The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-12
NEWS HND COMMENT

| Lewis of Washington has been one of
| the most ardent advocates of Cuban IN
| dependence in congress, but his opinions
were based upon sentiment and principle
| only. Having spent a month in making
! "a personal investigation of the situation
| he returns an annCXatiouist and CandidIS
confesses his mistake "Thc Cubans are
| incapable of sclf-govcrnment" he says 10
an interviewer for the Chicago Record
| land IT would be cruel to iutrust them
! with their own affairs. | cannot see any
hope for peace and prosperity there with
| out annexation. Everybody in cuba
| wants an Office. Associated in their
| minds are the fees and bribcs and the
| wealth that was acquired by stealing un-
| der the Spanish regime. They ike the
! applause and the Difference, the bowling
and scrapng, the gold lace ana the eNcr-
else of authority and the social position
| that an office gives. They regard 1t as
| the easiest method of making money
| without labor They were born ana brcd
| in a state of ideness and official corrup-
tion and they do not know amy better.
| Again tho Spaniards have tyrannized
over them so long that they want
chance to retalate. They hate the Span
iards, who claim to be the aristocracy,
and when the Spanish army evacuated
| the island the poor expected to rise ana
| trample the upper classes under foot, TO
plundcr the rich and retaliate for a long
pcIlOu OF oppression. III OlHtI Nolu0'
they expected to repeat the French reVo-
luton. and are indignant because our peo-
pie prevented 1t. Now they want us to
give way and give them chance. | had
several talks with Gomez, and he under
| stands the situation, although for pru-
dental reasons he will not declare in
favor of annexation If he did the Gu
bans would say that our government had
bought him up. They are willing to be
| bought up"
Announcement is made in one of the
| medical journals that Il Turkish rhNsl-
| clan has discovered sure cure Tor Dalh-
| ness. He has found, says the PlttSburE
| Times, that hair can be propagated and
| planted just as roses or willow trees
| and many other shrubs are: in other
words, that hair will grow from slips. lie
tells Us that he first scarifes the bare
spOt-sort Of plows and harrows the field,
Just 2S we do when we want to set out
onions or cabbage or tCbaccO or tomato
plants; and, having thus prepared the
soil he proceeds to stick In slips OF halr
which, with proper care and cultivation,
in time take root and grow, and, covering
the bare spot, eliminate the badness. 1t
seems very easy and the only drawback
| is that, owing to the large number of
| hairs required to properly cover Il small
| bald space, the work is very slow and
expensive. But when the knowledge of
| the discovery becomes disseminated
among the inventive Yankees that draw
back will soon be removed. If the Turk
ish discoverer had ever seen one OF our
corn drills, the right plan TO make the
operation cheap and popular would have
suggested itself to him. With a drill
adapted to the purpose, and an unlimited
suppy of slips from the sNecpingS of bar
Der shops. the whole area of the top of
the head could be planted in less than
an hour, and thus not only Will the hair
less once more grow luNuriant locks, but
they may by special arrangement have
them of any color which may please their
fancy.
When President Faure died a genial
German publisher proposed, as a good
thing for both nations ana IA certain
pledge of peace. the election of Emperor
William as president of the French re-
public "He is now popular and we'll
liked in France" urged the German.
'and would be able to pass half the year
at Berlin and half at Paris. The two ma
tiOns would be rcconCiled and the queS-
tion Of Nsacc-I .urrainc would no longer
! exist; in the dismantled city of Metz
there would be German French pallia-
ment, the American protective policy and
the Fashoda policy of the English would
thus be neutralizeG and Paris and Bor-
lin, instead of New York would be I'll
| stage of great international drama. Every
year marriages could be arranged he
tween q young men aud q young women,
German and French, provided with dow
ries by their respective governments In
this way the two peoples would end ES
complete reconciliation, and not only
they, bur all the world would reap bene-
fits from these political marriages.
Strange to say, adds the Chicago Record,
the French did not take kindly to the
suggestion.
The ordnance officers of the War de-
partmcnt are of the opinion that the
great lG-incE gun now being constructed
at the WaterVlict arsenal will be mounted
and ready for trial by the early fall
/, This is the greatest piece Of ordnance
ever manufactured i'm this country, and
it is three inches larger than the heaviest
gun i'm use in the naVy-the l3-inCh guns
on the battle ships The army rifle is IN
tended as a part of the defense of New
York hurbor. The manufacture of this
great gun is in the nature of an expect
ment, and unless its success is fully dem
onstrated by practical tests, there is no
probability of its duplication. The nickel
, steel inGOt from which the main tube is
constructed alone weighs 2223OO pounds.
It's diameter is "a inches and its length,
including the sink head, 199 inches. Tho
cost of the gun SO far in its crude shape
has amounted to over $4,000. When fin
ished it's total cost will be Sl5O000. rhe
estimated muzzle velocity is 1915 feet q
. second. The penetration in steel will be
33S inches at a distance of two miles.
Its range will exceed fifteen miles,
Saws the British Iron Review: Zig
ureS published from time to time make 1t
clear that the United States threate MS
, | Europc with serious competition in the
nail trade, despite the fact that II Is a
highly finished product, as iron works
products go, and involves the employment
of a large amount of skilled labor At
the average wholesale price of Sl,OS per
keg of 100 pounds, the United States ap-
pears to be prepared to sell cut nails at
, works for about S23, or about Gl II shill-
. ings, per ton, little more than the British
price for steel rails. This, moreover, Is
not the price for export purposes alone.
but the average American price for all
: purposes for Il whole year. We have
never heard Of any price approaching
this figure being quoted in Europe. Bri'-
ish nail manufacturers would be likely to
find ii worth their while to ascertain how
ii is done, cOmpatihly with the payment
of the higher range Of wages common 10
= all American industries
Below are Pennsylvania $ holidays;
Fifty-two Saturday afternoons, which
EQUALS twenty-siX whole days.
New Years Day.
Election day in February.
linCon's birthday.
WashinGton's birthday.
Good Fridiy.
: Dewey Day.
Decoration Day.
Fourth of July.
Labor Day