Evening star., 1898-05-07

Written for TIE Evening Star.
.-Of course all communication with Spain
and Cuba as far as mail is concerned has
been suspended explained post office
official to a Star reporter, but that does
not mean mail from other countries is cut
OF. For instance, our post offices return
all letters addressed to Spain or Cuba with
a stamp thereon TO the writer's. informing
them OF suspended mail arrangements. A
letter. however. can be got TO Spain any
of its possessions except Cuba, which is
blockaded against all conlers, by little
diplomacy and tact. If letter is sent to
Canada or London, CT, indeed, any British
possession, and mailed there, it will be sent
to any Spanish possession, for there is no
interruption with the mail arrangements
except directly between this country and
Spain BY the same arrangement any let
ter can Je sent to this country from any
Spanish possession il the precaution is
taken to have it sent to London and re-
mailed there. under British stamp. With
Cuba, however mail communication is cut
off as clean whistle. and the world has
been officially informed by the regular
formal proclamation that there is block
ade in existence there, and that no vessel
will be allowed to land there, notwithstand-
ing the terms of the International Postal
Union, a proviso to which arranges for just
such condition of things, war. as now
exists The Cuban is not ready letter
writer. and he can stand any deprIvations
regards his mail. Indeed, he is just
about as happy whether he gets it or not.
There has been but very little mail COM
munication between Cuba and Spain until
during the past couple of years, during
which there has been very large Spanish
force of soidiery there. This has percep-
tibly increased the mall
= x
THE army of drummers on the road has
been reduced recently by the war talk
said a leading member of that large and
powerful organization to Star reporter,
''and it may be some time before things
will get back to their former basis. Drum
ms are no longer satisfied to be known as
Knights of the grip. They demand the ad-
ditionai title as ambassadors of commerce
According to recent report issued under
the auspices of the Travellers Protective
Association there are in round numbers
over 10000 members of organized associa-
tlons. In lump sum they receive not less
than N.OOp,oU0 per day. They spend about
that amount per day for railroad steam
boat and other transportation. and more
than Sp.VW per day to the hotels restau-
rants. etc. The drummer. therefore. causes
an expenditure Of nearly $3.0OoO0O per day
IN this country and that being the fact,
he becomes a very important element in
commercial matters. As the army on the
road decreases the expenditures in conse-
quence are necessarily diminished though
there are but few who pay any particular
attention to the drummer except the rail-
road and hotel people,
The remark of General Fitzhugh Lee
that all men feel some fear on entering
battle is emnently correct" said a premi-
nent Canadian military man, who has been
In Washington for some weeks on an off,
cial miltary inspection, to Star reporter,
though many military men do not lik. to
be so free in their expI essions in this par
ticular Once in battle. however, a pecu-
liar excitement takes the place of fear. This
eXcit5Elent is not what could be called bra
very. for the men while under its influence
are not always brave as that word Is gen.
orally understood. 1t Is a question rs to
whether You or your foe shall exist as to
the survival of the fittest. The sight of
one man being shot down in the front rank
OF a company. battalion or regiment has
much more TO do with the work and action
or the company, battalion regiment than
the charges OF commands of the most gal
iant commanders 1t is an awful sight to
witness the first man fall. but that sight
mas more to do with the happenings or
result of that engagement than everything
else combined But few men can speak of
any recent experience in this respect for
the reason that there has been no recent
experience. as battles have only been
fought on paper for the past ten or more
years In 1855 I happened to be in com
mand OF q battalion of Manitoba soIdiery
during the Riei rebellion which was a
brief but fierce Indian war while il lasted
On our arrival at Batoche We found that
Riel and his Indian followers were strong
intrenched in a convent building. which
they had seized The officers of our COM
mand held consultation as to how and
where We would attack the convent to dis
lodge the Indians. About this time one of
the men OF the command who was sitting
on the grass pretty we'll in the view of the
command fell dead a rifle ball entering
his forehead. The brain oozing out of that
small hole did more to infiame the COM
IN iirs itc
anything that We could conceive Of 1t
/ was question of taking The convent or
allowing the occupants to take our lives
and IL was soon settled, in favor of our
Hives and against the Indians. The death
of that one man decided the contest"
+
''All the flour on the market is not wheat
-four" said the representative of one Of
the big milling concerns of the country to
a Star reporter. though there are but few
not in the business who can distinguish
the difference The housekeepers cooks and
Others who are supposed TO know all about
-four a matter OF fact know but little
about il Bakers. of course. can tell good
HOURLY this | mean wheat hour-as soon
as they mix up dough- but as they eat
Very little % she bread they make they care
but hth> about ii. They find that anything
that goes into bread suits the purchasers
thereof. 40 they do not worry over IT, I
made "A recent tour through the SOUTH and
soon discovered that / could not sell any
nour, Tor the feason that the -four which is
sold throughout that section of the coun-
try sells all the way from 30 to 10 cents
per barrel lower than could offer it, This
proved 10 BE- serious matter with ME-
for though / handled several very fine
brands OF Hour i simply not in IT, as
lar as prices were concerned. The -four
which Is sold all through the south Is for
The most part made there, and il is so
made that IL effectually keeps western
made Hours out OF the market. The aduI-
teration is by adding a -four made of corn
in such quantities that they can sell il on
an average 80 cents per barrel lower than
We can place an all-wheat flour on the
market This adulteration would be seri-
ously objec.ed 10 in the north. west and
east. but the people of the south seem to
prefer TO have the corn flour adulteration
The result is the southern millers control
the trade
=
This war promises to be a good thing
'l one way for the SOUTH" remarked an
observant tourist who had recently return