Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-03-17
CURRENT EVENTS.

As all the foreign newspaper CORES
pondents have been denied permission
TO accompany the japanese army on its
march northward in Corea, war news.
80 far as details are concerned, is ex-
ceedingly scarce. The situation, how
ever, has not undergone any material
change, and the Japs say that nothing
important will transpire before the
2Sth inst
The weather and the roads are bad in
Corea, and the Japs are advancing
slowly, but they seem to be fianking
the Russian positions, and the latter
are retreating, burning the towns as
they go.
The Jap feet at Port Arthur occa-
sionally amuses itself throwing shells
into the town. at long range; while
another feet is securing the sea, hoping
to find the four Russian warships that
escaped from Vladivostok.
The terrible earnestness of the Japs
in this war Ia illustrated in a late dis
patch from Toxic, which read as fol
'lows:-.'A woman at Takaski. on learn
ing that her only son was exempted
from active service on the ground that
she was dependent on his earnings, i'm
madiately committed suicide by plum
ging q dagger into her heart. Before
her last breath she handed the weapon
to her son. making signs that she ex
pected him to use it against the enemy.
Pocketing the dagger the son hurried
away and volunteered for active ser
vice"
The Russians are said to be assem-
bling an army of three hundred thou
sand men near Laio-TuDg, north OF
Port Arthur.
There was ''something doing" at both
ends of the National Capitol, last week.
The Senate Committee continued tc
probe into the secrets of the Mormon
church, and the facts brought ont were
that the governing board of the church
of which Senator Smoot is member
practices polygamy in spite OF law. al
though Mr.. Smoot personally is an ex
ception; that the church still believes
-ja- -yslsFal nsaFTisses az q cardinal doc
trine, although the revelation" con
cerning them has been suspended fol
the present. 1t is the claim of the
prosecution that Mr.. Smoot cannot be
good citizen while he is in sympathy
with the apostles who rule the church
and defy the laws Of Utah.
The evidence ought to convince every
body that an amendment to the COnsti
tution, placing the marriage and di
yorce laws in the hands of the NatioDa
legislature. is called for, and while the
amendment machinery is in operation
another, making the election of Presi
dent and United States Senators by the
popular vote, should 90 with it. There
should also be a national charter law
governing all interstate corporations.
For three days Of last week the House
at Washington, was in an uproar ovel
the Bristow report. 1t WAS case oi
much ado about nothing" and it came
about over q resolution offered by Rep
resentative Hay calling for an investi
CATION OF the connection of Congress
men with the postal scandals. From
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow came a mass OF stuff which the
Committee on Postoffices and Post Roads
passed along into the House.
Whoever it was that got up this re
port in the Postofice Department was
certainly an artist. He connected about
one hundred and fifty Representatives
and some Senators with the department
In one way or another as asking favors
for constituents, and the manner in
which the story was sent out to the
country made it appear that all of these
members Of Congress were "grafters,
which was unfair, and which was Wig
orously resented.