The Scranton tribune. (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, April 01, 1896, Page 9, Image 9
THE SCBAUTOX TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY MOBSTING, APRIL 1, 1896. THE ISSUE CLEARLY DRAWN y.,v r . . ,-! A:Promtieot Democrat Tells Vlty He Left His Party. COULDN'T STAND ITS BUNGLING Speech te Which Ea-.Mayor vas. of Tarra Haate. lad-, Declared Hla la- tentloa of Co-operating with the ' gepabllcaa Paru Ueraaftar. The Democratic party from avery tump In the land, loud and long pro claimed, exclaimed and declaimed against the Republican methoda of finance. Give us control of -the govern ment. It aald, and we will cure the financial Ills brought upon the people by the Republican party. In 1892 the people, believing this true, turned the government completely over to the Democratic party. Myself, together with thousands of others, had misgiv ings on this question, as well as on that other and greater question, the tariff, yet we maintained our party relations. How has this promise been kept? What miserable doctors of finance has the Democratic party produced! Their remedies have only aggravated the evil, as they chose to call It. Their course brought no relief they floundered, floundered like a ship without a rudder. Incapacity and want of ability on the part 'of the '.Democratic party on the financial question have been made so apparent that no argument Is needed to, establish the fact hopelessly at sea. as we were under the Democratic party on this same question in 1860-61, when Walker's free trade theory had driven the country almost to ruin and Mr. Hu chanan was forced to do what the Wil son free trade bill has forced Mr. Cleve land to do borrow money to pay the ordinary running expenses of the gov ernment. The mismanagement of our affairs by Walker and Buchanan in I860 had so prostrated the country and the government that it was compelled to borrow money at 1- per cent. ADMINISTRATION ARRAIGNED. Falling to legislate so that the reve nues of the government might meet its ordinary expenses, the present admin istration has yet left the power to bor row money to pay the running expenses of the government by the issuing of bonds in time of peace. And how have these bonds been Issued? Mr. Cleve land sold bonds that had thirty years to run through a syndicate at $10"', while bonds of the government that had only ten years to run were selling In the markets of the world at $1.16. Mr. Cleveland undertook to repeat himself by the sale of more bonds. The people throughout the country had clamored loud and long that public loans should be made that is, that the people should be offered these bonds that they might take them and keep them at home. The administration paid no attention to their demands. Mr. Cleveland's ar rangements with the syndicate in New York were upset by a resolution Intro duced In the senate of the United States by Senator Klklns, by directing the sec retary of the treasury to advertise a public loan, and for that $100,000,000 of Kian nearly (600,000,000 were subscribed, and these bonds, if I remember correct '.y, were sold at about $1.11. Mr. Cleve .and's syndicate lost 6 per cent, on this Investment which It did not get on ac count of Senator Klklns' resolution. Why did not some Democratic senator offer a resolution like Senator Elkins did? THE PARAMOUNT ISSUE. I now come to the last and greatest question of all. and one upon which the prosperity of our country rests. The question Is as old as our govern ment, was with us at the formation of ,'tur constitution, and has been with us ever. since, and is again with us In the destruction, ruin and misery brought upon the country by the so-called leg islation of the Democratic party under the Wilson bill. Tariff, protection or Tree trade this Is the great, the para mount, the important question that is before the country in the coming cam paign. Taxation is the one nearest and of most Interest of all questions to the people. To raise tne money necessary to carry on the government Is a duty alt will admit. How to do this, that the burden may fall equally and lightly on all classes, is the question. How to ao tnis ana at tne same time protect our labor, our Industries and our people of every class is the question for the statesman and the legislator. Behind us Is more than a century of experience in tne levy ana collection of the neces sary taxation. Practice, experience ana tneory we nave naa in abundance. At the outset you will And that the theological, geological and aftentlmes the Illogical whlte-cravated college professors, enforced by English-loving mugwumps, who are In favor of free trade, with no practical experience in this pushing, hustling, hard-lined business world, these people step for ward with theory, and the application 61 the theory of only one of the class mentioned has brought our government to the verge of financial ruin and bank ruptcy and our business Interests, east, west, north and south to stagnation, with utter ruin, staring us In the face, I WILSON, LAW A CRIME. - greatest crime In the nineteenth eehtury against the business industries of pur country was the passage of the Wilson bill. The destruction of the raltes of property, the destruction of iheUnislness Interests of the oountry, tne Treat army of unemployed, the re auction In the wages of labor are all the tesult of that law. The present hard ttlmes commencing In 1893, and yet ukm us, were caused by this law, lust anthe history of the country shows the dnkdful panics of 1819, 1837 and 1857 were caused by similar Democratic free traae legislation on the tariff Question. On thi other hand, and In opposition to the fleas of the modem tariff re former a embraced In the Wilson bill. we have the words, acts and deeds of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Jackson, ladlson, Clay, Webster, Lln soln, BlalU, Grant, McKlnley and a Host or othir illustrious men. The leg islation of tie country, when following . the advice Vnd lines of nollcv marked ut by thlsVlass of men, has always oruugm prosperity, wnen it has fol lowed out tl lines of the Wilson bill .ruin and disaster have been the result. ' The pathwdr of the Wilson bill has oeen strewn tlth suicides of ex-congressmen, nAnufacturers, bankers, business men thd laboring people. The recora maae wt should forever damn politically Its author and the party that passed and sunlorted It. For thirty yeas this country lived under the tariff legislation of the Re publican party, and these thirty years aere filled with wen prosperity as no other government; on earth has had. ft la true that li that time we had both sorrow and trouble, but It was Wen sorrow and trojble as war brines. and the legislation ,t the Republican party nulled us thruiirh the war. and She inflation of the Currency the war orougni ami put us n a firm found tlon In 1M79. Grover Cleveland had one , ierm of office in these thirty years. 1884 I88X, when his first fee trade theory tdvorated during his administration re tultsd in the electlonVof the gallant oidier and statesman, Benjamin Har rison, as president or thdUnlted States, . THE PUBLIC DEBT, in the twelve years frota 1880 to 1892, hen drover Cleveland ws elected for :ne second time, the expenses of the rovernment were ail paluA and 11,200, 00,000 of the Interest bear debt was jald.. When the .war close! the public eoi or i no country was ai out 12,800, "".WW, wnen president Cli tiected In 1812. under Rani Ireland was Mlcan leg- krlf hum. slatloit on the flnanolal and .ions, (which had been, en ft t4 un tn :he end of hi first term,) r nearly :hlrtV years), this Irttar 1 Iu..Im ft or reason auoa i, isiatlun, had been reduced to less than $1,000.- OuO.000 when he went out of office at the close of his first term. One Democratic president In four years of this period of thirty years has Increased the public debt $110.000.000 for each year be has been president To the people Democracy under Mr, Cleveland has been a very expensive institution. Under Mr. Cleveland s last term, and the Democratic legislation on the tariff, the Wilson bill, what has happened ' In comparison with the twelve years, or any term of four years of the twelve, that preceded 1892? Dur Ing the present administration of Mr. Cleveland the government interest bearing debt has been Increased $:S0. 000,000. The ordinary debt of the gov ernment has been Increased about $140. 000,000, making the legacy that he will turn over to the Republican president who succeeds hint an Increase tn the debt of the country during his term of about $400,000,000, and not a dollar of reduction made on the Interest bearing debt of the nation. What a record! What incompetency! November. 189. will complete the so lution of our affairs, which started In November, 1894-5. Those who wish to continue the situation we have, and the conducting of our public affairs as they are now. should vote the Democratic ticket. Those who want that which we formerly had prosperity should vote the Republican ticket. DECREASE IN EXPORTS. Under the Wilson tariff we cantnred $208,000,000 less of the world's trade than under the McKlnley tariff In 18D2. In 1895 we Imported $100,000,000 more for eign goods than under the McKlnley law In 1892. Every dollar's worth of these Imported goods that same in competition with .our manufacturers should have been made by our own manufacturers and our own labor. When labor Is unemployed or poorly paid In any country, stagnation and losst of business comes to all except those who live upon the Interest of loaned money, and even that class must suffer, in a degree. The amount of wages paid for labor of all kinds In this country in 1890 amounted to 32,282.8:!3. In 1894 these sume wages had shrunk to $l,2u5.&&2,791 This statement. gives the underlying cause for the pres ent unparalleled depression in all kind of 'business In the country. What or who caused this calamity to full, upon our country? Democratic free trade legislation on the tariff question his-' tory repeating Itself bringing ruin and disaster by the free trade. legislation of the Democratic parly, as wus ln-ought by free trade legislation In 1819, 1837 ami 1867. S ' If the manufacturer, the farmer anil the wuge-earuer of every class and kind desire the present state of affairs to continue, they should vote the Dem ocratic Wilson bill ticket. If they wish for bright days, they should vote the Republican ticket. The Wilson bill has caused this great country of our more material loss and decrease in wealth than the civil war. It Is hard to find a place to cease talking when one looks around at the evils brought on the peo ple by the unwise, unjust theoretical legislation since the advent of. ar Dem ocratic free trade congress, -v . -i. HOW TO LEVY DUTIES. 1 I ask your further Indulgence that I may Illustrate my Arm conviction upon the tariff by one example, and in doing this I believe that I state what 90 per cent, of our people believe in If you will relieve them from party considera tions. It is stated that 2.000,000 bicycles will be manufactured In- this country and sold during 1896 at an average price of $60 each, making $120,000,000 worth of these articles made by our own labor. All the profits and wages entering Into their construction remain in the bands of our own people. An. Englishman comes here and calls on the bicycle dealers and says: "I can furnish you these 2.000.000 bicycles so that you may sell them at $40 each and make the same profit you would In selling the American wheel." Under the case, as I have stated It, I would not permit a single bicycle to come into the country that would undersell our own manu facturers. In other words, I would put a tariff of $20 on each imported bi cycle. What I should do with bicycles I should do with everything tnat is im ported into this country everything that comes in competition with our own nroductlons. There is no place for classes tn this country. Capital should not Invade the rights of labor, and labor should not in' vade the light of capital. Their Inter ests are mutual and they should be friends and not enemies. I believe I represent all the people who live upon the farm, who work tn the shops and manufactories, and who follow all the vocations whereby they earn their bread by the sweat of their brow, when I say that 90 per cent, of that class of people will agree with mo In my views when stripped of party considerations or political bias. The people I refer to believe that America should be for Americans. I do not mean by this that a foreigner has not as much right under our flag as a native-born; but I do be lieve that when a foreigner comes here and becomes a citizen he is an Ameri can and not a foreigner. The party that will keep Itself in close contact with the people who labor. with those who create the wealth of this land that party can and Will suc ceed. The party that does not will die, as It ought to. The question of slavery is dead tne question of labor will nev er die. The protection of the classes I refer to, by such legislation as will keep them from coming in competition with the cheap labor of Japan. China. CJermany, Italy, England or France, is tne legislation the people believe in. and this great question is the founda tlon upon which I stand before you. Relieving in tne principle as the Repub llcan party believes in it. CURIOUS PRESCRIPTIONS. Superstition In medicine and surgerv may be traced over a period of many cen turies. Time has deposed of many of these superstitions. Vet there are some large number, In foot that exist at the present day. such as rubblnir the edse of a wound with a stone and then throwing the stone at a cat or a dog to transfer the wound and remove oil source cf danger from blood-poisoning; and the carrying ok nuriw onwinuis in ine (pocKeis 10 pre vent rheumatism "and." runs the rule "they must be cart-led tn 'the left pocket of mo irouvers to oe eneciivet Among the Norwegians ana some of the Indian tribes the hoof of the elk is consid ered a potent renwviy for tne same disease. The person afflicted must apply the hoof to his heart, hold It in his left hand an'U rub tils ear with it. For toothache a nail driven into an oak tree was sold to cure the pain promptly. This remedy might be Improved upon. It should read: "Drive the tooith Into an oak tree." A written guarantee may be given with tills remedy. It. was formerly a common supprstltlm In Cornwall, Kngland. to ask a person rid ing on a piebald horse for a remedy for whooping cough, and whatever the perm'i namwdvwas regarded as on infallible rem edy. Whv He Objected. . He was a sedately dressed man whose countenance was 'thoughtful and whose literary taste as shown by the books which ha carried with ihlm ito read on the 'train indicated that he was a man of learned at tainments; .Kven the - ibrakeman was moved to assume a rexpectftil manner. As he leaned over iilm to open the window he suid: "Kxcura me, professor." The old gentleman was on Ills feet In an mutant, his eyes flashing angrily. "Needn't gtt mad," the torakeman said. "I've gotter ten' ter me business." "I don't care how modh you ettend to your business. But don't you ever again call me anything tout Mnlster.' Don't you dare to call ma professor. I am neither a dancing master, a prise-fighter nor a Jug gler, and I ihave therefore no right to the title." Washington Star. " Mean. :,j Wis "Do you pretend to have as good Judgment a I haver' He "Well, not our choice of partners for life shews that my Judgment cannot be ciMopared to yours." Bostan' Globe. CGLUEUKIIERKJ'CLURE Has Beet for Tea:y-0ae Years Ed itor of tne nnladeipnia i tines. HIS 1XFLIBXCB 0. . AFFAIRS Oae of the Ploacera la the Work of Affraachlsing the Party Newspaper Press-Very Bright Sketch of aa Interesting Career. "Penn," In Philadelphia Bulletin, A. K. McClure has Just completed twenty-one ycr.rs of service In the editorial conduct of the Times. At the age of sixty-seven he is the chief sur vivor of the old school of writers, who mingled politics and Journalism to gether. Long before he came to Phila delphia he had been an authority in the country press of Pennsylvania, then, as it still Is. far more Important relatively In its direct effects on politi cal onlnlon thun the city papers. A county organ, like his old Franklin Re pository, often had a power in party affairs through the Immediate personal relations of the editor to his constitu ency and to what was going on around him. In MeClure's younger days polit ies was an essential feature of the function of the editor, not as an obser ver but as a participant and a partisan. The example of the Greeley-Weed-Prentlce press with Its Inspirations." its predictions and Its oracular deliv erances was the dominant Influence of the time and the distinct traces of it may be found yet In McClure's style and methods as -much as he tried to shake it off when he started out In the middle years to make Journalism his distinct profession. . The most interesting' feature of r's career, in a glance over its past twenty years. Is that having been Oroutrnt uo tn the school of party journalism, he has done more than any other man In Philadelphia tu destroy It, to broaden the Held of editorial discussion, and to make olltlclan on all sides the ser vants rather than the masters of the press. The most beneficent. In fact the only effect that outlived the Liberal movement In 1872, was the Bpliit of In drpendeiice, which the tribe of editorial enthusiasts Who followed In the Ill fated train of Greeley, subsequently brought to their work. Th last edi torial that Oreeley printed in the Tri bune when the shadows were falling thick and fast around hi in was a prom ise to get out of the thongs of servitude, and to tell the truth, and the Impulse which it communicated to the press has been felt ever since in a constantly widening circle. BUYS THE TIMES. When McClure was casting about for a place in Philadelphia Journalism in the winter of 1875, after his failures In politics and when the luw practice which he was picking up precariously tn his little olllce on Sixth street, above Walnut, was far from profitable, his first overture was to buy the Press from John W. Forney. The bargain came near being struck, and It it had been consummated the colgnd would prob ably have never gotten-so far beyond and out of the Republican lines as he did when he pjtched his Journalistic tent on the remains of the Democratic Age. Of this 'paper the late Dr. Mor wlts hud been trying to make an elab orate Illustrated dally, after the style of the now-forgotten New York Graph ic; but It had come tn lie associated with the Bourbon, If not, also, at times with the Copperhead, spirit of the Dem ocracy and with memories of Union mobs, and it was so moribund with failure that its entire Identity was pur posely submerged when the Times was erected on its ruins. Up to this time Colonel Forney had been the most conspicuous figure In the local press, and with a national repute one of the powerful men trained In the Democratic press under the teach ings of Jackson end Buchanan, as Mc Clure had been In the Whig country press, as a disciple of Clay and Har geant. Gifted and generous, he was the most winning of all the men who had figured In the journalism of the city, and If he had described the changes which were beginning to go on around him In the decline of party or gans, pure and simple, he might have developed a greatness which he could never win under the old system that made a newspaper the toy of party leaders, with their straws to tickle and their rattles to please. Morton McMI chael, In the twilight of his years, con tributed to the North American, then still the antique blanket sheet that had come down from the days of Joseph Chandler, the choice English that lifted editorial discussion to the dignity of scholarship and the refinements of the publicist. William V. McKean was editing the Ledger with a mind like an encyclopaedia, and with a pen that never touched paper until a subject had been weighed and measured and scanned and probed, and a mental Roentgen light thrown Into It for the discovery of any doubts that might re main about the facts. The Record was In a state of stagnation waiting for Slngerly, and the-bright mind of L. Clarke Davis was going to waste dur ing his best years In the dreary proc esses of helping the late W. W. Hard ing steer the Inquirer through the devi ous ways of a paper with the old bank rupt act looming up before it for a decade at every turn. The whole circu lation of the morning press at this time, the Ledger leading, with about 85,000 to 90,000, did not exceed 145,000. . SHOCKING THE ANCIENTS. McClure precipitated himself into a journalistic community whose conspic uous faults were snobbery, tuft-hunting and servility, with a recklessness that completely upset the old tradi tions. He took up lines of attack which had long been the property of JAMES H. ECKELS, COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY. From thi Cbtcsja Ttmet - the powerful Sunday press, and which hard hitters like Weatcott and Tag gart had monopolized. He gave enter tainment from the start to that con siderable portion of the community which regards a newspaper sensation before breakfast as much of a neces sity as the matutinal cocktail. He took almost as much Journalistic pride in the horse-whipping - which big Nat McKay, then as herculean in frame as himself, tried to give him one after noon on Chestnut street as Story of the Chicago Times is said to have felt when handsome Lydla Thompson piled her whip on his person. When Will lam B. Reed, Buchanan's minister to China, and the most graceful and In cisive Democratic writer of his day, attacked him In the World, and. de scribing the rebel raid at Chambers burg, wrote how the flames which lie Causland lighted at McClure'a house sent up showers of sparks which, "each whirling Its way up to heaven, told of some legislative job well paid for," McClure assumed to enjoy It, and used to amuse the public greatly by reprint ing the worst things his enmies said about him. When Forney left the Press and was succeeded by W. W. Nevin, he kept up a row nearly every morning that soon became an unequal match. In short, his policy was a good deal like Ben Butler's when he be came governor of Massachusetts to shock ancient and respectable folk, and to keep all the old women of either sex In a state of nervous ferment, looking under the bed or dreaming of ghosts. All this would be done In a strain of rhetoric which was like an old-fashioned stump speech, modelled after the style of "Junius." and garnished, often very: happily, with the latest epithets from the vocabulary of slang. ' It was the kind of rhetoric which the crowd likes and which generally Jingles well In the popular ear. It always had the. Impressiveness which comes from a cocksure statement delivered with the giavity of a supreme court Justice handing down an opinion, or like the oracular forecasts of a clairvoyant peering Into the mysteries of the" fu ture; It often had the ring of insincer ity to the judicious, and it much more often, when analyzed for facts, turned out to be a' cloud of wordst, puffed up and expanded like the gauky skirts of Lola Fuller. But, after all these and other things like them are allowed for, especially the Injustice which has been sometimes done to private character In a simian-like spirit of mischief, rather than In malice, the McClure Influence In the past twenty years has been a stimulus. It has given rise to new de partures In journalism, and with one exception there Is not a morning paper which Is not vastly stronger in power, circulation and a certain professional pride than when McClure threw his shining lance into the field regardless of Whom he might hit and anxious to prove his idea that the organ Journal Ism of the Oreuleys und the Forneys wus a thing of the past. . ( , But the McClure of today Is not the McClure of 17S. As the colonel ap proaches the three score and ten he grows mellowy und magnanimous, and philosophical, forgiving old enemies and no longer inviting new ones. . The 4,000 columns of editorials he has written In the past twenty-one years begin with the bludgeon and end with the rattan. CLEVER STORYETTES." Not in the Nat tire of an Insinuation. .."My darling," said the wife, as, at 9 30 a. m., tie found 'her hut band strapping up all the umbrellas in the hill, as If ho were off on a railway Journey, "my darllmr, tiurely you are not nolng to take ail these iu 'iiib omce wi'tn you. Sweetest," he responded suavely, but firmly, "surely you remember that you have un 'at lunm' this afternoon." g'ho lulsed her hands in horror. "Hurely you do not Insinuate that my guestH would Meal " 'teal! Nonsense. But It's a .million to one they would recognize the Initials." fc'he hung her 'heu j In silence, knowing :u".i.'eJJ. fh?4 ". " but spoke, the truth. Plck-Me-Up. ' . Ilo Was Sure of It. "My father," said Simpson, solemnly. Was more sonsl.tivn tn ru, la ihn un.'.- body I ever knew. The slightest exposure gave him a cold." . . ble " mUit have been very dltagreea- "Indeed It was.He never could sit near a draught for a minute without catching a cold. 1 remember on one occasion he was sitting in the house of a friend, when .ill at once my father began to sneeie. He In sisted thait there was a draught in the room. Kvery effort was made to dis cover wnere me uraught was but in vain. The doors and windows were closed and tihere was no tlrenlace. but mv fathur kunt on sneexing and Insisted that there must De a uxaught in the room, and so there was." , ' "Where was It?" "It was found that the stopper had been loft out of the vinegar bottle." Her Opinion. Ho "A fellow I know bought a ring tho other day and he wants to get a woman's opinion about It." he "A diamond?" die "Oh yes. He bought it for the girl ne is going to marry." She "I see. .Ami has brought It around for me to look at." He "Precisely. You see, foe wanted to bp ure he was right." fine "Sensible man! He wasn't willing to take his own judgment but wanted that qc a woman." He "That's It. Will von " ighe "With pleasure. Ah! that looks like a beautiful stone. Tell me about your friend. He must be an Independent fellow io. go on ana ouy tne ring wirnout con suiting the hidv." He "He Is. He believes that If he hits upon tna riKM thing ihimself she will re spect him all tho more.''. , .-. eho (examining the stone carefully and then putting it on her little finger) "And yet he wants to be sure?" He "Yes. He levos 'her so much that he wants her to be perfectly happy with It, She "How considerate". He "He tries to be. What do you think or tne ring: . - She "It's lovely. But " . He (eagerly) "But what?" Stie (blushing) "But can't you see It's too small?" Harper's Bazar. HsrsYt. "by to 'OourtitY' i CEWARE THE EVIL EYE Mat; Old Superstitions in Vogue Among Theatrical Folk. MOSr RIDICULOUS WHIMSIES Oeep-Bootsd, Silly Faaeiss Which Astora nave, bat Cannot Eiplaia-Idlosyn- erasles of Prominent Members of ... the Dramatis Profession. The palm for being most thoroughly impregnated with superstition has fre quently been awarded to the sailor and the soldier; but to those people who have had even a passing acquaintance with men and women of the theatrical profession, the assertion that any other class of human beings can be more superstitious than actors Is beyond be lief, says the New York Times. Not only are the stage, the play and the theatrical costume saturated with superstition, but every event In life has tor the actor Its accompanying super stition. So far does It go with his su perstition that he sometimes founds a superstition on a superstlton as, for Instance, In the habit of wearing dead men's clothes, the clothing on one's self In such habiliments having for ages been regarded as sure to result In death to the wearer. To an actor the wearing of the stage costume of some great, dead actor is sure to give Inspira tion and fame, according to the pet su perstition, and the old superstition Is thu,s wiped out of existence and loses Its force. In ordinary life the old saw says that it U an indication that "the evil eye" is upon the person who sees a pin or any sharp Instrument with the point toward him; but this Is reversed In the theatrical profession, fur it Is bad luck to see a pin with the head to ward one. It Is the delight of all bet tors on the race-track to touch the hump of a hunchback, and all gantb lers at Monte Carlo consider this act as sure to bring good luck; but on the contrary, the actor dates his bad luck from the apearance of a hunchback in the audience on a "first night" or some other time. PECULIAR TO THE PROFESSION. There are superstitions In the pro fession, clinging to supernumerary and star alike, which are unknown outside the profession. A cross-eyed man could not find employment In any ca pacity within the walls of a theater. If the rule should be relaxed, and a cross-eyed stage carpenter or a prop erty man should be engaged, he would be discharged the very moment the slightest ill-luck befell the company, for it would be his presence that brought misfortune. The actor or act resH who has several times been In the cast of an unsuccessful play, Is given the name of a Jonah, and ever after Is regarded as sure to bring Ill-luck to others. It is a fact that many a prom ising actor has been obliged to leave his profession because he was tabooed as a Jonah; and made unwelcome wherever he went, by his fellows of the profession. On the other hand there are actors who are engaged as mascots and cherished like gifted talismans. The star who has happened to be housed In several hotels which have been visit ed by fire is called the "lire fiend," and houses in which they happen to put up. as well as theatres In which they appear are given a wide birth when possible by all members of the profession. Miss Kate Claxton, after the burning of the Brooklyn theater, acquired the name, for she was playing an engagement there tn 'The Two Orphans" in the winter of 1876, when the; terrible con flagration occurred. The Individual superstitions of certain prominent actors are often amusing and always ridiculous. For Instance, a great actor saw a load of hay on the afternoon of the day upon which he was to appear In a new play. He was suc cessful, and ever after Insisted upon having provided for him a load of hay upon which to wish before entering the theatre on the first night of a new play. He happened to be successful with all his new plays, and attributed yhls suc cess not alone to his own talent but mostly to the fact that he had made a wish upon a load of hay. If one new play had been a failure there Is no doubt the hay would have lost Its virtue and been discarded as an evil worker. AVOIDED ODD NUMBERS. Edwin Booth Was regarded as a man of good common sense, yet he would never sleep In a room in a hotel with an odd number. His great friend, Law rence, had a lasting prejudice agalnBt people who had many "S's" in their names, and always made up his com pany, so far as possible, with men and women in whose names the objection able letter did not appear. His friends attributed this prejudice of Barrett's, surely strong enough to be styled super stition, to the fact that his own name O'Shaughnessy had so many "S's" In It. The fast friend of Forrest and great tragedian, John McCullough, had a su perstition concerning the manner of putting on his shirt and other apparel, for he would never permit his dresser to put any garment over his head. This was only one of the many superstitions which governed the life of an otherwise sane man, but this one was very incon venient at times, and caused much trouble In the making of his garments. John T. Raymond always regarded a red-headed woman with extreme hor ror. To- meet a red-headed woman on the day of the production of a new play waB, to him, an omen of bad luck, and he has been known to remain in the house all day In order not to be exposed to the superstition. There is one funny superstition which held poor J. K. Emmet to the day of his death and made him appear very ridiculous at times, as he wasvery fain to keep It to himself. Instead of explain ing his action. If he was going up or coming down stairs and another person attempted to pass him on the flight he would always go back and start over again, no matter what his hurry might be. In a crowded hotel one may Imagine how many times he may have turned In descending several fights of stairs and how laborious his Journey. Nat Godwin is certainly a man of good common sense, and no one to look at him, would suppose that he has a pet superstition, yet he has, for he consid ers it good luck to meet a gray horse In the- morning. The well-known James Lewis has been known to carry in his pocket a small shoe for a mas cot, und will never play a new part or Indulge In a game of cards without hav ing that mascot In his pocket, although the record docs not say that he always wins, He found the shoe many yeurs ago. and hna ever since regarded It as a talisman., Tom WhlfCen always said that he owed his success to his know ledge of music, and that If he had a musical entrance In sharps he was all right, .but let the band get Into flats when he entered and ho was sure of his effort falling flat on the audience, al though tho audlenro never noticed the difference in the key. NAILS FRIGHTENED CLARA. ' It has been said of Clara Morris that she never set her font upon the stage If there happened to be a stray nail there, and always Insisted upon its removal before she would make an entrance. Of Fanny Davenport it is said that she will never use cC cosmetic of another make than that of a man who served her from ' his own manufacture when she was a child. Once she was obliged to make up her face for a first appearance with a strange cosmetic, which had been rec ommended to her, and the play was not a success. "The American Girl" was Its name. Ado . Rohan regards as an omen of Ill-luck A pin on the stage with the head turned toward her. The first night of "Love on Crutches," at Daly's theater, she saw a pin on the stage with the head turned toward her, and to this circumstance she has ever since attrib uted the fact that another actress, in a subordinate part, made a greater suc cess than she did in the leading role. It may not be superstition which gov erns Agnes Booth In the action, but It Is a fact that ahe will never permit a wig to bo dressed upon her head. Theatrical managers are frequently superstitious to a great degree, and many of them might be cited as having all the folk-lore extant, especially that concerning the production of a new play. It Is said of Tony Pastor that on the morning of the day of his produc tion of a new play he always puts his left sock on first, and if he happens to get his shirt on wrong-side out it goes with him that way all uay. Ned Gil more considers It an omen of bad luck if, when walking with .a. friend, some person or object passes between them, and he will retrace his steps for blocks to go around such interfering person or object. If necessary, so as to pass the Interfering body with his friend at his side. John Stetson's dreams are world famed, and the horror of Augustln Daly when a cross-eyed person asks for ad mission to his theater on a first night has been commented upon many times. MASSACI1TSETTS' GOVERNOR. Comes from Sturdy Xcw England Stock Patrlotlo and Lcyal. Boston, March 31. Lieutenant Gov ernor Roger Wolcott, Who became chief magistrate of Massachusetts on the death of Governor Green ha Ige, comes of a distinguished American family. He Is a descendant of the famous Rog er Wolcott, who was the governor of Connecticut tn the seventeenth century, and of Oliver Wolcott, who was secre- ROGER WOLCOTT, tary of the treasury In the early days of the republic. Roger Wolcott was one of the signers of the declaration of Independence, and the family has ever been a patriotic and loyal one. The present lieutenant governor la a stout patriot, and one who clings to tne traditions of patriotism. The ticket on which he was elected last fall swept Massachusetts with a majority of 80, 000. The term expires next January, and Governor Wolcott'a successor will be elected at the general elections In November. The law of Massachusetts Is odd in relation to the present sltua tlon. For twenty years until now there has never been a vacancy in the office of governor. But Lieutenant Governor Wolcott will not succeed as governor. During the illness of Mr. Greenhalge he was "acting governor." The con stitution does not transmit the title of governor to the second officer of state In the event of the death of the first officer. On the death of the first of ficer the second officer Issues a proclam ation declaring that there Is a vacancy In the office of governor. The lieuten ant governor then ceases to be acting governor, but becomes '.'lieutenant gov ernor and commander-in-chier." MK. JEFFERSON'S LIMITATIONS. It Was Certain That Ha Could Not Aet . In a Clrcns. From the Grand Rapids Herald. The amusing Ignorance of some peo ple, whose lives are spent away from cities, in regard to the duties of an actor can be illustrated by one little Incident told by Joseph Jefferson, which occurred while he was living on his piantatton in Louisiana. "I had been out duck hunting," said Mr. Jefferson, "and was being paddled slowly along the bayou In a canoe by my man Friday, a colored boy about 18 years old. 'Mr. Jos., will you be mad If I ax you somefin?' said John, the col ored lad referred to. " 'No, John; what Is it?' said I. " 'What does you do In a' Bhow?' "I told him it would be rather dlffl' cult for me to explain what my par tlcular line of business was. " 'Well,' said John, 'does you swallow Knives: "I told him I had no talent In that way. "Well, your son told me that you swallowed knives and forks and fire, and de Lord knows what all, and I be lieve he was Just foolln' me.' "I. agreed with him, saying he waB quite oapame oi it. " 'Well, dere's one thing certain,' said jonn. -iou aon t act in the circus.' "I aked him how he could be certain of that. John burst into an immoder ate lit of laughter, almost tipping the iBiitie over in nis violent mirth. "'Oh, no, oh, no. sah! vou can't fnnl me on dat. I've seen you get on your iivio, yuu him i no circus riaer. , TRIE LOVE'S HOL'GII COURSE. "Anything new on hand. Ethel?" "Yes,: another engagement ring." Albany News. She Have you ever loved another? Ho i, oi course; oio you ,rnink I'd prac tlce on a nice irirl Ilka vou? Rai-kr "Well, that old maid, Miss Brown, has got a beau at lat." "What makes you think so?" "Why, she retusEi sliced onions at the supper table tonight." Flo rida. Times-Union. "Do you think Friday Is an unlucky day?" "No, I don't. 1 proposed to Miss Talkmore on Friday." "Well, that proves It's unlucky, doesn't It?" "No, It doesn't. She refused me." Amusing Journal. Elizabeth I hear that Gladys broke off her engagement with Mr. Dawson beenuse he attempted to restrict her liberties. Bess Yes. She was engaged to two other men and he objected. Amusing Journal. Father You may as well give up think ing about t hut young Hardrash. He dous not love you. Duughter How do you know, papa? Father I met him at tho club Inst nJ he refused to lend me five pounds. Ttd-Bltti. "Do you think that marriage is a fail ure, Mr. Aekln?" pa'il AIIks Elder to a your.g 'man whom phe knew to bn en gaged. "1 haven't got that far yet," was the frank raply, "but I'm pretty well con vinced that courtship h bankrupty." Family Call. Smallpay (rising from his bended knee) Then, Ml. "3 Hlinlnd, you refuxe to walk along life's puthwav with me? Mlxa III mtnd (haughtily) Yes, Indeed, end with anyone else. The man 1 marry must lie nble to kerpa carrl&ge. New York Week ly. Mr. Hnrdnutt T admit, Rlr, that my life hail not been what H should be, but I truly and uuslll8hly love your daughter, nnd If evf r 1 give her a moment's .pain I hope I'll he made to suffer torture for II. old gentleman (warmly) Oh, you will. You don't know her. Saturday Xlght. A ttnsv Ycnr. Bobble "Say, If you are going to pro Pvt to RlKter I wish you would let me know the night." Klddlobuck "What do you want to know for?" liobldo "Well, she's had four this year already, and I haven't minsed one yet." Life. .. The tinnsns Snndow. Westerner We call 'that the Kansas Sandow. ' . , Rasiterner Wliy fo? ' --.'. Westerner He lifted the mortgage off his farm inside of a year. Detroit Free Press. . . . ' 4' . i "!.,.'''. msi Curious Laws of Many Coiatrics These Subjects. British Parliament Rcroiti A Compilation Which Shows That Stats Books Are by No Means aa Call aa They Are Generally Rtpre acated to Be. The very Important reports whlok have Just been presented to the British, parliament on marriage and divorce 1 foreign countries jind In the colonies at the Instance of Heiuilker Heaton ex hibit singular diversities of ODlnlon mmg legislatures on some points, a at the same time singular unanimity mners. v The minimum age at which marriage is lawful varies very much. In Eng land It Is 14 for the male and 1! for tho female, when with the consent of tho parents or guardians, but after 21 both sexes aTe free of control. Newfound land, Mexico, Natal. South Australia. Cape of Good Hope and the Argentina Republic appear to be the only ones) whose lawa agree with those of Eng land on this point. In New Zealand. Tasmania and New South Wales there ia no statutory age for marriage o minors. In Switzerland and the Neth erlands It Is 18 and 16 for the sexea respectively, but while majority is at tained In Swltserland at 20, In tho Netherlands it Is not reached until 23. Greece permlta.boya and girls of 14 and 12 to get married, and majority la reached four years later, but adults above 80 are prohibited. . The same pro hibition exists tn Russia, where 18 a'nd 16, and In the Trans-Caucasus where. IS and 13 are the lowest limits. Franca, Italy, Luxemburg, Belgium and Rou mania agree in prohibiting.. marrlaga under 18 and IS (except by dispensation, from the highest authority), and In fix ing the majority at 25 and 2L In Aus tria minors may be married at 14 and majority Is reached at24. In Bavaria and Wurtemburg It Is 25 and 24 and marriage may not-take place before 2a and li, as Is the law also In. Denmark and Germany. In Chile marriage la lawful at puberty, and while tn Bras 11 It is Illegal under 16 and 14, It may 'take place earlier to avoid a criminal sen tence. In Spain the limit is 14 and 12. or legal puberty, and both are of ace at-23; nevertheless a daughter Is for bidden to leave the paternal root with out her parents' consent until she Is 25. In the United States there are alwaya three parties to a marriage "thetman, the woman and the state." The lowest ages for marriage with consent Is 14 and 12 in twenty-one states, Is and Id tn nine states, 18 and 15 In six, 17 and 14 In four, 16 and 14 in three, 15 and 12 In two and 21 and 18 in the same number. For marriage without parental consent the ages are for males and females 21 and 18 In twenty-eight states, as In Eng land In seven states, and 21 16, 18 16, and 18 15 In one state each. Eleven states forbid first cousins to marry and miscegenation Is permitted in some states and forbidden in others. Other chief prohibitions, besides those arising from insufficient age,, relate to excess of age, to religious differences, blood affinity, spiritual or canonical af finity, affinity by adoption, physical or mental Incompetency and difference of color. In Servla men over 60 and wo men over 50 are prohibited from enter ing into marriage. In most countries widows are not allowed to remarry un til the expiration of ten months after the death of the husband, and in one. the widower must not remarry within three months of his wife's death, and ill miuilier, uui uiiuci bia, jii c t Idiots, cripples, maniacs, deaf and dumb, school pupils, guardians with their wards, those very 111 or suffering from hereditary disease, and widows of priests and deacons may not marry. In Greece a man must not marry the be trothed of his brother. In Brasll uncles and nieces, nephews and aunts may marry together, and in Belgium also . by royal permission on advice of the Minister of Justice. Marriage with a deceased wife's Bister Is legal In West ern Australia, Queensland, Victoria, New Zealand. South Australia, Tas mania, New South wales and' Cape of Good Hope, and between brothers and sisters-in-law In Brasll and Sweden.and by dispensation In Belgium. Marriages are void between white and negro, white and Indian and white and Mongolian, In Nevada and Oregon; and between white and African or Chi nese In Utah. The prohibition between white and negro exlstS iff at least twenty-three of the statrV In North Carolina they are void between negroes and Indians and are voidable from many causes, as insanity, consent ob tained by force or fraud; and in many states where contracted under age without "consent." Forced marriage Is punishable In Arkansas by death tn the male participant. In the United States Smith Carolina alone arranta no divorce. CAUSES FOR DIVORCE. The habitual use of opium or soma similar drug, felony. Infamous crime, long imprisonment, cruelty, Intolerable indignity to the person, habitual man ifestations of hatred and violent and ungovernable temper are each and all sufllcient causes for divorce in most of the states. Three grant divorce if hus band or wife Join the Shakers; one if the husband la a vagrant, and three if the parties have lived separate from four to five years. In Illinois the court can divorce at discretion or where it decides it impossible for the couple to live together in peace and happiness. In AuBtro-Hungary "Greek Orientals" may be divorced because of "irreconcil able hatred" and Protestants from "In superable aversion." The latter is also effective in Germany should there be no issue of the marriage. Defamation of character and quarrelsomeness are sufficient grounds In France and Oer many, and a Frenchman may be di- . vorced for Ill-treating his mother-In- law or step-children, for calling his wife opprobrious names before her children, such as "Canaille," of for falsely ac cusing her of theft or some other grave crime and for a variety of other rea sons. Marriage between a Christian and a heathen is prohibited In Greece, and a woman qan be divorced for con cealing from her husband a conspiracy against the king, for stopping all night against the husband's wish at any house other than her parents', or for attending without his knowledge or consent, at races, theaters or shooting expeditions or for having attended against his wish at banquets or for bathing in the company of men. In some countries Belgium and Rou mania, for example no wife can be di vorced after forty-five years of age or twenty years of married life. In the latter country divorce may be obtained by mutual consent If the husband and wife are not less than 25 and 2f respec tively, and have been less than two years married, In which case neither can remarry until three years have elapsed. In Russia no one may marry a fourth time. Members of the Greek and Roman Catholic churches must not marry non-Chrlstlans nor Protestants heathens. Change of religion from Christian to Mohemmedan entitles to divorce in Saxony. Loss of civil rights, with deporta tion, dissolves marriage in Russia un less the innocent party accompany the guilty. This explains why so many faithful wives follow their husbands to Siberian exile. In Italy the wife must contribute toward the maintenance of the husband If his means are insufficient, and In Franco and Belgium sons-in-law are compelled to maintain the fathers and mothers-in-law when necessary. Lillian Swain left Augustln Daly's "Mid summer Night's Dream" company In Pittsburg lust night. She will re-enter tha comic operatic field. , ALSO C1VC V t i