The Washington herald., 1907-12-18
AT THE HOTELS.

lie LIr companies IN CFiStO5al, Pam
anna, are composed wholly OF Americans
said Clarence T. Wilkinson. who is on a.
visit 70 this country. AT the Raleigh y@s-
terday. Mr. Wilkinson has settled IN
Cristobal which. he believes. viii be one
OF the most important centers Of ship
ping and transportation in Panama.
Mr. Wilkinson described a large hotel
FIRE. the loss being something ike s70O9.
Il was an incendiary IRE. the way in
which most OF their fires are caused.
After many thrilling adventures the fire
was finally put out Two weeks after
this. said Mr. Wilkinson. "a large
wagon drove up 10 the engine-bouse.
laden with wines and all sorts Of edibles.
This IS what happens after every large
IRE IN Cristobal The citizens Of that
place are proud Of their fire department.
and the hremen are proud Of their Amer
ican training. for they have two horses
which they have named Joe and Dan. in
honor Of two horses that performed won
derful service In fire in this country.
The canal viii be finished in about
eight years, and it viii be the greatest
thing on earth. To Roosevelt great
credit is due for the energetic manner in
which the work is being pushed ahead.
He is an inspiration 70 every man down
there; his spirit Of Americanism has per-
meated the whole atmosphere around the
isthmus"
Tomlinson Fort. Of Chattanooga. Tenn.
I is strong advocate for the abolishment
OF poll taxes IN his State, and does not
minee words in expressing his views In
the matter. Mr.. Fort is one OF the best
Known attorneys in Tennessee. and is
prominently identified with matters oS
public interest. He Is registered at the
Ehbitt. Poll taxes said M Fort. or
taxes on the heads Of male citizens OF
Tennessee between the ages % twenty
one and fifty are a relic Of the dark
ages. and cannot be defended on prin-
ciple. 1t is robbery by law 70 REQUIRE a
man without property 20 pay a dollar and
half and eight days Of his labor 20
keep up and maintain roads where he
hasn't a horse or a team TO use Moth
Ing has done more 20 lower the stand
ard OF our public schools than the knowl-
edge Of the children who are educated
there, that the income which partly sup
ports them is derived from poll taxes paid
by the corrupt use Of money in elections,
which new has taken from the people OF
Tennessee a Republican form Of govern
ment The children Of Tennessee are en-
titled 10 be educated out Of the public
revenue, and are entitled 70 clean money.
Taxes should be levied on property and on
/ Incomes. All laws requiring the pay
ment OF poll tax should be repealed"
Confidence is gradually returning to
the business world. and 10 the shoe and
leather trade IN common with all others
said Francis T. Long. cf Boston. at the
New Willard, yesterday. Fears Of can
cellatons Of orders for shoes" said Mr..
Long, that so long checked operations
at the factories seem 10 have been el-
layed. and there seems 70 be no real ex-
cUse for pessimisn- The leather market
is FAR from active. the shoe factories
are not as busy as they might be- and
new business in footwear Is still rather
light. but each week sees some improve
meHt and nearly everybody expects @ re
covery 20 normal conditions after the
turn Of the new year. There IS very little
change IN prices
4 am not az all well posted on politics,
and I am afraid my opinion on the Pres
Dental outlook Is not worth much
viii say. however. that Roosevelt mads
a good President. and IL VIII be most
difficult for his successor 10 keep up the
standard set by him Taft is a good man.
Massachusetts has no favoTite son who is
anxious 10 have complimentary vote 20
Roosevelt is our man. the whole West
VIII follow him" said ". ". Alt. 2
cattle dealer of Hyannis. Nebr. AT the
Ebbitt last night.
we believe IN RoOsevelt-iu his honest
Dutch way. outspoken and no lcopholes.
The West viii follow him OF his wishes.
no matter what they are. II Roosevelt
does not want the job let him say who is
20 get it, and We VIII see that his friend
lands the place.
There is only one undertaking that
Roosevelt did not succeed IN. 10 our salts
faction. and that IS the prosecution OF
the beef trust. II could not be very well
expected from Garfield. who was practi-
cally without experience in anything He
had a tough proposition on hand when hs
undertook 20 fight the beef trust and its
army Of the highest-paid legal advisers.
Cattle business Is on the 'hlitz.' Tho
fence prosecution simply knocked the
spots out OF il. Beef prices are con-
( trolied by the trust; they have the cattle
raiser under their thumb.
Although it Is not generally known.
Illinois at one time was a great cotton
State" said Raymond V. Thomson. q.
Chicago broker. at the Arlington last
night. There may or may not be any
record Of IL. But the State was a factor
in the production Of cotton 10 the extent
OF several thousand bales annually for
a period OF fifteen or twenty years prior
10 1874 The low price OF cotton then.
caused by an overproduction in the South
ern States, drove the Illinois farmer out
OF the market.
quite number Of counties in South
ern Illinois and a few in the central por-
tion planted cotton as a crop. Some OF
the crop was for home use. but the
greater part was placed upon the mar
ket. II is not az all strange that Central
and Southern Illinois should at that
time have attempted 70 grow cotton. as
most Of the farmers had emigrated from
the Carolinas and other Southern States.
and they knew more about raising cotton
than about raising any other crop As
a general thing. only one picking could
be made, on account Of frosts coming be-
fore a second or third picking was ready
The price at that time was very good.
and as cotton was cash il really was
the money crop. most OF the other
farm products being raised Tor home
use After 1874 no cotton was raised
except little that was spun by the
women of the household for home needs
When the civil war broke out and the
South began 10 fail 10 market her crop.