Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-04-13
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

calculated to inspire race prejudice.
This includes ''Uncle Toms Cabin
and "The Clansman."
The Index-Appeal heartily concurs in
the views of the Richmond News Lead
sr, that under existing party conditions
IN Virginia, the nomination of munich
pal officers by primary is prelimi-
nary farce, and renders the regular
election perfunctory affair, if not a
subsequent farce. Why waste time
and money in the holding of primary
election, when the same ends can be
accomplished as successfully at the
general election? We are in favor of
unrestricted candidates., just as we
had before the Civil War, without ex-
acting money from any voter for the
privilege, and the selection of these Of
ficials at the general election prescribed
by law. Under this plan bossism and
rlng-rule cannot flourish as it can un-
der the primary plan, by which two
elections are held dand the legal election
merely ratifies the party election.
"The gross annual earnings of rail-
roads, in round numbers, are two thous-
and million dollars. Their net earnings
are seven hundred millions dollars. 1t
will thus be seen that once year every
dollar in circulation in the United States
passes through hands of railroad
while once in three years everv
dollar in the United States be-
comes part of their net earnings, and
these net earnings equal in amount an
nually the entire expenditures of the
United States government. This strik-
ing statement was made by Senator
Tillman, in his formal written report, on
the Hepburn Railroad Rate bill. cit is
of small wonder" he continued, ''that.
with such princely revenues, the most
brilliant legal minds of the country are
at their command to conduct legislation.
frame laws and secure their passage
through Legislatures and Congress, and
to exercise such an overmastering in
fiuence over the judiciary and executive
departments both of states and the
nation, that the average citizen is al
most driven to believe that the fight is
hopeless and that the government in
stead of controlling railroads is con-
trolled by them, and the liberties of
the people to say nothing of their rights
is in jeopardy
Superintendent Eggleston, the head
of the State Department of Education.
is much pleased with the work of the
Legislature so far as it concerns his
field of usefulness. The General As
sembly increased the appropriation for
primary and grammar schools $500, 900,
raising the annual sum from $500, 600 to
100000. Through the working of Dele
gate Ould's bill the high schools are to
be benefited also. 1t permits any dis
trictor districts of any county or count
les to establish high schools and to re-
ceive from the State not less than
$3.50 or more than $500, to duplicate
such amounts or more raised by the
district or districts. A third bill-one
introduced by Judge Williams, of Giles
enables district school boards to bor-
row money from the literary fund to
build good school houses. A district.
under this measure, may borrow not
less than SIPS and not more than So, 600
on any one school. Four per cent. in
terest is charged and ten years. time
is given in which to repay the loan in
annual payments. A fourth bill, which
was introduced by Delegate Curlett
and passed both houses, covers many
matters relating to schools and prom
ises a great saving of cost in the
purchase of desks and other furniture.
AS the outcome of a fight waged
against an invading army of more than
l ZOO, 900 ants school keeping was
broken up in the third grade of the
Suffolk high school and the teacher dis
missed school, she and the pupils re-
treating in confusion, seeking REIN
forcement. Messengers dispatched to
nearby drug store returned hurriedly
with supply of red pepper, carbolic
acid and other antidotes and munitions
of ant warfare. The hostile ants now
had charge of the school room and their
numbers momentarily were being in
creased by hundreds. But they could
not long resist the well-directed on
slaughts of red peper. The dead and
dying were on every hand; others
sought safety in retreat. Even at
that it was about three hours before
school could be resumed. One of the
teachers says the ants came in battal-
ions of about 5000 each, and at the
forefront of each was a recognized
leader. She thought there were some
thing like 200 battalions. This would
mean /, 900, 900 ants. Some of the pests
were winged and some were wingless.
The former were said to be harmless,
the latter poisonous. The wingless,
creepers We're the ones which bit
and stung and whose attacks brought
about the retirement of the students.
Three hundred midshipmen at the
Naval Academy have been guilty of
hazing, according to report made by
the committee which went to Annap-
oils to conduct an investigation. This
special committees report is a scath-
ing arraignment of the discipline main
tanned at the academy, and shows that
practically all the upper-class men have
engaged in hazing the ''plebes.' An
interesting circumstance i'm connection