The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-02
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

l ES FTER two years of an almost | Vv proftless so1ourn in the Arctic
 regions Anthony Fiala has re- turned to this country, strongly impressed with the idea that the job of finding the north pole is by no means easy. Fiala is frank enough to admit that he has achieved practically nothing, so far as getting any nearer to the pole than pre- vious explorers is concerned, but thinks the scientific data compiled while the party was away may prove valuable to succeeding expeditions. Fiala has two plans for reaching the north pole. both of them demanding a large expenditure of money. The first proposes to send relay of several ships. preferably ten, to the north at stated intervals, so that the ship reaching the furthest point north would be able to fall back on the next ship In case of accidents, and so on down the line until the last ship was reached. Then 1t is presumed that 1t would be time to return home The other scheme Is to send a steel drift ship of such size and power that 1t would be able to crush the ice instead of being itself at the mercy of the foes. Both plans would cost large sums of money. At present there are no enormous appropriations In sight. The financial difficulties of Peary delayed his sailing on his present expedition, so we may infer that Fiala will not be able to carry out his ideas at any time soon. If American millionaires inclined more to science than to pictures, bric-a-brac, race horses, yachts and philanthropies, arctic explorers would not have such hard sailing.
 Mayor Rolla Wells of St. Louis an- nounces that he is going to New York to rest. He will probably be tired sure enough before he gets back home. The boastful attitude adopted by M. Witte after the consummation of peace at Portsmouth and the quiet announcement of Baron Komura that he yielded for the sake of humanity, compares the two men in a way that discredits the Russian plen- ipotentiary. The reported interview given out by M Witte to the effect that he played magnificent game of bluff, Is, to say the least of 1t. In very poor taste.
 The statehood constitutional committee at Muskogee, l. T. has agreed on "Se- quoyah" for the name of the common wealth. Imagine the joys of living in a state with Minnehaha name like thati No wonder Mir Takahira is III. From the looks of things at Portsmouth the Japs have an excuse for feeling sick The rapid and spectacular advertising indulged In by "Scotty''-born Walter Scott-of Death Valley, is now paying a dividend. A cloud of prospectors Is on 'Scotty's' trail, trying to locate his treas ure mine.
 There will be some consolation for earth bodies when airships become universal In the knowledge that the people who ride will be in as much danger as the people who walk.
 The oyster, festive bivalve," "seduc- tive crustacean," ct cetera, Is here again but he Is not going to be 'in our midst"
 if Eve" can help it. The season is too | young.
 | After a brief career of only eleven will cease to be "sanctifed saloon," and will henceforth be conducted by man whose chief aim will be to dispose of liquor. regardless of the consequences. ''Potter's Place" opened to the public