The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-07
Current Events.

The railroad strike which threatened e
Tie up the roads of the Northwest and tc
extend eastward has come 10 an end, save
on the Burlington system. Early In the
week the engineers, iiremen and switch
men OF the Panhandle, Fort Wayne, st
Paul Chicago d Atlantic, &C. were out
but the counsel of the conservative men
overruled that of the hot heads and all
have resumed work; are handling Bur.
hngton cars freely and promptly, and the
trouble seems to have come 10 an end, The
Burlington Is moving along In good shape
with their new men, and the effort 10 show
them 10 be incompetent and unreliable Is
not proving very successful. At the inves
tigation in Chicago by the State Commits
sioners a number of accidents have been
shown 10 be the result of ignorance and n
few of the new men are shown 10 be
drunksrds; but on the whole the charge of
incompetency Is not sustained. Some Of
.he Aurora signers of the paper which
called for the investigation have announced
they signed II pro lorna, knowing little II
anything at out the charges made. II Is
undoubtedly true that In the hurry and
eagerness to get new men the road has
taken some incompetent men. but the gen.
eral character Of the roads management
in the past does not warrant the notion tina,
such men will be or are now In the EN- Dloy
of the road. The road has been quite
successful In maintaining Its position sc
far, and should no further disturbing ele-
ment intervene, the wedding out OF Infer
Tor men will doubtless be rapid.
The Senate on Thursday passed the bond
purchase bill, giving the secretary of the
treasury authority TO purchase outstanding
wise provided for In sums as he may deem
proper. II also authorizes him to Dur
chase bonds surrendered by National
Ranks at market value, for cancellation
provided the same are not taken by Other
Banks as basis of their circulation within
10 days after their surrender.
The house spent Wednesday and Thurs
day In hlibustsring over the Direct TaA
bill, and nothing was accomplished.
On Thursday Senator Wilson OF lows
made the usual republican species Of At
tack on the message. Among other things
he made the remark that-"There should
"be an end of the policy which tended &c
"centralize manufacturing plants In the
great cities, and policy should be adopt
ed which would distribute them In all
parts of the cOJntry." This, Mr.. Wilson
thought, would tend 10 reduce prices, and
would lead TO the distribution OF manu-
featuring plants In all localities where
agriculture produced cheap food, and
when the forests, mines and quarrIes
supplied the raw materials needed"
That Is truly just what Is needed but the
honorable senator has but poorly studied
his subject not TO know that this cOncen
fratiOn OF manufacturing Is one of the most
distinguishing features of the very policy
of high tariff protection he 10 strongly de
tends.
The seriousness with which private
pension bills are discussed and passed was
we'll illustrated on Saturday by Senator
Hoa-, while the Senate was grinding them
out. 81 hope" he said, I'VE shall 20 on
with the calendar 20 minutes longer.
These are all pension bills and we can
pass nearly all our pension bills at the
d" rate of one minute" No wonder the
President has to veto 80 many
Congress has passed bills pensiOning
Mrs John A. Logan and Mrs, F. =. Blair,
$1,000 per annum each.
The irrepressible Boulanger, who was
removed from the war department and last
week from the army itself, hobs up Sc
renely' In France during the past week,
the ministry on Friday last have been sig
nally defeated by the Boulanger party
VI. Floqust Is organizing a new ministry.
Gen B0ulanger will be a candidate for the
chamber CT deputies, the principle repre-
sented being revision of the constitution
Mr.. Montgredisn, the bette nOtr of Amer
lean pr Dtectionists, died In London on the
4h.
A Londen cablegram of the 81 says
The proclamation of the National League
meetings 10 be held at Loughrea and other
places In County Clare next Sunday has
created more excitement In Ireland than Is
usu lily aroused by sucn official acts. Mr..
o. Brien was announced to speak at Lough-
res, Mr.. Davitt at Ennis and other Irish
leaders elsewhere In the proclaimed dis
frict, and II Is believed that attempts will
bs made 10 hold the meetings In spite of
the proclamation. II they are attempted
there will certainly be trouble. rs already
the government Is making extensive prep
arations 10 enforce the executive decree,
and Mr.. O'Brien's chances of spending an
orher season In jail are second to those of
NJ man In Ireland"
The only State election of Interest on
Tuesday was that of Rhode Island, which
WAS carried by the republicans by small
msjority-about 1000. The use Of money
WAS very lavish; and 1t Is said the briblng
of voters was open and scandalous In It's
proportions.
JAKE Sharp the notorious N. Y. boodler,
died In New York on Thursday last.
A bsg petroleum syndicate has been or
ganized In Detroit with $5,OOO,OOO capital
who will undertake to contest the control of
that product with the Standard Oil Co
A crowded arena In which bull fight
WAS in progress In the city of Celaya Mex,
last Sunday, was fired by convicts, and In
the panic that ensued eighteen persons
were killed and over hundred others
badly injured by being trampled under
foot or gored by the escaping bulls.