Middletown transcript., 1899-03-18
CURRENT EVENTS.


Tt is now said that the Cuban army al
told numbered less than $4,000 and tha
more than half of that number were com
missioned officers, so little Cuba will be
able to discount even the United States in
the way of military titles. 1t isn't necessary
to stand behind the guns to get prefix to
ones name.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage. the eminent
divine, has rendered his resignation as
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church OF
Washington D. C. He gave his reasons
that the increasing demands of religious
| journalism and continuous calls for more
general work have caused frequent inter-
ruptions with his pastoral work. DR. Tai
mage also desires more opportunity to meet
face to face those to whom he has preached
from week to week through the agency of
the printing press. DR.. Talmage will con.
tinue to reside in Washington.
Over 5000 employees of the Peneoyd Iron
Works at West Manayunk went home with
lighter hearts Thursday after reading
notice from the finn that an advance and
readjustment of wages would be made in
all departments of the establishment on
and after March 27. The firm, acting in
line with others in the iron business
throughout the country. has voluntarily
made the proposed advance. The Pencoyd
Works are running full time in all depart.
ments, and are compelled to keep some
departments running on Sunday night to
fill orders.
A gain of $175 900, 900 in the value of live
stock on farms in single year is matter
for congratulation. Every class of live
stock has shared in the improvement, with
the single exception of swine, and here the
shrinkage is not serious, hogs being re-
garded profitable property by farmers at
large, especially in the heavy corn belt.
The depression in the live stock industry,
so pronounced a few years ago, and
at its worst in 1896, has since that date
shown gratifying change toward complete
recovery. The upward movement con-
tinues with increasing force and volume.
+; o
As a result of three days fighting around
the Philippine capital the line of the Pasig
River m ~ the great lagoon which it con-
meets with the Bay of Manila has come
securely into the possession of our forces,
and the insurgent army has been cut into.
The control of the Laguna de Bay by our
improvised gunboats should prevent the
retreat of the southern half of Aguinaldo's
rabble across this water, and it should be
possible to bag the whole lot in the quad
rilateral formed by the Pasig River on the
north, the bay on the east the lagoon on
the west and line extending from CaYite
to the lagoon ON the south. The pacifcar
ton Of the most important half of Luzon
would thus be assured.
Two amendments just made to the pen
sion laws will receive general commenda- |
ton. One of these provides that the |
widows of pensioners hereafter married |
shall not receive pensions, and the other |
requires half the pension of man who neg
lects to provide for his wife and minor
children to be paid over to the wife and
children. Hitherto it has been common
for young women to marry old pensioners |
in their dotage in order to obtain pensions |
as soldiers widows, with the result that |
pension is somtimes kept alive sixty or
more years after the soldier who earned it |
is dead. There are now persons drawing |
pensions on account of the Revolutions ry |
war, which virtually ended in 1881.
The activity in the steel and iron market |
is natural result of increased consump. |
ton. 'one form that this demand has |
taken is for the manufacture Of steel cars,
which are needed by the railroads in antici-
patton of the great movement of freight |
during the coming months. The fact that |
orders for $1O,OOO,OOO worth of these cars
have been booked and that the steel that
enters into their construction will cost
during this year about $5 900, 900 is an inn
pressive evidence Of the tremendous
volume of traffic that agriculture and manu-
facture will supply to the common carriers.
If rates fair to the shippers and reasonably
to the railroads can be main
aimed, there need be no surprise that capi-
.al should seek investment in railway stocks