Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-09-08
NOTES AND COMMENTS.


land seventy.one persons with an an
nual income of $3.50, 600, over ], 100
draw $50, 600 annually, and only about
10000 have an income of $4,000.
s;EAwEED has not even in our
widest moments ever been dreamt
Of rs an instrument of electoral cor
ruption. Yet the Toxic newspapers
just to hand contain an account of
the trial of member of the Japan
csc. Parliament who was accused Of
bribery by corrupting his constitu-
ents with presents of edible seaweed.
BuLLET.PRooF vestments turn up
everywhere. To be shot at by sol.
diers is really the latest fad. While
the nations of the earth have been
spending millions of money to create
imprcgnable armor out of steel, sub.
jected to every possible process, tall
ors, candle-stick makers and fakirs
have known all the while of COM
mon substance that would withstand
any bullet.
NATURAL gas Is gradually declining
in pressure throughout the country.
From pressure of 21O pounds in
1887, 10 Is now reduced to less than
half that amount. The banner year
was 1883, when the product reached
a value Of S22 100000 Last year
the product was worth less than $751;
600, 900. Indiana was the leading
State, her product alone being valued
at -, 71S,OO0 and 1t was the only
StaNo st,N~;n.s la f~~ ICON
THE Rev. DIR. Griffith John, an
American missionary ut Shanghai,
says that the opium habits of the
Chinese will tell against them in time
Of war. A native writer, speaking
Of the enormous deportation Of opium
from India to China, says: ut
Is not only thus the foreigners alb
stract so many millions of our money
but the direful appearances seem to
indicate n wish on their part to ut
terly root out and exterminate us as
apeople."
THE Philadelphia Police Depart
ment has just made contract for
the purchase Of an electric launch,
to be used as harbor patrol boat.
The great speed which these little
craft can be made to develop, together
with their noiselessness, makes them
admirably adapted for such a pur-
pose. 1t Is held that they will prove
successful in approaching vessels
without alarming any thieves who
might be Mt work on their decks.
Should this experiment with the boat
prove success the electric launch
service will be made an important
adjunct to the Philadelphia Police
Department.
The gross capital stock OF all
American railways exceeds $1,000
OOO,OO0,OOO. The average dividend
since 1890 has been less than per
cent. In 1903 seventy-fivc American
railroads, Operating over %, 600 miles,
went into the hands OF receivers, with
bonded indebtedness alone OF $l3,
100000, 900, 600. 1t Is estimated that
over five million Of our population
are dependent for livelihood on the
railroads Of the United States. The
comparison OF the miles OF railroad
to each ten thousand Of population,
KS stutSV w Sull EtCchpy
Florida Is G3 miles Georgia, %; Ala.
bama, %; North Carolina and South
Carolina each 20; Virginian, 81 f;
Tennessee, Is, and Kentucky, 10.
ACCORDING to the Lewiston Jour.
nal Maine man says that tho wild
lands of Maine would make thirteen
States rs large as Rhode Island, two
as large as New Hampshire and Yer
mont, and one twice as largo as Mas.
sachusetts. These lands are located
in the following counties: Aroostook,
2,S3S, GlS acres Franklin, $50, 062
acres; Hancock, 3G2, SOB acres OK
ford, 500, G5l acres; Penobscot, S27,
60i acres; Piscataquis, 1900, 5ii
acres; Somerset, Lbs, S3S acres
Washington, G2l, 123 acres. The
spruce timber lands of Maine arc
worth more to-day than tho pine
fifty years ago. This statement Is
based on the opinion OF lumbermen
who have been engaged in tho bust.
ness for forty years, The value OF
these spruce lands has been greatly
enhanced by the enormous demand
for pulp wood.
SAYS q gossiper in the st. Louis
Globe Democrat: "The town OF
Kilgenberg, in Bavaria, has some very
valuable mines and pits which 1t
works itself. The surplus revenue Ia
more than sufficient to run tho town,
carry on all works OF improvement
and pay small sum annually to
every man who has occupied resi-
dence for ut least twelve months.
There Is town in France which has
an enormous amount of money in
vested ut the bank. the result Of a
princely bequest, and the interest on
this nearly repays all local expenses.
While mentioning this fact In Lon
don on my way home, was told that
in a great part Of Yorkshire no taxes
OF any kind were levied during 1893.
This was not the result OF any great
windfall, but OF a clerical error in
preparing the estimates for 1892,
which resulted in surplus being left
more than sufficient for the require
ments OF the following year."
IT is said that while the fashion OF
writing ones name with middle
initial, thus, John A. Smith, Is rap
idly disappearing from America, it is
as rapidly becoming the fashion in
England. This way of the writing
the name was not long ago so widely
4 ..A.. l.