davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
RoNsARD TO HIS MISTRESS

Adapted by Thackeray. Some winter night, shut snugly in
 Beside the fagot in the hall I think I see you sit and spin,
 Surrounded by your maidens all Old tales are told, old songs are sung. Old days come back to memory; You say, "When I was fair and young, A poet sang to mev' There's not a maiden in your hall, Though tired and sleepy ever so, But wakes as you nay name recall, And longs the history to know. And as the piteous tale is said,
 Of lady cold and lover true. Each, musing. carries it to bed, And sighs and envies you! Our lady s old and feeble now They'll say, "She once was fresh and
 fair,
 And yet she spurned her lovers vow, And heartless left him to despair; The lover lies in silent earth. No kindly mate the lady cheers She sits beside lonely hearth, With threescore and ten years!" Ah dreary thoughts and dreams are
 those,
 But wherefore yield me to despair, While yet the poets bosom glows, While yet the dame is peerless fair Sweet lady minel while yet 'tis time Reeuite my passion and my truth, And gather in their blushing prime The roses of your youtb~
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
The Mayor on Reporters.

q do not know a single thing of gen. eral interest,"" said Mayor Drennen yes- terday afternoon. politicians are com ing to see me all of the time, but you know I am out of politics, for the time to say to them now.
 But let me tell you something about newspaper reporters. I have been in the mayors office for nearly six years, and have come to one conclusion. Don't change the reporters from one assign ment to another It Is indeed a hard mat ter for me to break in a new city hall reporter. After having a reporter on the city hall assignment for a year or more the local papers seem disposed to change him and put on a new man. This works to disadvantage to the new man as well as the heads of the various city de- partments. It requires a good man to be city hall reporter. He must first know all of the city officials and then must have an idea of the inside workings
 And another thing If I am In politics l would much rather have the reporter on my side than any one leading citizen. You see the well-to-do citizen sees twenty men day, and on the other hand the re- porter sees a hundred or more, if he Is a hustler. The reporter is assigned to see the governor of the state, the mayor of the city, the sheriff and the man who Is arrested for dsorderly conduct all in the same afternoon.
 "The reporters are my friends, and am with them first, last and always"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
Dowie and Roosevelt.

From the New Orleans Times-Democrat
 Speaking with the rightful authority vested in him as first high priest on earth" John Alexander Dowle admon- ished his followers at Zion City to vote for Roosevelt as ''the grandest man Of the hour and against the democrats as 'the scum of the earth" With the ser mon came, according to the press dis patches, "the announcement of the theo- retic party promulgated by the general overseer to overthrow government of the people, for the people and by the people, replacing 1t with a divine system of ad- ministration that is later to control this country and finally the whole world, wip- Ing out republics, kingdoms and other present governmental forms"
 The reincarnation of Elijah is entirely consistent in personally favoring Mr Roosevelt. The two have much in com mon. The prophet, with his idea of "one- man power" in the guidance of his sect, Is the religious analogue of MT. Roosevelt, with his despotic theories in politics. Each believes in his own immaculate self-suf- ficiency in his chosen field. Control or sug- gestion from below, from the masses, Is impertinent; both know what is best and are prepared to do 1t regardless of con sequences. Under the circumstances Dowle is to be pardoned for turning with a fond fancy to the man who embodies in his principles the same broad Ideas of a divine commission to control the people for their own souls good that form so essential a part of his own creed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
CLOCKS AND MEDICINE
 TRADED FOR INCENSE

consisting of fragments of mummies-or perhaps mummies whole-which are ground up and used for mixing paints for artists. The mummies are not of the finely preserved royal remains from the sepulchers of dead kings, but the num- mics of the common people of Egypt who passed away 2OO0 or 5000 years ago and were embalmed less carefully and laid in less costly tombs than their more for tunate fellow subjects. Appropriately enough, poppy oil is used to mix the pe- culiar brown paint obtained from pulver- ized mummy. In return Egypt imports qualities of imitation scarabei, those little stone charms worn by ancient Egyptians which look like beetle on top and have on the smooth undersde the hieroglyphics of some great prince who reigned in the
 Nile valley when the world was young. The Americans say these false scarabei are manufactured in Birmingham, Eng land, but the English declare that they come from Connecticut, where they are made by machinery and shipped in bar rels to be planted by Arabian guides in
 the desert sands and discovered" in the
 very sight of confiding tourists, who pay
 big prices for them.
 The United States does a flourishing business selling patent medicines to the untutored savage, who is in the process of being brought Into contact with civ- ilization. The savage takes kindly to pat
 ent medicines. Imported first by the white settlers for their own use on the
 African coast. the medicines have found
 favor in the threats of natives, and now | many black, naked, stalwart native chief keeps in his bamboo hut in the jungle bottle of Somebody's Celebrated Nerve Tonic" of which he takes a dose before he goes out slave-hunting In re- turn for patent nerve tonics the sable savages of Africa send, among other | things, invoices of some of their own medicines, not patented as yet, but highly prized in the Dark Continent. Among these is the poisonous calabar, or ordeal beans. In western Africa these i beans are much valued by the natives | for the curious property they have of 1 exposing witches.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
NATIONAL POLITICS.
VIII MT. Roosevelt Write It?


 Tram the New York world.
 On October l the World suggested to President Roosevelt that he write a let ter In general terms like this:
 My Dear MT. cortelyou: I said in my first message to congress that 'the first essential in determining how to deal with the affairs of the great industrial com binations is knowledge Of the faets-pub- licity in the interest of the public.
 I know of nothing more important that the public should know as to the affairs of these corporations than how much they are contributing to party campaign funds for special privileges, special pro- lection and special immunity. If these corporations are trying to buy legislation or executive indulgencies through the agency of campaign committees, the peo- pie have a right to know 1t. I direct you. therefore, for the honor of my administration and for my per- sonal honor. to make public all the in- formation you have as to sums Of money contributed to my campaign fund by public service corporations by corpora tions having business relations with the government and by corporations that might be affected by the enforcement or the antitrust or interstate commerce law You will also make puphe any agreements, however indirect or impheu' that you have entered into with them m regard to the future attitude of my au- ministration toward their interests
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
 The public is still waiting for tnls in- | formation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
Police Official Fined s1o.

T see from the papers that John J. Cohen. chairman of the board of police commissioners of Augusta, Ga, has been fined s10 or twenty days, for violating the splitting law" said a former resident of that city. .You know we have the same Jaw in Augusta that you have here in Birmingham. The only difference is that the Augusta law is evidently being en- forced and the Birmingham law is not. It Is rather remarkable that the real head of the police department of Augusta should be fined for this offense, but suppose the chairman of the commission over there is just as liable to spit as anybody else. I don't know whether he chews tobacco or not, but if he does he should be forgiven. When a man chew ing tobacco wants to expectorate he never thinks to choose the time and place. So I presume MT. Cohen, like other humans, simply forgot the neces- sity of complying with the law The re- markable part of this story Is how po- liceman came to arrest him. Policemen as rule do not overwork themselves in getting up cases against the heads of their department. This Is also human nature. When first came to Birming- ham I heard about the splitting law and for awhile was very careful to spit in the gutter or street until I saw a policeman expectorate on the sidewalk without mo- lestatlon. I understand that two men were arrested when the law first went in force. Since that time 1t has evidently been forgotten"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
Iurnina the Chanres River.

A desire has sprung up to know more about the turning of the "torren- tial" Chagres river into the Pacific. It now flows into the Atlantic, and it sometimes rises in the wet season as much as forty feet becoming almost ungovernable. Chief Engineer Wal lace estimates the cost of turning the Chagres at sixteen million dollars Heretofore it has been proposed tC control it by means of the Boheo dam forming lake which would feed and serve canal equipped with locks The cost of the Bohio dam has hereto fore been put at thirty-six million dol lars
 If the Chasres be turned into the Pacific at saving of twenty million dollars, Mr. Wallace wants that say ing applied in the. construction of sea level canal, and public opinion, wait ing for fuller information, is inclined that way
 A sea level canal is of course much more desirable than a canal requiring the use of locks, but a continuous wa terway would cost at least fifty mil lion dollars more, and it's construc. ton would consume perhaps five years more of tir,o. As people we are anxious to see the canal opened, but a few years more CT less in a work that will outlive the centuries is not material.
 If MT. Wallace's information as to the Chagres river be trustworthy, the chances run in favor of the construc- tion of sea-level canal. MT. Wal lace's young men found a branch of the Chagres river twelve miles from Culebra cut, through which it is claimed the Chagres can be turned, thus putting an end to all troubles
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
From the Buffalo Express.

From the Buffalo Express.
 T IS a curious list of things that the
 United States sends to savages and
 half-civized countries, and as curious
 list of things which we take from those
 countries in return In far-off Uganda
 where the lions roar as the train passes
 on the new railroad and the engineer has
 to slow down now and then because a
 hippopotamus gets on the track, the na-
 tives buy American kerosene, and find 1t
 useful not only for Illuminating purposes
 but for amounting their shining black bodies to make them shine more. They
 have also taken a fancy lately to cheap
 photographs, and a well-to-do savage be-
 comes a society leader when he sets one
 up in his hut They also like American
 watches-the larger ones, the kind which
 1t takes about half an hour to wind up
 and they are beginning to make market for them. In return the Uganda natives
 send a peculiar gum, which exudes from
 tree which they call the incense tree.
 The gum burns with a clean, pungent smell, and is the chief ingredient in the
 incense used in Episcopal high church and Catholic churches in this country. For untold centuries this gum has been ex- ported from this section of Africa It is the oldbanum of science and the franklin cense of history.
 Inferior kinds of incense gum are found in India and Arabia. but the East African sort is the one in most demand and the which the United States buys. So, when ,aA in oh probably see the same kind of gum burn- ing, brought from the same place the smell the same smell, as did Solomon when, at the completion of the temple nearly 5000 years ago, he burned incense on the altar which was before the Lord. v Savages delight in watches and clocks, hut clocks must have a loud tick to them and watches must be of generous size as we'll as loud tick. The story is told of a clock-making concern which determined to get share of the West African trade, where the natives had taken kindly to an | inferior brand of clocks sent out by a rival house A better article in the clock | line was manufactured and sent to be l sold at the same time as the goods of the rival concern. To the astonishment of the
 manufacturers the invoice failed to sell. An investigation showed that the cheap clocks of the first house had a large and powerful tick to them, and gong which struck the hour like fire-alarm bell. Thereupon, the second firm set to work
 and manufacturer a clock with a still louder tick and still more resounding gong in the striking parts, and soon cap tured the desired trade. The clocks and watches of savages and semi-civilized people come mostly from Connecticut and | from Birmingham, England, Connecticut
 having a practical monopoly in supplying the watches.
 Egypt sends to the United States and England curious article of commerce,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
Wisconsin Republicans.

The stalwarts led by ex-Governor Edward scofield, and the half-breeds led by Bob" Lafollette himself have met and have agreed to maintain their present bitter factional fight. Neither x'ill withdraw, and the stalwarts are as warlike as the more numerous and regular half.breeds.
 Senator Spooner was present at the recent stalwart conference, and he was inclined to be conciliatory, but the rest of his faction kept on their war paint, and even added few feathers to their costumes. It Is not easy now to see how the strife with in the 8. o. p. can be reconciled or smoothed out.
 MT. Spooner is just now under cloud spread over him by Magazine Writer Steffans. The esteemed maga- zinist says Mr. Spooner was first elect ed to the senate by straight out cor ruption-that the seat was purchased for him by the railroads, and he at tempts to prove it by reporting a con yersation that took place between Senator Sawyer and ex-Congressman Stephenson.
 Thus far MT. Spooner has sued no one for libel. He has assaulted no one He has done nothing except to get himsel1 interviewed by a news paper man, who gives him an oppor- tunity to declare his innocence of cor porate corruption. He has neither sued Author Steffans nor the maga- zine that published his charges. He did indulge in two columns of news paper indignation, but newspaper in- dignation does not refute grave charges.
 . The charges against MT. Spooner have become fuel on the factional fire, a-d it is more bitter and unrelenting than before. It seems to be beyond compromise or adjustment. If it goes on as it stands at present. the demo- crats will assuredly step in between | the two warning factions, and men in | both factions will aid them to do 1t. | The stalwarts much prefer MT. Peck to Governor Lafollette, and the half breeds wnl leave no stone unturned | to defeat Senator Quarles, whose term will expire on the fourth day of March next.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

and probable, and the city committee acted wisely when 1t called upon ev- cry qualified elector to designate the ward he proposes to vote in-the ward he lives in.
 Ample opportunity will be afforded to all to secure registration. The books will remain open on Saturday nights to 10 o'clock, and there will therefore be no reason why every qualified elector cannot be registered by wards without serious inconven- fence. Some inconvenience goes with al duties of life, and the voter should accept short wall to a registration place without a murmer, for at that place he can secure a ward registra- ton certificate that will enable him to vote without question or hindrance in the warm primary that is distant only a little over month.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
Tom Watson.

From the Nashville American.
 Tom Watson has been trying to make capital all along out of Judge Parkers at- tituds on the negro question. Nooody pays much attention to Watson. as he IS clearly working in .ne interest of the republican party. and hence is hypo- crite, but as what he says may enect some, 1t is worth while to call attention to the fact that Judge Parker very ex- plicitly and very clearly set forth his views in regard to the fourteenth amend ment last year, and they were so pro- nounced that the New York Evening Post, which loves the negro dearly de- clared that the man making them was unfit for the presidency of the United States Again, in his authorized inter- view with Elliott Danforth, the judge said that the souln must be left alone to solve this question. without outside in- reference, and he then paid high trib- ute to the fairness, ability and courage of the southern people.
 Tom Watson can not make any capital out of Parker on this score.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

on account of the troublesome river. But if the river be turned then it fol- lows that the big ditch must be cut down to the level of the seas, for without the Chagres and it's difficult dam there would be no water with which to operate locks. The entire subject is an open one, and we will
 doubtless know a great deal more
 about it in the course of another year.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
The Cotton Crop.

"The cotton crop will turn out larger than was first forecasted when the drouth struck us," said a well known farmer from the black belt last night.
 "The continued dry weather has caused all the bolls to develop that would have been late had we had a rainy season. True we will not have a late crop, but still that part of the cotton crop is al- ways an uncertain quantity. The season must be just exactly right to make the late bolls open. The splendid weather that we have had caused much cotton to open that would have been, perhaps, killed by the frost If the fall weather had set in early.
 "The hay, corn and other minor crops, with the possible exception of the late peas, have turned out remarkably well. In fact, I believe that the corn yield in the state will break all former records. find that most of the farmers are hold ing their cotton for better prices"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
THE GOVERNORS DECISION.

From the Guntersville Democrat.
 Admitting the governor acted solely for the good of the state and was actuated by pure and patriotic motives in refusing to convene the legislature, we believe he made a serious mistake, which in- stead of saving the few thousands which an extra session would have cost, will pile up many thousands which the peo- pie must pay to feed prisoners held for trial and for long continued litigation as we'll as time spent in attending term af- ter term of court because of the inability of the courts to render speedy justice.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
About Persons.

c. II. ogilive of Memphis is at the St. Nicholas.
 H. W. Latimer of Greenwood, Miss, is at the St. Nicholas.
 B. A. Feat of Florence is at the Morris G. F. Porter of Maylene is at the Nor ris.
 John A. Coleman and James S. Cole man of Eltaw are at the Morris.
 Ely Spencer of Jacksonville is at the Morris.
 Donald Gifts of Ashville is stopping at the Norris
 D. H. Taylor of Rochester is at the Colonial.
 M Motz of Selma is at the Metropoli- tan.
 c. A. Smith of St. Louis is at the Co., lonial.
 z. D. McCord of Goodwater is at the Metropolltan
 Robert Campbell, mayor of Gadsden. is at the Metropolitan.
 A. J. Vhay, salesman for the D. M Ferry Seed company of Detroit, Mich. is at the Metropolitan. w. J. Boykin, the prominent attorney of Gadsden, is at the Metropolitan. w. F. Tebbetts, collector of customs of the Mobile port, is at the Hillman. D. J. Mcdonald of Mobile is at the Hillman.
 Whitfield Clark of Anniston is stopping at the Hillman.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
! IN HOTEL LOBBlES
The stnn.. Market.

Everybody has been remarkins on the steady rise in the stock market but few Birmingham men have made money on the advance" remarked broker yes'er- day. Tt Is not often that such me op- portunities come for doubling or treohng ones investment capital as have been presented within the past few weeks.
 The fact is, Birmingham men are ex- tremely conservative where speculation is concerned. They are slow to go in at bottom prices. After they find the market is high and active they take chances in a limited way; but trading at top prices is necessarily extra hazardous. The re- suit is the Birmingham traders come out the little end of the horn. While thou sands might have been made recently or risk I do not believe that here in Bir- mingham the total winnings on futures have amounted to s10000."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
Advantages Compared.

From the Chicago Journal.
 (Which do you think is better?'' asked the thoughtful girl wealth or social po- sition?'
 My dear" answered Miss Cayenne with money to give entertainments you can get into the society column, but aris- tocratic origin does not necessarily in- sure mention in the financial news"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
THE LIMIT.

From the Union Springs Herald.
 Says The Age-Herald: South Caro- linas sensation is the lynching of white murderer at Kershaw. There is no logicai limit to the lynching business. fes, there is a limit-the widespread reign or anarchy
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
GOING TOO FAR.

From the Gadsden Journal.
 A writer for the New York Press makes the assertion that half of womans bea,,tiv is complexion and nine-tenths of her figure clothes. This is certainly car rying the analysis of the dear creature too far.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

Seventy-three thousand Chicagoese went to the St. Louis fair on Chicago day, and they did not say a word about the drainage canal and Chicago sewerge, and they drank beer only in St. Louis.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

On paper the rival presidential can didates have carried the doubtful states at least a thousand times, but imaginary victories are not wholly satisfactory. They are too dreamy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

David Bennett Hill and May Irwin recently appeared simultaneously at Baltimore theatre. Where there are so many appearances of that sort there must be some fire of the Cupid sort
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

The latest histrionic achievement" in New York is called "Higgledy Pig gledy." It very fairly represents the present condition of the comic opera ctaUa
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

The Filipinos are looking forward eagerly to their departure for home, where they can eat dog meat without making horrible examples of them selves before New England school teachers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
TOM ALL AROUND.

From the Rome Tribune.
 A large Tom cat from Thomson. Tom Watsons home. was recently sent to Tom Taggart. Seems to have been case of Tom all round.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

Governor Crane, wno has been ap- pointed to the vacancy created by the death of Senator Hoar, is a business man who rarely, if ever, makes a speech. He will not fill those shoes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

There are more Mudds in Maryland politics than you can shake a stick at. The names of three will appear on the official ballot.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

The spellbinder is warming up some, but the average listener re- fuses to become spellbound in this apathetic campaign.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

The St. Louis Pike concessionaires are preparing to spread themselves over the entire country
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

At Wildwood, s. D., there is a paper called "The Jawbone," probably be- oause 1t talks back.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15

A corn crop almost up to two and a half billion bushels ought to stop a lot C. squealing in the world, espe- cially among the pigs.