Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-06-05
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A series of articles now appearing
In the Scientific American makes re-
DIV to the charges against the Ameri-
can Navy contained in the Mcclure
article by Artist Reuterdahl. The first
article aims to show that the various
boards which have determined the
characteristics of the American Navy
have had q majority of their member
ship composed of sea-going officers,
contrary to the statement made by
Reuterdahl The second one contra
diets the statement that none of our
battle ships has Its main armor belt
inches above the water when fully
equipped. 1t is asserted that our YES
sells show from 1S inches to IL feet
inches of armor belt above the water
line when fully equipped. AS to the
alleged low freebOard of our ships, the
Scientific American points out that,
with the single exception of the Dread
naught, there is not a ship in the Britt
ish Navy with the forward deck % feet
high. As to the broadside guns, the
writer holds that they are as high as
similar guns in the German and Japa-
nese navies, and from 2 to Az feet
| higher than those of some of the mod
ern British battle ships. The writer
concludes that American ships in the
matter of heavy armor are ton for ton
superior to the ships of other navles.
The results of exhaustive expert
ments conducted by the Bureau OF
Chemistry of the Department of Agri'
culture tT, determine the poisonous eff.
feet of such drugs as borax, benzoiC
acid, benzoate of soda, sulphate OF
copper, sulphur dloxide, formaldehyde
and salicyic acid when used as pre-
servatives in foodstuffs have been out
lined before the House Committee on
| Agriculture by DR.. II. w. Wiley, chief
of the bureau. The main conclusion
is that the expulsion of these and kin
bred drugs from the body shortens the
| term of the average mans life in the
United States, and that kidney dis
ease, so prevalent among Americans
| is largely the result of constant intro
duction into the system of such sub
| stances. DR.. Wiley told the commit
tee he had discovered that salt solu
ton was a perfect substitute for sui
phur In the whitening and drying OF
fruit, and he exhibited samples of ap
pies so dried to prove his statement
-
DR.. ]. Walter Fewkes, an investlga
tor employed by the Bureau of Eth
nology, who has been looking into the
origin of the first inhabitants of the
| Island of Porto Rico, now reports his
conclusion that the West Indies were
| formerly connected with South Amert
ca, whence came the primitive Carrib
cans to Porto Rico, and not from Yu
catan, Florida or elsewhere, as held
| by the scientists who accept the the
| DRY OF a prehistoric island extending
almost across the Atlantic Ocean from
| the Caribbean Sea to Africa. This ia
bled Atlantis, now supposed to have
been submerged in some change in the
earth's crust, has served as the hypo
thesis to account for immigrations OF
primitive man, mammals and plants
from the Old World to the New, thus
accounting for the ruins of Egyptian
pyramids ard architecture in Yucatan
DR.. Fewkes virtually skaters this the
DRY by asserting that the ridge of the
| Antilles extends from north to south
Instead of from east to west.
| -
That the duty on sugar and tobacco
be removed is again recommended in
the report of Secretary of War Taft
on the Philippine Islands. This course
he says, is necessary in order to have
these industries attain their former
prosperous condition, and he believes
that the removal of the duty would moi
injure any American interest nor af.
feet the prices of sugar and tobacco
in this country. He also urges Con
gress to remove the present restrlc
lions on the acquisition of mining
claims; to authorize the insular gov.
| eminent to conduct an agricultural
bank, and that our cOastwise laws bC
made inappiicable to trade between
the United States and Philippine
ports. The President concurs in the
Taft recommendations and gives espe
cial praise to Governor Smith and his
associates for their conduct of affair
IN the Philippines.
| -
William J. Bryan appeared befor,
the House Committee on Election OF
President and Vice President for the
purpose of urging the passage of a bill
providing for publicity of campaign
contributions to the political parties
He took the ground that all argu
ments used in elections should be used
publicly, and all means employed to Sc
cure the election of or to defeat a can
didate should be means which the one
using them would not be ashamed tc
have the world know. He insisted
that the most important thing to be
done was to make the campaign con