The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-13

have to be in Chinese If property put nm
and introduced patent medicine womb
have ready market There is. however
no hope for the introduction of the
ordinary American patent medicine in its
original wrapper.
/ consider this a good market for hatb
soap and scents. These should contain
tar. musk patchouh. The scents should
be put up in very cheap one-fourth and
one-half ounce stoppered bottles ard
wrapped in yellow or Fed paper, lettered
In Chinese. If an enterpr1sing manu-
facturer would go into the market ia
win. and distribute a few thousand dol.
lars worth of samples in Canton. he
would soon build up trade that would
astonsh him.
Regarding the European firms here. as
a general rule, they do not care to do
a commission business. except on goods
that are not -periShable; and, have a ready
sale. 1t can be readily understood that
this market can only take certain things
and that if goods are promiscuousIy ship
ped here there would, be in time an &C,
cumulation of imports4that could be sold
either not at all or at a loss which would
prove most disastrous to the exporter
1t must be borne in mind chat a large
majority of goods that might be fairly
salable here are, from the nature OF
their construction or manufacture, wholly
perlshabie in this hot, damp climate Any
article in The manufacture Of which glue
is used and articles of gutta-percha ard
rubber quickly go. AS an instance, all
gummed envelopes that arrive from
America reach here completely stuck to-
gether and are rendered almost entirely
useless. while those from England have
dryers used in their composition.
Representative Wachter Of Maryland.
who is a member of the house committee
on merchant marine. which has charge
of the shipping bill, took occasion to give
the members of congress who were pres
ent an object lesson on the trip around
Baltimore harbor recently.
1t so happened that all the vessels in
the harbor flew the English flag, except
the big steamer Bulgaria, which flew the
German ensign He pointed out that the
American flag was nowhere to be seen,
and then asked the members If they did
not think it was time something was be-
ing done to restore our flag to the seas.
3
A great deal of interest Is expressed
here in the proposed constitutional con-
vention in Virginia. This Is made evil
dent by the fact that many Democratic
politicians from that state are in daily
consultation with Senators Daniels and
Martin. in this city. On May "a the
er a constitutional convention shall be
called.
While the belief Is general that ma
jority of the voters will decide in favor
Of holding the convention the fact re-
mains that four years ago the effort
to secure a convention was overwhelm-
ingiy defeated. 1t is realized that the
same can be accomplished this year IL
the county officials organize against con-
Oft tvtt yooI fAY,fz Of
advanced for a new constitution Is the
present expensive list of county officials
and their fight will be fors seIf-preserva-
ton 1t is particularly desired by the
advocates Of a change to abolish county
judges and commonwealth attorneys.
Opposition to a new constitution Is also
being urged by the corporations, because
they fear additional taxation and for
some time past representative of these
interests has been travelling through the
state creating hostilas public sentiment.
Increased revenues through taxation is
needed, 1t is claimed. by the advocates
Of constitutional revision, to meet grow
ing expenditures. On the first day of
next January the interest on the state
debt becomes 4 per cent, instead of per
cent, necessltating the payment of $780,
600 more than at present In addition to
this, the Virginia legislature at its last
session passed a Confederate pension bill.
which already threatens to seriously In
crease the demands. upon the state treas
.ury. The amount now paid annually to
ex-Confederate veterans aggregates $685.
900, but 1t Is said that under the new
law the total may easily reach .$4o0, 900, or
$500, 900.
- While the necessity for and curtailment
of local Offices as. a. matter of economy.
and the Increase of revenue through tax
alton are ostensibIe reasons for a cOnSti-
tutional revision. the desire to eliminate
the negro as a voting factor is the real
purpose which the would-be reformers
have In view. The methods by which
this elimination can be accomplished are
as yet only indefinitely minated, and the
probability is that there will be consio-
cradle friction before the plan is finally
evolved. Many of the leading lawyers
in the state believe that the so-called
grandfather. scheme. by which white
men who voted In 1861. or the descend
ants of such men, shall be allowed to
vote. will be declared unconstitutional In
that it is a plain discrimination against
the negroes If this grandfather" clause
is not put in the new constitution and the
voting test is based either on property
or education, a large number Of the
white Democrats will be diSfranchised,
result which the Democratic leaders are
naturally anxious to avoid.
1t will be seen, therefore, that while
the constitutional convention may carry
at the polls, there Is considerable oppost-
ton which is apt to make Itself felt.
-
Greater recognition has been given Johns
Hopkins university by the naval obserV-
atory officials in preparations Of plans
for observing the total eclipse Of the
sun the latter part of this month than
will be extended to any other scientific
institution of learning. and so close Is
the cooperation that professors of the
Maryland school will render important
and valuable aid in the work the gov
eminent Is about to undertake under a
special provision of congress.
The government has established three
stations in the Southern states. from
which points observations will be
made, and by the end of next week
party will be on hand at each station
These expeditions are to be In charge OF
scientists from the Observatory of Balu
more and include some of the most emil
nent astronomers IN this country, the
larger portion of whom are graduates OF
the Johns Hopkins university. The gov
eminent work chiefly will rest with the
naval observatory scientists and also
from the Smithsonian institute.
j g. Van Antwerp.