The age-herald., 1900-07-15
NED BRACE REPLIES ITO CRITICISM OF
 HIS VIEWS ON MISSIONARIES IN CHINA

sionary has undoubtedly done by penetrat- ing, in many instances, far into the interior of China.
 I hope that Dr. Newman and the Min isters' Union of this city will accept th' above in the spirit 1t is written. I woult not criticise them, but I believe that tho great matter of the extension of Christi anity throughout the world should be con sidered calmly and dispassonately and thal the work should be proceeded with in thu most intelligent manner, and not by raising great funds to send people into that coun try who are incompetent to fulfill the mis slon supposed to be required of them Bring Chinese youths here; educate then to Christianity, and send them back to thei own country to extend the gospel.
 The destruction of the Chinese Empire is at hand. It must be conquered and in fu- ture governed under the suzerainty of the Powers. How the form of government will be brought about is a question in dplo- macy. It will come later.
 The butehery of Baron von Kettler was bad enough but the horror of the punish- ment inflicted upon the Russian Minister has already shocked the civilized world. He was not only beaten and torn, but was then put in great kettle of boiling water and literally cooked alive. The government at Pekin must have been a party to this brutality The government will be made to suffer Russia will turn loose upon Chlna every armed man 1t has in the Far East. Japan, England, Germany France and the United States will join,1 To Pekin the combined forces will march and over turn the capital of this heather nation of 4oooO0,0OO people, That done, no longer can the foreign Powers trust to the Chinese to govern their own country. A suzerainty or a protectorate joined in by all the great nations must be established and China thrown open to the world To international disputes this may lead, but it has become necessary and the nations combined must proceed as one nation.
 
 l hear that the census of Jefferson Coun- ", recently completed. will show 14O,OOO people against $500 ten years ago. Perhaps no county in any one of the old states of the Union will show such tremendous growth. It has really been marvellous The county has almost doubled in population. It has fully doubled in manufacturing en- terprises. It's prosperity has been marked. It's growth phenomenal. In another ten years l would net be surprised to see Jeff ferson County show up with at least 3oO- 600 people, and to see Birmingham, instead Of 10000 people as it will show in this cen sus, exceed 100000.
 Alabama, as a whole has not shown snch growth. It is probable that the states populatio will not show an increase of more than 300,000 in the last ten years, more than one-sixth of which is in Jeffer- son County alone However, Alabama will in all probability retain her nine members Of Congress The Ninth Congressional Dis trict in which Birmingham is located, will probably be more compact It is the gen erally accepted version that in the reappor- tionment to be brought about by the next Congress each Congressman must repre- sent 100000 people. In that event. the coun- ties of Perry and Hale will probably be cut off from the Ninth Congressional District and this district will in future be made up of Jefferson, Blount and Bibb. The three will show about 100000 inhabitants
 The Board of Revenue of Jefferson Coun- ty has been in session a week. It is the most conservative board Jefferson has had in three years. The tax raises to date, un- der the procedure of the Back Tax Com missioner, have been small. The board has been disposed to deal justly and equtably with all property holders brought before it. Some of the large concerns have been hold ing off, though summoned to appear. Some of them assessed very much below the actual value of their property Others are assessed high. The board will perhaps raise many of them, but the indications are that the raises will not be anything like in propoI ton to what they were last year. Chairman Burkhalter, contrary to the ex- pectations of many, has been very servative, and so has MT. Beddow, the other new member of the board
 Last years board created somewhat of panic among property holders in Jefferson County. This year, however, politics has been eliminated and the board has pro- ceeded in calm, conservative and busi- nesslike manner.
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