davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
Wants Better Shows,
To the Editor Of The Journal.

To the Editor of The Journal.
travelling greater part of the time,
get quite well acquainted with theatrical
matters as the theater furnishes the trav-
cling man with the greatest share of his
recreation. While lately in Denver, no.
ticed that an attraction which will soon
play here at the Metropolitan was playing
there in a 5O-cent Stheater. II was greatly
surprised that the MANAGEMENT here
should care so little for theft patrons well
fare as to book such thinr!s here
1t is no wonder that people fill the vau-
deville houses, especially when the first
class houses care so little for their pa
irons. I don't care for a string of acts,
but would rather see them than pay ST
and $3.50 to second and third class shows
in first class houses. I think any one
would rather pay 50 to see John Drew or
William Gillette than pay SO cents to
see overnight stand production.
I often stop over at Des Moines on
business, and it would greatly surprise
Minneapolitans to see the kind of shows
that come there. There is no reason why
this town should not get as good shows
as a town ono third the size. I under
stand that we are promised Sothern and
MarloWe and Richard Mansfield, but
these good things once in great while
do not make up for the great number of
bad things Minneapolis is a good show
town and those stars will do a good bust
ness, but we should have more of them.
Minneapolis, May 1. IF. w. Street.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
Getting Rid Of a Nuisance.

By an act Of the present legislature
the city council is authorized to turn
the waters of Bassett 8 creek into Cedar
lake, if the surveys shall prove the work
to be feasible. The plan would involve
the carrying Of the waters of the creek
thru Lake Of the Isles, Calhoun and
Harriet and finally into Minnehaha
creek. The plan is probably quite feast.
BILE from an engineering view and fairly
economical. too. It would certainly be
a relief to everybody to be free from
the Bassett's creek problem. It's waters
are not needed in the Mississippi river
and they frequently decline to go there
by the regular channel but leave thei,
tiny bed and sweep over everybody s
garden patch. The city has paid some
money for: damages heretofore which
would have gone distance toward the
expense Of suppressing this truculent
little river. Besides, the city would
save the larger expense Of building q
tunnel sewer to take care of the creek IS
overflow.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
AT THE THEATERS
MetropoIItan-Harry Corson Clarke In
oils Absent Boy.' ---...

SOiSOu Siai III
oils Absent Boy" ..---.~
Weighted down with countless hoary
traditions of farce construction, His Alb
sent Boy has, nevertheless, at least one
merit 1t is short With proper treat
ment it might be made even more 1neri-
torious in this particular Doubtless it
is the desire of the manager to spread
the thing over an entire evening. But
the move is extremely harmful to the
piece That which goes to make farce
ego is lost-the action drags and the
audience becomes conscious that this is
farce the form Of dramatic construction
which needs action to make untruth half
PLAUSIBLE -. .-...s. -..... ..s- -
Harry Corson Clarke, who is the princi-
pal of the piece, gives a consistent por-
trayal of the irresponsible old hen-pecked
rounder on whose tale of a fictitious past
and fictitious son the story hinges. Give
him a secondary part in a musical comedy
and he would be a veritabl adjunct. And
give his acco1nplices in ''Fiis Absent Boy
a worthy farce, perhaps their time-and
the audience's-rnigh be spent to better
advantage. FL .r
After all, it is to Sidney Rosenfeld, the
author that ones dsrespects must be
paid, for his hackneyed situations, his
fiat curtain climaXes and his offenses'
against good taste. made more reprehensi-
BILE because they are bungling
After all this, however. one must return
to Mr.. Clarke and own he is frequently
funny, and wish he might gain his proper
niche on the stage
.> Harry B. Wakefield.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
THE MAGAZINES

The Most Religious People on the Globe.
How little the white man, especially
the majority of those of us who go forth
as missionaries to convert the heathen,'
comprehend the Chinese character" says
Casper Whitney in May outing. To the
student of Chinese institutions and the
Chinese themselves, 1t seems outrageous
presumption, for the truth is that the Chi
nese are without doubt the most religious
people on the globe. Their religion is a
very part of themselves, accepted with
out discussion from birth. The yeriest
pauper, from worldly point of view, who
lives on one of the hundreds Of sampans
floating before Canton, will deny himself
in order that he may perform a particu-
lar religious duty. There are no people
save the Mohammedans that SO complete
ly live up to the faith they profess. China
has no divergent churches, no wranglins
apostles; there is the one creed, of thou
sands of years standing, to which all
| yield allegiance, and to which all pin a
faith that continues unto death incontro-
Vertible,'' ss---.@
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05

which, it declared, it desired as much
as anybody.
alone in their fight. Taking advantage
of this fact, Mr.. Hogg apparently
thought he could say with impunity
anything that would seem to reflect
on the course of Culberson and Bailey.
g Texans Turn on Hogg.
But the tone of the Texas press after
the Dallas dinner showed the ex-gov-
ernor had reckoned without his host It
was openly charged, even by some
papers, which had been among Mr..
Hogg's staunchest friends, that he was
attempting to take advantage Of the
asm to ride into the United States SEN
ate. Many of the very papers, which
| had been most vigorous in upholding
the president s canal policy when it
first became live issue, condemned
| Mr.. Hogg for bringing up such mat
cratic senators, when everybody else
| present, including the president him.
| self, was not only willing, but rather
| anxious, to avoid anything smacking
! of partizanship, sectionalism or politics.
| The war has been raging ever since,
and now no practical politician in the
state believes Mr.. Hogg could make
| neduWdy III cdiHpdlSu against eIIneA
Bailey or Culberson.
| Senator Culberson has not been to
Texas since the senate adjourned. He
is still in Washington and, altho fire.
quently requested to, has made no reply
to Hogg. Senator Bailey is also silent:
In some of the earlier writings of
President Roosevelt, Texas and Texans
| were several times referred to in any
| thing but complimentary terms, and
Senator Bailey is said to have a trans
script of these references ready for use
should he be subjected to criticism for
absenting himself from all the various
functions given in honor of the presi-
dent during the tour thru Texas.
But. leaving all questions of state
ceived here indicate that the president
was given a marvelously cordial well
come in Texas, and that the welcome
was entirely spontaneous and sincere.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05

Any member of the legislature who re-
ceives travelling fees; per mile from the
state treasurer and uses a railroad pass
is a thief and robber .-Princeton Union.
- This is enthusiastically strong Ian
guage from the late republican candidate
for governor, and will not be relished by
members of the legislature who have fol-
lowed the time honored custom of riding
on passes and collecting mileage, How
ever, the paragraph quoted is only an in
temperate statement of an obvious fact,
that the senator or representative has
no more right to charge for travelling ex-
penses not incurred than any state Off
Lcial or employee. 1t draws S.attention
sharply to the inconsistent action of a
house committee which censured a forme,
state official, when the members of the
committee were doing exactly the same
thing. H..
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05

To the Editor Of The journal.
I noticed an item in Saturdays J r :
n a relating to action taken by the North
Side Comm ercial club toward securing a
park bounded by Tenth avenue, Plymouth
avenue, Penn avenue and the city limits /;
also a proposition that the McNair farm
Il suppose this means a portion of it,
be purchased and used for the North High
school athletic field and a smaller park.
While these are not altogether new ideas,
must say that I was surprised to find
that the Commercial club would approve
and sanction any such scheme.
Both the tracts mentioned lie exception
ally well as to grade, almost a dead level,
making ideal sites for plating and build
ing purposes, which every one knows is
| an exception in North Minneapolis. just
beyond the Farewell tract first mentioned
is an extensive ravine, absolutely worth
less for building purposes, but which
| would make an ideal park and parkway
connecting North Minneapolis with the
| Springs park between Western avenue
and Cedar lake. 1t seems to me this
would be the only logical use to which
! this property could be put.
! If the North Side Commercial club real
ly wants to do something along these lines
the field is certainly ready and waiting.
! The McNair tract has laid there for the
last fifteen years. obstructing communica
ton between Plymouth and Crystal Lake
avenues for half mile, and now wher
it is proposed to continue this obstruction
for all time, and add another for another
half mile just beyond, the club falls il
and lends its influence to further the
project. Now, say If the North Side
Commercial club really desires to accom-
plish something for parks worthy Of itself
let it get hustle on and get street o.
streets opened across the McNair trac
and obtain some Of the high blocks tina
abound in North Minneapolis and that ar
not worth the cost Of grading for build
ing sites at this time, and make sevcra
small local parks that would add beaut
to the North Side. There is one sue
block at the corner of Nineteenth an
Penn avenues that I presume might b
obtained now for little money. Part of
lies at least twenty feet above grade, bu
would make a little beauty of park an
would cost little for maintenance. Their
there are several small triangular park
in Forest Heights, some that would nc
, cost to exceed $50 to improve, but the
have laid there ever since the propert
was plated and are only used as a dump
ing ground for tin cans and other rubbish
Let the club demand that these improve
ments be made and think they wou]
, accomplish it and every citizen in Mort
Minneapolis would honor and thank thel
for it. w. H. Halt.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
Wake Up the Park Board.

1t is rather remarkable that Mime
apolis should be so slow and uncertain
about keeping up the stock Of food and
game fish in Lakes Calhoun and Har-
riet. These two bodies of water are
wholly within the city limits and are
included in the park area of the city.
They are the distinguishing feature Of
the topography Of Minneapolis. No
other cities have such bodies Of water
within their borders unless they have
made them, and art can never rival the
beauties of these two lakes. It is the
duty of the park commission to pre-
serve and develop the fishing in both
lakes, and presumably it recognizes that
obligation. There is a plan preached
now to get rid of the suckers, who are
alleged to eat the spawn Of the bass
and Graphic. We do not know how
this is, but certainly it would be hui
name either to get rid Of the suckers
or else provide them with more food.
| The park board has not stocked either
lake with enough food for very active
colony of suckers.
The children of Minneapolis are com.
paratively safe in fishing in Calhoun
or Harriet. They can be taken care of
by their parents or can 20 in parties
which include large boys. They can
fish near home and get all the benefits
of the fun and the exercise without
giving their mothers unnecessary anx
iety. The park board should really
brace up and put in fish. It will gel
a revenue from every fishing expedition
in the rent Of boats, fishing tackle ant
| haiti
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
TT BUFORD IRRIGATION PROJECT
Nv MONTANA AND NORTH DAKOTA
Acres VIII Be Reclaimed BY Diyerson of Waters of
The Yelloastone- Stockteedng Region WIZ
Be Deyez0bed.
Special to The Journal.

opec1al TO Inc JOURNAL
Washington, May 5.-This project
waters of Yellowstone river, at a point
nineteen miles northeast of Glendive,
Mont, for the irrigation of about sixty
thousand acres lying in northeastern
Montana and northwestern North Da-
kota. The diversion dam will be so To-
Gated as to permit the canal to be taken
out in a tunnel, thus placing the head
gates where they will be. protected
from the shock of large ice gorges,
every few years. The river bed pre-
sents suitable foundation for the dam,
and stone for it's construction is near at
hand.
The irrigable land is along the left
bank of the Yellowstone in a strip six
ty-fve miles long and FIVE miles wide at
its widest point. The main canal will
be placed on the side Of bench for
about twelve miles. Below this bench
quire water, and it is proposed to drop
water thru a turbine wheel to this land,
and at the same time develop power
with which to pump water from the
main canal to the bench land above.
About twenty-five miles of the canal
will be in very rough country. There
are thirteen different creek crossings to
De MADE, one OF Whlch Will De accom-
plished by means Of concrete-steel
pressure pipe 5000 feet long and 10
feet in diameter. The canal will have
capacity of about seven hundred and
fifty second-feet.
The soil of the benchlands is sandy
loan underlaid with gravel. The soil
of the bottom lands is sandy loan, but
in some places it is mixed with clay. Ii
is probable that some of these bottom
lands will require drainage: Alkall
does not appear except in a few places
The lands are largely in private owner
ship AS this section lies in the semi
arid region, years of ample rainfall are
very infrequent. On such years
abundant crops Of grains are vegetable:
are raised, the soil being particularly
we'll adapted to potatoes and forage
crops.
This tract is surrounded by one of thu
the west. The stock requires feeding
three months Of the year, and the guam
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05

tity of feed available determines the
amount of stock, that can be proftably
raised. With irrigation alfalfa and
other forage crops can be grown ex-
tensively, making it one of the largest
stock-feeding points in the west. At
present few gardens are irrigated
from small creeks, but no data are
available in regard to them. 1t is be-
lieved, however, that the duty of water
will be small.
The Northern Pacific railway passes
thru Glendive, twenty miles from the
headgates, and the Great North
ern railway has station at
Buford, two miles from the lower
end of the project: However. the
crops best suited to the soil and climate
are forage crops which can all be fed
to the stock where raised.
A water users association is being
formed under the name of the Lower
Yellowstone Water Users association.
The sum of $1,sO0,000 has been pro
visionally set aside from the reclama-
ton fund for the construction Of this
tprOiect
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
Commercial Clubs.

One of the most sensible movements
recently in Minneapolis is the organiza-
ton of commercial clubs in different
parts Of the city. T h e J ourn
would not advocate or encourage sec
tionalism in city life, but this is not
necessarily the purpose Of these clubs.
Each of the great natural divisions of
eapolis-North, East and South
sides-has special needs to be looked
after and special advantages to be ex-
plotted. Their own business men and
real estate men ought to lead in tax
ing care Of these local interests. In
the organization of business clubs they
show disposition to do this, and ii
is q worthy movement.
The South Side is particularly in
terested in the railroad crossings prob
lem and in cross-town car lines. The
East Side is especially interested il
means Of communication with the West
Side and in the development Of it,
great manufacturing districts, North
east and Southeast. The North Side
has a peculiar hold upon the jobbins
and warehousing interests of the city
and has besides great and beautiful
residence district which is suffering
from neglect at this time because o:
slow streetcar service.
All of these interests are real an(
tangible, and the people of those sec
tions do we'll to organize and take car,
Of them.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
Commercial Graft.

We have heard a great deal about
political graft. We are now hearing
something about commercial graft.
Legislation has been directed against
political graft for some time. It has
remained for Wisconsin, where are to be
found the leaders in movements for re-
form by legislation, to legislate against
commercial graft.
The legislature of Wisconsin has
passed and the governor has signed
bill providing that whoever corruptly
gives or offers any agent, servant or
employee any gift or gratuity whatever
for the purpose of influencing his action
in relation to his employer business,
and that any agent, servant or en-
ployee who accepts such gift, shall be
liable to a fine from $40 to $500, or to
such fine and Imprisonment for one year.
Commercial graft is alarmingly on
the increase. The giving of brides in
the form of bonuses, gratuities or fa-
vors OF one kind or another to employees
or agents for the purpose of influencing
sales and contracts has grown to enorm-
Gus proportions in the commercial world.
It has come to cut such a figure in the
determine tion of large contracts and
sales as to constitute a dangerous ele-
ment in business success. This system
of graft extends all the way from the
grocery clerk to the railroad purchas-
ing agent-from the man who influences
the sale of a box Of soap or a case of
breakfast food to his employer to the
man who buys supplies for railroad
company or manufacturing institution
to the extent Of hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
The Wisconsin law is an effort to put
stop to this practice so inimical to
legitimate business enterprise and so
ruinous to the integrity of the employee
Whether it shall prove effectual or not
the passage Of the law has emphasized
the seriousness of this evil practice and
may contribute in some measure to its
overthrow. 1t will certainly be of some
advantage 20 employers to be able tc
add to dismissal in disgrace the penalty
Of fine or imprisonment, or both, fol
dishonest employees who take advantage
Of their positions to make money fol
themselves at the expense Of their EN-
! ployers.
Not only does commercial graft oper
act against honest dealing in the worlt
of trade, but the existence of CONNER
cial graft affords an excuse for and is S,
utilized by those guilty Of political
graft. The man who, by his vote O
by other official action, sells on
4 the interest Of the community for /
bride seeks to justify in his own mine
this criminal act by the fact that act
Of substantially the same moral qnalit,
80 the commercial world are common
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
South Dakota Oil Regulations.

To the Editor of The Journal
1 noticed an article in T h e j o u rn a |
Of the 10Th ult. under these headlines:
"Oil Kings Thumb on South Dakota
The Legislature Was Flimfammed by the
Octopus. L. .s...--- g. Z.
I am much surprised that the whole
truth was not told. Tho I presume the
author Of the article knew that if he told
the whole truth there would not have been
anything sensational and the story would
not have been worth writing. '
That the people Of South Dakota who
read T he O u r na may not be mis-
led and frightened by this article referred
to, / wish to say that I believe that the,
legislature acted with@a full understand
ing Of the whole situation and for the
best interests of the people of South Da-
kota
The contention CT the Standard Oil COM
pary was that the standard fixed by the
legislature of 1903 was too high, as the
oils from the fields known as the Kansas
oil fields would not stand a gravity test OF
46, and that the Kansas oils at AZ were
lust as good as the eastern oils at 40:
therefore, they asked the legislature to
amend the law of 1903 by reducing the
gravity from As to AZ and raising the
residue from 4 per cent to 10 per cent.
This, of course. would admit all oils both
Kansas and eastern, at lower grade
test and would have been hardship to ali
the people of the state who were depend
ing upon illuminating ell for lighting pur-
poses. as the lower grade oils would pc
shipped from the east The Standard Oil
company stated that if Kansas Oil could
be admitted it could be sold for 5 cents
a gallon less and thereby save the peo-
pie Of the state approximately Sloo, wv
| a year. and if it was just as GOOD, they
did not see why it should be barred. They
| went farther and said to the Legislature
.sYou can select any chemist you may
wish. Send him to the oil fields In Kan
| sts let him make a tlloro test and com
/ harrison of Kansas and eastern OILS, ana II
/ his report will not bear US out in our con-
I tention that Kansas oil is just as good
or better, at AZ, as eastern oil at 49, We
| will ask no change in the law. Besides
1 We will pay the expense OF the lnVesllsa'
4 ton Now, wish to ask was II al
/ unWise move, from a business stanopolnt
to accept the proposition and make tnt
/ investigation? think not. So Pro1esso'
4 James III. Shepard. chemist at the Agrl
/ cultural college at Bookings, was selected
i to make the investigation. not as a rep
4 resentative of the Standard Oil company
hut of the state and a more competen
4 and conservative man in his line OF worn
i does not exist within or without the state
i Well Professor Shepard made the com
na risons and investigation. together wit
4 +ha nrofessor of chemistry at the stat
Il nivarsity at Verrnillion and reported t
4 the legislature, not that it would save tn
4 state 100000 annual W nor that the Kan
Il sas oils would not. stand a test OF 49, pu
& thaf the Kansas oil for illuminating pur
Il noses had more candle power, gave g
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05

The University of Florida has been
given some unpleasant notoriety by a
fight. not between students, but between
the chancellor and professor in the pre-
paratory department: The professor -
it is reported, ''gQtaa sharp uppercut and
staggered backwards, but recovered and
clinched with the chancellor" The two
rolled down the steps and landed with
the professor ION the botton,'' but stu
dents who witnessed the affair separated
the instructors. Should mere undergradu-
ates have mterfered in strictly inter-
faculty affair?
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-05
TEXAS LIKES THE
MAN ROOSEVELT
But as for Forgetting Party
Affiliations, Lone Star State
Is as of Old.
By w, w. Jermane.

Washington, May 5.--The approach
of President Roosevelt s return from
his trip to Texas and Colorado is caus-
ing a revival of the discussion, so prev
alent while he was in the former state,
Of the real meaning Of the reception
accorded him there.
In point Of population and represen'
tation in congress, as well as in area
Texas is the largest democratic state
in the union. 1t is democratic without
reference to the race question, when
does not figure there as in the other
southern states. It's present delegation
in congress, two senator's and sixteen
members of the house, is wholly demo
cratic, and it's present legislature has
but one republican. Its maioritiess fol-
democratic nominees, from president
down to constable, have long been
matter for comment at election time
and not more than one or two neWspa
pers of even local Importance IN the
entire state preach republican doctrines
and principles.