the pockets or the barkeeper than into tho pockets of the butcher and the baker added together. Indeed, this whole business of giving to people who ask is nothing but disappoint ment, deceit nnd encouragoment to vaza bonds. Itomrhttobo stonned. The truth is, that no good man or woman in Pittsburg should give a penny, or a piece of bread, or an old shoe to any unknown beggar. The giving is simply so much of an addition to the misery of the world. The giver thinks to givo a blessing and, perhaps, to get one for himself. He may get one, possibly; for blessings are not hindered let us hope by Ignorance or foolishness. But he may be absolutely sure that he Is not giving one. He is distributing malediction. He is walk ing over the down-trodden. He is hindering the cause of the poor. Every bit of alms given at an office desk or at a kitchen door in this city ought to bo given with accom paniment of bell, book and candle. It Is only another (and more effective) kind of curse. IIow Charity Goes Astray. And yet what are we going to do? "We want to help the poor. We arc sorry for the pitiable people who tell these pitiable stories. This poor woman, whose husband was killed on the railroad, who has seven children, the oldest only 10 years old, and fonr of them down with scarlet fever, and whose landlord is going to set her and these sick children out into the middle of tho street this afternoon unless she gets $7 to pay her back rent we want to minister to this sad case. What shall we do? We hand out $7. Tho acting Is pretty good. It Is, in deed, so real that we mUtake it for actnul life. But $7 is a good deal to pay for it. -We can see Modjeska cheaper than that. One of the best men who ever lived in Pittsburg did a great deal of harm every morning of his life by his conscientious patronage of that sort of private theatricals. He held a morning audience every day, to which came everybody who ws.ntad help. And he heard their stories and helped them. That is, he believed he helped them. He gave them money and grocery and coal or ders. In real truth, ho pauperized them. He paid them for telling lies. He increased just so much the worthless part of the popu lation of the citv. There was a little set of pictures in one of the illustrated papers some time ago that showed just how this giving business works. A man coines around a corner and encount ers a blind beggar; hedropsapennylnto the outstretched hat. The next moraine, round ing the same corner, there is the same blind bcegarand his brother, also blind. Unhappy family! Twopennies. The next morning a lame cousin is added to the expectant com pany. Alr.s! alas! three pennies. And soon. The good man simply induces knavery. He does his daily sum in the arithmetic of pau perization. A man in London who gave a daily dole of bread to tho poor of his neigh borhood had to be stopped by the poliee. He was demoralizing the whole community. GUing Not Helping. Of course there is the New Testament, and the Sermon on the Mount, and all that. But, dearly beloved brethren, the kind of giving that is enjoined there Is synonymous with helping. The JIaster, wo may be quite sure, never gave to anybody when He knew that the giving would be harmful. It is our Christian duty not to give to people, but to help people. It is our Christian duty not to give at nil, when giving doe not mean up lifting, bettering, really helping. I would say then that the Sermon on tho Mount, in its spirit, in its actual meaning, forbids all indiscriminate distribution of alms over office desks and out of kitchen doors. And by "indiscriminate," I do not mean only tho giving which does not stop to investigate, but all giving which is done on the decision even of what n man thinks is his accurate judgment, which is based on tho seeming truth of the beggar's story or on the seem ing honesty of the beggar's face. Because nil that sort of Judgment is utterly fallacious. Somo of the most pious looking men in Alle gheny county are in the penitentiary. You cannot tell. You absolutely cannot tell. The only good plan for anybody who wants to be really helpful, is simply to say "no" to every applicant, without exception. How to Reach the Deserving Poor. That, however, ought not to be the end of it. It may be that this beggar is that mythical person, the hundredth man. It may be that four of thechildten have the scarlet fever, and that the cold-blooded lanalord will do something quite inhuman, if he lacks his seven dollars. In that case, what? Why, two things either of them. Docs this applicant belong to any church? If yes; then the church is the place to go to. The parson is tho person who can intelli gently judge. Every church has its alms fund. Every church desires to look after its own poor, and is, in most cases, quite able to do it. People who want to help tho deserving poor can get at thoso of them who belong to the churches by contributing to the charity funds of the parishes with which they are connected. But this beggar is not connected with any Pittsburg parish. He never Is. He belongs, like Thoieau, to the Church of the Sunday Walkers. The only church roof that he ever sees the inside of, is the great roof of the sky. What then? Why, we have here In town nn organization that is meant to meet exactly that emergency. It is intended to reach all the out-ol-the-o.hurch people, and it does it magnificently. I mean the Associa tion for the Improvement of the Poor. It has tho whole city districted. It has its vis itor in every district, whose business it is to look up any name entrusted to her, and to learn the real facts that belong behind that name. This society Issues investigation tickets. Any poor person who comes to any of the offices of this socloty, brinsinc one of tnese tickets will be looked up immediately and cared for to the full extent of his needs. No worthy beggar ever went away from the offices of this society unhelpcd. Not only are the poor who are thus brought to the notice of the association helped at once, if they ought to bo helped, but they are kept In sight, visited, their needs looked after, their children taken to some Sunday school, their condition brought to the notice of some pastor of the religious body of their choice. 1 ho Safest and Best Plan. Now, with this organized city charity In existence here, the only really kind, help ful. Christian, right or safe way of dealing with unknown petitioners for alms is to say: "My friend, I havo money deposited for just this purpose with the Association for the Improvement of the Poor. They are in structed by me to look up such people as you are, nnd to give them exactly what thoy need. Here is one of the tickets of this so ciety. The nearest office is on such-and-such a street. Go there, and they will.give you all yon need." There ought to be some of these tickets in every office and in every benevolent household in this city. Of course, you must make application for the tickets, with an inclosure of money. Take, say, one-half of what 3-ougivo for charity in the course of six months in tho usual pernicious way, and send it to the superintendent of this society, Mrs. Lippln cott, 7G Sixth avenue, una ask for investiga tion tickets. This is the ouly possible way in this city, under onr present conditions, to give to tho unknown poor, in the spirit either of good citizenship or or good Chris tianity. Hands Off tha Tariff. New York Recorder.! If the Democratic majority In the House of Representatives is wise It will keep its hands off the tariff. It Is full of political ilvnimifn. -Naj. A TAXATION C0HUNDE1TM. State Officials Puzzled Over the Meaning of the Word Manufacture. , HAnaiSBcaaDec. 20. Sprcial. The Audi tor General has submitted to the Attorney General a number of tax cases which in volves the loaal interpretation of the word "manufacture," and are of importance to nearly every large manu'acturing concern in the State. Under an act of 1830 the tax of three mills on the capital stock of corpora tions is not collectible from thoso concerns organized for and exclusively engaged in manufacturing. A number of corporations have claimed exemption under this net, among them the Pittsburg Bridge Company. This concern purchases the iron, steel and wood used In the bridges they build, simply performing the work of construction. The Auditor General wants to know if "manu facturing" nnd "constructing" are synony mousterms. If so, tho company is' exempt; if not, it must pay the tax. Another case is that of the Delaware KtverDoek and ship building Company. This concern builds docks ana ships and repairs vessels. The State offlci-ils hold that repairing a boat surely,, cannot come under the head of "manufacturing." Other cases In which still more money is Involved arc those of iron manufacturers who operato their own coal mines, coke ovens and lime quarries, and producers of refined oil who leaso or buy oil lands and drill wolls thereon. Tho question In these cases turns upon whether tno mining of coal and lime is "manufacturing" as specified in the act, and whether the ownership of oil lanis is necessary to the manufacture of le flned oil. Under a Supreme Court ruling it has been decided that mining is not manu facturing, although it has not been clearly established that this ruling would apply to the mining of coal, etc., for the solo purpose, and by the same concern, for the manufac ture of iron. Another difficulty confronting the State, in case the questions should be decided against the taxpayers, is that the act gives no procedure which maybe taken to deter mine what portion of a corporation's capital stock is invested in mining operations and what In the manufacturing. The corpora tions might determine thlsquestion for them; selves, but thoy may not caie to givo the in formation to the Sta'te. A BAD YBAB FOB FIEES. Minions of Dollars' Worth of Property Con sumed, bnt Losses All Paid. HARniSBUBO, Dec. 20. Special. State In surance CommissionerLuperestimntes from statistics In his department that this has been a very unfortunate year Tor fire in surance companies. The total fire losses in the United States last year footed up about $SO,000,OCO, but lor the ten months of this year it has reached over $125 000,000, and is still burning at the rate ot $4,000,000 a week. The heavy losses are not attributed to defi ciencies in fire departmenss, but simply to luck, for the most disastrous conflagrations occurred in St. Louis and Louisville, where the fire departments ate fully up to the times. The effect of these heavy losses has been to drive several insurance companies out of the business. Tho companies in Pennsyl vania have stood their losses well, nnd, with one or two exceptions, settled all claims promptly. This Is largely due to tho fact that most of the companies In this State arc on a firm financial footing, and partly be cause Pennsylvania's losses this year have not been so proportionately great as in other parts of the country. HAIB THAT TEAILS. A Mexican Woman Who Has the Lon rest Growth In the World. Saitta Tomes, Tex, Dec. 20. Mercedes Lopez, a Mexican woman living just across the river from this place. ha9 an extraordi nary head of hair, probably the longest In the world. Sho Is about five feet In height, and when she stands erect her hair trails on tli pi ground four feet and eight inches. When sho sits down and draws her locks about her thevhide her entire person so heavily that it is like thick clothing. The present growth on her head is onlv a little over five years old. for It gives her such bad headaches that she is compelled to cut it frequently. Every month she sells large quantities of it to a hair dealer. She is the wife of a common sheep herder, and is herself ignorant, but her tresses are the beautiful black hair of the old Castilian women. johx woiVr x.XHiurr. No one can blame China for taking no part in the World's Fair China is not in it. Chicago Inter-Ocean. The Chinese Government gave us civil ser vice reform, but they do not propose to give us an exhibit at the World's Fair. Neio York Press. China's official declination to take part in the Chicago fair shows that Caucasians have no monopoly on national self-respect. Cleveland Press. It may be a little hard on the World's Fair, ljut wo cannot help admiring the spunk of China in refusing to participate in the Expo sition on account of our anti-Chinese laws. Indianapolis Sentinel. NoBODTcan blame China for standing on her dignity in this matter. It is a pitv, too, for the Chinese exhibit at the Philadelphia Centennial was a verv interesting one. Louisville Commercial. The Chinese Government refuses to make an exhibit at the World's Fair. Visitors who are interested in the principal industry of China will have to visit the opium joints in Chicago. Milwaukee Sentinel. TnE Government of the Celestials has sent word that If its people are not good enough to land here they are not good enough to make an exhibit. The Chinese evidently have a long memory. JTUicaukee Ifews. PICTURES TAKEN FE0H WALLS. Richard Iansflell Will Use Only Newspa pers Hernfter for Advertising. Washington, Dec. 20. Richard JIansfield has issued instructions to his manager to discontinue the use of lithographs and printing of all kinds for use in windows and walls, and to confine all advertising exclu sively to the newspaners. He is firmly con vinced that this is the only proper nay to reach all classes of theater goers. "The influence and tiemendous power of the press as an advertising medium Is mak ing itself, felt moro and more every day, both in business and theatrical circles. A man who does not read the newspapers never attends the theater," savs Mr. Mans field. It Pleases the Shoppers. Toledo Blade. Christmas shoppers are well pleased with McKinley prices. Never before were arti cles as cheap as they are now. DEATHS DEER AND ELSEW1IERE. William Hennessey. "William Hennessey, who was buried in Scrauton Thursday, was one of the oldest minors in the Lackan anna Valley, and was at onetime the roost prominent figure among that class of workmen. Daring the "long strike" of lR79-81he was President of tne Tamons Miners' Association, and Ills management of it atralrs did much toward making that memorable struggle lictwccn raiiitil and labor a peaceable and busliifs6-Iikcone. He hId several public offices In Hyde Park, and Is gratcfullv remembered brail ensues for his heroic conduct during the terrible smallpox epidemic thai pn vailed In ?.cranton and vlcluity some years ao. A larjre pot house wss built on West Mountain, and Hennessey volunteered to take charge of it and nurse the victims of the scourge, although he hid neier had the disease hlmsclt. lie rein tlued for weeks in the p-st house, and there are scores of people in the alley to-day who were Inmates In theliospltil. who declare that they owe their lives to his careful nursing. He passed through his ter rible ordeal s ifely. escaping the contagion. He died at Forest city, and was about 70 years old. Dr. J. Howard Tracy. Dr. J. Howard Tracy, a native of Hones dale.. Pa.. Is dead at his home In Escanaba Mich., aged 47 years. He was a graduate of tlicEipon College, the Chicago Medical College, the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons and the medical department of the University or New 1 ojk. He went to Germany In 1370 and was as sistant surgeon In the German army during the Franco-l'russian war. After the war he devoted a veartostiidylnGennanv. and, returning to this conntrv, settled in l'ond du Lac. and nl)equently In Kscsnaba. He was the only son of .Mrs. Clarissa T. Tracy, of the faculty of Iilpon College. Obituary Notes. REV. FATnEU DOWD. pastor of St. Patrick's Church, one of the most prominent mcinbersor the Irish priesthood In the Province of Quebec, dlcdat Montreal Saturday. William L. Dunglisox. of South Bethlehem, Pa . died Friday night, aged 59 years. From 1S70 to 18S5 he Mas cashier orE. P. Wllber &Co.'sBank at t-outh Bethlehem. For tl.e past eight years lie has been engaged In the Insurance business. Kev. Feudekick Hincklet, a well-known Unitarian clergyman, died Friday in Sprlntleld, Mass.. aged 71. He was born In Boston and began fireachlng years ago. He had served pastorates u Washington, Newburg, Trenton, Hartlord mKve-nl v astern rltles. A TARIFF STORY. Eli Pekkins (Melville D. Landon) sends th'efollowidir interesting narrative of the effects of the McKInley bill to the New York 6'ii.- I want to tell our little children a story About chicory. I suppose you don't know what chicory is. Well, it is a vegotnble like a parsnip, which the French and Germans have been raising, drring, browning, grind ing and using, instead of coffee. We have been sending out about $8,003,000 to Germany every year for this little article. It tastes like coffee, is good, wholesome food, bnt it has no nerve stimulant like coffee. Children can drink chicory as they can milk. To get to the story: When they were put ting the tariff on different things last year and got down to "C" they came right on to chicory. "What's chicory?" asked Major McKinley. No one was able to tell anything about it except that we paid Europe $S,0D0,000 every year to get what was used. "Wel, what3baH we do. with it?" asked several Congressmen. "Why, if we can't raise it." said McKinley, "and the people want it, -we will let raw chiefcory come in free, but we will pntji pro tective tariff on manufactured chickory. We will try and brimt the manufactories co America if wo can't raiso the stuff." So the tariff went on to manufactured chickory. And So They Hustled. Suddenly I noticed a great stir among the chickory importers. "Why, this McKinley bill has raised the dickens," they said. "We can't import ground chickory any more from France and Germany. We must make it here." So vhey wrote and telegraphed the foreign chickory manufacturers that they must hurry np and bring their cnickory factories over here. And Rnre enough there was a stampede from Europe, anil ch'ckory fac tories began to go up In Jersey City, Ho boken. WilH.irnsburgh, Newark and Brook lyn. Then Philadelphia and Detroit started chickory factories, till we Inn H factories nnd B00 chickory makersat work in America. xncygot tneir raw cuicKory irom r ranee nnd Germany, where it is grown with verv cheap labor. This worked well in New York, but out In Detroit they said: "Wo arc too far away. We must raise our own chicory." So they got cliicory seeds from German v and pat in a small crop in Michigan last spring. The farmers made more money than thev made out of wheat. It set them crazr. Every one wanted to raibo more of it. Well, this fall the Detroit factory is doubling its capacity, and all the farmers are getting seed through the factory nnd Jerry Rusk and preparing to plant chicery nex : year. And They Tickled the Earth. Xowjudge of my surprise when I saw five acres of chickory away out in O'Neill, Neb., the other day. A Belzlan by the name of Bozzlcman had it. He was drying it and browning it for the Omaha and St. Louls( market. AVhcnlaslced him how he, came to raiso cliicory, he said: , "Why, my brother raises it in Belgium., and when the McKinley bill passed he rushed seed over to me and told.mo to put In five acres, which I did. He Is on his way here now to see about It." What will be the result of all this chicory excitement? Whv, alter paving out to France and Germany over $70,000,000 for ohicory we are finally going to make It here, at home, and save our money keep it in this country. Tho history of this Industry and how we got it is like that of a dozen other industries which have come through this wise tariff measure. One verv funny thing came out of this tariff on chicory. When Baron Babant, an extensive chicory raiser In Franco, heard of It, he thought the tariff was on r.iw chicory, as it ought to be, and will probably be If the next Congress is as wise as the last one, and he came over here to raise it. But when he found there was no tariff on the raw roots In the States he went to Canada, saw Sir John Macdonald and said: "If Canada will put a tariff on Taw chicoTy I will plant four miles square in Manitoba." "Then we'll do it," said Sir John; and he did. And There's Millions In It. last spring I visted Baron Babant's 4,000 acre chicory farm in Whitewood, Mani toba, on the Canadian Pacific. Ho proposes to supply all Canada with chicory and send his surplus raw chicory over to be manu factured in the United States without pay ng any duty. His fall crop is now coming to Detroit to be manufactured. It is funny about the price of chicory,-too. It used to sell for 12 cents per pound whole sale. Competition brought it down to 10 cents, then to Scents, then to 6 cents, then to 4 cents, and no .7 it is offered wholesale at 3J cents. Our retail grocers are keeping the, news from the people and still selling chicory at 12 cents per pound, when they could sell it nt 5 cents. By and by.ir we get a tariff on raw chicory, every farmer can raise a substitute which will improve his coffee. One-half chicory gives a delightful flavor to coffee. Good coffee costs 30 cents a pound. It is one of the burdens or our fanners and mechanics to buy it, for we all drink coffee. But soon chicorv wiilbo oneot our own crops and $3,000,000 will be saved to our country every year. Putting in chicory, flax, beet sugar and raising more sheep for wool, will reduce the acreage for wheat, and with the present tariff of 25 cents aeainst Canadian wheat. rye, oats and barley, we will next year con sume our surplus wheat, and then wheat will go to SI a bushel in Dakota, farm lands will go up, the farmer will again, after 15 years of low price, be on top and all tbiough the wise protection put around us by the McKinley bill. NATITBAL YEAST DISCOVBED. A Fermenting Substance Bettor Than the Kephlr of the Caucasus. San Francisco, Dec. 20. A species of yeast, closely resembling the kephir found in tho regions of the Caucasus Mountains, has been discovered in California. Like, the kophir, this American product causes alcoholic fer mentation of milk, affording a beverase that Is pronounced refreshing and delightful. Many Canadian housekeepers always have on hand this saccharomycite in a jar half filled with sweetened waterand the ferment product, known as California bees' beer, is drawn and used as a tonic. The kephir grains ferment dextrose as well as lactose, and it is the dextrose or crape surrar fer ment product that has been used mostly in this conntrv. In Germany and Russia tho milk fer mented by kephir grains has become popu lar ns a drink, and an enterprising firm has recently opened a factory where the fer ment will he manulacturcd for the beverage-loving Germans. The American kephir, in the process of fermenting milk, does not cause the milk to sour, in the ordinary sense. The mixture is acid, but no coagula tion takes place. The ordinarv beer veast has not the property of fermenting sneet milk, althomrh it doesnroduco alcoholic fcr- mentation In sourmilk. It also inverts cane sugar, another point of difference uetween tho beer yeast and kephir, the latter having the power to fermont dextroso and h-ctose, but not saccharose. MBSPKIXGER'S PROGRAMME. Ma. SrniKOEn guesses there will be a nnm ber of changes in the McKinley law. The President und the Senate may ask Mr. Springer to guess again. Washington Post. SrniNGER is an expo.subvcntionist first, an "ituni-at-a-time" tariff reformer next. As subventions and reduced taxes do not go to gether. Springer need not be studied in the second t olc. He will never play it to win. Clexe'and Press. The difference between the tariff policy of Mr. Springerand that of Mr. Mills is that Mr. Springer believes in taking the tariff wall down stone by stone and Mr. Mills be lieves in butting his brains out against it. Springfield negisler. Sfrinqeb would be a safer man than Mills to put at the head of the Ways and Means Committee in this exigency, but his promo tion over Mills' head J ust now would further anger tho latter's followers, and produce something like u split in the party. SI. Louis Globe- Democrat. Mb. Spbisqeu's views on the tariff policy to be pursued in Congress are sound. He ad vocates an effort to put certain necessities on the free list and opposes the introduction of a general bill which could not pass, but would furnish ammunition to the 'enemy. Mirmingham Age-Herald. Mb. SrnisaEB has the right idea of hand ling the tariff this w.nter. No general law can bo passedanyway, and so the Democrats should endeavor to got rcleif along lines where the sharpest necossity exists. Give tho common people free salt, free lumber, free fence wire, free binding twine, free cot ton ties and free wool. Sioux Cttu Tribune. CURIOUS CONDENSATIONS. California has a snake with two headf, and it is not poisonous either. In China slips of mulberry batk serve as money in the interior towns. The Burmese, Karens, Hangere and Ghans use lead and silver in bullion for cur rency. A Kentucky paper tells of seven ears of corn each weighing a pound that grew on one stalk. The number of mail trains leaving and arriving at Chicago every day is 219, which is equalled hy no other city. Chicago has -a frontage of 22 miles on LakeMIchlgnn'anda navigable frontagVbn Chicago river of aDout Similes. A Maine girl has the faculty, when blindfolded, or taking a photograph and accurately describing the person or object portrayed thereon. A Michigan man writes a postal card every day to the President and the Com missioner of Pensions reminding them that 12 years ago he applied for a pension .and has not yet received it. Tea is highly esteemed in nearly every ancient Asiatic city near the sea, and was at one time nsed as a royal gift from the Chi nese monarch and great merchants to the potentates of the East. fw j , There isasort of cactus consumed in great quantities by the Arizona Indians, the seeds of which pass through the body undigested. The latter are collected, washed, roasted, ground and eaten, being considered a great dish. A pointer is so called because of Its habit sof stopping and pointing at game with its nose, while the setter gets its name from alike habit, excepting that it crouches in stead of standing when pointing under sim ilar circumstances. Dalmatian, or coach, dogs are said to have been first bred in Dalmatin, Dut it is by the last quoted name that they are best known. This arises from the fact of tneir being kept in stables and are nearly always seen running after carriages. Some of our shy wood birds avoid hu man habitations in their wanderings, but the wisest go where gunpowder Js dear and pass the winter In the swamp forests of Yucatan, or even farther South, in the path less woods of Guiana and Eastern Brazil. When Currier Downing, of Ripley, Mo., left homo 75 years ago he planted an acorn in the douryard. When he returned the other day he found that his acorn had produced an oak tree nine feet in circum ference, with branches extending 40 feet. The Hawaiian Islands were discovered by Gajtano, a Spanish navigator. In 1543 The independence of these islands was recog nized by the United States in 1820, and moro formally in 1843; by Belgium in 1844, and by England and France later in the same year. Indians are fond of the larvtc of many Insects, and tney do not despise sings as an article of food. Roasted crickets are n fav orite diet with them, particularly in Cali fornia and Utah. Grasshoppers furnish many tribes with a large part of their sub sistence. In June, ISC'?, the amount of gold coin and bullion in the United States Treasury was only $75,000,000; in 1889 It had risen to over $."00,000,000. In the various national banks it stood at $3,000,000; it has risen to $S0. 000,000. In silver there is a still more remark able increase. . The migratory birds of the Eastern States have a curious habit of following es tablished routes of travel. Countless thou sands of water birds, for Instance, cross the Mexican border near the mouth of the Kio Grande, probablv to avoid the broad sand wastes that skirt tho upper river valley. In the interior towns of Northern China slips of the bark of the mulberry treer bear ing the Imperial "chop" and a stamp which denotes their worth have long been used as we use bank notes. Marco Polo found this kind of money there in his time, and they still have an extensive local circulation. During the period of 20 years, from 1867 to 18S6, inclusive, there were granted In the United States 32S.716 decrees for divorce. The number in 1S67 was 9,937. The increase during tho 20 years was steady and rapid.the number for the last year of the period being 25 535, an increase of nearly 157 per Cent in the 20 years. A flame, before it falls into one of the three recognized classes of Parsee "sacred flres in India, has to undergo certain cere monials corresponding to the dignity of the order to which it is destined to-belong. Thus, only a thirtieth part roughly of the expenditure and religious recitation wonld be required to consecrate a Dadgan flre than when a Behenun flre is to be installed. As soon as a Chinese girl is betrothed she is placed in different relations to the world generally. She is no longer allowed such freedom as hitherto, although that may have been little enough. She cannot go anywhere, because it would be Incon venient she might be seen by some mem ber of the family into which she is to marry than which it is hardly possiDlo to think anything more horrible. On several occasions pipes of peace and other symbolic missives have been received hy the President of the United States from various tribes of Indians. The Jlo'quls or New Mexico once sent him a small quantity of wild honey wrapped in the inner husk of an ear of corn. He was requested to take a niece of the husk, chew it and spit it out upon the ground in order that the country might have rain. A full-grown Greenland whale yields about a ton or whalebone- The-whaling vessels usually bring it in pieces or 10 or 12 blades each, but sometimes, if the voyage is lomr, the sailors have time to strip off each blade and divest it of its hairs. In pre paring them for ue the blades aro cleaned and softened by boiling fornbout two hours; while still hot thev are fixed in large wood en vises and shaved into the required sizes. The most ancient fire at present in India is at tho secluded village or Oodwada, near Bulsar, and the Parsess make It a point to repair to the Behe'am flre there in large numbers during the months that are specially allotted to the presiding genlns or Arc. It was consecrated about 12 centuries azo by the ancestors or tho presont Parscos in commemoration ot the voyage they had in their emigration from Persia to India. The priests vowed to institute tho flie in the event of their ships landing them in safety on Indian soil. The fire is fed at five stated times during each 24 hours with sandal wood, benzoin and quantities of other odorous materials, as well as with very dry fuel. OME S3IAIX SMILES. "Winterbloom I want you to see my babies. atherstone Alt right. I should like to very much. When shall I come. Winterbloom Come around abont 1 o'clock In the morning. They are liveliest then Harper's L hiiztir. France has pate de foi gras, Plum pudding has John Unll. lnle careless Pat keeps sleek and fat "When potato bins are full. We covet not their dainties. And connt them little loss When on Thankglvlng we taste high living. Dressed ith cranberry sauce. -.V. T.Bmld. Tomrlik I suppose you were very lonely the month your- ife spent at her mother's. HojackOluno. She left the parrot at home. Judge. Soberly Tour wife, sir, seems to be a person of very lucid speech. Sagcman Yes, her speech is so perpetually Ioos-td that I often pray for Its abatement. Boston Courier. Client "What makes yon so certain that you will be able to break the will? Lawyer (In a whisper I drew it. X. I". Herald. Her pink, little fingers are pricked and scarrcil. Yet. I love to see them fly. I know they would never have been so marred. If the needle could use Its eye. And I love to watch her delicate frowns. As she strikes an awkward hem; For Rose is a girl who can make her gowns There are girU whose gowns make thenit -Puck. Cobble I understand that you lost tha steamer for Knrope. Stone Yes. My wife had to go back Tor an other hairpin. Vtoak Heview. "De bestcs t'iug," old Uncle said, ' 'Dat Santy does fnr me Is ter lebe de 'possnm hangin On de out-doors Christmas tree." . WasMnjton Star , "Charley, I wonder what would be a nice'' present to give papa for Christmas?" asked Clara. "Give hhn a pair of padded slippers, "inggetUd Charley, gloomily. Texas Siftlnsi. , J
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers