The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-16
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

he condition of Russia, according
to st. Petersburg correspondent is
chatoic. He thinks that the empire is
rapidly going to pieces.
Three of the Swiss cantonG wnch
abolished capital punishment several
years ago have restored it. They think
that there is no other way of prevent
ing crime.
The United States postoflice depart
ment wants the name and address of
those who send transient newspapers
by mail written on the wrappers.
While in most kinds of business
capitalists, or large firms or corpora
tions are swallowing smaller ones, it is
gratifying to learn from census reports
that the number of farms is multiply
ing, and the soil is not becoming pos
sessed by large landholders.
Since the close of the war the Amer
lean people have paid out 530,OOO,OO0
in pensions. At the end of the present
fiscal year there were 85,697 names on
the roll, representing an annual outgo
of $54 ,29G, $50, and in the last year
27,644 new pensions and 10,231 in
creased pensions have been granted,
and there are yet 269,67S applications.
The worlds stock of locomotives
consists of $4,000; of passenger cars,
there are 10000; and of freight cars
100000. The capital invested in
railways, which are in all 100000 miles
long, is $4,000, 100000 The commerce
of the seas is carried by 10000 steamers
and 100000 sailing vessels, whose ton
mage amounts to over 20,000,000 tons.
Beavers are building aero $ Feather
river, in California, a dam, by which
they are using large cottonwood trees.
All the dams that the miners have
built for protection against spring
freshets have been washed away, and
as it is said that beaver dams are never
thus destroyed, the miners are watch
ing with deep interest the results OF the
little animals engineering.
What is called the biggest copper
mine in the world has been discovered
in Nevada, 100 miles northeast of
Bodie. Nearly 1000 feet up the
mountain above Soda Springs Valley
the ore bed shows width of 100 feet,
and in many shafts the ore assays
eighteen per cent. copper. The ore
now uncovered is estimated at $4,000
tons, valued at over 100000,
An old Mormon temple near Kirt-
land, Ohio, has been opened after a
number of years of disuse. 1t origi-
nally cost $4,000. There are forty
Mormon families in the new congrega-
ticn. They do not practice polygamy
their creed declaring that the law OF
God forbids more than one companion
in wedlock. They hold that the doc
urine of the plurality of wives was
heresy introduced by Joe Smith.
Since the steam-heating men begar
to get in their work, an eXchang face
tiously remarks: New Workers car
sing with new fervor the words of thu
old hymn:
Beneath our feet and DER our heads
Are equal warnings given
> When they take their walks abroad
of morning it is with pleasing un
certainty as to whether an elevated
, railroad locomotive will tumble OF
them, or an underground pipe explo
, sion send them kiting skyward in al
environment of paving stones, appl
stands, curbstone vendors, and othe
wreck and rubbish"
Although Secretary Teller was una
BILE to grant the request which tn
Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indian
brought to Washington not long age
} he was compelled to pay a tribute t
t the antiquity of the band. He toll
G them that their claim to the Turtl
Mountain country had been traced bac
: two hundred years, but that they ha
a no better claim to this tract than tn
other Chippewas, because they coul
|, base their claim only on the tribal It'll
v of immemorial occupancy. There al