Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-12-15
CURRENT EVENTS.

Last week, for pre=enting q worthless
check for e12, 800 at bank there, and
the developments that followed was the
sensation of the week She conceived
the idea OF forging the name OF Andrew
Carnegie to Let of notes and agree
ments. and with the aid of a plausible
story induced several banks and money
lsnders to accept them as security for
large loans. One banker at Oberlin, O.,
accepted 70 much Of this worthless
paper that his bank has failed. The
forged notes are said to aggregate some
thirteen millions. On these the woman
secured large amounts, and with the
money lived high ut her mansion In
Cleveland. Chadwick Il now q
new expression among bankers for be-
ing bamboozeled-
Wall Street, also, had little furry,
last week, said to have been precipitated
by Lawson. Several millions of shares
OF all kinds OF stock were dumped on
the market, values went down and some
lambs were shorn; and some brokers
tried to construe the affair into a criti-
cism of Roosevelt's recommendation
in his message regarding railroad re-
bates, and favoring an increase In the
powers of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, but it didn't work.
The capture of Metre Hill. near Port
Arthur, by the Japs, last week, was
followed by the mounting of siege and
navy guns upon 1t, with which the Japs
destroyed the Russian war-shIps yet in
the harbor, including the Retvizan,
which was built i'm the yards of the
Cramps, at Philadelphia. The inhabi-
tants OF the town deserted it and took
refuge in the hills south of the harbor.
The assaults upon the hill. by the Japs
from their trenches, and the counter
assaults by the Russians. in their efforts
to recapture the place constituted some
OF the bloodiest and most desperate
fighting OF the war, part OF it being
hand to hand fighting with bayonetf
and hand grenades. Bnt the Japs held
it, and made good uee of it, and practi'
cally all Of the Russian feet that es
capped the last sortie has been destroyed.
The destruction Of these vessels in Port
Arthur harbor. leaves Admiral Togo
free to meet the Baltic squadron. which
win outnumber his feet, and the meet
ing with which will probably be the
most desperate naval battle OF modern
times. The Japs have established q
naval base at the Pescadore islands,
near Formosa, and have warned all
neutral trading vessels W steer clear OF
the islands.
One division OF the Baltic feet wcs re-
ported in the vicinity Of Madagascar
island, last week, and It's movements
will probably be veiled az much az pos
sible from now till the finish.
A large number Of new bills were in
troduced In Congress, last week, which.
with the leftover bills are said to stuff
Ill the pigeon-holes in all the committee
rooms The House passed the Legis-
1ative. Executive and Judicial appro-
priation bill. the first presented from
committee. The Presidents admirable
message was discussed. and the only
paragraph In IL that seems to be caus-
ing dissatisfaction is his recommends
lion concerning freight rates. The
President holds that the most impor-
tent legislative act now needed as re
CARDS the regulation OF corporations In
enlarged power to the Interstate Com
merce Commission 10 that, when there
II complaint Of a given freight rate the
Commission can fix rate after due in
vestigation, its mandate to 80 into i'm
mediate effect and to hold unless over
turned by o court Of review. Such
power II not relished by the railway
corporations
1t liz unpleasant, when 10 many enter
prises are awaiting development, to
ind that we must be more economical
than we had anticipated. The Secre-
tsry Of tine treasury. basing his esti-
mates upon present conditions. indicates
: deficiency OF eighteen millions on the
30th Of next June. IL II the evident in
tention OK the administration and OF
Speaker Cannon TO see TO II that ex-
perSitu are kept within bounds,
hence the necessity OF doing less than
had been hoped might be done There
win be ship or two less than proposed
for the navy, and Notifications will not
advance as rapidly M is desirable. Nor
will the rivers and harbors receive the
attention that public interests really re-
quire.
The trouble is that we have cut of
something like seventy-Gve millions in
internal revenue taxes.
The President. Secretary Morton and
the General Board Of the Navy all ia
vor the putting OF our navy on a war
basis. 30 that war will never come.
No great lesson In naval architecture
has yet been learned from the war In
the Far East. Torpedo boats and torpe
destroyers have been at work, but they
have not proven 10 very destructive
when there has been watchfulness Al
the outset the Japs inflicted grave In
juries. but the Russians were taken un.
awares. The President believes thor
ough ly In the big battleship. He argues
that no battleship has been sunk by
either torpedo boats or by direct gun fire
while the less protected ships have beer
sunk. That was true when written. but
since then the guns Of the japanese fred
from 203-metre Hill have sunk about
everything lying ut anchor in Port Ar
thur. by dropping shells upon theil
decks, thing that does not and can.
not, happen at sea.
II seems TO be settled that there will
be no extra session of Congress after
March 4th. next, for the purpose OF re
vising the tariff-rates; no great interes1
IL demanding 1t. and the present al
most even balance between the receipts
and expenses OF the government Ii
against 1t.
Some Of tbe members OF the Inter
- a