davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Eleven Murder Suspects Arrested.

DULUTH, March 29.-Eleven Bull.
garians were arrested in Duluth this
morning on suspicion of being con.
nected with the Minneapolis murders.
Mussman Skuloff, the leader of the
gang, admitted renting the house in
which the crimes were committed, He
said he left there Monday afternoon
leaving the six victims alive and we'll.
He says all the dead men we're friendly
to each other.
MINNEAPOLIS, March 29.-It Is now
we'll established that the killing of the
six Macedonians was carefully
planned. The killing was done with
long knives of the bowie pattern, four
of the weapons being found about the
premises. All were of the same m rake,
and all were new, indicating that they
had been probably purchased at the
same time and place.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
.Pungcnt Paragra phs

A fascinating young lady, on being
asked it she ever read Shakespeare,
tossed her pretty head with the an.
swer: "Shakespeare? OF course l
have. | read that when it first came
out"
Louisville Courier-Journal: "Bet-
ter locate here," SAID the native Ar.
kansan. "We have advantages of.
fered by no other section" "For in.
s~tance?" swell, in this state it
costs a dollar to slug the governor.
Where else can We match that now"
"John," said a stingy old hunk to
his hired man, rs he was taking
breakfast, "do you know how many
pancakes you have ~eaten?" "No.'
swell, you have eaten fourteen
IAN right" said John, 'syou count
and I'll eat"
Sad Is the fate of the German judge,
who has been sent to Jail for picking
the pocket of a prisoner who was in
his court for trial. Perhaps the judge
was merely ascertaining how much Of
a fine the prisoner could pay.
A western editor announced that the
other newspaper In the: town would
have no heavy editorials on any
subject later than B in the alphabet,
for the present, as only two volumes
of the 9 encyclopedia have beer
published.
A Nebraska woman wants Uncle
Sam to pension everybody. Tha1
would make the people OF the United
States resemble the inhabitants o.
that island in the Hebrides, where
according to DR.. Johnson, they earned
q precarious living by taking In ont
another's washing.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Wants Vote On Rate Dill.

WASHINGTON, March 26. There
was q hint in the senate today at an
effort to fix a time for a vote on the
railroad rate bill, but it was sur
rounded by much circumspection and
doubt as to when the time would be
justified. Mr.. Tillman stated that he
would bring the matter up in the sen.
ate tomorrow and unless objection be
made he may ask to have q day speci'
fed. The suggestion as to the time
arose in connection with the more OF
less serious effort on the part of q
number of senators to secure immedi'
ate consideration of amendments of.
fered by themselves. Mr.. Tillman' re.
sisted all attempts OF that kind in the
absence of many senators, saying that
votes ought not to be taken without
full notice to senator's. Among the
provisions offered were:
BY Mr.. Foraker. prohibiting the is'
suance of passes; by Mr.. Scott, com
polling railroads to connect with other
railroads, and by Mr.. Culberson, de-
nying the interstate roads the privi.
lege OF making campaign contribu'
tions.
Mr.. Overman made q general speech
in support of the bill and Mr.. Telle,
spoke at length against undue haste
in considering the question.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
SinOOt Evidence Concluded.

WASHINGTON, March 27.-Joseph
Geoghegan, q manufacturers broker
of Salt Lake City. Utah, was on the
stand today in the proceedings
brought before the senate committee
on elections to unseat Senator Reed
Smoot. He was examined by A. S.
Worthington, counsel for Mr.. Smoot,
concerning the interest Of the Mormon
church in sugar factories in Utah and
Idaho.
Witness testified that the church
had financed these eel before it
appeared that sugar factories would
succeed, but neither the church nor
the Mormons control the stock. 1t
was shown, however, that the two
largest concerns have Mormon officers
and a majority of Mormon directors.
He spoke concerning the active par.
ticipation of the church in business
aud showed that Gentiles were in con.
troll OF a majority OF the reputable
commercial concerns of Salt Lake.
On cross-examination by Mr.. Car
Isle it developed that in the list of
business houses submitted, sugar, salt,
smelling, mining and electric light in.
terests We're omitted and that many of
these are controlled by Mormons,
though the witness thought the ma
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04

That law, which was passed in 1908,
creates the department Of commerce
and labor, with q bureau Of corpora
lions as one of its branches. 1t au.
thorizes the commissioner of corpora.
lions to make "diligent investigation
into the organization, conduct and
management of the business" of all
corporations engaged in interstate
commerce except railroads, and gives
the commissioners the same power and
authority over these other corpora
tiOns which the interstate commerce
commission has Y the railroads,
among other things, authority to sub.
pena witnesses and compel them to
answer questions and produce docu.
ments under oath.
And right here is where the %''little
joker" was inserted by some cunning
creature of the corporations. For
these witnesses are subject 10
the anne Requirements, liabilities
and immunities' as witnesses sum.
moned before the interstate commerce
commission. The law of February IL,
1893, defines these i%mmunities: mo
person shall be prosecuted or sub
jected to any penalty for any act con.
corning which he may give evidence
before the interstate commerce com.
mission. The law of 1903 extends the
immunity provision to witnesses be-
fore the commissioner Of corporations.
Under this immunity provision Of the
law, Judge Humphrey held that these
packers who had testified before Com.
missioner of Corporations Garfield
were immune from subsequent prose.
cutiOn.
What stronger alton could
the country want than the present spec
tacle of corporation senators schem-
ing to inject into the Hepburn rate
bill some slight amendment whose
real effect will not be apparent to the
country until the law shall be brought
before the federal judiciary for con.
struction upon some finely spun con
stitutional question raised by the cor.
poration lawyers:
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
An 5000, OOO.Acre Farm"

Don Luis Serrazas, the Mexican
CrOesus, who once offered to assume
all the debts owed by his country, has
q farm of about 5000. 900 acres in the
state of Chihuahua. 1t takes Mexican
Central trains halt q day to cross the
farm. Don Luis is thought to own
more than 1000, 600 cattle, but a baga.
telle of loo, 900 or so more or less
never bothers. His stable consists of
some 100000 horses, his sheep.fold Of
700, 900 sheep. From 200, 900 to 300, 600
calves are branded with his brand
every spring. More than 1000 COW
boys and SO on keep his cattle on a
thousand hills.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Measures Affecting Montana.

WASHINGTON, March 27.-The cen.
ate yesterday afternoon passed the fol.
lowing bills affecting Montana:
Granting right Of way through Fort
keogh military reserv alton in Mon.
tana to the Chicago, Milwaukee 4 St.
Paul company.
According to the law relative to the
allotment Of lands in the Flathead In.
dian reserv alton in Montana. the bill
provides for q survey Of the townsites
and makes a government reservation
for the preserv alton Of the hot springs
at Camas prairie on the reservation,
near Plains.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Railroad Cases On.Trial.

PHILADELPHIA, March q. - The
first case to come to trial in this
country in which defendants are
charged with giving and accepting re.
bates in violation of the Elkins' law
began today in the United States court
here before Judge Holland. The in.
dictments presented to the jury are
against the Great Northern Railway
company, which 10 charged with offer.
ing rebates to r. D. Wood & Co. oil
this city; G. E. Campbell, its local
agent: L. w. Lake, New York agen,
for the Mutual Transit company:
Walter Stuart, George and Richard
Wood, members of the firm of r. D.
Wood & Co. and Paul j. Driver,
local agent of the Mutual Transit COM
pany, who is charged with Offering q
rebate to the National Essence OF
Coffee company.
The rebate in the Wood case, it is
charged, was given on a shipment Of
1900 tons Of iron pipe from Florence,
N. j., to Camden, N. j., to Winnipeg,
in 1904, and 200 tons from Emaus,
Pa, to the same point. The published
rate was 494c per hundred, but it is
charged the firm obtained a rate Of
44tc. The 1900 tons we're shipped
over the Baltimore 4 Ohio to Fair.
port, Ohio, thence by the Mutual
Transit company across the Great
lakes to Duluth and thence to the
Great Northern to Winnipeg. The
200 tons from Emaus were sent to
Buffalo owe the Reading railroad and
shipped on the vessels Of the Mutual
Transit company to Duluth. The full
freight rate al paid, but it is charged
that Wood & Co. afterwards received
q rebate OF 81, 23O.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
jority Of stock was controlled by

jority OF stock was controlled by
Gentiles.
Under examination by Senator Du.
bois, the witness admitted that he had
q strong suspicion that the sugar
trust controlled the sugar factories Of
Utah and Idaho. He did not believe,
however, that Mormons owned the
greater part OF the ron-trust COM
panies. After putting in some docu.
mentary evidence, MIR. Worthington
closed and Mr.. Carlisle said he had
nothing to offer in rebuttal. The at
torneys said. they would be able to
make their arguments next week, be-
ginning on some day to be agreed up.
on between themselves.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Teamsters Threaten Trouble.

CHICAGO, March 26.-Chicago will
see a second big teamsters' strike II
the plans laid by the Truck Drivers
union at a meeting held yesterday are
carried out. The drivers, backed by
their intern ational organizations, un.
animously voted to push their de-
mands for increased wages and bettss
hours. The Chicago team owners az
firmly have decided to resist. The
truck drivers local, with 5000 mem.
bers, Is the strongest in the union IL
Chicago.
The demands of the teamsters have
been in the hands Of their employers
for more than two weeks but it was
not until YESTERDAY that the worker:
themselves admitted the possibility O,
a strike.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Peculiar and Pertinent.

No bird of prey has the gift of song.
Carpets made from elephant hide
are said never to wear out.
A cows hide of average size pro.
duces about IS pounds of leather.
The smallest Quadruped in the world
is the pigmy mouse in Siberia.
Patagonian llamas live for years
without tasting water, and a breed OF
cows near Losere, France, and noted
for the richness of their milk, takes it
very rarely.
Thread made from the SPIDERS web
is lighter and stronger than that which
comes from the silk worm. In France
there Is q factory used only for the
manufacture of spider thread.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
THE COURTS AND THE LAW.

Decisions rendered by the courts
are frequently the subject Of public
criticism, when the apparent miscarri.
age Of justice is due to faults in the
law. The law making power 10 gener-
ally more to blame than the tribunal
which gives effect to the statute.
In one Of the speeches recently made
in congress by Senator Tillman, the
South Carolina statesman, in his Wig
orous and breezy style, made some
caustic comments upon the decision
given by Judge Humphrey in the beef
packers case. 1t was held that the
packers having given evidence that
incrimiu ated themselves were immune
from prosecution as individuals, but
the indictments against corporations
of which they + members will stand
Senator Tillman "a careful to place
the blame for this decision where /,
belongs; he said Judge Humphrey
probably gave a correct interpreted
ton OF the law, but the law itself
should be reformed.
The disposition to blame the courts
for what is the fault of the law, is the
subject of discussion by the Spokes-
man-Review, which reaches the con-
clusion that corporation attorney
and corporation bossed senators have
become adopts at slipping "little
jokers" into bills intended to place
some sort Of control GU their masters.
Thus acts of that character are. often
deceptive, making a pretense Of q
virtue they do not possess when sub
jected to the cold, dis%passionate an
alysis OF the courts.
For example, Federal Judge Hum
phrey, who has just held that the big
meat packers can not be reached by
the criminal law, 10 undergoing a fire
of condemnation when the blame more
properly rests with congress for per
hitting one of these diabolical "little
jokers" to be slipped into the law,
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
TILLMAN'S WARM SPEECH.
south Carolina Senator Attacks Bank and
Federal Offfcials.

WASHINGTON, March Ex-senator
Tillmau today delivered q very warm
speech against the national banks for
contributing to campaign funds. He
said that he knew Of one bank which
in 1896 contributed 81, 900 to a poltti.
teal party for its campaign. He
st a.ed that he believes the banks con.
tributed one million dollars to the DO.
litical parties during the year. HI
declared they should be punished for
disposing of money belonging to
stockholders and depositors in tina,
manner. The senator attacked the
system of inspecting national banks
and demanded that congress fix a pen.
atty for officers of national banks who
make political contributions from the
funds of the banks.
Mr.. Tillman spoke Of Judge Humph.
rey's recent decision in the beef pack.
ers' case, and declared that the ten.
dency was to punish a man of straw,
the corporations, without paying at.
tention to the individuals. He de.
clared that we were too Internally
anxious" about this artificial man.
He wanted the beneficiary looked at.
ter. No doubt, he said, the law was
correctly interpreted, but that was the
trouble-he wanted the law reformed.
He declared that the attorney gen.
eral was the direct p%rogenitor of the
doctrine that the corporations could
be punished, but not their officers and
stockholders. He had laid down the
principle in the case of Mr.. Morton,
and the president accepted the doc
trine: both claiming, "he's clean and
honorable and should be immune; &c
after the dirty railroad" The decision
in the packers case was a natural
consequence, he said; the attorney
general had been ''hoisted by his owr
petard." Moreover, be was afraid
We were trying to find some way Of
how not to do it in the matter of the
railroads.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Packers Trial In September.

CHICAGO, March 29.-Judge Humph-
rcy today set the trial of the packing
corporations, which were denied i'm.
munity at the hearing which ended
last week, for the second Monday in
September. District Attorney Morri-
son entered q formal motion asking
for a new trial of the immunity pleas.
1t was denied, as was q similar mo.
ton made by Mr.. Miller relative to
the corporations.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
~ENTRAvAGANT ECONOMY.

The fact that government irrigation
projects under way in Montana or de.
termined by official authority will re.
quire an expenditure Of about 81, OOO,.
600 is regarded as evidence that good
work has been done for the state in
this direction. So it is, but the policy
cannot be estimated as one of gener.
osity on the part of government.
There is nothing OF experiment in this
sort of enterprise. The government
takes no risk whatsoever. The
moneys thus expended are to be repaid
by the owners of the land benefited,
excepting where the land may be q
part Of the public domain when the
government will derive large profit
from its investment. 1t ia not ex.
aggeration to say that there Is no land
adapted to agricultural uses and sub.
ject to irrigation in Montana which
will not produce enough In a single
year to pay the cost of the improve
ment fairly apportioned to 1t or
| charged against it in the estimates of
engineers. Give to private capital
the power and the incentive possessed
by government in this form Of de-
velopment, and there would be more
progress in irrigationl3work in the
state within Ave years than there ia
likely to be under government direc'
ton and action In twenty. Not that
the officials having the work in charge
do or will lack In energy, but they
must wait for the cooperation of con-
gress which waits for the stimulus Of
commanding public sentiment In the
country at large as we'll as in the re-
gi0ns to be more immediately and d.
rectly prospered.
Funds available to warrant irri
CATION work in Montana aggregate
T.. O0O, 900. Almost enough to buile
One.half of an ordinary ~battleship
The ship, in the event of q foolish war
may last half an hour or 1t may serve
to destroy ten times its value for som
other group of the human family. l,
case OF expected peace, it may endure
for ten years before it becomes super
animated and unless through the in
. ventions of makers of war tools, eacl
year costing almost rs Imuch to maj
: and maintain in service as the aggre
' gate Of the sum to be invested in irri
: CATION in this state. Even in Il cam
paigu year with congress:iu economi
. cal mood the appropriations for arm.
and navy make a pretty part of tn
expenses Of U billiou.dollar govern
' ment. This billion dollar govern
ment will hold down the expenditure
for irrigation at the same time tha
: 1t enlarges the outlay flor war pur
poses in peace times and distribute
political work by providing for fed
{ eral buildings in villages which woul
answer all the uses of large cities 10
hall q century to come.
, Economy, Of course, but Of tn
9 profigate variety. Butte Inter Mour
= tain.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04

This bank solicits accounts, and
offers to depositors absolute security,
prompt and careful attention, and the
most liberal treatment consistent with
safe and profitable banking. Buys
and sells foreign exchange, drawing
direct on all principal American and
European cities, and issues Its own
Letters of Credit.
Interest paid on time deposits. The
highest cash price paid for approved
state, county, city and school bonds
and warrants.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
The Canadian Land Boom
Chicago Chronicle.)

Americans of our northwestern
states may we'll heed the warning of a
Londan financial expert who has been
studying the land boom in the Cana.
dian northwest, to the effect that it is
far more speculative than has been
suspected. He declares that both the
Canadians and II people are buying
lands with partial payments. expect.
ing TO sell out at a profit much more
than for actual use in guilty alton. Ii
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
LAW MAKERS WANT BETTER PAY.

Senator Gallinger has introduced a
bill for increasing the salaries of Ger.
tain federal oficeholders and members
Of both houses of congress-. This
measure contemplates giving the pres.
ident q salary of S75, ZOO, members of
the cabinet Sl2, 900, speaker of the
house S12,0 zoo, and senator's aud rep.
resentatives $500. The law Is not to
become operative until March 4, 1909,
80 as to eliminate most of the present
incumbeuts from participating in the
benefits. This last provision is de.
signed to ~forestall the storm of criti.
cism that greeted a similar proposal
thirty years ago and which ultimately
defeated it, says the Kansas City
Journal.
It is not likely that this Gallinger
bill will be passed without widespread
discussion. In some ultra.couserva a.
tive quarters there is q disposition to
doubt the necessity Of the suggested
action, on the ground that present
salaries are high enough. The salary
of the president was doubled q third
of q century ago, and it must be re.
membered that the maintena M of the
White house and the executive offices
is provided for by an additional ap.
preparation. This latter sum IL prob
ably three times the amount of the
presidents salary, and is designed to
cover the cost of such necessary state
functions as the chief executive is
called on to hold. President RoOse.
welt is by no ean a wealthy man,
measured by the standards Of the
present day, yet he has made no com.
plant OF the meagerness OF his pay.
Evidently the sum of s. 5000 a year
is not enough for the members of the
cabinent who are called on to spend
large sums annually in public enter
tainment. 1t has been said that only
two members of the present cabinet
have made any attempt to live within
their official incomes and they find it
Is exceedingly difficult to do. Almost
every year congress finds it necessary
to raise the pay OF many government
employees Ia order to retain the ser.
vices of competent man. The large
salaries given the members of the
Panama commission and other en-
ployes OF that department is an ex.
ample of this tendency. The employ
ment of Press Agent Bishop at a sal
AIRY OF $40, 600 a year showed the dis.
crepancy between the compensation of
Secretary Taft, his chief, and himself,
q subordinate. In the war department
there are several sub0rdinates who
receive y, 800 q year, or within $500
Of the salary Of the secretary of a
In the navy department nearly all the
heads of the more important bureaus
receive more than $4,000, which ap.
pears to be little enough in compar-
ison with the Importance Of the ser.
vices they render.
There is no doubt that the salary
scale should be reorganized upon q
more equitable basis. Only the al
most interminable official red tape
stands in the way Of this reform.
Perhaps Senator Gallinger's bill Is
just and adequate. Certainly con-
grsss cannot afford to refuse the rec.
ognition Of just claims from other de-
partments after providing so literally
for more recently established agencies
Of administration.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04

this Is true the boom will inevitably
come to the end Of all booms. The
''bottom will drop out" and the mort
gagees will the land again, while
some of the speculative buyers will
have only experience.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
Conrad Banking
COMPANY,
GREAT FALLS, MONT
(Untncorporated.)

PAID UP CAPITAL.........,S 100 900
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY. "a OOO. 900
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04

W. G. CONRAD, Pres.
JAMES T. STANFORD,
Vice-Pres. and Manager.
A. E. SCHWINGEL,
Cashier.
OMAR j. MALCOLM,
Asst. Cashier.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04

CRAS. T.. DUER, PreSt.
J. Y. CARROLL Tice-Prest.
LOUIS d. SHARP, Cashier.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
TRANSLATES 4 GENERAL
BANKING BUSINESS.

Local Securities a Speciality.
Interest Allowed on Time Deposits