The age-herald., 1898-09-25
CURRENT TOPICS
 OF ONE DAY
BY NED BRACE.

BY NED BRACE. So Lii Hung Chang is on top again. The
 Emperor of China has stood aside and practically turned over the throne to the | Dowager Empress, who ruled up to few years ago. The Dowager Empress is prac- tieally Ii Hung Chang. Under her former administration of the affairs of China, Ii | Hung Chang was practically at, the helm. | Twice the old man has lost his yellow | jacket and each time recovered it after brief period. He is undoubtedly the ablest | man in all China. His effort to develop
 the country is the cause of his apparent | unpopuarity As 1t is now, however, with l Ii Hung Chang again at the. helm, it is ptobale that the great empire of China will | be a network of railroads within the next | ten years. These roads, it is true, will be 1 largely owned and controlled by foreign | capital, but it is needless to say that Lii | Hung Chang himself will have a large in- | terest in them.
 By the way, this old man is the richest | individual on the face of the earth. He is | said to be worth exceeding S200 900, gold
 valuation. His greatest source of revenue | is through the pawn-shops of China, all l of which he owns.
  | fore the state democratic executive com | mittee, and stands as the democratic nomi-
 nee for congress from the First congress | sional district of Alabama. It Is well for | the party that this matter has been defn- l itely settled. Hannis Taylor is, of course, | too good democrat to contest any fur | ther
 Secretary Alger will not come to Birming- | ham, and Birmingham will not be made general military camp. It is just as well | that Birmingham has not been successful | in this effort. While we all would have | been glad to have thirty or forty thousand l troops encamped near Birmingham to be | paid off here and spend their money here | yet we might not have found it as attract | i've as many thought. A great mass of | troops might have brought disease, and in | many ways might have made it unpleasant for the citizens of Birmingham. So it is | just as well that we didn't get the troops | I see the up-the-state democrats in New | York are trying to bring about the nomina- l tion of Mayor Van Wyck for governor of | New York. l believe Van Wyek could de- l feat Roosevelt, but it does not appear wise | for a man of the ability~of Van Wyck to pSCOhuS d CduuIudlt TUT SONelHOl hllilS He is holding the office of mayor and while | everybody in New York, irrespective of | party, wants him to remain mayor. If | Van Wyck declines to become a candidate
 l would not be surprised to see David B. | Hill again nominated Hill is yet one of | the strongest men in New York politics By the way, speaking of mayors, I under l stand we are going to have a lively race in Birmingham next year. Of course | Frank Evans wants it again. and he stands | mighty. good chance of getting it. Yet hear that John l.. Parker and Handsome | Billy" Pearce and Colonel Altman and John McCartin and a whole raft of others are grooming for the contest. If all these peo- | pie get into it, there will be lively con- | test.
 am glad to see Captain Evan P. Howell
 on the committee to investigate the conduct of the war. If it is possible to uncover any
 rascality, Captain Howell is the man to do it.
 l see the paragrapher of the Daily Ledger says Birmingham consumes two carloads of chickens every day. They say a chicken diet makes people cross and quarrelsome This probably accounts for the recent fussi- ness of at least two classes of people in Birmingham
 l was much pleased to read the several bank statements published yesterday. The banks of Birmingham seem to be in splen- | d. financial condition. All of them are making money. The total deposits of in- | dividuals amounts to something over S3,- | Ooo'ooo' There is probably no other city of | the size of Birmingham in this country. | and certainly not in the south. where the | deposits equal this.