The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-30
NEWS AND COMMENT.

tivCs of the United States at the spring
session which began March 4, 1869, at the
beginning of Grants administration [
can almost say with truth that my noml-
nation and election were against my own
VIII. My life has been a singular in
stance of the failure of early plans and
expectations and being drifted by the
current of life into strange regions. 1
expected when | was admitted to the bar.
10 spend my life in my office as what
was called chamber counsei' and in maxi
ing instruments, but never to take much
part in the conduct of trials, or to con-
duct them at all, except with the help
of senior counsel. | supposed | had an
incurable incapacity for speaking i'm pub
lie. After | got along a little farther, AMI
mad some early professional successes, It
was my whole desire and ambition some
day to become Il judge. 1t always seemed
to me that the most delightful human
occupation would be to go about the
state, with four or five able lawyers,
hearing and deciding questions of law.
Sed dis alter visum. In the spring Of
1868 | was broken down by overwork.
MY brain was so affected that l some
times could not remember for two min
utes an important conversation. l would
meet client in the street. He would
say something to me about an important
case, and when I had got ten rods off I
would say to myself, What was it that
| engaged passage for a summer journey
in Europe. Just before | went some
friends expressed a desire to nominate me
for congress, to which ! gave a half
assent suppOsing that to so to Washing
ton for term would enable me to get rid
of the burden of professional care and to
recruit my jaded faculties. But as soon
as got out of sight of land and the load
of responsibilities was off my mind, my
health and viEor Instantly came back. |
returned from Europe ready to begin
work again, and utterly sick of the whole
idea of political life; but the matter had
gone too far. I could not honorably re-
treat without leaving in the lurch the
men who had engaged in an active cam
paign in my behalf. So | was nominated
over five or six competitors. after a Sc
we're struggle, and was elected"
A Havana correspondent of the Chicago
Record gives the following interesting de-
ScriptiOn of a Cuban railroad: A journey
into the country in almost any direction
from Havana is full of interest. There
are number of railway lines, each Op-
Grating Independent of the others. Some
of these are fairly modern and well
equipped, and also fairly we'll operated
Others were built "before the war" not
only before the struggle Just ended, but
before the ten years war, even before the
civil war between the states, from dp-
pearanCe and condition even before the
revolutionary war when there were no
railroads. AT the Field Columbian museum
are to he seen railway carriages quite
like those in use on some of the lines en-
tering Havana. The locomotives of the
earliest periods are not quite up to those
in use here, but the passenger coaches OF
the middle Of the century drawing to a
close are fair samples of the coaches in
use on the morning trains of the Vile
Nueva railroad, running out in a south
westerly direction to Guanajay thirty
five miles from this city, just On
the Pinar del Rio boundary. These coach
es are low-coilinged, have narrow doors,
small windows without glass, only shut
ters being in use; the seats are low,
primitive, wooden structures, without
adOrnment or possibility of comfort; the
floors are worn, splintered and filthy:
the conductor is without uniform, unless
a dirty cap with a tortoiseshell or Cellu-
lOid visor may be considered an insignia
of his high office; his personal appear
ance is almost as untidy as that of the
humblest passenger riding on the cheap
est fare, and after he has made his
round he lounges idly with the passen-
gers smoking the omnpresent cigarette,
whether in the caboOse or the ladies' car.
AL the employees smoke while on duty as
when off duty. They all smoke cigar
cites Most of these are vile. nom
smoking passenger has no rights which
anybody in this country Is in the least
bound to observe. Women passengers
smoke with the men. Not that all la
dies smoke; but some do. And the diuEy
close, low-topped cars are permcutcd with
the Vilest Of fumes from the vilcSt of
weeds being smoked by the vieSt of hu-
man beings, as well as by those whose
station in Iife is undisputed.
Tn posto1lce department is. says the
sun, preparing to issue a special set of
stamps for Cuba and the designs have
been approved by the postmaster-gcn-
cral. The issue will consist OF one, two,
three five and ten cent stamps. The
one-ccnt, or one-centavO stamp, has the
word Cuba across the top, with a "l' in
each Of the lower corners. In the center
is a picture of the statue of Columbus in
the courtyard of the palace of the cap
! tain general in Havana, 1t will be print
! cd in green. There are two designs for
| the twO-CcntaVo stamp, The first has
| Cuba across the top, with a plantation
! scene in the center and two CentaVos'
at the bottom. The other has the planta-
! tion scene in the upper left-hand corner,
with the word Cuba across the center, the
/ figure underneath and centavos at the
/ bottom. The first gives more prominence
| TO the plantation. This stamp will be in
! red. The three-cent stamp has the word
/ Cuba across the top, and in the center is
! a representation of the allegOriCal figure
/ of Cuba, which stands in the plaza of Fla
Vana, a woman seated on a throne II
| is called LA Guiana" on either side Of
/ the figure is the figure 3, and at the bot
! tom the word centaVos. The 6Vc-Cent
stamp has the picture of merchant
steamer at fun speed, typifying com
merce. on the side is a wealth Of palms
/ and tropical foliage and at the top the
word Cuba. Across the bottom Is "a
| Ccntayos." on the 10-Cent stamp is de-
piCted a farming scene in Cuba. a Cuban
, is driving two oxen harnessed to the
| primitive plough in use In the island, with
/ the long upright stick by which 1t is
/ guided Tho word Cuba appears at the
top, with the figures 40 on either side
! and centaVos" in a semi-CirCle above the
picture. The plates will be prepared and
the stamps printed at the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing Washington, and
! their cost charged against the Cuban rev,
! enues They will be used on the island
until Cuba is declared free, when the Gu.
ban government will be at liberty to con
tinue their use or not as it sees fit.
The project TO establish a profcssorshlI
of the Welsh language at Marietta col
lege Is meeting with encouragement
throughout the country. The Welsh citi
Zens of Boston have pledged $1,000 to,
ward the endowment. In New Yori
10000 has been pledged, and in Pennsyl
vania $4,000 more Preparations are be
ing made for public meeting to be held
I'm about two weeks in Cincinnati, whe'
action Will be taken to have that city rep
resented in the endowment. The WClsf
residents Of Cleveland, Columbus anC
other cities are also preparing to act II
the matter The new professOrship Is t
be known as the Cambrian professorship
and the amount Of endowment II Is pro
posed to secure for it is $4,000. All loy
ers of the old CYmric land and its Ian