The San Francisco call., 1898-12-10
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
 THE GERMAN ARM-H. M., Keswick.
 Cal. The rifle used in the German army is the Mauser.
 NICKELS-Mr. J. L., Oakland, Cal. A
 five-cent nickel of 1867 with a large five
 on the reverse surrounded by thirteen l stars does not command a premium, and
 sells at prices varying at from p to 50
 cents. No information can be given about the other one asked about on account or absence of date.
 LOS ANGELES ELECTIoN-R. A. S.,
 City. The Los Angeles County officials
 recently elected are: Sheriff, Hammel; Clerk, Bell; Auditor, Nichols; Recorder, Wade; Tax Collector, Gish; District At- urer, Jones; Superintendent of Schools,
 Shine; Public Administrator, Kellogg; Coroner, Holland, and Surveyor, smith.
 TO PROTECT AN INVENTION-J. F. l F., City. If you are the inventor or
 something that is valuable, but you have not the money to secure patent and are
 afraid to trust your secret to one Wno l could advance you the money upon conol- | tion that you reveal your invention to | him, you can protect your rights py se- curing a caveat, which will cost you the 1 official fee of $10 and about Szg TOT an ! attorney to secure it for you. ms VIII | protect your rights in the invention until 1 you obtain patent.
 THE PREsIDENCY-Consta Reader, 1 City. Constant Reader" is evidently not a close reader of the department or An l swers to Correspondents else he would | have noted that only a few weeks ago | 1t announced to another correspondent 1 that citizen of the United States who IS l qualified can be a candidate for the once | of President of the United States, no mat l ter what his religion may be. The nrst | amendment to the constitution says: 1 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a religion or prohlD- i iting the free exercise thereof.
 LUCKY SPARSE V. S., Sldell, Napa | County, Cal According to astrology, | those leading stars which are above the | horizon at a persons birth influence the | life and fortune of that person. When those stars are in the ascendant, the in dividual is strong, healthy and lucky; put when they are depressed below the hori- zon the individuals stars do not shine upon him or her, and he or she IS Tn the shade and subject to ill fortune.
 There is superstition to the effect that if wish is expressed during the passage Of shooting star in it's transit from one point to another the wish VIII come lrue'
 URSA MAJOR-J. C., City. An answer to the question, Docs the Ursa Major revolve around the polar star once in tWenty-four hours?" has been kindly fur nished by Miss Rose O'Halloran, the we'll known local astronomer. Ursa Major seems to revolve around the pole or the heavens. which is within a degree and half of the pole star, in g hours 56 min utes and seconds. This is the time re- quired for a rotation of the earth on its axis, which causes the seeming. revolu- tion of the stars. This sidereai day IS measured from the vernal equinoX; put in the course of years varies slightly on account of the procession Of the eQulnoxeS and the proper motion of the stars It IS an average of four minutes shorter man thQ Cn1o Q orbit has in the meantime seemed to cause the displacement of the sun about one degree onward. The earth must rotate this extra angle between two transits of the sun over any given terrestrial merid- ian. The exact difference between a sid ereal day and a mean solar day is min utes 56.394 seconds.
 REPUBLICAN PARTY-C H. S., City. In the earlier days of the United States the name of Republican was taken by the party formed by Jefferson in opposition to the Federalists, who were stigmatzed as monarchists. That party was then known as the Democratic-Republican and finally as the Democratic party. The great party now known as the Republican party, the most powerful one the Democrats ever have had to encounter, was originally made up of the old Wings, Free Soilers, Know Nothings, few Democrats, with abolitionists as allies The proposition to organize new party had its rise in a movement to prevent the extension of slavery. It was about the time that the Nebraska bill was about to be passed that Major Alvan k. BoVay of Ripon, Wis, an- ticipated the passage of the bill after a canvass of neighborS and friends to se- cure, if possible, a concert of action among men of all parties in the promo ton of a new party based upon the non extension of slavery. AS early as 1852 Major Bovay talked such a party, and at that time proposed the name of Republ- can for it. On March 20 1854, such a party was organized in Wisconsin, and while Major Bovay believed that it should and would probably be called Republican, the name was not adopted in that State at that time. On July 13 1854 a mass con- yention was held in Vermont and a party was organized there 'in favor of resisting by all constitutional means the usurpa- uons of the propagandsts of slavery and it was called Republican. On July G. 1854, there was a State convention in Jack son, Mich, upon the call of more than 10000 persons. The platform was prepared by Jacob M. Howard afterward United States Senator. It opposed the extension of slavery, and the name Republican party was adopted at the suggestion of Horace Greeley, to whom it had been s11g gested by Major Bovay after the lorna ton of the party in Wisconsin The first Republican National convention was held in 1856. and John c. Fremont was the nominee for President.
 Peanut taffy, best in world Townsend's.s
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