The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-05-08


have stood for thirty five years at the
corner of La Sale and Madison streets
in this city are being demolished by
a gang of wreckers to make room fol
a new hotel which will be one of the
largest Nhostelries in the world. The
old buildings were mementOes of the
reconstruction period Immediately fol
lowing the big fire, and one of the
structures, the La Sale building, was
an example of the earliest attempt at
fire proof construction in Chicago. A
generation ago this building was point
ed to with pride" by boastful citizens
as a combination of modern conven-
fences and ARCHITECTURAL beauty. 1t
has sheltered under its roof some OF
the prominent firms that have helped
to build up the big business of the
west. Now it is fast crumbf1ng under
the pickaXes of the wrecking gang,
a sacrifice to the progress Of ne
The new hotel will be gigantic struc-
ture. one story higher than the Mason
ic Temple, one of the sights" OF the
city. 1t will have a fro~t"~" %
feet in La Sale street and l261R feet
III buulSol Slle'J. dili w III rFh''
100000 cubic feet, more than the
space contained in any except three
buildings in the CITY. the new court
house, in federal building and
First National Bank block. The weight
will be carried on eighty nine concrete
caissons, which will extend down l20
feet to solid rock 1t will consist of
twenty-one stories, and will be a lit
tie less than 300 feet high. The
weight of the steel to be used in build
ing the new hotel will be 1000 tons,
while 100000 bricks will enter into
its construction. The building will con-
tain forty five miles of electric light
and power cables, sixty miles of con-
duit tubes and twenty miles of tele-
phone wire.
Scored American System.
The American system of selecting
jurors was. severely scored by Sidney
S. j. Steadman, a London barrister,
who visited a Chicago court room and
with amazement to the long
examination of talesmen. He declared
that in England even in the most inn
portant civil and criminal cases, the
jury, as rule, is secured within three
minutes. "The principal officer of the
court, whose duty is to assist the Judge,
is supplied with a list usually contain
ing forty or fifty names taken from a
list of persons qualified to serve," he
said. "From this list he calls twelve
Names. taking them from the list in
any order he pleases. AS each man is
ILL h. ~ lNax-
twelve are there. At that moment
there is pause before they are sworn
when either side may challenge but
that right is rarely used. The good
faith and impartiality of the jury is
taken for granted After that moment
elapses, the jury is ordered to arise,
the oath is administered, and at once
the counsel for the prosecution rises
to open his case" The English solicit
tor was positive-the British usually
are positive-that under the British
system miscarriages of justice were rare
and that graft and "jury fixing are
practically unknown. He gasped in
as he listened to the
quizzing of the Veniremen, and heard
the lawyers for the prosecution and
defense question them. When told
that in some instances days elapse
without a single juror being secured
he exclaimed "The time wasted by
your methods must be prodigious. The
judge, the waiting iurymen, the par
ties to the cause and the counsel
think of the time that goes for naught.
A few minutes devoted by the judge
at the opening of the case, or even in
the summing up, would in practically
every instance achieve the same end.
The wheels of justice would 60 round
faster"
What Standard Owns.
Discovery that the Standard Oil
owns considerable property on
"Crooked Street" in Chicago has been
a ray of Joy of late to the paragrapher
aud it HAS called attention also to
other Chicago streets significantly nam
ed. There is cake Street" and there
is claw Avenue" and way up on the
north side, an hours ride from bust
ness, is early Avenue" Near it is
''Good Street." and for the newly we'd
ded, "Bliss Avenue" If these do not
suit, there is BEST Avenue" The name
of "Our Street" has lent neighborly
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