davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
Active Iron and Coke Trade.

The Birmingham iron market continues brisk in demand and firm in the higher level of prices. Rogers, Brown x Co.'S report for the current week says:
 "All evidences during the week point to better things and the continuance of good business which has been transacted recently. It is pleasant to- note the strength of the market and the improved feeling present among buyers.
 Southern pig iron is strong, prices have advanced and are firmly established on a basis which seems to be recognized by all, and, in spite of this advance in prices, buying has not been seriously checked. Stocks of pig iron throughout the country both at furnaces and in the hands of consumers, is the smallest in the aggregate since October last. It is naturally assumed that this being the case, additional production will be in evil dence during the present month, provided prices hold and warrant such increase. Consumption continues about on the same basis and most purchases have been made on confidence felt by buyers as to fu ture months. There is some difficulty ex- perienced in getting furnaces to quote for delivery beyond January 1, 1909, but at the present rate it should be but short time before the southern furnaces will be practically sold up for the balance of this year. Some grades seem to be ruling low in the east and valley, but through out the south and middle west conditions are better.
 An item of interest Is the decrease of some 27,0O0 idle freight cars in the United States and Canada as compared with the week before; the total at that time was 23l 900, the lowest since December of last year.
 Coke continues active and strong, with a scarcity of furnace coke In the Poca- hontas and Virginia fields for prompt shipment, due to the demands made on these territories by the Birmingham fur naces''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
THE AMERICAN CIRCUS. .
he Washington Herald.

From the Washington Herald.
 'The American circus will never die" said George W. Aiken, traffic agent of the John Robinson circus, at the St. James last night. Tt will be handed down from posterity to posterity and live to the end of time, and the patronage of the circus will be greater each year"
 MT. Aiken, who Is accompanied by Oliver Scott, general agent of the show, has just returned from Cincinnati where he says he left the political pot boiling over Mr. Aiken has been in the circus business 36 consecutive years, and travels 92,OOO miles a year. He says no good circus man dabbles in politics, because he cannot afford 1t.
 Speaking of panics," said the genial snowman, circus people are the first to feel such things; but while travelling through the south we never felt any ef- feet of the financial stringency. We were the first circus people to travel over the southern road in six years, and had record-breaking crowds, people coming as far as 300 miles to see the performances. In Indiana and other western states 1t did not take us long to realize that the greenbacks were stuffed in socks and could not be pulled out with derrick.
 "Circus people are usually regarded as a class whose companionshp should be es- chewed, but I have statistics and actual facts to disprove this. l have travelled with shows in wagons, in cars, and on steamers, and we know that never in the history of circuses has defaulter been fr ba fa aot hat air GUS owners pick good men and pay good salaries A bond Is never heard of in the circus business, although the circus men of this country handle an aggregate of more than s25,0O0.0OO year. Then, again, you will find fewer divorces in the circus business than among any similar number of people in the United States. Less than 20 diyorces have been gotten by circus people in the last 22 years. So, you see, we are not so terribly bad after all.
 "J started in the business as an errand how with this circus, which has showed continuously for 87 years; remained in the same family, and never left this country. I have seen every circus on the road and know it to be falsehood to sav See one circus, you see them all Each circus has an Individuality all it's own and the people of the south, who natronize circuses more liberally than nersons in any other section, know this. circus is a luxury, however, and we have to study everything in order to give tho people what they want. We consult the crop reports before going to a town. If the crops are good we stick to our itinerary If the contrary is true, we shift
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
HUS BANDS.
From Life.

1T run Lllc-
 Husbands are largely manufactured out of the raw material grown on farms and outlying districts. There are some few city varieties, but they are poor in quail ity. The farm output Is usually taken to the city early in life, and fed on rum, tobacco and business until he becomes fat enough to kill for the matrimonial market. He is then led out to the slaugh- ter and used thereafter as a basis for millinery and dress goods.
 Husbands form one of our chief assets. They are patient, docie under treatment, become enured early In life to hard labor. and are useful at dinner parties and polt- icaI gatherings
 The American variety differs from the foreign breeds in many important partic- ulars. He is more easily domesticated and stands any amount If abuse with out complaint. There are several in- stances on record where husbands have slept night after night in pajamas, made by their wives and starched under their personal supervision, without murmuring. They have even been known, in rare in- stances, to attend church regularly.
 There are several kinds of husbands. The early morning variety is very com panionable, but short lived. In some households the silent husband is the main feature, acquiring this great gift by long practice The literary husband, as rule. is thin and poor and has his fur rubbed off in spots and lays his ears well back The Salt Lake husband has 2 large open heart, is liberal in his views and many sided. He is, in fact, all things to all women.
 The best husbands are caught young when their spirits can be easily, broken
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
IN A ROSE GARDEN.

By John Bennett. A hundred years from now, dear heart,
 We shall not care at all. It will not matter then whit,
 The honey or the gall. The summer days that we have known Will all forgotten be and flown; The garden will be overgrown
 Where now the roses fall. A hundred years from now, dear heart,
 We shall not mind the pain; The throbbing crimson tide of life
 Will not have left a stain. The song we sing together, dear. Will mean no more than means tear
 Amid summer rain. A hundred years from now, dear heart,
 The grief will all be OCT; The sea of care will surge in vain
 Upon a careless shore. These glasses we turn down today Here at the parting of the way We shall be wineless then as they.
 And shall not mind it more. A hundred years from now, dear heart,
 We'll neither know nor care What came of all lifes bitterness
 Or followed lifes despair. Then fill the glasses up again, And kiss me through the rose-leaf rain: wen build one castle more in Spain,
 And dream one more dream there.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
EQUALITY A DREAM.
But the Fortunate Have None the Less
 Duty to the Unfortunate.

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
 The equality of human beings is a mere dream. The political equality equality of rights, equal privileges equal justice to all-these are practical deals for which good men are eternally striv- ing. The power of circumstance is all most limitless in determining the fate of great masses of human beings. It is the merest hypocrisy to deny that men are born unequal, in health and strength in energy and intelligence, in temperament and nature The differences of charac- ter and ability are just as marked as are the differences in personal appear ance and physical strength. The fate, to a certain extent, of myriads of men is determined before they are old enough to express a desire or to exert their will. Training. education, environment and good fortune very largely enter into the prob lem for good or for ill., but the fate is black indeed for those who are born un- der evil auspices, and are also subjected to an environment so bad that it would suffice to drag down one born with every advantage of health and vigor of sturdy and virtuous ancestry.
 Earnest and conscientious men and women who consider the plight of the thousands of dwellers in city slums know that duty rests upon them to alleviate the suffering and to mitigate the distress of the great masses of men, women and children who by a decree of fate have been thrust into a position calculated to bring despair upon courageous man. The laws apply to weak and to strong with equal severity. Human wisdom has never been able to find any just or pos sible method of tempering the wind to the shorn lamb in this particular, be- cause no human wisdom can determine the degree of moral culpabilty. This is hidden from mortal gaze. But everyone knows that while before the law all must be treated with exact impartiality, yet thousands have been doomed by vicious and weak ancestry and by a hard fate and evil surroundings to a con- diton which leads almost inevitably to vice and crime.
 It is, therefore, the duty of humane and conscientious men to constitute them- selves into courts of equity for the pur- pose of alleviating in every possible way the sufferings of those who cannot help themselves to remedy the terrible condi- tions of living. to take light into dark places to remove the filth, to cure dis ease, to rescue the tempted and to en- courage and teach decent and right methods of living.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
plea for Less Cruelty.

There has been some talk recently on the part of a great many people of the cruel method of catching dogs-that IS to say. the method of throwing a wire loop about their necks," said Humane Officer L. A Bonnie yesterday
 "I have recently received a pamphlet from the Humane society of Pasadena Cal, which explains the means of deal- ing with the stray dog nuisance there and it seems to me that some similar step might be taken in Birmingham.
 Pasadena has an ordinance which makes the owner of a dog responsible to a higher degree than does our ordi- Nnance. There it is a msdemeanor for the owner of a dog to allow the canine to run loose unless it wears the license tag. It seems that this scheme has worked quite well, for the reports show that the number of dogs asphyXiated is on the decrease. A man who is willing to own a dog certainly ought to be willing to care for it and if he is made responsible tn the degree that he commits mis- demeanor in allowing his dog to run loose without tag, it becomes necessary to take up fewer dogs.
 "The tag does not signify that It. cense has been paid so much as it dis tnguishes the tramp dog from those cared for. As long as there are stray dogs running loose on the streets it will be necessary to take them up, and the loop is about the only scheme by which they can be caught. When Birmingham follows Pasadena's scheme there will be less of the cruelty of which complaint is made
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
PHILIPPINE TOURISTS.
America's Recent Panic Lessened the
 Number.

From the Philippine Gossip.
 A few days ago one of the dailies pub lished a long article calling attention to the great crowds of tourists which were overrunning Japan and passing by the Philippines. The facts are that the finan- cial panic in the United States seriously interfered with tourist travel to the Orient this year, and the number touring Japan and China is much below the usual number, while at Nagasaki the Nagasaki Hotel has been compelled to close it's doors for want of patronage. While Ma nila has not been visited by large num- bers of tourists so far during the present year, yet there has been a considerable number who have stopped over from time to time and as all have been well repaid for their visits, there is every indication that the tourist travel will gradually set in toward these islands, and that Manila will have a fair share of this travel be- fore many months have passed, due in a large measure to the work of the pub licity bureau of the Merchants Assocla- tion
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21

their pockets and subscribed some s4o0o. which went to the innocent victims of the riot and their families-ehiefiy to the ne groes Springfield has not yet done this
 With 500 troops called out by the gov ernor as soon as report of the riot reached him the Atlanta disturbance was sup pressed and peace and order restored within 24 hours; in Springfield over 1000 troops remained on duty several days. and continued rioting followed their ap- pearanee.
 Mob rule is never to be desired. It is alike dangerous to society and dam aging to business and to local reputa- tion. But if racial differences and hu- man passions usher it in then by all means let the practice of the south be adopted. The southern race mob seeks to punish the guilty while shielding the innocent. The Springfield mob struck at both alike. Springfield seeks to drive all negroes away. Not even At lanta had any desire to do that. At lanta was passionate for a day and just and even generous afterwards. If Springfield has relented for a minute to this time the fact does not appear in the press telegrams, and they are exceptionally accurate and compre- hensive.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
John A. Johnson.

'I voted for John A. Johnson in the pri- mary, and I hope to live to vote for him as the nominee of the democratic party in 1912" said a business man. As I participated in the primary l feel my self in honor bound to vote for Bryan in November l have listened to MT. Bryan speak on a dozen or mofe occasions, but I am about to vote for him for the first time.
 My idea of a democrat of the Jeffer- son-Tilden-C Cleveland type Is Governor Johnson of Minnesota l am glad he has been nominated again for the office he now holds. It is his third nomination, and he is almost sure to be elected and to carry Minnesota for Bryan and Kern.
 '"The fact that Johnsons nomination was the signal for an ovation is but an- other evidence of his wonderful popular ity He is magnetic man as well as true statesman. l would be willing to bet even money that Johnson would be President for the term beginning March 4. 1913."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
Politics in Kansas

Kansas generally has a good deal of politics to the acre, and this year it is indulging freely. The overthrow of Senator Long and his machine by MT. Bristow has stirred the state profound ly and the subject is still uppermost in the public mind. The railroads were lined up behind Senator Long and the Kansas City Times suggests that they apply to the offending Bristow the fa- nous and most picturesque provision of the statute regulating the use of automobiles upon public highways, passed in 1903 The law stands un- repealed, including the provision in question. It is as follows.
 Nothing in this section shall be con- strued as in any way preventing, ob- structing, impeding embarrassing or in any other manner or form infringing upon the prerogative of any political chauffeur to run an automobilious band wagon at any rate he sees fit compatible with the safety of the occupants thereof; provided, however that not less than ten nor more than twenty ropes be allowed at all times to trail behind the vehicle when in motion, in order to permit those who have been so fortunate as to escape with their political lives an opportunity to be dragged to death; and, provided further, that whenever a mangled and bleeding political corpse implores for mercy, the driver of the vehicle shall in accordance with the provisions of the bill, Throw out the life line"
 Our Kansas City contemporary is con- fident MT. Bristow has violated born the spirit and letter of the statute of 1903. If he can be thrown into dun. geon keep and kept there indefinitely no doubt Nelson Wilmarth A1drich and the other conservatives of the Senate would draw a long breath of relief.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Am ateur Night.

In spite of the inclemeney of the weather, large and enthusiastic audi ence comfortably filled the East Lake Casino last night to witness the perfor- nance of the amateur entertainers Last night being amateur night at the Ca sino, and all of the participants were of that class. An excellent programme was given, each person trying for a prize or which there were four. The audience acted judge The following is list Of those who participated Miss Minnie Estes, singer; Carl Luster, eontortionist; M. Davis. whistler and imitator Edgar Strauss, singer; G. G. Leach, Juggler; Miss Hattie Hamilton. guitar sololst.
 The first prize of s5 was won by carr Luster. the second of $2 by MT. Davisi the third of s1 by Miss Minnie Estes, ana the fourth of 50 cents by Edgar Strauss
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
Spirits are not finely touched But to fine issues.
 Measure for Measure.
Listen to the MoCkilgbird

The Age-Herald is glad to read that game wardens appointed by Game Commissioner Wallace are trying to put an end to the slaughter, trapping or caging of mocking birds. Game Warden Cleveland of Bibb is moving efficiently in this matter. John John- son of that county killed a mochng bird. He was compelled to pay to the state and the good county of Bibb $1v. Will Almore, youth, caught one and placed it in a cage. The bird was re- leased, and Will was taxed S10 for vio- lating the states humane and just game law.
 There are many mocking birds in the state and if every game warden would do his duty up to the standard set by Game Warden Cleveland of Bibb, the state would soon rejoice in the songs of the south's favorite song bird. Commissioner Wallace could perhaps devise a special reward to those game wardens who protect the mocking bird. The state yearns to hear the varied notes of it's erudite songster, and the commissioner can win anew the good will of the people of Alabama by taking steps to stop tne cruel slaughter or caging of mocking birds.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
The Race Question.

T am not conversant with strike con ditions in the Birmingham district, said Alex E'. Weedon of North Carolina, "but l am surprised to find in the state of Alabama that whites and blacks are permitted to associate on terms of ap- parent social equality In the mines lodges. 1t seems that in many mn ing camps union leaders have been urging the white and negro miners to bring their wives and daughters to the public meetings and that on certain occasion comedy young white woman was made to sit between two negro women
 What is a southern communits coming to that permits this socia equality between the white and black races?"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
Sprin96eld and Atlanta

Indefensible as the Atlanta mob of September, 1906, was, 1t was clearly more humane than the one now draw ing to a reluctant end in Springfield, III The Atlanta Constitution mentions the differences, as follows:
 Atlanta's citizens drew no color line in demanding the enforcement of the law and the protection of life, liberty and property, nor did it draw the color line when it came to making provision to alleviate the suffering of the innocent vic- tims of the mob.
 In the similar meeting held here in Sep- fsnber. 1906. the business men went into
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
All tho Troops Needed

All lno troops Needed
 The miners strike situation is again menacing.
 Atrocities committed by strikers or their sympathizers had stirred the pub lie to wrath and public sentiment was quickly crystalized in a demand for law and order. Peaceful citizens assem- bled and declared in stern tones and with significant unanimity that this district should no longer be terrorized by armed strikers and eowardly dyna- miters.
 For few days comparative quiet Tn the disturbed areas prevailed, but the dynamiting of the home of a prominent citizen of Pratt City Tuesday night and other fiendish attempts on life, and the systematic efforts made by union min 
 CTS to intimidate those miners who are ready and willing to work bring a re- turn of terrorism little less destruct- i've of orderly conditions and property values than a reign of anarchy itself.
 These turbulent scenes should not be possible in a great and populous district like this, where the vast ma jority of citizens are law-loving and where the governor of the state has stationed soldiers to protect life and property But it is now evident that the strikers are growing more desper- ate and that their attitude is more threatening than ever.
 About one-third of the state troops are on duty in the Birmingham dis trict. but the entire military force of Alabama should be mobilized at once. Every soldier will be needed here. Dis order and crime have been much too long in evidence This state of af- fairs must be ended.
 Let Governor Conner call out all his troops. And then if the military off cer in command cannot suppress law lessness and insure protection to men who wish to earn a living by mining coal, it will be in order to call on Pres ident Roosevelt for few regiments of regulars.
 The Alabama national guard is ex- ceptionally well disciplined and we'll drilled. With all our troops in thefeld they would doubtless be able to cope with the riotous strikers. If not, how ever, the aid of the federal government must be invoked. With the regulars here peace and or6or and security would be absolutely guaranteed.
 State pride comes in when the ques- ton of calling for United States troops ,s considered. But as it is today the lives of innocent men, women and chill dren are in constant jeopardy, a bloody race war Is threatened, the state is subjected to an enormous ex- pense, and business is being paraiyzeo. , Let us have vigorous action and above all let us. have prompt action.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-21
SIDELIGHTS ON CASTRO

soap boxes filled with gold bricks into the ships safe, and was told they belonged to Castro. He is not laying up treasure in heaven to any extent, but he is sending It to Europe, where, he figures, it will do him some good. They say in La Guayra that steam is kept up in Goulds old yacht night and day, so that it may be ready in case the general is obliged to make sudden sneak. Contrawise. the captain assured me that the boilers are so old and rotten they are afraid to shift her from her moorings. At any rate I saw the steam coming from her smoke- stack all the time we lay alongside.
 People who know tell me that it is only Castro's sublime nerve that keeps him In power He knows there are 5O,OOo peo- pie in Venezuela who would like to as- sassinate him, and 20O0 or 5000 who really owe 1t to their own self-respect to put him out Of the way. Yet, on Bolivar Day, when all Caracas is in disguise. and there is all the freedom of a Spanish car nival, Castro rides among the masked throng in full uniform and unguarded. It would be the simplest thing in the world for one of the maskers to take a pot shot at him and get away with it; and 1t is pretty certain that if he was once good and dead measures for apprehending the assassin would show thoroughly Spanish atmosphere of manana'
 But 1t is not in human nature to shoot down in cold blood a man who is not afraid. Even though one may not ap- prove his methods, one cannot help ad- miring the absolute courage of the man. The only thing I'm afraid of is he will overplay his game; he will want to ship just one more consignment of gold to the other side, and some crazy man will drop him. l nave heard his fortune estimated at anywhere from $20, 1000 to SIC, 900, ,000- and some even put 1t in pounds sterling. But you can't believe all you hear in the tropics. Enough of 1t is true, however, to make your neighbor, the general, a mighty interesting person."