The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-28
THE WEEKS TALK
 IN NEW YORK CITY Henry WatterSon Can See No
 Democratic Victory THINKS HUGHES WILL WIN
A Lady Republicans Definition of a Democrat-crlme Wave Continues. Fuel Saving secrets-study
 of Suicide Causes.
BY sEwELL HAeeARD.

New York, April 21-(Special )-Henry Watterson the veteran editor of the Louisville Courer-Journal. returned from abroad the other day in 8 very pessimis tic mood a far as the chances for dem ocratic success in the next presidential election are concerned. The colonel could not see how the democrats could win un- der any circumstances, and he professed to see no other candidate in the field but Bryan. Shortly before his trip abroad MT. Watterson introduced MT. Bryan at a dinner as the next democratic nominee, and he did 1t in kindly tones, but mean- time his feelings have changed. He now talks of MT. Bryan a man who has driven most everybody worth while out of the democratic party.
 The colonel seemed to be much more en- thusastic 6ver republican politics. He predicted that Governor Charles E Hughes of this state would be the repub- lican nominee for President.
 q told MT Hughes a long time ago. said the colonel, that the people of New York would elect him governor, and that the people of the United States would elect him President. and I stick to it. It is 100 to I shot"
 There is no doubt about the presiden- tial campaign being on in earnest. Some of the New York newspapers are already | giving two or three columns a day to  quence to state it's preference, Is out for Taft. The Sun is afraid, however, that the people will get the impression that l Mr. Taft, as a candidate or as President, would be a mere mirror for MT. Roose- welt. After declaring that he is mo mans man, no mans slave. nay more than MT. | Roosevelt is himself-who is indeed the slave of his own idiosyncracies," the Sun says:
 How is 1t possible to contemplate such | a man going before national conven- tion, or, worse going before the people of the United States. with a dog collar around his neck, a prodiglous badge of moral and intellectual bondage: This is the Chattel, the Automation Equivalent of Me. have incarnated In him My poll tics, My Principles, My Supernal Sagac- 1 ity in the language of Morton Prince of Boston, whose devotion to me I appre- ciated. Taft, after the 4th of March, 1909, will be a Dlssociated Personality and | shall occupy his premises most of the time. I shall be he and he will be Me all the same; his name Is Taft and as President he will be Me also
 What Is Democrat.
 Answers innumerable continue to come into the Worlds query, What Is demo- | crat?" A new answer was given by member of the Women's Republican asso- l citation of this state the other day. She first said a democrat was memory, and then compared him to the lightning bug because:
 "The lightning bug is brilliant, l But it hasn't any mind;
 It stumbles through creation
 For it's light is En behind" This was not the only gem of the meet Ing of the lady republicans. Senator Chauncey Depew was there, but he was | a chastened Depew, for he cracked only one joke. It was his seventy-third birth day, and he coyly told the women that he was only 45. In the next breath he declared that he was not a member of the Ananias club. The senator lamented that the national campaign had been opened fifteen, months ahead of time and declared that the only result so far was the or ganization of a band of Ananiases and Sapphiras. He also feelingly lamented that there were so many laws. There were laws, the senator said, dealing with every item of citizens life. He did not think such legislation would last long.
 The Crime Wave.
 The discussion of crime in New York continues, and crime goes on with out abatement Crime is a business in this city, and justice mockery, Is the way the situation Is sized up by Magistrate Cornell. He says: 'I have been eleven years on the bench, and 1 am sure that
 
 other time. There Is such a lot of mawk- ish sentiment in the community that criminal, after being found guilty, is treated so leniently that punishment has become a joke. In crimes of considerable magnitude 1t is often difficult to have complaints pressed, even when we have good cases against the prisoners.
 Tt is perfectly apparent to any one sitting in magistrates court, where we get to know more about crime than in any other walk of life, that there are regularly organized bands of professional criminals in this city who are daily growing bolder. It is no exaggeraton to say that crime In New York is now on a business basis. This is shown in the ease and rapidity with which pickpockets, wire tappers, confidence men and thugs find | bail and lawyers to defend them. The growing alliance between criminals and certain lawyers has become so open that I have come to know what counsel diff ferent sorts of offenders will have appear for them. There are specialists, so to speak, In all branches of rascality.
 Tt is growing harder every year to convict a man. Then when conviction IS secured the judges of the special and gen. eral sessions impose such light sentences that justice becomes a mockery."
 District Attorney Jerome agrees with Magistrate Cornell and declares that judges are too often swayed by appeals l made to them Tn secret Dy pOlltlCldnS on behalf of men accused of crime. MT. Jerome says that such appeals should al- ways be made in open court.
 Study of Suicide Causes.
 The Charity Organization society of this city has recently made investigation of large number of cases of attempted suicide. The most interesting result is that 1t was shown that poverty was not the leading cause of self-destructon. In the report of his Investigation, the so- ciety's agent says:
 Prostitution seemed to play very small part in leading persons to attempt sui , eide. In only two cases was the attempt directly traced to poverty; in four cases the patient had been out of work or em- ployment. but this was not of itself a direct cause of the attempt. Melancholia, temporary alteration, hysteria more or less violent insanity and alcoholism seemed to cause the attempts in thirteen cases; excessive jealousy in three cases. In five cases the patients claimed that the attempt was accidentally in one ease somnambulsm was given as cause; one woman was driven to attempt self-de- struction by her husbands loose life; ill., ness caused two attempts: four women confessed that their immoral life had be- come too shameful and difficult to en- |, dure
 Poison seemed to be the favorite method, perhaps because easily obtained .-I.