The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-27

time there was n hue and cry among
some or our northern contemporaries
against the proposed law, and we were
haunted with tho charge THAT we were
simply trying to legallzc lynchng. We
were simply doing what our Oregon
friends have now done, fixing a penalty
80 tit the crn1e.'If Ell II
===-====-===
20. K..''
The discussion as to the origin of
20. K.' periodically claims the attention
OF tho reading public. 1t is now on in
a number of papers and ina gazlnes. Gen
ieral +. Warren Refer, In the current issue
Of the Archaeological Quarterly, gives a
new version of tho birth Of the useful
combination Of letters. He claims that
Sin Urbana, O., In 1910, when the Harrison
campaign was In progress, n Wing farmer
drove into town with this legend painted
on his wagon: The people Is on Kor-
rect The Democrats made fun of the
spelling, but a Wing tavern keeper near
Springfield stuck the letters o. X. over
his door, where they remained until tho
building was torn down In 1901
Another story that has often been told
In print and otherwise is that Andrew
Jackson, who was not n good speler,
first endorsed official papers that met
with his approval "Oll Korrect, and
then when these papers multiplied he hur-
red business by abbrevlating to 20. k
There are other legends concerning the
convenient letters. We do not know
which. If any, are true but whatever may
have been the origin there Is no doubt OF
the fact that to the early day telegraph
crs and the lightning jerkers" who fol-
lowed In their wake Is due the credit Of
preserving 20. K" When the telegraph
wires were first put In use by Morse, tho
operators found 1t necessary to provide
q code Of authorizations for ready use
''over the line and It was necessary
that these authorizations should be made
to conveniently fit tho peculiar forma-
ton of the telegraph alphabet made UP
Of dots and dashes. Among a long list
OF authorizations and signals meaning
various and sundry things. 20. X was
adopted as the signal to be used by
receiving operator to assure the sending
operator that a message had been cor
rectly understood and properly recorded.
The tecgraphers' first cousins. the ex-
press and railway agents, also adopted
the letters for use In checking up way
bills. etc., and in this way the conye-a
nent 70. X" went into general USE.
Jackson or the enthusiastic Ohio Whig
may have introduced 20. H." but tho
tclegraphers made the initials immortal.
=--==--:=:=--=- sFat.4
According to the amended figures of
tho Agricultural Department there are
IN old Virginia only eighty tobacco. hills
this year. where there were a hundred
last year. According to tho reports Of
the tobacco rasers, there are eight mil
lion tobacco flies this damp veal where
there were cighty-two last year. and all
this means Il short crop. OF course 1t
does. We always have short crop while
1t is growing.
| ~ --=---=-=---===-==
They've got TO give us better liquor
or shut up shop. SO said Tillman. tho
when speaking OF his dlsrcputable off
spring tho other day, TIllman Will have
to call on tho moonshiners for some of
his old-tmc fayorlte,
| t .-----=:----~"=-=- a5
Ex-Chinese Minister WI everlastlngly
put tho rabbit FOOT on tho state de-
partmcnt in dealing with that boycott
business. Mr.. WI learned a great deal
during his stay In this sweet land OF
liberty,
| =-=-:.. =.:-..-- -----cc-- -
Senator Dcpew is opposed to the cleo
ton OF United States senator's by the
| people IIe FASTENED to express this view
as soon as the Equitable researches dis
closed his name.
| ==---.-s
The Hanover melon was never more
delicious, and the whole population has
rIghteously rebelled against the Georgia
and Florida "rattlcsnakes."
E-=-.=-s---= s-.s=.---z-7=:-:
! The Hanover watermelon Ia here, and
the small hoy Is as happy ms big sun
| flower.
==E--z------=--.--=
"Blecding Kansas" does Buffe. some-
times Tom Lawson and Attorney jerome
| have been there this season,
| t==5==--E-=-=s.==
The dove Of peace Is sitting, and II In
figured out that she will hatch about
September lat.
| To-, u,l IN Ia ,,,,tt