davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-01-20
Wasted Opportunities.

''Do you not look back into the dim
vista Of by-gons years with a feeling of
regret at wasted opportunities that caIlse
q tugging At the heart-stringsp" Tug
ging's no name for il. We had chance
encs in the army to make fortune on
mules by putting eur names TO o false
certificate, and We declined to do it. The
man who proposed the mulish scheme
now owns an orange grove, two blocks, q
fast horse and steam yacht This was
real tug-of-war. Bulletin.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-01-20

PERRY MARTIN, of Arizona, climbed a
tree to shake down q econ. just how he
felt when he found the coon, to be bear
will never be known, as the bruin cuffed
him of limb and he had . fall Of fifty
feet.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-01-20

MISTRESS =" Mary, this venerable
goose is tough enough to break ones
teeth. Maid" Yes'm; didn't you tell
me, ma'am, that you wanted Il for a
piece de resistance"
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-01-20

MRs. PAnrINaroS will not allow Ike
10 play the guitar. She says he had it
once when he; was o child and 1t nearly
killed him.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

ing the pay of the etar routes and have used
the public money corruptly, and we can give
you DO more" "Very we'll" said Brady
"ihere are 1000 OF these star routes; they are
the only means by which half the territory OF
the country Is supplied with mails. Withhold
the appropriation and every one of them will
stop on the instant" What could congress
do? 1t could-aud did-demand of the Pres
ident that the corrupt star route ring IN the
general post office department, with Brady at
the head and the vrtuous Tyner, and the plous
French rs accessories, VINO were robblng the
public treasury right and left, should be re-
moved and the corrupt ring broken up Bu'
the good, pious Hayes could see nothing
wrong In men who contributed so literally to
the party campaign funds and was deaf to all
such appeals, aud congress had no choice lei
but to break down the mail service or vote the
exorbitant appropriations,
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

the levee, the main part of the city 10 above
serious danger. The southern and northern
sections of the city, however, are sustaining
great losses. From the foot OF Plum street to
Carondelet the water has caused an immense
loss of property, besides throwing out of EN-
ployment about eight hundred men. All the
large business places have been damaged, and
all with the exception of the Missouri Fur
mace company have been compelled to sus.
pend operations. On Wednesday the water
had encroached upon the pavement OF Plum
street and was gradually approaching the Iron
Mountain depot
Thursdays only addition to the calamity
was the breaking Of the levce at Ebenezer,
nine miles northeast of ST. Louis, an import
ant part of the system on which the American
bottom depends for protection 1t will proba-
Div flood all the country west OF the Alton d
St. Louis railroad embankmcnt. marked
change has also occurred in the channel OF the
Mississippi in the vicinity Of Chester, lIl''
where the great river has crossed through the
bottom lands to Okaw, distance of twelve
miles St Marys, Mo-, has been Tantormed
into an inland town.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

Of, but the republicans still maintained their
firm determination to fight for majority rule, p"
and would keep it up all summer if necessary
The democrats said nnthng, but after the
pending treaties are disposed Of and the more
important nominations are acted upon, they
are curious to know suppose enough of them
should go home to leave the senate without a
quorum, what the stalwarts propose to do
about it.
Among the nominations confirmed in the
executive session on Monday were those of
Hiram Price a. commissioner of Indian af.
fairs, A. Nj. Jones as marshal for Northern
Illinois, and Robert r. Hit as assistant secrc-
tary of state. The Chinese immigration hea
ty was discussed by Messrs. Miller and Hoar,
and laid aside as unfinished business.
, On Thursday the senate ratified the Chinese
and japanese treaties and took final action on
eighty four nominations Among those con-
tirmcd were William Walter Phelps to the
minister to Austria, and Lionel A. Sheldon to
be governor of New Mexico. The President
sent in the name of George p. Pomery, of New
Jersey, to be secretary of legation at Paris,
and withdrew the nominations of Stewart l..
Woodford Asa -. Tenney, Lewis +. Payne,
Clinton ID McDougall, and John Tyler to
federal offices In the state of New York.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

~ Peso, Woodford county, in this state wa:
fse Eosnc on Monday evening of shocking
rzSedy. Peter c. Ransom, a resident of the
sts;e for thirty years, respected and weslthy
ed for the last two years Mayor, having los,
.&s safe by death four years ago, soon after
wards was pursued by woman from Albany
New York, who claimed that she had been
-rhriet to him thirty years ago in Albany
re- hsd soon afterwards been deserted Mr.
3&ss91b secuted her story as false and pro
aaraccd it n scheme to blackmall him. The
Az, however, engaged Mr.. Henry w Bul
6rz, local lawyer Of the highest respectable
sg, ~ commence suit for her against Ran
ssE0 and 1t was out Of this prosecution that
sGsca feud grew up between the two tina,
-zaa'"ora meeting Bullock on the street on
eDdsY evening, shot him dead. Ransom
VS. IL oGce arrested, but the popular feeling
pes 90 strong against him that he had to bt
:saea 10 Peoria Jail for safe keeping, on &C
-'soot % threats to lynch him
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
While there has been unquestionably good

While there has been unquestionably good
esl Of wetness, so to speak, in portions of Da
, sstsb. notably at Bismarck, iankton, and 9th
- unfortunate localities along the Missouri
1vcr, he people of Fargo aud the larger por
ssons % that territory away from the river
rssi a,e outside world distinctly to understand
rzas ID ere have been no foods 10 affect them
Nst'her the Red river Cheyenne, James, OF
Ky N the smaller streams that water Red
Ssrec valley or Northern Dacotah have over
ss~ti their banks. Seeding has BEEN in &C
ave progress for ten days past THE dispatch Is
t1' 81 hsy 3D. in every portion of North Da
ID kAh from Red river to the western limit of
S,est culture, and from the forty sixth psrsl
: ks Of latitude to the International line The
-=eas;!e "a has been most favorable, and already
: great confidence exists As to the future OF
ssnng crops
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
A CHAPTER ON IRELALD.

While the discussion of the new land law
for Ireland makes slow progress in parliament
1t IS evident that the government will consent
to none of the amendments which the land.
league declare can alone make 1t acceptable to
the Irish people and thus cure the discomfort
and Ills to which that unhappy island is a
prey. And yet there is evidence that there is
a sentiment growing up among the better
classes in England in favor of reform in Ire
land far in advance of what Gladstone pro
poses or even most OF the land-leagucrs ask
for. This is shown by the fact that so cool
headed and philosophical thinker as Mat
thew Arnold who is not u politician, and least
of all by inclination or disposition a radical
enters the list In favor of Irish land reform
and demands the most trenchant measures
Instead OF beng content with the three FPS,
with the advanced liberals of the john Bright
school, he insists that the good landlords ought
not to suffer for the bad, but that efficient steps
shall be taken to weed out the latter altogether
determining the objects of prescription by q
parliamentary commission, whose functions
WOuIu DC analogous 10 tHOSC CNtTClSeu by tnt
visitors of monastCries in the time of Henry
VIII. He thinks commission made up OF
such men rs Lord Coleridge, Mr.. Samuel
Morley, and Mr.. John Morley would find /,
| by no means llnpractlcable to decide what
Irish landlords have signally abused their
powers during the past twenty or thirty years
and have conspicuously helped to keep alive
the feeling OF discomfort and evaporation
He would have the property Of all such land
lords confiscated, precisely as was done witt
the lands of religious corporations three cen
turtles ago, and on the same ground, to wit, thai
the sins of commission and omission on the
part of the proprietors have been cause OF
public harm, and have struck at the root o
social order. In this case, however, he would
have the state pay the disPosses,el landlords
a reasonable compensation. But by sternly
ejecting from the soil of Ireland the men
whose exactions and expressions arc manly
chargeable with the dlsatlections OF its people
he believes the British legislature would g
much nearer TO cutting out the core OF the
disease and TO winning the good will and con
fidence Of the Irish population than by leav.
| lag the bad landlords where they are, IN the
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE.

The deadlock in the house, over which, as
mentioned IN our last, three days had been
foollshly wasted was forced to give way to
the usual agerness of the members on Friday
to break for hone. The squabble was over
an utterly useless resolution that ii was eXpe.
dent to proceed To an apportonment of the
state into congressional districts at this SEES
sion, though congress had failed to Indicate
how many representatives IN congress Hill
nos should have. The democrats said to the
republicans, You have majority of the
house-pass the resolution if you will-we
shall not vote 1t on" But there were enough
republicans opposed to the resolution and
therefore refusing like the democrats to vote,
10 leave the house without voting quorum,
and il was to force these recusant republicans
up to the rack that the deadlock was kept up,
the republican majority refusing to transact
any other business than to order "call of the
house" and vote on their resolution, while
the democrats lay back IN their seats and
laughed. The deadlock was broken on Fri
day by laying the resolution on the table.
The senate meantime devoted itself manly
to acting on the appropriation bills. $4,000
we're voted to the Jole, penitentiary for re-
pairs; $4,000 to the Chester peuiten,iary
Sol 900 to the blind asylum at Jacksonville;
the Elgin asylum appropriation was passed ;
also the Kank akee asylum bill; ditto Reform
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

STRIKEs.-The conductors and drivers un-
ion at St. Louis fell to pieces on Friday of
last week and all the street railways except
one resumed operations. The wages accepted
were Is cts per hour for conductors and 12H
for drivers.
The railroad swltchmen at Chicago, though
offered an advance of S. month, refused to
60 to work, and Saturday caused some disturb
auce by wantonly stopping two freight trains
from leaving on the Rock Island road. Since
then the clerks, yard masters ard greyheads
who early served an apprenticeship at the
business, together with discontinued strikers
daily returning, have managed the switches
so we'll that the roads are IN hopes of being
able to defy the strikers and get along without
them.
A strike was inugurated at the North Chi
lcago rolling mills on Monday, the hands de
mandlng an advance of 25 cts. per day, They
number over thousand.
The gravelmen on the Fort Wayne road
struck on Tuesday and have all quit work.
The journeymen bakers in New York city
are on a strike.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

at is not because we favor reputation, but
IN behalf of free ballot and honest count in
Virginia and the south that we champion the
cause of Mahone," says Dawes. Jorgensen,
republican congressman from Virginia, and
who claims that the straightout republicans of
that state outnumber Mahone's squad of repu.
dlators two to one, told the president the other
day, that all "the bull-dozlng and ballotbox
stuffing in Virginia has been done by Ma
homes men; the very men we are now asked
to ANAL gamate with are the very men who
have been chiefly responsible tor interference
with the suffrage in Virginia. This was es-
pecially the case in my own district, where l
received large number Of votes from respec.
table democrats, because my competitor be-
longed to the disreputable wing of the party"
Your pretext that the bargain with Dir. Ma
hone means honest suffrage is too thin, Nr,
Dawes, too thin.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
STAR ROUTE PITCH ON GARFIELD's SKIRTS

Ten DAYS ago, when President Garfield was
questioned by an interviewer on the subject OF
the star route rottennesS and the removal OF
Brady, he said he knew about it all the time
and as long ago as last summer had made up
his mind that if he was elected president one
of his first acts would be to Dust Brady the
principal reason leading HIM to form such a
determination being that Brady had offered
him contribution from the star route ring OF
S25,000 for compagn purposes. He knew that
ring that could offer sucn a contribution
must be stealing public money,-or words to
that effect
No wonder Brady swore when he found
Garfield talking IN that way. II was not only
hideously ungrateful but it was false. Instead
of his having offered Garfield such contribu
uon Garfield had solicited 1t from him The
head of the begging department of the Repub.
lican National Committee tor campaign pur-
poses was the Hon. J. A. lIubbell Of Mich.
gan, located at Washington, where he
sessmcnts on the various departments. 1t was
to Hubbel that Brady appears to have made
the offer of a Star ring contribution, and be,
fore accepting it Hubbell concluded to advise
with Garfield on the subject He received
from him this reply:
Private
MENTOR, o., Aug, %, lSSO.-MY DEAR HUB.
BELL: Yours Of the 10Th inst. received and
contents noted. Please say to Brady that
hope he will give US all the assistance posi-.
BILE think he can help effectively. Please
tell me how the departments generally are do
ing. AS ever yours, j. A. GARFIELD
Hon. }. A. EIubbell, Washington, ID. c.
Now isn't this beautiful exhibition for q
man to make of himself who claims to have
Indignantly rejected Brady's offer and to have
made up his mind to remove him for making
t' The position in which it places the Presi
dent is so Illuminating that he has felt com.
PEELED to call in another interviewer, to make
further explanation, which he does in sub,
stance that in this appeal to Brady Tor liber.
al campaign contribution the star route con.
tractors were neither mentioned nor though,
of, his only idea being that Brady would aid
the party IN the struggle from his own ample
means!
Six or eight years ago Brady came to Wash
ngton from Hooserland confesscdly poor
man. He entered the post Office department
as second assistant +. NJ. General al a salary of
49, 500 year lie has lived most Of the time
since then uxurlously-Certainly at a rate of
not less than $4,000 year. Garfield Of course
must have known this, and how could a man,
on such n salary, living at such a rate, be sup.
posed to be honestly IN possession OF enough
money to contribute $4,000 to the campaign
fund from his own ample means' Yet no
doubt Brady, in spite of his meager salary,
has amassed Il fortune, and could well afford
to make such contribution; but how could
Garfield, knowing how he must have obtained
his money, decontly ask him to do 1t:
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
WASHINGTON.
nifcant.

After an infinite amount of secret caucus
ing, protesting, swearing, threatening and
backing up and down, the republicans in the
L. S. Senate finally came to an agreement to
90 into executive session on Wednesday and
dispose of some Of the business to transact
which alone the extra session of the senate
was convened. The sticking point, on account
of which it took the caucus so long to come To
a decision, was whether Garfield or Conkling
should, so far as the appointments were con-
cerned, be the controlling power-be president,
in short. On Saturday this was made plain
by the caucus committee approaching the
President and lmpudently informing him that
the deadlock" which he was so anxious to
have broken, could be brought to an end at
once by his agreeing to withdraw tho name of
Judge Robertson, on which Conkling would
make no objection to the confirmation of all
the other appointments. To this insolent piece
of dictation the President replied that he
would not entertain any proposition looking
to the abandonment of Robertson's appoint
ment Two or three more anxious days and
nights Of secret wrangllng followed, when il
was finally agreed to go into executive session
on Wednesday and let the votes there decide
whether Conkling was or was not "biger'n old
Garfeld"-the test being whether Garfield had
influence enough TO force the confirmation OF
Robertson or whether Conkling could defeat
HIM or stavc off the vote to next winter. The
action OF the senate during the coming week
Will probably show,
Meantime, while Garfield justly complains
of the insolcnce of senators debating to him
what appointments to send in or withdraw
SAID senators equally reseIt a like exhibition
of cheek on the part OF Garfield the latter
having ntimatcd to Dawes, the chairman OF
the caucus, his displeasurc at the proposed
election of Gorham as secretary Of the senate
as Gorham's paper, the Washington Repubf
cali, teens with daily abuse of Garfield and
nnuendocs OF his connection with the stal
route nastincSs.
To aid the President in his battle-royal with
Conkling, Judge Robertson has been invited
by Garfield to come to Washington, and ht
has decided to go there at the end of the week
declaring that he Will take no step to piacat,
Conkling. Poor Malone, of all others, l;
placed by this fight in the most pitiable con
dition. He was bought up by Conkling, ant
by rights is his property; yet if he oifend'
Garfield he will lose all control of Virgins
appointments on which his salvation at home
depends lie is the ass starving between two
bundles of hay.
The senate, as already intimated, finally con
sentcd to go into executive session on Wedne:'
day. Dawes made the motion, but in dong
so cautioned the democrats not to imagiue tina,
therefore the deadlock was broken. Some
pressing executive business would be disposed
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

5ec ravy department has changed the name
"a cisc government steamer soon TO be sent IN
s<xx.S Of the arctic exploring vessel jeanette
5sss, MARY & Helen" to "Rodgers" in honor
III rrsr Admiral Rodgers, who himself mas ex
A9red tie afO.o The San Francisco
I@sS0yteT thinks 1t would have been a neateI
sbaieg 90 have combined double .barreled
'asr pl.ment to the late secretary of tho navy
wy began and the present secretary who is
IN aDuIng the quest, and changed the name
a. 'If'of and Hunt"
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07
THE FLOODS.

iAe upper Missouri and Mississippi rivers
~ vol ~ all the streams In Dakota Minneso
u, Wisconsin, &c, have fallen during the week
~ ~ 20 be below the danger line, but tho out
t3~ from above seems but to duplicate the
s7yessnre below. While relief on the Goth ult
eAA coming TO Omaha and Council Bluffs
= slnss1 Gity and points below were getting in
70 1eepor water On that day the river a,
/ AaLas City had risen to the highest stage ev
-r known aud all the lower parts Of the city
Strs Gedcr water. A thousand or more PEG
pc had to be moved IN boats to the fan
{r"h3as, while others took refuge in the city
At iaast 800 houses were abandoned and tn,
ssUsI vas from two to six feet around them
'Ae osaiage.donc TO property is of course i'm.
lelISc
8ltEore threatening and awful still is the
situation NJ 81 Loui, and Illinoistown, or Eas
~. Louis, as the latter is called. On Friday
re river at St Louls stood 80 feet ~, inches
ss@pe low water mark. On Sunday morning
= &2d risen inches more, so that the water
SIS, from to feet higher than the greater
a2.'G Ct East st. Louis. Men were at work day
ssd aight Strengthening the levees, and patrol
Dea watched them closely giving the alarm
q every threatened break. To add to the
sgoaJ, the inhabitants of that portion of the
sJr7a Known ~ Cantcen, which though two
"a. lower than the swollen Mississippi, lies
asgecai feet higher than the rest of the town
Is, liz food breaks through their levcc, pierce
III Al.
DIX Eweng their neighbors on lower level
SO account Of which the men watching the
ilRes went armed with muskels on the look
5Ii for the Canteen men
1t3 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, the rive
assiEg risen six inches more, the Changing u
,selis sud the shricklpg CT locomotives and
-sge&ulty@t whistles gave East st. Louis warn
ing that the dixie bad given way. 1t was be
s3E t)se cmbankmcnt approaching the bridg,
ard tast portion of the town began rapidly u
II. up, 60 that by night 1900 people were driv
n from their homes. by Wednesday the wa
1sr Il az crcpt around 10 the north of the EN-
sxnknEeat and left only here and there in th,
-sst-=ssrk of entertainments through the town
osssIs still untitled, and these the inhabitants
csseraily have combined TO save. Lawyers
s1sc.sTs. merchants. clerks, men of every trade
n occupation are among the gangs of labor
az The whole scene ia described as "a poem
sf .aesolation." There Is, however no stop
sage Of the transfer of freight and passenger,
sT a.e railroads, for where the roads are unce
yszsz the incoming trains can be met b,
Fezsnboats and barges.
IN st Louis, though immense damage has
zez aone to sewers by bursting from the In
szEal pressure and the waves 90 soshing
sssyagh the front doors Of buildings facing
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-05-07

School ut Pontiac, Jacksonville Insane Hos.
pital, Predetermined children asylum at Lin.
coin, and $4,000 to a school for deaf and dumb
children in Chicago. The senate also passed
bill No 81 of some Importance, amending
the criminal code; also the bill to regulate the
practice of pharmacy in the state Of Illinois;
and Writings bill to cede the Illinois and
Michigan canal to the general government on
condition of its enlargement to ship canal
The house only got to bills on their third
reading ON Wednesday and passed the fol.
lowing:
Bill in relation to fees and costs remaining
IN the hands of clerks of courts and sheriifs at
the expiration of their terms of Office was
passed, Itrequires these officers to pay such
moneys 10 the county treasurer and to leave
with him statement showing the amounts
due each person and the names of such.
Bill to provide system of quarantine, I'M.
der the management Of state inspector, for
cattle affected with pleuro,pneumonia.
Cars bill to increase the number of cases
IN which the attorney general or states attor
ney may file information inquiring by what
right parties are using q privilege or license
where it Is alleged they have no right so to do
Bill making Feb. 22d and May Both legal
holidays
Bill appropriatlng $4,000 tor a temporary
building for the insane at Anna.
MIR. Vaughcy's bill, which proposes to al.
low writs OF error to be sued and the supreme
court to take up any case decided by the ap
pellate court In an action on a contract where
one of the supreme judges will order such
writ to issue, after q sharp debate was de-
feated.
The house on Wednesday, by vote of 4,
to 4S, refused to consider resolution to ad.
journ on May 10th.
In the house on Thursday a scene of intense
excitement occurred. While the vote was be-
ing taken on the bill to prevent the pooling of
parallel lines of railways a member, in behalf
of himself and fifteen others, demanded that
absentees be sent for. The speaker refused
to recognize him, and, amid great confusion,
declared the bill lost, and at once adjourned
the house. A personal alteration followed
between two Legislators. while third
seized the gavel and started rump session,
which was adjourned to 8 In the evening At
this time some thirty-odd members assembled,
signed protest. and declared their determine
ton to pass the bill despite the speakers
opposition.