MR. PARKER'S LETTER Democratic Nominee States the Issues Before the People. TBATHE WILL DO IF HE IS ELECTED. Mr. Parker Says Tariff Reform Should Be Pradeatljr tad Sagaciously Undertaken, oq Scleallflc Principles, la the Eod Thit There Shonld Not Be As Immediate Revolution In Eilsllog Conditions. New York (Special). The letter of Judge Alton B. Tarker, accepting the Democratic nomination for President, was made public Sunday night. It is, in part, as follows: To the Honorable Champ Clark and Others, Committee, etc.: Gentlemen In my response to your Committee, at the formal notification proceedings, I referred to some mat ters not mentioned in this letter. I desire that these be considered as in corporated herein, and regret that lack of space prevents specific reference to them all. I wish here, however, gain to refer to my views there ex pressed as to the gold standard, to declare again my unqualified belief in said standard, and to express my appreciation l f the action of the con vention in reply to my communica tion upon that subject. Grave public questions are pressing for decision. The Democratic party appeals to the people with confidence that its position on these questions will be accepted and indorsed at the polls. While the issues involved are numerous, some stand forth pre-emi tient in the public mind. Among these are tariff reform, imperialism, eco nomical administration and honesty in the public service. I shall briefly con sider these and some others within the necessarily prescribed limits of this letter. Presidential Prerogatives. While I presented my views at the notification proceedings concerning this vital issue, the overshadowing im portance of this question impels me to refer to it again. The issue is oft entimes referred to as constitutional ism vs. imperialism. If we would retain our liberties and constitutional rights unimpaired, we cannot permit or tolerate, at any time or for any purpose, the arrogation of unconstitutional powers by the execu tive branch of our arovernment. We should be ever mindful of the words cf Webster, "Liberty is only to be preserved by maintaining ennstitution al restraints and just divisions of po litical powers." Already the national government las become centralized beyond any point contemplated or imagined by the framers of the Constitution. How tremendously all this has added to the power of the President. It has developed from year to year until it almost equals that of many monarchs. While the growth of our country and the magnitude of interstate interests may seem to furnish a plausible rea son for this centralization of power, yet these same facts afford the most potent reason why the executive should not be permitted to encroach upon the other departments of the government, and assume legislative, or other powers, nt expressly con ferred by the Constitution. The magnitude of the country and Its diversity of interests and popula tion would enable a determined, am bitious and able executive, unmindful of constitutional limitations and fired with the lust of power, to go far in the usurpation of authority and the aggrandizement of personal power be fore the situation could be fully ap preciated or the people be aroused. In Conclusion. I have put aside a congenial work, to which 1 had expected to dete my life, in order to assume, as best 1 can, the responsibilities your conven tion put upon me. I solicit the cordial co-operation and generous assistance of every man who believes that a change of measures and of men at this time would be wise, nd urge harmony of endeavor as well as vigorous action on the part of all so minded. The issues are joined and the peo ple must render the verdict. Shall economy of administratis be demanded or shall extravagance be encouraged? Shall the wrongdoer be brought to lay by the people, or must justice wait upon political obligarchy? Shall our government stand for equal opportunity or for special priv ilege? Shall it remain a government of law or become one of individual caprice? Shall we cling to the rule of the people, or- shall -we embrace benefi cent despotism? With calmness and confidence we wait the people's verdict. If called to the office of President, f shall consider myself the chief mag istrate of all the people and not of any (action, and shall ever be mindful of the fact that on many questions of na tional policy there are honest differ tnees of opinion. I believe in the pa triotism, good sense and absolute sin lerity of all the people. I shall etrive to remember that he may serve his party best who serves his country best If it be the wish of the people that I undertake the duties of the presi dncy, I pledge myself, with God's help, to devote all my powers and en ergy to the duties of tins exalted office. Very truly yours, ALTON B. PARKER. Hoar Gradually Pissing Away. Worcester, Mass. (Special). The family of Senator George F. Hoar, . who has been lying dangerously ill for several weeks, issued a bulletin showing that the Senator is gradually succumbing to the effects of his long illness. Only the immediate members of the Senators family are admitted to the sick chamber, and he spends most of his time asleep. The bulletin read.: "Senator Hoar has been weaker since Friday, passing most of the time in sleep and refusing to take his medi cine or nourishment." 01ft of 15)0,000. , Philadelphia (Special). The Public Ledger says that a contribution, sup posed to amount to $500,000, has been , made to the University of Pennsyl vania to form the nucleus of an en dowment fund to meet the current ex penses of the institution. The actual mount of the gift and the identity of the donor will be announced next Fri day at the opening exercises. Provost Harrison and other members of the faculty, beyond admitting that a large arift had been presented, would say aWtbing concerning the contribution. NEWS IN SHORT ORDER. The Litest Happenings Condensed for Rapid Reading. Domestic. The special train carrying the Arch bishop of Canterbury and J. P. Mor gan, with their party, to Washington ran into a locomotive at North Brook field, Mass. The numbers of the party were shaken up, but nobody was I1UI I. A cablecram from Carara - York says that criminal charges are to be brought against the Asphalt iruM, wnicn is accused of fomenting a revolution in Venezuela. The First National Bank of Dun dee, 111., sued Tracy & Co., stock brokers, of Cilicago, for $41,400 lost in margins by the bank's cashier, who cmoczzica tne money. In a fight at the plant of the Fitt burg Steel Company, at Ghssport, Pa., between strikers and unionists, G. W. Fidlar, a deputy, was fatally shot. Senator Gorman had a conference with Judge Parker at which Dan La mont was present. General Miles is to take the stump fr the Democrats. SebaMion Fasancillo was arrested in New York on the charge of silling bogus naturalization certificates. Final arrangements were completed for the national Convention of the Republican Clubs at Indianapolis. Dr. George S. Cunant, of New York, willed his brain to the medical faculty of Cornell University. The National Council of Good Sa maritans closed its session in In dianapolis. A reunion of Wilder's Brigade was held in Lafayette, Ind. R. M. Alcivar, a Mexican passener on the Hamburg - American Line steamer Prinz Oskar from New York to Genoa, became insane upon the ar rival of the ship at Genoa and shot Captain Dugge, in command of the steamer, and Frank R. Shattuck, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer. Roy Fenton, the driver of the ex press wagon from which the dynamite was dropped that caused the blowing up of a street car in Melrose, Mass , was held on the charge of manslaugh ter. Justice D. Cady Hcrrick, Democrat ic nominee for governor of New York, has arranged to resign from the Su preme Bench as soon as he can finish the legal work now before him. Charges of discrimination were filed with the Interstate Commerce Com mission by John Compton, of Georgia, against the Seaboard and the South ern Railroad Companies. Caspara Lamonica and Restiro Franch, two Italians, held for passing counterfeit money, were discharged by the L'nited States commissioner at Mobile, Ala. An attempt was made to dynamite the residence of President J. C. Ma- ben, of the Sloss-Shefficld Steel and Iron Company, in Birmingham, Ala. The executive committee cf the Continental party named Austin Hoi comb, of Georgia, for president, and A. King, of Missouri, for vice presi dent. The Erie Railroad Company has brought non-union men to take the places of the locked-out boilermakers at their shops in Susquehanna, Pa. The Postmaster General has award ed the contract to supply street lerter and package boxes to the Van Dorn Iron Works tf Chicago. George Vollner, a Brooklyn ma chinist, and Samuel Schotten, of New York, both committed suicide because they could get no work. In a quarrel over the spoils of a burglary Frank Shoemaker was fatal ly shot in Jackson, Mich., by his pal. Four Egyptian students bound for the University of Missouri have been held up by the Italian immigration authorities at Naples. The insurance commissioners of the various states will endeavor to pre vent the use of the mails by wild cat insurance companies. Charles A. Semlcr, assistant cash ier of an Akron (O.) national bank, has been arrested at San Francisco for embezzlement. The fireman was killed and the en gineer seriously injured by the derail ment of the Diamond special at Bar clay, 111. One woman was killed and a num ber had narrow escape- from death in a tenement-house fire in Jersey City. Six persons were killed and many injured by the blowing to pieces of a trolley near Melrose, Mass. The State of Tennessee has sued the Standard Oil Company for vio lating the Anti-Trust Law. Sovereign Grand Lodge of Odd Fel lows will meet at Washington, D. C, next year. Engineer William D. Simonton was burned to death in a wreck near Lcck burn, O. Forty thousand bushels of wheat were burned in an elevator ?.i St. Jo!eph, Mo. Suit was begun by the United States against the Fidelity and Deposit Com pany of Maryland to recover on the bond of Charles F. W. Neely. Forclf a. The unveiling of the monument to Catherine the Great, at Vilna, Rus sia, was a notable event. It is ex pected that Prince Sviatopolk-Mirsky, the new minister of the interior, will shortly announce important conces sions to the Jews. The Institute of International Law, at Edinburgh, discussed Sir Thomas Barclay's proposal for a permanent committee to deal with questions aris ing out of practice before The Hague Court. The jury in Dover, England, that inquired into the death of Charles B. Spt.hr, of New York, brought in a verdict of "found drowned." Rev. Samuel Ives Curtiss, of Chi cago Theological Seminary, died at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, in Lon don. The Congress of Freethinkers, it. session in Rome, decided to hold their next meeting in Paris in 1005. Vesuvius has been more active, ashes and sparks rising from the crater to a height of 700 feet. Count Tisza, the Hungarian minis ter of the interior, has prohibited Mor mon propaganda within Hungary. Two Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City have been expelled. Walter Severn, presUtnt of the Dudley Gallery Art Society of Lon don, is dead. He was born in Rome in 1830. Dr. Jose de Jesus Paul is unofficial ly mentioned as the new minister from Venezuela to the United States. A supposed anarchist attempted to shoot the chief of police of Odessa, Russia, but was seized by Prince Obo lensky, and after a desperate strug gle overcome. The Chinese government has apol ogized for the assault made upon Cap tain Laribe. of the French Legation award, at Peking. SIXTY-TWO ARE NOW DEAD Victims of Sonthera Railwaj Wreck May Even Exceed That Mnmber. DID ENGINEER DIE IN HIS CAB? 1 The Injured Reach 129 One Conjecture As to Reason Why He Dlarefardtd Orders Not to Stop at Newmarket, Tenn Railway's Loss Estimated at Nearly, $1.000.060-Rljld Investlf ation to Be Held Traffic Resumed. Knoxviltc, Tenn. (Special). Run ning on a roadbed in a supposedly high condition of maintenance and having about them every safeguard known to modern railroading, two trains on the Southern Railway, carrying heavy lists of passengers, came together in a frightful headend collision near Hodges, Tenn., sending 54 people to death and injuring 120, several of whom will probably die. This appalling loss of life resulted apparently from the disregarding of orders given to the two trains tD meet at a station which has for a long time been their regular meeting point. The claim of failure to see either the station or signals cannot be set up by the engineer of the west bound train were he alive to enter a plea of defense, as the accident hap pened in broad daylight and, accord ing to the best information obtain able, he had the order in a little frame in front of him as his engine rushed by Newmarket Station. Soon after it came full upon an eastbound pas senger train, making for Newmarket in compliance with instructions to meet the westbound train which car ried the sleepers from the East for Knoxville, Chattanooga and other Southern cities. .Orders Rashly Disobeyed. The possibilitv exists that the ill- fated engineer may have been asleep, but nothing is known save that the orders were not obtyed. The trains were en time and r.ot making over 35 raile6 an hour, yet the impact as they rounded a curve and came sudden'y upon each other was frightful. Both engines and the major portion of both trains were demolished, and why the orders were disregarded or misinter preted will probably never be known, as the engineers of the two trains were crushed, their bodies re maining for hours under the wreck age of the locomotives, which but a second before had leaped forward at the touch of their strong hands upon the throttle. Some of the bodies have not vet been recovered and many remain uni dentified. CASUALTIES OCCURRED IN HEAVY TRAIN. Only tie Engine Crew Were Killed on the Light Local. Knoxville, Tenn. (Special). The collision was between eastbound pas senger train No. 12 and westbound passenger train No. 15, from Bristol. No. 12 was a heavy train, carrying two Pullmans, two day coaches and a mail and baggage car. No. 15 was a light local train. The greatest loss of life o-curred in the eastbound train, while in the westbound train only the engine crew were killed. Relief trains were dispatched from Knoxville with in an hour, and all physicians in the vicinity of the wreck were doing what they could when the local corps ar rived. An Editor's Story. John W. Brown, of Rogersville, Tenn., a newspaper editor, was in the reat coach aof the westbound train. When the fearful jolt came, he said, all the seats in the car were torn loose, and people and seats were hurled to the front of the car. When he recovered from the shock he heard the screams and groans of the injured and dying in every direction. "I left the car," said Mr. Brown, "as soon as 1 could, and walked jo the main part of the wreck. It was the most horrible sight I ever witnessed. I saw a woman pinioned by a piece of split timber, which has gone com pletely through her body. A little child, quivering in death's agony, lay beneath Vie wiman. I saw the child die, and within a few feet m' her lay a woman's head, while the decapitated body was several feet away. "Another little girl, whose body was fearfully mangled, was calling for her mother. I have since learned that she was Lucille Conner, of Knoxville, and that both her parents were killed. I heard one womai., terribly mangled, praying earnestly to be spared for her children, but death relieved her suf fering in a few minutes. Sleepers Not Damaged. "Both engines and all of the coaches of No. 15 were literally demolished, th? smoker and baggage car com pletely so. The sleepers remained on the track undamaged. Both engines lay to the north of the track, jammed together into one mass of indescrib able ruins. The cars which were de molished were piled on the wrecked engine. Congressman Henry R. Gibson, from the Second congressional dis trict of Tennessee, was a passenger in the day coach of the eastbound train. He and one other man, whose name is not known, were the only persons to escape alive from their de molished car. One glance at the car showed it to be a mass of human beings, backs of ur seats, grips, baskets and wearing ipparel of all sorts. There was not a sign of life except that near his side a young man who had escaped death and was struggling to get out. Cossal at Geneva Assaulted. Paris (By Cable). A dispatch from Geneva says that the report cabled to the United States by a news agency of an assault upon H. L. Washing ton, the American Consul at Geneva, greatly exaggerated the incident. The Consul himself says the affair was unimportant. Mr. Washington drove his automobile into a herd of cattle near Coppet, and an enraged herds man attacked him, injuring him slightly. New $40,001 Alrsala. Berlin (By Cable). Count von Zep pelin's new sirship, which is building it Manzell, Wurtemberg, although smaller than that of 1900, which was more than oo feet long, will be driven by an 80-horiepower motor, compared with a 24-horsepower motor for the airships of 1000. The Count relies on the greater horsepower to drrea sue. cessfully the lighter aluminum car. The new machine, which closely fol lows thf Count's previous models, cost U0.000. MET Aim DEATH. K'mt Little Girls Sul(o:attd to School-yard Vault-Flooring Qave Way. Cincinnati, (Special). School had closed but a few minutes at Pleasant Ridge seven miles north of Cincinnati at the end of the first quarter of the session, when, 9 possibly 10, school girls were suffocated in a vault and a score of others narrowly escaped the same horible death. During the rest of the day the sub- urD was wild with mingled excitement sorrow and indignation. At night those openly charging the calamity to official negligence are making serious threats. The large building is used for a high school as well as fjr lower depart ments. All of the victims were from primary grades. Girls Made A Rush. On opposite sides of the spacious ground in rear of the school are two outbuildings. When recess was given about ,10 of the smaller girls went to the outbuilding assigned to them when suddenly the floor gave way, pre- cipitating them into the vault below. This vault is 12 feet deep and walled up with stone like a well. The child ren falling foremost filled up the vault partially, so that others were not en tirely submerged. The struggles of those who were on top kept at least nine underneath until they were dead. The frame sheds of these vaults were about 20 feet square, without windows and with only one narruw doorway, so that only one girl escaped from the door. She ran into the building and told the teachers what had happened. The principal and oth er teachers rushed to the rescue. The screams of the girls were dimly heard within the vault, and most of them were unable to speak when rescued. The teachers were soon reinforced by almost the entire population of the town, the police and fire departments rendering effective service. The fire men drained the vault to be sure that the resuce was complete. Those engaged in the rescue work recite the most ghastly experiences. Even the children rescued alive pre sented such an apeparance as to make many in the crowd of spectators faint, but the sight within the vault beg gared all description. Among the first to come to the re lief of Principal Simmerman were Rev. Dr. I. D. Lambert, of the Presbyterian Church, and Frank S. Johnson, of the Herald and Presbyter, of Cincinnati. Rescued By Means Of Flag. James Smith, aged 14 years, one of the pupils, climed the roof of the schoolhouse, untied the flag and ran to the vault. By means of this impromp tu rope several were rescued. Later a ladder was Uoed. Marshal Wood had great difficulty in keeping the crowd from interfering with the res cuers. The importunities of friends, especially of weeping mothers, were almost beyond the control of the offi cers. Drs. U. G. Sehour and P. J. Shank, with their assistants, use.! the school building for a hospital and a morgue until the dead and the rescued were taken to their homes. Smallest Suffered Most Frank S. Johnson said: "I was standing across the street talking to Dr. Lambert, when a little girl came crying for help. We found Principal Simmerman saving lives. The smaller girls were being forced to the bottom by the movements and terrific struggles of the children in the vault. Up the ladder climbed the VttU ones, drenched, gasping for breath, and aiming as soon as taxen out into the fresh air. "As fast as thev came within reach of the door those who stood at the doorway reached down, lifted -them from the ladder and passed them to waiting friends. It was not possi ble for any outsider to go down into the vault for the reason that he would have impeded the little ones who were climbing out, and then men went in and rescued those who remained." Lucky Escape Of A Twin. William J. Card, of Cincinnati, had three daughters in the place, of whom Charmian and'Fausta lost their lives. Rotha. the twin sister of Fausta. nar rowly escaped death. When the crowd of girls rushed into the place Rotlfa was knocked out of the door irKo the yard just before the collapse occurred. Reports about the floor having given way last year are deniej by the school trustees, but there .s an angry dispo sition to blame those who are respon sible for its condition. Montreal Has a Big Fire. Montreal, Quebec (Special). The buildings of the Canada Hardware Company, the central agency, which is the Canadian branch of the London Thread Trust, and of Oiannt Fit. lb Co., one of the largest wholesale gro cery ana liquor nouses in Canada, were burned early today. The loss is estimated at $750,000. NATIONAL CAPITAL AFFAIRS. The Executive Council of the Amer ican Federation of Labor has officially indorsed the strike of the textile oper ators of Fall River. Mass. Rear Admiral Ludlow, U. S. N., retired, was assigned to duty as gov ernor of the new naval home, at Phil adelphia. Members of the interparliamentary Union visited Mount Vernon and placed wreaths on Washington's tomb. United States consuls abroad are showing up crooked schemes pro moted to entrap American investors. Gen. Harrison Allen, deputy audi tor for the Postoffice Department, died suddenly at his residence. The annual report of the bureau chiefs of the Navy Department will be censored because foreign govern ments have been obtaining too much information from them. Rear Admiral Evans will probably be appointed to the command of the North Atlantic Station. Major General Wade has sent to the War Department the names of en listed men who have distinguished themselves in the Philippines. The first payment on account of the purchase of friar lands in the Phil ippines was authorized by the War Department. As a remedy for desertion from the Army, General Grant recommends that deserters be sent to military prisons and put at hard labor. The War Department has asked the assistance of the Department of fus tic in securing the arrest of Capt. Ira Keithley. A petition was filed to have the American German Bank of Sidney, O., and all its stockholders declared bankrupt. GEN. KUROKI ADVANCES His Purpose Is Believed to Be to Torn Russian Left Flank. YENTAI MINES ARE NOW OCCUPIED. Japanese Capture of Mukden Is Expected Soon A Detachment of. the Mikado's Soldiers Makes a Dash lo Tlellng and Drives Off a Body of the Enemy, Who Leave 19 Dead. St. Petersburg (By Ctble). A dis patch received here from Mukden gives details of the Japanese positions as follows: General Kuroki has concentrated one army with the distance between Bentsiaputze and Bcnsihu as its ra dins, and his advance is pushing for ward along the road leading to Fu irhun and Fu Pass. The advance forces of two other armies occupy the Vcntai mines, the villaee of lcf tai and Sandenu. The front of these three armies is protected by an out post screen, which Chinese are not allowed to pass. A small Japanese detachment is moving along the left bank of the Liao river in order to pro tect junks. The same dispatch reports that Chi nese bandits are openly siding with the Japanese. The weather at Muk den is rainy and windy. Cold has pre maturely set in. The absence of detailed official re ports from the seat of war, despite the important character of events that are developing around Mukden, leads to the supposition that General Ku ropatkin may, after all. not seriously contest the Japanese advance and that the long-expected battle at Mukden may turn out to be merely a rear guard action upon a large scale. General Sakharoff reports that the Japanese army is moving from Bent siaputze toward Fu Pass, a village six miles northeast of Mukden and near the right bank of the Hun river. The river at that point is shallow, and probably for this reason the locality has been selected by the Japanese for crossing. If the Japanese succeed in gaining a foothold at Fu Pass, General Ku ropatkin's position at Mukden will be insecure, as the Japanese will be able to threaten the Russian line of com munications and turn the left flank. Fu Pass is only 20 miles north of Bentsiaputze. but at the present rate of progress the Japanese will prob ably occupy four or five days in trav ersing it. The Russian force south of Muk den is believed to consist of only one army corps, which is acting as a rear guard and is not intended to. offer a serious resistance to the Japanese ad- FIQHT 'JN AT PORT ARTHUR. Lasd sad Sea Forces Are Endeavoring; fo Storm Fortress. Paris (By Cable). The Matin's St. Petersburg correspondent telegraphs as follows: "Telegrams of which the General Staff have as yet no knowledge reach ed the Emperor at 4 o'clock A. M. I can affirm that they concern Port Ar thur, regarding which place the great est anxiety prevails at Court. "The Japanese are now engaged in a general assault, which is more furi ous than its predecessors, attacking the town on three sides simultaneous ly and employing their whole forces, being determined to finish the busi ness. Russian mines blew up whole battalions. General Fock especially distinguished himself, directing the fire from the wall, which the Japanese reached after indescribable massacre. "The whole of Admiral Togo's and Vice Admiral Kamimura's squadrons are aiding in the struggle, which, i is feared here, will be final. The be sieged forces are fighting as in a fur nace. A perfect storm of shells is fall ing 011 the town, port and fortress from the whole hill and roadstead. General Stoessel is going from fort to fort encouraging the defenders in their desperate efforts. "In St. Petersburg the facts con cerning the tragic event, which per haps will terminate by a glorious fall of Port Arthur, are wholly unknown. At court hope has not yet been en tirely abandoned." Kuropatkla No Longer Chief. General Kuropatkin's star is set ting. The Czar appears to have lost faith in him as the commander-in-chief of the Manchurian army. Under an im perial rescript just issued the army is divided. General Kuropatkin is to command the first army and Major General Grippenberg the second army. Grand Duke Nicholas Michaelovitch will, it is believed, become the commander-in-chief of the Manchurian armies, which will be . increased to 700,000 men. Viceroy Alexieff will likely be recalled. Accompany the several hundred thousand more men to be cnt to the front will be 600 field and rapid-fire guns. Meanwhile the Japanese are pre paring to send 100,000 more men into Manchuria, The Czar pays tribute to "the high warlike qualities displayed by the Jap anese" in a letter to General Grip penberg, appointing him commander of the Second Manchurian Army, to succeed Lieutenant General Linrvitch. The Russian forces in Manchuria are thus divided into two armies. M Years la the Navy. Washington, I). C. (Special). Ad miral George Dewey received the con gratulations of his fellow-otficers and friends upon the fiftieth anniversary of his entry into the naval service. Of the 73 midshipmen who entered the Naval Academy on September 23, 1854, the Admiral is the only one on the active list, and but seven of that number are on the retired list. The Admiral is in his sixty-seventh year. The President sent Admiral Dewey a letter of congratulation, together with a handsome bouquet of flowers. Peaesr Breaks Record. Pittsburg, Pa. (Special). A special chartered train on the Pennsylvania Railroad has broken all previous rec ords on- that line between Philadelphia and Chicago, making the 822 miles in 16 hours and 57 minutes. The train left Philadelphia at 4:08 P. M., arriv ing in Pittsburg at 12:02 next morning and Chicago at 9:05 A. M. The train was chartered by a Chicago business man desirous of arriving in Chicago in the quickest possible time to elo.ie t business transaction said to involve $250,000. MR. FAIRBANKS LETTER. His Formal Acceptaace of the Republican Nomination. Indianapolis (Special). The letter of acceptance of Senator Fairbanks, Republican nominee for vice presi dent, is, in part, as follows: The Hon. Elihu Rott, Chairman of Notification Committee: Dear Sir In accordance with the promise made when you formally noti fied me of my nomination for vice president, I avail myself of this op portunity to submit to you, and throug;i you to my fellow-citizens, some further views with respect to the questions in issue before the peo ple. The principles which are so frankly nnd fclicitiously. expressed in the plat form adopted by the Republican Na tional Convention meet with my hearti est approval. In the main, they have been subjected to the test of actual experience, and have been found to be well suited to our industrial and national needs. They have brought us to a high state of material devel opment, and have made the nation's name respected among the powers of the earth. The utterances of political parties must be interpreted in the light of that practical construction which they have put upon them when intrusted with power. It is not alone what they say, but what they will do, which should weigh in determining their ca pacity to administer public affairs. We have had two administrations in the last seven years which have been governed by the same politics. We may consult the trade reports in vain to discover when the one ended and the other began. Both were obliged to make vast expenditures for much-needed, public works. The rap idly expanding needs of the govern ment business must be met. The na tional equipment must keep pace with our national growth, yet always with due regard to the principles of sound economy in public expenditure. We have pursued no parsimonious policy on the one hand, nor indulged in ex travagance on the other. We have measured the public expense by the public necessity. The convention did well in its hearty commendation of the administration of President Roosevelt. This is sharply challenged by the opposition. We ac cept the issue with confidence. The President assumed the responsibilities of chief executive w-ith a pledge to carry out the policy of his beloved and lamented predecessor. He kept the Cabinet of President McKinley, com posed of statesmen of eminent ability, in whom the country placed entire confidence. He carried forward the uncompleted work faithfully and suc cessfully. The pledge has been kept scrupulously; the promise has been fulfilled. Peace and good order have been maintained. Domestic and for eign trade have increased, and rela tions of amity have been preserved with foreign powers. The foreign policy of the adminis tration has been conservative, just and firm, and has made for the advance ment of peace. Time and events have given us a larger place in interna tional affairs. While we have 'enlarged our foreign commerce, we have in creased our prestige abroad, not with the sword, but with the peaceful agency of enlightened diplomacy. Thirty treaties have been concluded and proclaimed, and stand to the cred it of the administration. Some of these are of far-reaching importance. Among the number are the Hay Pauncefote Treaty, superseding the Clayton-Bulwer convention, which stood in the way of the construction of an isthmian canal; the Panama Canal Treaty, the Alaskan Boundary. 1 reaty, and commercial treaties with China and with Cuba. Events in the Far East suggest the wisdom and necessity of a continu ance of the present foreign policy. We have maintained exact neutrality be tween Russia and Japan. At the be ginning of the war between them they assented to the suggestion made by the administration, limiting tbe zone of hostilities. This tends to pre serve the open door in the Orient, so important and so much desired in the expansion of our commerce. It is the policy of the administration, pred icated upon the soundest national pru dence, to settle and remove by treaty, as far as possible, those international differences which lead to future fric tion. We favor the adjustment of interna tional disagreements by an anneal to reason rather than to arms. X great majority of the questions which arise between rations may, without compro mising the national honor, be sub mitted to arbitration. The adminis tration of President McKinley did well to aid in the creation of The Hague Tribunal, and President Roosevelt is entitled to great credit for being the first to invoke its jurisdiction in the settlement of the Pious Fund cases. Our relations with the world were never better. We have avoided all en tangling alliances, and, in the lan guage of the eminent Secretary of State, "We are without an ally and without an enemy." Very respectfully yours, CHARLES W. FAIRBANKS. FINANCIAL "If there is no strike United States Steel preferred will go to 75," wired W. L. Bull. China grows about as much cotton, says one self-styled "expert," as the United States. Reading has declared the usual 2 per cent, semi-annual dividend on the sec ond preferred stock. Lehigh Valley's annual statement will likely "come out this week. It will show about 12 per cent, earned on the $40,000,000 of stock. Since July : this country has ex ported wheat and wheat flour to the amount of 15.000,000 bushels, com pared with .1 j ,000,000 for the same period in 1003. Canada's wheat yield is put at 58. 000.000 bushels. England's wheat acreage is only a third as large as it was a few years ago, which shows that she can import wheat more cheaply than it can be grown at home, A new Japanese loan is talked of. Net earnings in United States Steel for 1004 will reach $70,000,000. It takes $35,000,000 to pay the bond in terest. Last year the Steel Corporation made 8,658,301 tons of coke as against 9,5211657 tons in 1002. Estimates of this years coke production exceed 7,500,000 tons. There are persistent rumors that the New York, Philadelphia Nor folk Railroad is to be absorbed by the. Philadelphia, Baltimore Washing ton, or rather that the two are to be merged into one Company. BLOWN IIP BY DYNAMITEl Nme Persons Killed and Many Were) Injured. WAS AN APPALLING SPECTACLE.' Oronnd In the Vlnclnlty of the Accident Strewn With Less and Arms and Writhing Mantled Bodies The Force of the Explo ilia WasSoOieat That the Front Dashboard Was Hurled More Than Fifty Feet Melrose, Mass. (Special). An out ward bound election car, containing 32 persons, was blown to pieces in this city by striking a 50-pound box of dynamite that had fallen off an ex press wagon. Six persons were killed outright, 3 more died of their injuries within an hour and 19 others on the car were taken to the two hospitals, suffering from severe injuries. At least a score of persons in the vicinity of the explosion were hurt by flying glass and splinters. So great was the force of the ex plosion that all but 10 feet of the rear portion of the car was blown into small pieces, while windows within a radius of a quarter of a mile were shattered. A Gruesome Scene. The immediate vicinity of the acci dent presented a fearful spectacle when those in the neighborhood reached the scene. The ground was strewn with legs, arms and other por tions of the bodies of those who had been killed, while shrieks and groans came from the writhing forms of the injured. The car contained mostly men on their way to their homes, and the in jured were cared for until the physi cians, not only from Melrose, but from Medford, Everett and Maiden reached the scene. For more than three hours there was the greatest confusion, and it was difficult to obtain the names of any of the dead or injured, or to ascer tain the cause of the accident. Thousands of people rushed about trying to. find relatives and friends, and the hospitals were besieged. The Driver Arrested. The police arrested Roy Fenton, driver of an express wagon. Fenton, it was learned, was carrying two 50 pound boxes of dynamite on his wagon and did not know until he reached the express office that one of the boxes had dropped off. He hurried back in the hope of picking it up, but the elec tric car reached the box first. The force of the explosion was ter rific, and the report was heard many miles. Directly opposite the scene was the Masonic Building, every win dow of which was shattered, and through one of the windows a human foot was blown. A score of persons within a hundred yards of the car were knocked down and rendered deaf by the concussion. $2,000,000 FOR FRIAR LANDS. First Payment Made Through the Bank of foiland. Washington, D. C. (Special). The first payment of $2,000,000 on account of the purchase of the friar land in the Philippines was authorized by the War Department. There has been on deposit in New York since last December the fund of $7,236,000 realized from the sale of bonds authorized to be issued in pur chase of the friars' lands, and a draft for this first payment will be made on the Bank of England, which will pay over the money to the SociedaJ Agricola del Ultramar. The comple tion of these purchases was delayed by the great difficulties experienced in securing a clear title from the friars, some of whom attempted to convey their lands to private individuals and business corporations to prevent their seizure during the Philippine insur rection. Populist Presidential Electors. Joliet, 111. (Special). The National! Populist Committee announces that it will have presidential electors for Wat son and Tibbies in every state in the; Union, with the possible exception ofj two. The electors are already namedj in all except 10 of these states, and the work will be completed as rapidly as possible. The committee hopes to build up sufficient strength at this elec tion to make petitions unnecessary four years hence. ! Spreading Ralls Cause Wreck. Columbus, Ohio (Special). A pas senger train on the Norfolk and Western- road was wrecked at Lockburn by. spreading rails. The engine, tender, and baggage car were derailed, but the, passenger cars remained on the track.l None of the passengers were injured.' Engineer William D, Simonton, of this, city, was burned to death under his! engine. Fireman Fred W. Kyle, of Columbus, was fatally scalded. ! t , Mexican Coasal Strickea. New York (Special). John N. Na-, varro, Consul General for Mexico in this city, was stricken with what is believed to be apoplexy on a New York Central and Hudson River Rnil-, road train on his return here after a trip to his native country. He is it) a serious condition. Mr. Navarro is 81, years old. I Vesuvius Pyrotechnics. Naples (By Cable). Vesuvius Is, gradually becoming more active. The! crust around the crater has broken away, and produced magnificent flur ries ,of red hot ashes and sparks of, fire, -which rise occasionally in im mense columns to a height of 700 feet, accompanied by loud detona.j ions and slight .earthquakes, the sound resembling a bombardment by artillery. Dnrilars Oct 14,000. ', Charleston, S. C, (Special).--It was discovered that expert safecrackers entered the postoffice at Kingstree, 5. r . near this city, and openinar the if with blacksmith- tools atolen from a! nearby ' shop extracted a package of . iwm uMrtaaed to tha Hank I tree, $jo in postoffice funds, about $150 worth of stamps and about $500 worth ot jewelry belonging to post-J 1 . rnh. Tl,... i . 1 ' no Clue 104 the burglars. The money for the banal bad been sent from Charleston 00J aui I Aa4aetai J WM VI UVI
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers