davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
Was ever feather so lightly blown to
and fro, as this multitude7
q King Henry vi.
Our September Convention.

Jefferson county is entitled to so
many delegates In the September dem
ocratic state convention it may be
necessary to draft men to serve in it.
After passes are cut off in January
next selection by draft would be the
better policy, for no good democrats
would then refuse to respond to a call
of that sort. Forty-seven men would
fill car. a militia company, or even a
procession, especially if all wear plug
hats.
The September convention is no light
or unimportant matter It should not
have been called, for the people acting
directly could have done all the busl-
ness. They could not make plat
FORM but that humbug of American
politics Is outgrown. 1t has fallen into
disuse. 1t is usually hot air and no
one respects it, or gives 1t a thought
after election day. It is what party
does, not what 1t promises to do just
before election, that is essential and
influential.
But a convention has been called, to
be held on September 10 at Montgom-
cry. The democrats are to select dele
gates by counties to the number of
Ala, on the basis Of population. This
plan gives Lowndes county demo
crat about ten times as much power
as a Limestone democrat, but such in
equalities and injustices are natural
and proper in a convention.
The convention is empowered to put
in nomination-really to select-a
chief Justice and two associate JUS
tees of the supreme court, and an
executive committee of the democratic
party to serve four years. 1t Will be
observed that all the machinery will
remain in the hands of the politicians
in the year 1908 when a President is
to be nominated and elected.
Our object is to call attention to the
Importance of sending the best men
in each county to the convention
men who believe in government Of the
people by the people. for the people.
The democratic people voting directly
in the August primary are to select
delegates to the September conven-
ton, and each and every voter should
study closely the names put before
him. He should go to the polls in Au-
gust with a pencil in his vest pocket.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
THE NAvY,s MARsMANsHIP.

From Harper's Weekly.
1.-THE criterion of target practice is the
actual number of hits per minutes" says
Secretary of Navy Bonaparte. Many
ships now average between 10 and 80
per cent of hits with all their main-bat-
terry guns, whereas in former days the
percentage was rarely over 40. even
though firing slowly at target more
than seven times as large as the pres
ent one Then the target was, 100 feet
long and 25 feet high; today it is p feet
long and IL feet high This increase in
hitting ability is due to the assiduous
training in the target practices which
have been carried out under the new
system adopted and also to Improvement
in ordnance Going back to 1898, when the
navy was using black powder and when
sights and other parts of the equipment
were poorly developed, our firing was
both slow and Inaccurate. At that time
* was considered satisfactory If a Pinch
gun fired one shot in five minutes. But
with each subsequent Improvement in
ordnance the rapdity was somewhat In
creased, and by carrying out systematic
target practice the present striking eff
ficiency has been attained For example,
the heavy turret guns that were but a
few years ago allowed five minutes in
which to fire shot, have recently fired
three shots and made three hits in one
minute.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
How Many Feet7

Sometimes in the summer when 1t gets
too hot to feel like doing anything very
arduous. a man with an imaginative turn
finds his mind wandering off into all
sorts of vagaries.a said an observing per-
son last night Il was just wondering
today whether the bland statistician
could estimate. by looking at the hollows
in the fagstones, how many feet have
passed up and down the court house steps
since they were first laid.
IF he could arrive at anything like an
itemzed statement, it would certainly
prove interesting reading to the person
who likes things a little out of the or
binary. First in order would be the DIFF
ferent kinds of footwear that have ex-
acted each its inhnitsimal tribute from
the well-worn granite; then would come
the age, the sex and the race of the wear
ers; then, perhaps, If the person who fig
ured possessed turn for such things, the
gaits and the emotions that induced them
the careless saunter of the idle spec
tator; the apprehension of one for the first
time a witness; the gentle patter of child
hoods innocence so strangely and UNI
consciously associated with the laws grim
Justice; the sorrow of a friend for
friend whom the irony of circumstantiai
evidence or a madness-induced crime has
entrapped; the slow, dull misery of
father or a mother whose child has gone
astray; or at last, on the downward way,
the Joyousness of freedom-all these, and
more, to form into a chain of heart
throbs.
Now, then. when we think of it, tho
court house steps are not such prosalc
blocks of stone after ALL"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
HOTEL kLEPToMANIA.
Women Principal Offenders, and An.
nuaI Cost of Loot Is Heavy.

From the New York Press
1t Is the fashion in our modern hotels
to write off $4,000 year as the loss for
sllverware and china taken by guests In
the course of twelve months. Many per-
sons will have souvenirs of their visits to
New York, and take spoons, knives, forks
and any sort of small ware they can slip
in their pockets. The craze has grown so
that the big hotel men now purchase
cheap hardware for the use of transient
guests, but the figures of loss run up In
three of the city hotels to the $4,000 mark
The women are blamed for this sort of
theft and the proof seems to be against
them.
Probably the best known hotel man In
the city said to me: I'VE know 1t is the
women who take the stuff. and many OF
them are New Workers.. When there Is
big dinner at the hotel attended by wom-
en- as we'll as men, we use special set Oh
spoons and other tableware made at little
cost and stamped with the name OF our
hotel. We lose one-third OF them. put the
cost of late years is figured in the dinner
AT so much per plate The spoons don't
cost us cents each and are not much to
look at after one nights use. The knives
and forks are worth less than 10 cents.
When we have a dinner exclusively TOT
men we put good plate on the table ana
don't lose 2 per cent OF 1t. This GOOD
table service is cut out at the mixed DIN
ners
Our greatest loss Is in the transient out.
of-town trade. One-half the women must
have a souvenir of the st. Regis, the wal
dorf, or the Holland house. They seem 70
think trip to New York is failure ul.-
less they have a few prizes 10 sno%
MANY women change about at the noee,s
so as to have a collection o, ouu ,,,try
,rbev don't mind showing their country
friends the loot they have won in New
J, York o 1t is not regarded as theft but as as
a smart fad. and I have yet 10 near OF o,
one woman denouncing the practice On
the ocean steamships this souvenir oosa,
ness has grown out of BOUNDS. On one
Us - Saw york liner to this side one
half ba,n the butter plates and one-third of the
nal 1vers ont of service before Sandy
Hook was reached
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
WHISTLE GIVING HIM FAME.
All Washington Trying to Initiate Con-
gresham Fulkerson's TrllIs.

Washington-Th last hour of the first
session of the Fifty-ninth Congress was
enllvened by songs and whistling. the
whistling being a feature contributed by
Representative F. b. Fulkerson of the
Fourth Missouri district.
Mr.. F'ulkerson whistled to the 'amuse-
ment of both his colleagues and the gal
leries. There was a peculiar trin to his
warbling notes, and the acoustic proper
ties of the hall of the House of Repre-
sentatives aided in impressing upon the
audience the talent of the congressional
whistler and the happy selection of his
airs
Even Uncle Joe Cannon was affected by
the reverberating echoes and re-echoes of
the Fulkerson trlll. Since then everybody
from the small boy to the lingering So
ciety belle In Washington has been after
that trill, and the spell has even ex-
tended to Mr.. Fulkerson's colleagues, for
a remaining member was caught the other
day in a Washington hotel lobby prac-
ticing the Fulkerson mouth quicker.
There is an interesting unpublished
story of the discovery of Mr.. Fulkerson's
whistling talent.
Last spring, not long after Senator
Warner came on to Washington, 1t was
observed by some one of the Missouri
colony In Washington that there were
so many new members, and republicans
at that. that there should be special
meeting of all Missourians at the national
capital. In due time Carroll Hall was
secured for the Mlssourians In Washing
ton were on hand to meet one another
and become better acquainted.
The programme was arranged so that
each one of the new republican members
from the state should be called on for an
impromptu talk Finally It came Fulker-
sons turn to do something.
So completely had the Federal pie ques-
ton and the greatness Of old Missouri
been gone over by the previous speakers
that some one suggested that If nothing
else could be said Fulkerson should just
whistle, not dreaming that the request
was made of one of the most expert
whistlers In the country.
Mr.. Fulkerson complied and entertained
the Missourians in fine style. That was
the way Fukersons MARBLE was discoV-
cred. at least to Missourians here.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
HApLEY AS A TROUT CATCHER.
Mlssourl's Attorney General Adorns
His Cap With Another Feather.

From the Denver Post.
Attorney General Herbert s. Hadley of
Missouri has added another feather to his
cap. He came to Colorado two weeks
ago with world breaking record for
trust breaking, and he goes back to Mis-
souri, with one for record breaking. He
has caught the biggest trout ever landed
in Estes park The fish tipped the scales
at exactly seven and one-quarter pounds.
The young attorney general has rep
utation for being reticent. He earned 1t
in New York when stalking Standard Oil
magnates. But when 1t came to telling
how that whale of fish was caught-how
he could talk
Mr. Hadley came in from Estes park
Sunday evening and for an hour he held
the hotel lobby spellbound telling how the
trout record of Estes park was broken.
He tells the story this way:
1T happened on the third or fourth day
we were In the park. We were coming
home from fishing one evening with our
baskets full of two and three-pounders. l
found place In the Big Thompson that
looked good to me and stopped rev
minutes to fish There were some pretty
low them a good sized pool Just as l
was about to make my cast | saw the
water swirl around the rock In a way that
looked mighty curious to me-
~ threw out towards II just for luck.
The tussle that followed made the one
with the Standard OIL In Missouri look
mild. | let the fish have the line until my
reel hummed and then the fight began.
81 thought l knew every sort OF a dodge
n man or fish can execute. but that whale
of Estes park taught me some new ones.
He pulled and tugged at the line, he dived
and cut through the water until my line
hummed like violin string. l was in
constant fear my line would break but
after playing him half an hour l landed
him.
you would not believe me if told you
how big that fish looked when / caught
a glimpse of him once when he tried to
lump off my hook. And when l landed
him he had not shrunk bit. l made
straight for the hotel with him, and he
tipped the scales at exactly seven and
one-quarter pounds. 1t does not sound
true. but 1t is, for everyone. at the hotel
saw me weigh him.
Think of IT. Seven and quarter
Very different from the white, tired
looking young man who came to Den
yer two weeks ago. worn out by his strug-
gle with Rockefeller and II. II. Rogers,
was the tanned fisherman who told of his
big catch. and prouder of it than OF his
gallant fight with the oil octopus. Mr..
Hadley came in to get supplies and went
back Monday to get good rest before
returning TO Missouri. He will be in Dem
yer July IA and many entertainments
are being planned for the breaker OF
trusts and records.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
IT HE death of Alfred Belt in Lon
\0 don on Monday recalls his asso-
citation with Cecil Rhodes and
Barnett Barnato In exploiting the KIM
berly diamond mines. Barnato, in Ill
health and suffering from dependency,
committed suicide by jumping overheard
49, Cecil Rhodes was less than 90 when
he died, and Alfred Belt was g. 1t Is
probable that all of these great promoters
succumbed to the strain of managing
their business affairs, which in the case
of Rhodes and Belt were colossal, and
in that of Barnato intricately speculative
and hazardous.
Barnato was merely a daring and reck-
less gambler without education or refine
man who began life In South Africa as
clown in a circus to become In few
years power on the London and Cape
town exchanges and sit in the legislature
of Cape county as the member from Kim
berley. One of Barnato's transactions was
the sale of a diamond mine, of which he
was chief owner for $27,5OO,0Oo. 1t was not
until he matched his wits against the
wiles of the specialists on the London
stock exchange that he suffered eclipse.
But for a time he carried all before him.
and the rush to subscribe for shares Of
fered by the ex-clown. whose original
slum name was Isaacs. exceeded in en-
thusiasm anything of the kind known
before in England. At one time he was
rated at $s6.00O,0OO; and he had the doubt
full distinction of being mentioned as one
of the underwriters of the jameson raid.
1t was charged against him in the old
days that he got his first start in
finance as an Illicit diamond buyer.
Their association with Barnato was only
an incident In the lives of Rhodes and
Belt. They were made of finer clay and
each In his way was an ideanst, Belt as
q genius of business. Rhodes as an en-
pire builder They had to work with
Barnato, as a gambler born under a lucky
star. until he could be eliminated as a
factor In South African affairs; but
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
CHANCES FOR 1908 ARE
INTERESTINGLY DISCUSSED

guage his own. Every word that Mr.
Roosevelt said about trusts and corpora
tons could be put in Mr. Bryan's mouth
without laying the matter open to the
charge of inconsistency. Surely the for
eigner would be puzzled, with their
Fourth of July speeches as basis, to de-
termine which orator was the democrat
and which the republican. For even if
Mr.. Roosevelt did seek inspiration in
the utterances of Lincoln, no public
speaker of our time has quoted Lincoln
more frequently and more freely than
the Presidency.
Two years will pass before the repub-
llcans and democratic parties will hold
their national conventions and nominate
their candidates for President. What the
future will bring forth no man can tell.
But all things are possible, and the
denomination of Mr.. Roosevelt in spite
of the third term tradition, and the nom-
nation of Mr.. Bryan for the third time
are among the possibilities. If both should
be nominated, it would seem to be clear
that, whichever was elected, the policy
of the other would go into effect in re-
gard to many questions. 1t seems to be
a contradiction in terms that democratic
principles should be republican principles
but whatever the iogicians may contend,
Mr. Roosevelt has demonstrated by his
acts that he believes in every democratic
principle which will bring strength to his
party.
1t may be remarked, however. that
there is one democratic principle which
he has not yet appropriated, and that Is
the principle of tariff revision, a prin-
cipal which goes to the root of many
evils from which the country is suffer-
ing.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20

| witnessed the homage paid to her will
question this statement.
woman who was present contributes
the Following description Of the interesting
event:
The Presidents daughter looked a per-
rect picture as she stood smiling beside
her host and hostess. wearing a beautiful
Paris frock. trimmed with priceless cream
point lace with triple hounces and with
touches of pink on fichu matching the
malmaison carnations tucked in the bo-
dice. She wore also blush pink ostrich
feather boa and pink wistaria that
Kept company with deep rose plume in
her hat A diamond chain CLEANED among
the lace of her bodice.
The amount of handshaking she did
must have reminded her of White House
receptions.
One woman brought her a bououet Of
RED, white and blue flowers, which she
heid In her left hand, and with a smile
ana merry greeting for special friends
pravely shook hands until her little white
glove began to show signs of wear.
MRS: Whitelaw Reid. who also smiled
bravery through the orgy OF handshaking
wore superb dress of soft white net
With fine black Chantilly lace insertions
over white silk and a string of beautiful
pearls. Miss Jane Reid stood half hidden
behind bush of red Philadelphia rambler
roses chatting with girl friends and
with Mr.. Nicholas Longworth, who
seemed amused at the homage paid his
charming wife
The laces and chiffons. silks, muslins
flower wreathed hats and toques with
waving plumes that filed up the stairs and
through the rooms battle description. With
their fair wearers they made a picture OF
great splendor.
In the green and white marquee where
strawberries and ices were served. looking
at the crowd one mentally echoed the re-
mark of a New York woman, whose COM
ment was, MY, Who would have thought
there were so many Americans In Lon
DOM"
Indeed. Britishers might be hardened
Tor some alarm as to whether If the pres
ent American invasion continues they
VIII not be crowded out of their own
city.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
From the Baltimore sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
VA ITH the evolution of Mr.. Roose-
WV welt into radical In thought
w and action every student Of
American politics is familiar The last
five years. eliminating in the reform
legislation of the Fifty-ninth Congress.
have been an epoch in our history. We
have fairly bounded from one extreme
to another. Suppose, however, that an in
telligent foreigner who, is wholly I'M
acquainted with our modern political de-
velopment who knew nothing of the at
ttude which Mr.. Bryan and Mr. Roose-
welt once held toward each other. were
asked to give critical opinion of their
Fourth of July speeches, with the view
of pointing out essential differences be-
tween them. Would he be able to show
such a divergence of opinion between
them as easily to differentlate the one
statesman as a republican and the other
as a democrat? Would he find 1t diff
cult to conclude that Mr. Bryan and
Mr.. Roosevelt might have exchanged
speeches so far as vital principles are
concerned without doing violence to their
convictions? Each statesman INDUCED in
fine moral and didactic reflections One
took his text from Abraham Lincoln and
the other from Rudyard Bipllng. One
spoke of the white mans burden as
1t involves moral responsibility to be
just in our dealings with so-called inferior
races. The other spoke of the white
mans burden" as related to the punish
ment of trusts that Cypress the people
and the protection of corporations when
they have not done wrong. Mr.. Roosevelt
has often adopted a lofty tone-however
Inconsistent his actions may have been
in discussing our responsibility for the
welfare of Filipinos and Porto Ricans.
He could easily make Mr.. Bryan's Ian
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20

From the New York Press.
Nobody ever gets old enough to stop
calling some other persons a doddeiing
old idiot.
When a man is too scared to do some
thing tempting but risky he calls It self
control.
man grows madden over seeing some
other fellow get ahead than over failing
himself.
There is more than an even chance
that a girl is interested in fellow II
she swears to her mother that she isn't.
Generally girl is in love when she
looks as If she had three mortal diseases
and had just buried her last friend.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
SOME CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE DIAMOND KINGS

Rhodes and Belt continued to be partners
in things financial and political after
Barnato's star had paled in the specu-
lative sky and he had found his level.
Alfred Belt was probably the greatest
business man in the world at the time Of
his death, his interests including copper
mines in the United States, gold mines in
South America Siberia and Corea, and
shares in steam and electric railways in
all parts of the world besides his enor-
nous investments In South African mines,
lands and Industrial and traction COM
panies.
Both Belt and Rhodes went to South
Africa originally in search of health as
very young men, Rhodes without any re-
sources at all and Belt as the son of
prosperous Hamburg merchant. Born in
the same year 1853, they became interest
ed in the Kimberley diamond mines at
about the same time. made great fortunes
at an early age, and succeeded in form
ing what may justly be called the dia-
mond trust, since 1t CONTROLS the price Of
diamonds the world over. The dream of
imperial expansion was Rhodes, but he
was always able to enlist his friend Belt
in the promotion of his railroad and char
ter company enterprises. If Belt was in
volved in the high-handed Jameson out
rage he had Rhodes to thank for 1t. The
firm name and business might have read:
Rhodes & Belt, Explolters of Africa
from Cape Town to Cairo"
The two men had many tastes in COM
mon as lovers of the arts and as collec-
tors Rhodes was an Oxford man and read
the classics in editions specially brought
out for him. They were both generous
givers for educational and charitable pur-
poses. Belt was a man who Stunned no.
toriety, and his methods were subtle and
soundless. Rhodes was proud of his fame,
and did things on lavish scale and in
a loyal way, as one who should have
been born In the purple and could not but
make a noise in the world. Had Rhodes
lived to old age there is no knowing
what part he might have still played as a
British statesman; had Belt long sur
vived he would have become a billion
aire. Barnato would never have been any,
thing but happy-go-luclsy gambler.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
IN HOTEL LoBBTEs
Gas at FaIrvIew.

The Birmingham Railway, Light and
Power company Is laying a gas main from
Birmingham to Fairview. and will soon
have the pipe laid to that point" said
citizen of that enterprising suburb last
night.
Il understand that the company will go
into Ensley with this line and may pos
sibly go to Bessemer in the near future,
but at any rate the people of Fairview
will be served with gas for fuel and IL
purposes and that within few
more weeks -
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20

opposite course invites discord, faction
and endless trouble.
A minimum of charges accompanied
always by a maximum of proof should
be the rule, and in the absence of proof
charges should not be made at all. 1t
seems incredible that an absolutely
proofless charge against a democrat
of high standing would be made by
Acknowledgement. This should not be.
No charge should be made in this cam
paign unaccompanied by proof. Mere
assertion or opinion is not a proper
basis for an accusation against fell
low democrat, especially against those
whose entire active lives have been
as an open book in the community in
which they live. The opposite course
is simply an invitation to disruption
or at least to party quarrels in the
future, and The Age-Herald trusts, for
the sake of the party, that its views
in this matter will not go unheeded-
that they will be accepted in the vein
in which they are written-in) the in
terest of the common party of all who
will take part in the August primary.