Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-05-20

Al
VARIOUS TOPICS.
1T WAS expected that the revised New Tesla
nlent would be published in May Or June of this
year, but it is now announced that it will not
appear before the close of the year.
In accordance with new law, election tickets
in Mississippi must contain nothing whatever
beside the name of the person voted for and
the name of the Office for which he is a candi-
date.
REPORTS from Kansas are to the effect that of
the twenty-five thousand negro refugees who
came into the state only couple of hundred,
altogether, remain dependent upon charity. All
the others have found homes and employment,
and most Of them are doing we'll. Kansas has
gained huge accession to her laboring popula-
ton, and this will be followed by an increase of
wealth.
THERE are in Germany a number of men who
continue to keep out of the army on various
pretexts and Prince Bismarck has now taken it
into his head to make these people pay for their
immunity by regular yearly tax running for
twelve years, the period over which liability to
militar, service extends. The penalty is to take
the shape of a poll tax Of four marks and the
government expects to get 20. OOO, 900 marks out
of it in the course of the first twelve years.
The silver service presented to Mr.. Maurice
Delfosse by the governments of the United
States and Great Britain, in recognition of his
work as president Of the fishery commission, is
kept locked up in the state department at
Washin ton. Mr.. Delfosse preferred to have
the service in lieu of the money which it is GUS
tomary to present to an umpire in an interna-
tional arbitration It is a full dinner service
made by Tiffany, Of massive silver. There are
sixty pieces, including eighteen soup plates.
The New York legislature has been memorial
lied and other important steps taken to restore
the natural scenery at Niagara Falls, 1t is a
public shame that this great work of nature
should have been converted into a show ground
to catch the money of the lovers of the sublime.
It is proposed to preserve strip of land for the
public one mile long. Trees are to be planted
to shut out the village of Niagara from view,
and the islands arc to be treat in the same
way. The tract is to be restored to state of
nature.
IT is intended to make the census OF 1880, as
respects our mining industries, the most COM
plete ever made in any country. Gen. Walker
has assigned to Clarence King, chief of the
United States geological survey, the work of
collecting statistics concerning the precious
metals of the country. Mr.. King will select
corps of assistants and experts, and make
thorough and exhaustive compilation. The
volume of the census report will be devoted to
the information thus obtained, which will be
not only statistical but historical and qescrip-
tive. The work will disclose vast and wonder
full interest.
AN Arctic expedition is proposed by Italy. 1t
is intended that the vessel leave Genoa on the
LIST Of May ncxt year, manned with men selected
the royal navy and from Italian whaling-vesses.
When on the voyage out, Montevideo, Terra
del Fucgo, Falkland Islands and South Shetland
Islands will be visited Two winters will be
~,e,,t i.I the Antarctic region, during which ex-
curslons will be made on the ice in order to
gather as much information over as wide an
area as possible. On the voyage home the ship
will call at Hobart town or Cape Town. The
cost Of the expedition will not, it is thought,
exceed 100000 lire.
In the states of New York, New Jersey, Penn
sylvania and Ohio thirteen mills are engaged in
the manufacture of hoop, band and scroll iron:
nearly 1000 men are employed with capital of
$4,000. Ten other mills make hoop, band and
scroll iron in connection with other iron products:
the total number of men employed is not far
from $4,000 and the capital invested nearly
$12,5O0,OO0. All these mills used about $780,
600 of raw material last year and paid wages to
the amount of $3,OOO,OOO. This great interest
has been protected by the recent ruling of the
secretary of the treasury, making cut and
punched hoops subject to specific duty Of IL
cents per pound.
ONE of the most serious criticisms passed
upon the Atalanta catastrophe is this: There
can be no question Of the criminal folly OF send
ing some 800 lads who had never been to sea be-
fore in training ship without a sufficient num-
Der of trained and experienced seamcn to take
charge of her in exceptional circumstances.
The ships company Of the Atalanta numbered
only about eleven able seamen; and when one
considers that young lads arc. frequently afraid
to go aloft in gale to take down sail. and that
thew i,rcf or b0-c
ness at the moment that their services are most
required, special danger attaching to the At
Atlanta becomes apparent.
FORMERLY it was considered that all the
supply of salt must come from the seaboard.
but of late years developments in salt wells and
springs also the Great Salt Lake, have changed
the order of supply, in great measure SO far as
the west is concerned. The salt industry Ill the
state of Michigan alone is very considerable. 1t
Is now claimed that the Saginaw district is the
second largest salt-producing section in the
Union. There were 1859 wells in operation in
1879, producing 2,055, 040 barrels, ON an average
of IL, $50 barrels to each well, and 81 new wells
will be III use this year. The product has in
creased from 1927, 600 barrels in 1874 to 1861
600 barrels in 1877, and prabably 100000 in
1880.
NORTH CAROLINA, like many other Southern
States, imposes almost prohibitive duties upon
drummers and agents coming from other states,
the duty taking the shape of all excessive
license tax. Judge Gardner of that state re-
Gently adjudicated ON q case of this kind which
involved the question whether an agent for a
sewing machiue of a certain patent has the
right to sell machines of different patent with
out paying an additional license tax. The
magistrate; decided against the defendant, bas-
ing his judgment upon the following clause of
the: revenue act: I42ss~ Il Is
Every person. company Or manufacturer
who shall sell or offer for sale any sewing
machines. in this state, shall first pay to the