The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-30

wno proposed In tho pending piil anu All
suoh q time" he said
When all the Establishments OF life are gone.
The coward snealxs to death, the brave live on.
After n few more sentences the orators
poetical propensities overwhelmed him
once more, and he relieved himself with
the following:
In the corrupted currents OF this world
Offeuse's gildod hand may shove by justice,
And oft it's seen the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law.
Here came some more statistics about
the currency, the gold reserve and all
those things wa have heard SO much OF
since this session of congress began. But
e was obvious Mr.. Coffeen's mind is not
one long TO dwell upon such sordid topics
when there is the whole world OF poosy for
him TO draw upon. So this came thunder
ing forth from tho lips of the Wyoming
orator:
Must we but weep o'cr days more bless'df
Must we brt blushf Our fathers bled.
Earth, render back from out thy breast
A remnant Of our Spartan dead!
OF the three hundred grant but three
To make new Thermopylmi
And this was quickly followed by
Through all that long and fearful night
The prayer OF Ajax was fer light
It would take the remainder of this col
umn to quote all the poetry reeled of by
Mr.. Coffeen In this one speech, and that
would bo too much poetry for one dispatch.
Studying Our Finances.
An agent of tho Russian government,
n. do Routkowsky, Is in Washington
making o study OF the financial system Of
this government for report TO the minister
OF finance In st. Petersburg. M. de Rout-
kowsky has made similar studies OF all
the chief nations Of South America and Is
probably as we'll informed as to the re-
sources and finances of all the countries of
this continent as any other living man.
N. dc Routkowsky tells mo that In his
opinion Chile is the greatest nation OF
South America. 1t is, in fact, the only
country to tho south of us that at all re-
pembles the United States In the energy
and enterprise of its people. "Chile's great
advantage" no said, "is in Its climate,
which Is much like that OF the United
States. In that country, as in yours, l
found It easy to work IL hours day. In
Brazil, the next most important country
OF South America, one can work only an
hour or two a day. After half hours
work IL Is necessary to stop and rest, TO
sleep, to cool of. !"
An Income Tax Decision.
One of your readers writes to me for in
formation concerning tho income tax He
says that In his family there are number
Of breadwinncrs. Ho earns good salary
himself. His wifo keeps millinery store
which pays her apretty profit. Two of the
children living at home hold positions In
stores or offices, and the combined income
of the family is about $4,000 year. The
question is, VIII it be necessary for this
man to pay tax under the income laws
inquired at tho treasury department and
was told that tho law expressly provides
for such cases. The secretary of the treas
ury in his instructions to collectors OF in
ternal revonuc says: "Only one reduction
of $4,000 shall bo made from the aggre.
gate income of all the members Of any
family, composed OF one or both parents,
or one or moro minor children, or husband
and wife. Guardians shall be allowed to
make deduction in fuvor OF each and every
ward, except that /. case where two or
more wardD are comprised in ono family
and have Joint property interests the ag.
grcgate reduction in their favor shall not
exceed 81, 000" Thus 1t is made clear that
IN the case Of the inquirer. the aggregate
family income being SO, ,000 it will be
necessary TO pay tax of 2 per cent on
$4,000.
Tom Reeds PecuIiaritios.
Tom Reed has one popularity. He Is
practically unable TO take care of himself
In the simple matter Of dress. IL il were
not for the helping hand Of Mrs. Reed and
his daughter Kitty, Mr.. Reed would often
fail 10 make bis appearance at the dinnel
tables where hc Is such a welcome quesl
on account OF his wit and humor. At the
Shoroham hotel, whcro the Reed family
live, it Is a stnnding joke that IL the bio
man from Maine comes home to dress for
dinner and docs not find Mrs. Reed on
Kitty nt hand 10 help him no raises
howl till help finally reaches him. Mrs.
Reed says that In these things "Tom Is as
helpless as n baby
Another OF Mr.. Reeds oddities is his
devotion to his watch. Last fall, while
making a speech in New York, he had an
experience which he will nevor forgot
just before starting for tho hall ho changed
his waistcoat, and as ho assembled the plat
form 60 begin his address reached for his
watch 10 SEQ what tho hour was. Ii was
not In its accustomed place, and Mr.
Reeds hair fairly stood on end. While
tho people shouted and appinudcd tho ora
tor continued his search for the missing
timopiccc. His first suspicion was that he
had been touched by a plckpocket, and
bis great horror was that the newspapers
would set held 81 it ard publish that Tom
Reed had bocn dono up by a sharper. Just
ns tho people logan % flag in their ap-
plause, and it wa3 time for him to begin
his remarks. Mr.. Reed found his watch ip
his back trousers pocket. III lad not
found that watch, :, said Reed in describ.
ing tho incident. Il am afraid thcrc would
have beer 10 speech from mo that niaht.
AS itvas, u took mo ten minutes 60 recoy-
o. my equilibrium"