Arizona republican., 1900-07-04
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 ,, TOPICS OF THE HOUR ,


As visitors to the Philadelphia cnn vention left the grounds for the home y:ard journey they passed by the a,ms- house and were reminded by old tim CTS of the day when Major Phipps, su- rerintendent of that institution, con- ceived the notion that a copper roof was of no use to the community of unfortunates, and that it would be a Iatriotic act to remove it and sup5ti- tute one of slate. Suiting the act to the notion, relates Victor Smith, Phipps appropriated the tons of copper that comprised the old roof and charged the cost of the slate substitute i to the county. At that time copper was immensely valuable, and certain politicians whose advice was not asked and who, inadvisedly, were not called i in to share the profits of the change. determined to make trouble for Phipps. But they were a trifle slow. The ma jor sold his roof and went to Canada. Every paper in Philadelphia sent its best man to Canada to report the pro- ceedings for the eXtradition of Phipps, District Attorney Graham presenting the argument before the Canadian au- thorities. He was opposed by the ablost crown lawyers in the dominion. but succeeded in carrying his point. Phipps was brought back to Philadsl- phia, tried, convicted and sentenced to serve a term of five years in the peni- tentiary. All this for stealing copper roof. The city editor of the Ledger was one of the bright newspaper men who went to Canada to help Graham. In expressing his resentment of a remark made by Canadian official regarding the royal prerogatives he exclaimed with animation, "Oh. to hell with the queen." This lese majeste caused his arrest and incarceration in a deep, clark dungeon, and it required not only the finesse of Graham. but many dol lars of George w. Childs, as well as all the political influence that could be brought to bear upon the Canadian government through the administra- tion at Washington, to secure his re- lease.
 The policemen of Pellin are. or at least were, armed chiefly with small drums, which they beat loudly in or dlr, it is presumed, to let burglars know they are coming. All night long the watchmen beat their way around the streets, and as d natural cOnse- qusnce are said to make few arrests. The pigeons of Pekin have each light whistle tied to their tails, which give forth a loud sound as they fly. The blind also use drums to announce their coming and warn other people to get out of their way.
 
 The Pan-African congress. to be held in London in July, will assemble dele gates not only from all the civilized districts of Africa, but from both Americas. the West Indies and perhaps representative or two from the sparse and scattered negro population of Aus tralasia. It will in fact take in negro representation all around the globe, and give the black man a new notion of his importance and of his social and industrial progress wherever his sur rounding circumstances ar favorable.
 IL was a judge in New Jersey q few months ago. who declared that the life of a child, killed by a trolley car. was not worth more than a dollar. In con trast with that estimate a jury in the New York supreme court the other day awarded $20,000 damages to Y 6-year- old boy who was partly para&zed as a consequence of being run Yer by a brewery wagon. Children yeem to be