davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
THE SOUTH AND JAMESTOWN.

From the Richmond Times-D Dispatch.
 We make our best bow to MT. Graham, of the North Carolina house of delegates, and Mr. Bragaw of the senate, for intro- ducing, each in his own branch of the legislature, bill appropriating $5O,0OO for the representation of that state in the Jamestown exposition. We take it as an act of friendliness to Virginia, and we hope that other soul er" states will follow suit. It is no boast to say that Virginia made greater sacrifice than any other southern state for the Confederate cause, and that she knew that her ter ritory would be the great battle-ground when she withdrew from the Union and cast her lot with her sister states in the south. We make no boast of this; we claim no special credit for it. but we mention the fact as evidence of Virginia s love for the south; and now that she is to have an exposition she expects each and every southern state to come in and take part and help her to make it great southern success. North Carolina, her nearest neighbor, is leading the way. and Virginia is gratihed at this token of friendship and good will
 But, apart from the matter of senti- ment, 1t will be good business for the southern states to have representation at the Jamestown exposition. We are going to make the Jamestown celebration memorable occasion, and 1t goes without saying that there will be thousands and tens of thousands of visitors from all parts of the Union and from abroad, and the exposition will necessarily be re- garded as a distinctively southern enter prise For this reason it behooves the southern states to make it a representa- tive exposition, as an advertisement of the south's resources her progress and her prosperity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
The Dining Car Story.

That was a facetious account of the dining car incident given The Age-Her- aid representative by Passenger Agent Freeman of the A. G. s." said Living ston man.
 The place was not mentioned, nor were the names of the gentlemen who fur nished MT. Freeman the facts of his story.
 There can be no possible objection to admitting that the incident occurred at Livingston. nor that the party was com posed of banker and three capitalists, largely interested in industrial enter prises. These gentlemen plead guilty to the charge of having exchanged the cir culatinS medium for some nice and we'll served delieaeles. The price? Oh well, men who travel extensively and who fre- quently take their meals on dining cars. do not expect the entire card for dime.
 There Is some curiosity down here to know why the passenger agents friend was unable to distinguish these prominent gentlemen from the genus hobo Two so- lutions are offered: The first that he had been too often into that apartment of the car dedicated to the extracts. The other, that his associates have been of the latter rather than the former class. Yes, we all enjoyed the story"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
KNELL IS SOUNDED FOR
 THE THEATRICAL TRUST

tion failing to pay tribute to it, but it has also commercialzed and demoralized the theatre. There are few fine men and women of the stage who have positions of such independence that they insist on their own ideas of production, even while they submit to the enforced management and the business exactions of the trust. But the general syndicate attractions have run to the veriest trash. The endless line of musical comedies has succeeded legitimate and wholesome comedies on the one hand and meritorious comic opera on the other. It is composed mainly of shows made up of idiotic humor, triv- ial music, garish settings and costume, more frequently soiled than fresh, and often extensively Haunted in the gyrations of the chorus.
 If the theatrical trust can be broken up and independent production restored on a basis that will give the managers of the- atres and companies their just propor- tions of the public nancy, the competi- tion thus established will result in a better order in the playhouse. So here's hoping that the greed, the commercialisn. and the demoralizaton of tho tribe of Klaw & Erlanger may be suppressed
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
MERMAlps ARE GROWING SCARCE
From the Field and Stream.

From the FIe,d and Stream.
 The strangest of all strang fish must be the manatee and the dugong. The latter is the mermaid of fabled lore. The dIgong live il fiocks along the shores of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mansar, where they brouse on sei weed and river vegation
 They are very effactionate in disposi- tion, and especially Is this shown in the love of of the mother for her offspring which is much stronger than her instinct of self preservation. The male will not leave the female if she be attacked, and instances are on record where the com panons of the manatee gathered around and made an effort to withdraw the dead ly harpoon
 It Is supposed that the rude approach to the human outline observed in the shape of the head of the dugong. the att young to her breast with one fiipper while swimming with the other. holding both above water ard suddenly diving and showing her fsh-like tail when alarmed. gave rise to the mermaid myth, first told by the Arab seamen. Jules Verne gives tn Hing description of the capture of a dugong in the Red Sea when it's flesh was desired as food Naturalists tell us that the flesh of the manatee or of the dug org much resembles well fatted pork of pleasant flavor snd is highly esteemed as food. For this reason they were much hunted and are fast becoming extinct.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
IN HOTEL LOB3IEs
American Cardinals.

It seems that the Pope is about to elevate the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro to the cardinalate." remarked a layman.
 mere has never been d cardinal in south America. and the honor awaiting the Brazilian primate will doubtless be greatly appreciated by the Catholics of that country.
 In this connection l think it safe to predict that the United States will have at least three cardinals within the next fe" years. Only three ecclesiastics on the western continent have worn the red hat The first was the late Cardinal MeClos- Key Archbishop of New York Soon af- ter his death the Archbishop of Baltimore, who is recognized as the primate of the Catholic church in the United States was created a eardinal-James Cardinal Gib- bons. At the same time the Archbishop of Quebec, Dr. Taschereaux. was raised to the cardinalate. Cardinal Tasehereaux died several years ago and the only car dinal on this side of the Atlantic, there fore, is Cardinal Gibbons
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
Control of inc Food Supply.

J. Ogden Armour at the age of Al, controls one-half of the food supply of the world. He is the head of the beef trust in the chief producing coun- try of the world. Conceding him thirty xears of active life, it is not too much to, expect that he will yet be able to control the entire food product of the world.
 It is bad enough to have the oil product of the world controlled by John D. Rockefeller, saintly though he be, but it would be infinitely worse to have the food product of the world controlled by one man, be it Ogden armour, or some other beef trust mag nate.
 Tho beef trust pays no attention to the decision of the supreme court ordering it to stop all it's efforts to de- stroy competition. It goes right along acting in concert just as it did before the decision was rendered, and the United States district attorneys either are not inclined to enforce that deci-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
neobv Meets the Trains.

''There is a dog up the country" said q. commercial traveller at the Morris last night, that Is about the wisest canine outside of dog show in the country.
 "'Bob' is an ordinary pointer dog, but his distinction does not rest on his prow- ess as a hunter, though his master does assert he can flush more quail out of a ten-acre field than any other dog in all that country. What will immortalize Bob is his penchant for meeting trains. It is said he never neglects to meet every passenger train passing through the vil- lage Nobody seems to know why he goes to the trouble of strolling down to the station at train time, but he is there always. and never late, though the train sometimes is. Only few passenger trains are on the schedule, and Bob knows just when they are due. He never meets a freight, but if he happens to be around the station when one rolls in the villagers assert he barks vigorously and noisily at each car as the train passes, and twice at the caboose. Bob has learned to diff ferrentiate between the whistle of pas senger and freight locomotives uner- ringly.
 Bob has other requirements, one of which is that you can place cracker on his nose, count one, two, three, hound, and he will toss the morsel high in the air. catching it as it descenos. It doesn matter now many you count, he never losses up until you say hound.
 No reason is offered in explanation of this undoglike habit. but have an idea the village association had fostered this 'loafIng' practice of seeing the train ga hy f'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
A BAsELEso CHARGE
Analysed by Hoke Smith, Who Calls
 Hitchcock a SIanderer.

Washingtoa.-In an authorized state ment given out tonight former Secretary of the Interior Hoke Smith, replying to statement issued by Secretary Hitch cock regarding the action of MT. Smith in approving an oil and gas lease made with the Osage Indians in 1896, severely arraigns Secretary Hitchcock as making "a baseless charge"
 Mir Smith cites the records of the de- partment, which show that the lease are- quired payment of ample royalties to the Indians in case oil or gas was found. The lease was recommended by Colonel Freeman of the United States army. act ing Indian agent for the Osage tribe
 "The letter recommending approval is initiated by MT. Larrabee. the present assistant commissioner of Indian affairs. thereby carrying his approval The rec ords show the approval in the office of the Secretary of the Interior was made by Assistant Secretary Reynolds. as act ing secretary who has been recently elected to Congress from Pennsylvania.
 With this record in his office. Seere- tary Hitchcock declared the lease was approved by the then Secretary of the Interior, MT. Smith, and he uses this further language:
 The original lease is an unheard-of monopoly, and nothing short of a public scandal
 "The mind of the Secretary must have been overstrained when he discovered a monopoly of oil on the Osage ressrva- tien in 1896 before a well had been bored. a pipe laid or railroad built within many miles. To his opinion on this sub- ject I am indifferent. But when Secre- tary Hitchcock stated that the original lease was nothing short of a public scan- dal, he uttered charge for which he was entirely without excuse He placed himself in the class of common slander- CTS. He bore false witness against pre- decessor in office, knowing at the time there was no truth in his baseless charge"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
Peace Prospects in the Far East.

Financial circles continue to con- slider peace in the Far East reasonably certain. It must come of course, if at all, on the initiative of Russia, for Japan cannot be expected to sue for peace after year of victories.
 Russia, 1t is thought, is ready to give up Korea and Manchuria, but 1t Is stated that she is not willing to pay an indemnity covering Japan's ex- penses of the war and she is not will ing to let Japan hold the ships that were sunk at Port Arthur. Japan cer. tainly will hold all the ships that rest on the bottom at Port Arthur, and there is no reason why she should not if to the victors belong the spells of war As to an indemnity, Russia de- manded one from China--one beyond all sense of reason-and she demanded one from Turkey and secured it. What is the reason then she should not pay an indemnity to Japan? Surely her successes on either land or sea do not warrant her in saying that she is en- titled to exceptionally favorable treat ment.
 But the truth is, peace will come, oIl nf hn af home. The discontent in Russia is great, and it is daily increasing. The action of three thousand students in St. Petersburg-the open action-shows that the empre is honeycombed with discontent, unrest, agitation, and even bomb-throwing which will soon lead to revolution unless the situation be speedily and radically changed. It is this internal condition that is leading to peace predictions in all the capitals of the world. It is believed the last battles of the war have been fought, and that the dynasty will then en- deavor to repair its fences in the hope of restoring the loyalty of its subjects. The task Is huge one, full of diff ficulties, but still it is not impossible. The war is regarded in Russia as a failure. and settlement of it would not leave the Czar and his ministers worse off than they are at present.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
Fire Damp in the Virginia Mines.

The appalling disaster in the Vr- ginia mines in this county has car ried dismay and grief to every part of the Birmingham district. Hereto fore the mines in this district have been comparatively free from the deadly gas which has exploded In mines in other states carrying death and destruction in It's train. But the mines hereaboutG have been so free from the gas that safety lamps have scarcely been considered essential. In many a mine in this district they are never used, whereas in no mine Ill other states are they ever dlscardeu.
 But the absence of safety lamps did not create, nor would they have lessened the appalling disaster at the Virginia mines. A shot ignited the fire-damp. The fre-damp itself IS light carburated hydrogen, but flame involves the oxygen present also, and the mass explodes rapidly, going from chamber to chamber, with fearful ef- feet. Those who, imprisoned, survived the fearful explosion had to encounter the chol.e.damp which follows an ex- plosion of the fire-damp. All hope as to the imprisoned miners was based on the fact that the fan at the mine was running, flooding the mine with pure air. Until the loves. level of the mine is reached, the full story of the disas- ter will not bc known.
 State Mine Inspector Gray will no doubt investigate all the conditions that le1 to the disaster. It is plain that it will not do to assume now that the coal seams in this district do not give off fire-damp. The entire subject of ventilation in mines needs exhaust i've treatment and consideration.
 The dreadful loss of life at the Vir- ginia mines should be met with an in- vestigatiol that will render a disaster of like nature hereafter well-nigh i'm possible. The nor, thorough the in- vestigation the more the lives at Vir- ginia mines will have been sacrificed for others who follow them in their perilous calling. Mondays horror may save many lives hereafter. The terri ble fate of the Inflated men may point the way to safet. in our mines in the years to come.
 The investigation that State Mine In- spector Gray is authorized to conduct, and is expected to conduct, cannot be too searching or too comprehensive. The very dead cry out for an investi- gation that will leave nothing con cealed or unexplained.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
Weep l cannot, But my heart bleeds.
 Winters Tale.
Help for tIle Distressed.

About one hundred families are left helpless by the disaster at the Vir ginia mines in Jefferson county. Fully five hundred women and children are stricken with grief and the prospects of utter destitution. Every dollar they have will be needed to bury their dead. They will have as a rule not a dollar for provisions and support. The union will do all it can Go, but the union is overtaxed by the strike it is conduct ing.
 A fund should at once be gathered together to keep the stricken families from actual distress. A liberal fund is necessary, is absolutely needed if hu- man suffering is 10 be averted from those who wih suffer most and longest from the disaster at the mines. A fund is needed that would give the dis tressed families one hundred dollars apiece, and surely this rich and pros porous district will not see a stricken family suffer because of the lack of that sum.
 Let there be no waiting for big sub scriptions. Let all do all they can in this emergency Let subscriptions be started in every part of this district. Subscriptions can be sent in at once, and the machinery of distribution will be arrangel as speedily as possible afterwards. Subscriptions may be sent to President F. NJ. Jackson of the Com mercial club, who will doubtless take charge of the fund for the relief of the suffering families. The Age-Herald and the other papers will also be ready to take charge of such subscriptions as may be sent to them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
Telephcne Takers.

Pay station telephones are increas- ing in number and this fact is easily ex- plained," said a merchant. Tn drug stores, hotels, restaurants and other places accessible to the public, many peo- pie drop in to use the telephone when 1t it is free. but when a toll of 5 cents is exacted the number is comparatively small. I have known persons who spend money freely walk a block or two to get at free phone rather than drop a niclSle in the slot at a pay station.
 "The pay station is doubtless fairly re- munerative, for some people patronize shuts out the multitude and rids the merchant of the long talk nuisance.
 Ut Is surprising to find so many incon- siderate people in the world Every well disposed person who rents a telephone should be glad to oblige man or woman in case of emergency, but it is safe to say that a majority of those who ask and receive permission to use the phone consume a great deal of time unneeessar- fly. Ordinarily they could transact their business in thirty seconds, but often they talk for several minutes. This is what I call inconsiderate on the part of the obligee, for patron of the store may be trying to call up or the head of the concern may himself be impatient to use his phone.
 "One of the few pharmacies having a free telephone has posted this notice: The public is welcome to use this telephone, but persons availing themselves of the privilege are requested to cut their talk short; otherwise they will be interrupted and asked to quit
 Tt would be good idea for the tele- phone companies to have little slips print ed and furnished to their customers to be pasted on the phones. One night last week 1 was in a cafe. A youns; man, not a patron of the place, was using the phone by permission. When this fellow concluded his talk he put up the re- ceiver and walked out. The proprietor ex- claimed: Well, that was the limit That man used the telephone in a social con- versation exactly twenty-two minutes by the clock. and never even thanked me. The long, -winded telephone habit Is be- coming intolerable.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
REMOVABLE HEELS.

From the Philadelphia Record.
 A new British invention in footwear promises to exercise a vast influence on the boot and shoe industry. Many at- tempts have been made at one time or another to produce shoe with re- movable soles and heels, but by various reasons none have proven satisfactory. But a British firm appears to have solved the problem in producing a shoe that has all the appearance and merit of an ordi- nary well-made shoe, but so constructed that the heel and sole can be easily taken off and new ones put on.
 The advantages of such a shoe are ob- vious, and the most striking feature of the patent, according to the American Inventor, is its absolute>. simplicity. A factory for the manufacture of these shoes is in active operation at Leeds, Eng, and by the enthusiastic way in which it is spoken of in the British press it has evidently met with popular approval.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star.
 3 HE movement against the trusts 9 has gradually become general
 since the scope of the Sherman law and the powers of the federal gov ernment under the department of conn merce and labor act have been defined. It now seems probable that criminal pro- ceedings will be instituted against the theatrical trust because of its treatment of rivals and some of the New York critics. The trust has undertaken to bar several critics from all of it's New York theatres, and in at least one instance has succeeded This action has aroused the New York press as it never was aroused before against the Klaw & Erlanger com bination.
 But the strongest case in law will prob ably be made by Mir David Belasoo an independent producer, who has suffered from the most arbitrary, unjust and mer- ciless opposition that the wits of the syndicate managers could devise. He has had his own theatre, however, and this has given him a chance for his life. Whenever he has needed an additional New York theatre he has found the sym dicate in his way and has been either ''held up or barred out. On the road he encounters the same opposition. He cannot play the trust houses, and in one way or another the trust has secured con- trol of nearly every desirable theatre in the large cities. Mir. Belasco proposes to see what the law can do for him. He has prepared long and carefully for the test, and 1t is said he is nearly ready to make it.
 There are oth@ trusts that are more oppressive, for they advance the prices on the necessities of life. By combining they have eliminated domestic competi- ton, and the government by maintaining a high tariff wall. has given them pro- tecton against foreign competition. With this advantage they rob the people with impunity. But it has not been charged that the trusts have systematically or generally adulterated the commodities in which they deal.
 The theatrical trust is rather unique. Plays and operas are not a necessity. They are, however, important factors in the social life of a nation. They very largely furnish the relaxation which an industrious people needs. The habitual playgoer reflects in his mental and tenn peramental habits the diversion he en- joys. To some extent he is chooser, but he often must take what he does not like because it is impossible to get what he prefers. In the long run low order of entertainment vitiates his taste. The theatrical trust has not only exacted tribute-and the most arbitrary tribute from the managers of theatres and com panies, it has not only dune all in it's power to crush and ruin any organiza-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
THE NATIONS SEAL.

From the New York Press
 The statement made by certain his- torian that the great seal of the United States, which is used at the present day by the Secretary of State, who affixes it to commissions signed by the President, Is the second of its kind in the possess sion of the government, is not quite cor rect. There have been three great seals those of 17S2 1s41 and 1885. The eagle of the ls41 seal held only six arrows in his sinister talon, having In some unac- countahle way lost seven of the original thirteen. The name of the cutter of the die is unknown, and the change in the bird was made without authority. The position of the eagles talons Is the re- verse of natural Tiffany cut the present die, and it's heraldic and legal correct ness devolved upon James Horton White. house.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-22
cockRAN's QUICK REPORT.

From the Washington Post
 Bourke Cochran and Washington Gard ner of Michigan were having it hot and heavy in the House over the proposed in- crease of teachers salaries in this city. Gardner stood for a $500 salary as ade- quate in certain cases. Why" said he, q know stenographers and college grad uates in some parts of this land who are glad to get as much as that
 Where Is that place?' inquired Cock ran cynically.
 Out in Michigan" thundered Gardner.
 "Oh, weli' replied the urbane New Yorker, that's unknown country
 "Ah yes," continued the Michigan man, but you stumped out there in the last campaign. 1 noted that wherever you spoke the republican majorities were in- creased in November.
 (Which is an argument" retorted Cock ran, not to be outdone, proving that Michigan is not up to her opportunities.