davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
Uniform Bill Of I,sdipo

Serious objection to the bill of lad
ing recommended by the interstate
commerce commission has arisen be-
cause it provides that a claim for loss
or damage must be filed within four
months or the carrier will not be liable.
At present the time in presenting a
claim is left to state laws of limita.
tons. The state laws permit the filing
of such claims UP to the extent of sew
eral years, and a four months clause
in bill of lading would no doubt be
attacked in the courts. Such a clause
cannot well be adopted without the aid
of national legislation.
"A national bill of lading," says the
Iron Age, would be the most i'm.
portant document used in modern COM
merce. The railroads pay each year
in damage claims about S25,000,000
and the chief purpose of the conditions
in bill of lading is to define clearly
the liability to the shipper under which
this enormous volume of claims &C.
crues. Bankers advance against or
der bills of lading $4,000, 100000 in the
course of years business, and the
value of the property carried on non
negotiable bills of lading is many times
greater. In an ordinary contract,
where the parties understand each
other, it is important to use precise
language, and in bill of lading, which
carries so many millions of transac-
lions in year, there should be no
word or phrase in conflict with the
legal rights of the parties"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
Business and Politics.

Henry Clews in his weekly Wall
street review says in part: Fortunate
ly, the country has been saved crop
scare, the worst calamity that could
have happened, but the political scare
came with unexpected sharpness. 1t is
probable that the outlook is not so I'M
certain as just now appears, because
the Issues at stake are clouded by CAM
paign smoke and talk, which are al
ways hottest in the six weeks preced-
ing election. As a matter of fact, there
are no critical issues before the people
which are seriously disputed. Both
parties are singularly alike in their
appeals to the people, differing chiefly
in the degrees and methods by which
they would attain certain ends; and
they might be more correctly classed
as conservatives and radicals than re-
publicans and democrats. Today the
issues are chiefly personal, and while
they may easily precipitate the hottest
sort of discussion they are less likely
to exert any permanent disturbing ef-
feet than would the opening up of some
great social or economic question. The
tariff problem is of vastly more I'M
portance to the business public than
the personal differences between the
two candidates, and as both parties
are pledged to revision the country
must be prepared to face period of
tariff agitation as soon as Congress
convenes.
There Is little probability, however,
of any radical tariff changes, for Meth
er party cares to incur the responsible
ty of prolonging business depression;
yet the mere uncertainty as long as 1t
lasts will be deterrent upon business,
for not one will care to make new VEN
lures until the outcome is settled. Our
lawmakers, therefore, should be i'm
pressed with the idea that action should
be prompt and calculated to give as
much relief with as little arrangement
as possible"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
SARASATE, VIOLINIST

coupled with this other quality in a way
that made him notable as figure emil
nently different and strikingly individual.
When it is recalled that saraste found
response in western audiences of Is years
ago, while, at the same time, he was
admitted TO first company in Paris and
Brussels, it will be seen that he was
possessed of qualities quite extraordinary.
One thing, so important nowadays, Sa-
raste laeked-he was not a good press
agent. Visited by reporters in the old
Midland hotel in Kansas City, he sleepily
answered few questions. grudgingly ex-
hibited his fiddle, which was of the make
of either Antonio Giuseppe Guarneri or
Antonius Stradivarius-at any rate, an I'M
commonly rich instrument-and said good
morning. He was very like the real artist
of the old school, the type of man pic
tured in Briehanteau, actor, by Jules
Claretie, save that Brichanteau was hard
ly the truly great man Sarasate was. At
any rate the Spanish maestro did not
know the way of telling reporters about
how many thousand dollars his fiddle
cost, what kind Of cigarettes he smoked
and whether he used milk or cocktail
baths. Had he been that sort of man
the newspapers might have had columns
about him, the other day, when he died.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
SYSTEMS IN GAM BLING.
How Some Men Figured That They
Were Bound To Win.

From the New York Telegraph.
Increased interest has been aroused in
the Rosslyn-Maxim gambling contest in
London by the fact that the earl won
more than $4,000 the third day of play,
making him a winner of more than $4,000
in three days. Pat Sheedy talked to me
for an hour about a system that he
had discovered that could not lose Ii
one bet IS every time the ball was rolled
no more and no less-he would come out
SIS at the end of 100 rolls. OF course,
$40 bet would mean winning of $50. Mr..
Sheedy proved everything he said with
figures and yet he had to go into the
picture business to make a living.
Mr.. Sheedy took his system over to Eng
land to explain it to Henry Labouchere,
editor of Truth, who, Mr.. Sheedy said,
is Interested in gambling as an amateur.
After sheedy had got into his explana-
ton Labouehere astounded him by pro-
ducing from his desk the same figures
that sheedy had. He had discovered the
martingale himself
An old dime novel writer of this city,
Albert w. Aiken, discovered, or thought
not lose at faro. He introduced it and
explained it fully in two of his books
It was the doubling-up system. In this
you must bet on the same card all the
time, and the basis of the scheme was
that the cards could not run the same
way always. Mr.. Aiken had his hero
bet 81 on the ace to win. 1t lost; then
then he bet 81 again on the ace to win
| he bet 81 on the ace to win and 1t lost;
| and once more 1t lost. The fourth time
! he put IS on the ace to win and it did
win Thus he had wagered altogether 81
and won IS on the last bet, his net win
ming being 81. Ailxen's system is all right
in theory. 1t worked so well in his novel
that faro bank owners bought off two
| of his heroes.
The weakness of the Aiken system,
which it may be said is not a discovery
| of that novelist, but has been known
ever since men have gambled, lies in the
fact that while the chances are that a
card is bound to turn winner some time
or other, yet it may turn to lose so
times in succession, in which event it
would require the capital of a Rockefeller
| to back the play. And again every bank
has limit may be $50, in which case
the bettor would have only six chances
to win his 81. His last bet would have to
| be $32.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
AeronautiC Law Of the Period

The country is ON the verge of a
new chapter of law. Already case
has arisen in New Jersey that no law
can readily be fitted to. Even the
common law cannot readily be applied
to 1t. and the common lava is nothing
If not flexible. This, in brief. is the
New Jersey case:
AS balloon descended upon BIS prom
erty: the balloon itself did no damage.
but crowd of men, women and children.
eager to see the balloon, raced into BIS
property, broke his fences, and practi-
cally destroyed his garden. Now, is A
responsible to B for the damages? In the
case in point. B held AS balloon for
damages, and A charged B with stealing
it. The justice reserved his decision
The airships will materialize gradu-
ally year after year and so will the air.
ship laws. Lawmakers and aeronauts
will no doubt advance step by step I'M
til aerial navigation is established on
the one hand and the rights of all, both
in the air and on the earth, on the
other.
The building up of aeronautic law
will not be more difficult than the sys-
tenn of law that wireless telegraphy
today is demanding. The more air
ships, the more laws will be needed,
for the common law cannot be fitted to
everything. The messages that fly un-
seen through the air need protection
and the airships that all can see we'll
need it, too, and so will the spectators
and landholders down below. Aero.
nautic and wireless laws will soon. in
short, begin to cucumber our already
overloaded statute books
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
MOTHS AND TOBACCO.

From the Columbus Dispatch.
1t has been said that tobacco, placed
in clothes, will keep the moths away.
But recent experience of DR.. Sterling
B. Taylor, member of the city council
and also member of the medical staff
of the Fourth regiment, rips big gashes
in this beautiful theory.
I'm getting out my army blouse for
use at the Indiana encampment and ma
neuvers," said DIR. Taylor, II saw some-
thing that surprised me. 1t also gave
me some trouble and put me to some
expense. In putting the blouse away last
year | had left plug of tobacco in ono
of the pockets. What do you suppose
I saw when I took the blouse down from
its hook last week? Why, the moths had
pulled the plug half way through tho
lining of the pocket. Talk about moths
being afraid of tobacco. Tell that to the
marines hereafter, not TO me. 1t Will
take something stronger than Red Horse
to worry them"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
Chlna's Effort to Abolish 0pium

The western powers, especially Eng
land, are cooperating with China in
an intelligent effort to lessen gradu-
ally the use of opium in that populous
country. All see that the reform must
be accomplished by degrees. The pro-
duction of opium in China and the i'm
portation of it from India are to be
reduced from year to year until the
practice can be abolished altogether.
England is lending a helping hand SO
far as India is concerned, and the
larger part of the opium consumed in
China comes from India.
The task in such vast population
would stagger even the strongest gov
eminent, but the authorities Of China
are already able to report marked
Improvement in the cDn-umption Of tne
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
cullman County Fair.

"Cullman, the county that captured the
first prize for county exhibit at the
State Fair last year, is preparing to
duplicate the achievement again this
year." said a citizen of that enterprislng
community yesterday.
1.-THE men in charge of the undertaking
are preparing for the usual county fair
which will be held next week. This Is
the second year that county fair Will
be held and it promises to be even more
successful than the one held last year.
Local prizes are offered for the best ex-
hibits in every department and the ex'
hibits are entered with the understanding
that the best items are to be selected
for the state exhibit.
In this way the managers have been
successful in assembling most creditable
displays. Cnllman produces a wonderful
variety of fruits and vegetables, as well
as hay, grain and other farm products
and some of the samples brought to the
State Fairs compare well with similar
products in any part of the United States
1.-THE German Farmers association
takes an active interest In the county
and state exhibits and the members OF
the association vie with each other in a
friendly contest to provide the choicest
fruits and other things for the occasions.
1.-THE other counties of the state will
have to make a mighty fine showing to
keep Cullman from again capturing the
first prize at the coming fair"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28

drug. The imports have been reduced
and SO has the home consumption.
The Chinese begin to fear, however,
that the taking away of the products
of the poppy juice will bring back the
alcoholic drink habit. This habit was
the curse of China before the Arabs
introduced the drug that all now wish
to Danish
An International conference in aid
of the Chinese is to meet in Shanghai
on January 1 next. The United States
suggested the holding of the confer.
enee, and it is believed all the other
countries will send delegates to it in
the hope that it will aid the Chinese
government in its great effort to put
an end to use of and traffic in opium.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION.

From the Charlotte IN. CT Real Estate
Record and Industrial Review.
The mayor of Birmingham Ala, Is
on the right track believing that the
beautificatio of his city is an indus
trial asset. Within each city block he
has organized an improvement league,
whose duty it is to look after the beau
tification of the Immediate neighbour
hood These leagues are made UP OF
women who have gone to work in earn
est. with the purpose of making Biz
mingham a beautiful city. Cleanliness
necessarily leads to Identification,
through self-respect.
Beauty is simply one form that
wealth takes" says Mayor Ward.
EVERY piece of property will increase
in value in direct ratio with its own
attractiyeness or that of its surround
ings." is another of the mayors sound
statements. Furthermore, neglect or
lack of taste on the part of a few peo-
pie in one neighborhood will minimize
the good work of all the Others" The
mayor has printed long list of things
to be done, under the heading do 1t
Now" Here is a good one: Exercise
the same supervision over your side
walk as your front yard. Sidewalks
are the index of the kind of people in
side" Another reads: plant lawns,
flowers and trees. Wherever the ground
shows bare, plant something green in
it,
Such a policy as this is highly COM
mendable and it Is with pleasure that
we will watch Birminghams advance
ment An attractive and clearly city
appeals to the outsider looking for a
place to locate.
We would cite indianapolis, Ind. as
such an one. A visitor is at once at
tracted by the clean streets and door
yards, green lawns and shade, flower
beds and arbors in all parts of the
city. It is plainly and simply, attrac-
tive, and there is a strong appeal to
each and every one who happens In
indianapolis to move there, and locate
permanently. We hope Birmingham
will set the example for the south.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
WHAT THE GOVERNOR SAID.
Historian Writes of origin of the
Legend of Parched Intervals.
From the New York sun.

| From the New York Sun.
Having been for many years deliver
in the history and traditions of our south
ern states. I feel myself qualified to con-
tribute something to the discussion raised
by your correspondent. Mr.. Chambers, in
his letter of September 9.
Governor Moorehead and Governor
Vance of North Carolina are credited
with originating the tippler's signal, Its
long time between drinks" Another
story has it that it was not a governor
at all, but Judge Aedanus Burke, a
hearty old Irishman, who was a judge in
South Carolina during and just after the
Revolution.
There is also a legend, unsupported by
dates or authority but to be found in old
chronicles, that early in the nineteenth
century some such incident as this oc-
Cured:
The Governor of South Carolina issued
a requisition for the return of a fugitive
in hiding in North Carolina. The Gov
ernor of North Carolina hesitated, as
the fugitive had made powerful friends,
whereupon, becoming impatient the Gov
ernor of South Carolina, with a huge ret
niue, went to Raleigh and waited on his
official brother
The Governor of North Carolina rose TO
the social requirements of the occasion
and provided great banquet. At the
end of It the Governor of South Carolina
arose at the table and stated his errand
The Governor of North Carolina was
greatly embarrassed, and failing to get
a reply, the Governor of South Carolina
grew very angry
Sir" he said, you have refused my
just demands and offended the dignity OF
my office. If you persist in your refusal
l will return, sir, to my capital and call
out the militia of my state and take the
fugitive by force of arms. Governor,
what do you say?'
All eyes were turned upon the Governor
of North Carolina as again the Governor
of South Carolina demanded:
What does the Governor of North Car
DINA say?"
The Governor of North Carolina slowly
arose and deliberately replied:
81 say, Governor, that it is long time
between drinks"
The visitors were so tradition reports,
taken with a great escort to the state line,
and the fugitive was never surrendered.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
SUITS FOR SIS.

from the NEW oIh WIN.
A stout man sat in the Hotel Knick-
erbocker yesterday clad in neat-look-
ing gray suit of the two-pieee variety.
The garments fitted him well, in fact,
many persons turned to look, for he
seemed so cool. THAT" said one of the
clerks, us the promoter OF the new
clothes idea. He is only well to do to-
day, but I bet he is worth more than
a million a year from now, and IL you
can put sense in peoples heads he'll be
worth more than ten millions.
"He has discovered fiber in Central
America that can be woven like cloth
and costs comparatively nothing. I mean
SO cents worth of the raw material will
make suit like he's got on. It's thin
ner than pongee, sheds water and is
cooler than pajamas. 1t will be made
in many colors, and he's going to flood
the country next year with s. suits. He'd
have done it this year, but couldn't get
a hacker. Now he has one, and I'll bet
YOU there will be lot Of misery saved
all around next year.
New York men are foolish in one way.
They will wear dark clothes in these aw-
full days and are afraid some other TEL
low will sneer at a cheap suit. I envy
that man every time ! see him, and any
body who can find any fault with his
clothes, fit or anything else, must be
f,nicky indeed. IL few sensible men
start the crowd will follow.
This new fiber is vegetable, Of course,
pliable and soft, and somewhat resembles
rance. You can see how popular it will
be for 1t Keeps its shape, can't shrink,
and never looks frowsy. That was the
trouble with crash suits and others. Why,
I'm only so, yet 80 years ago every New
York business man used to wear white
duck suits in the summer. Now a man in
white is gazed at. Hurrah for the So suits,
I say. I wish had one on now
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Increase In Living Expenses.

1.-THE statistics published by Bradstreets
show that there has been a decline in
commodities of about Il per cent since
September. 1907 said a business man.
1.-The fact is that the prices have fallen
in lines not generally in domestic use.
For instance. iron is q per cent below
last September. tin 20 per cent and copper
% per cent. On the other hand flour Is
per cent higher, beef and corn % and 81
per cent respectively. The estimated IN
crease in the cost of living and cloth
ing necessities since 1896 is above % per
cent; cotton goods from 20 to 20 per
cent; women's and ehildren's dresses eo
per cent; linen underwear, % 1-3 per cent;
mems suits 20 per cent; gloves, 2S per cent
and woman's hats, 80 per cent shows
where a mans salary goes
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
From the ST. Louis Times.

| From the st. Louis Times.
y ACK in the late s0's-it was 'SS
EN or 'sg-spain sent to us. under the
~ management of Abbey, Schoffel
& Grau. a violinist of particularly attrac-
tive qualities. Sarasate came to us in
company with a Frenehman, Eugen DIAL
bert. a pianist of merit. The two gave
concerts throughout the country, going
into the west as far as Kansas CITY
All over the country admirers of viz
tuosity found in him a performer OF rare
excellence. He had been here before,
but it was not until the visit OF some
thing like 20 years ago that this busy
land found time to give proper attention
to his rare art.
Followers of the violin who really know
something of the subject will be sorry to
hear that Saraste has died. Spain has
been none too generous in her gifts OF
musical mastery. Teresa Carreno came
out of that dry land to play the piano
with the vigor of a man and the gentle
appreciation of femininty. Alvarez has
sung for us. Saraste, although of French
training, brought to his work the soulful
languor that is properly associated with
things Spanish. He had all of the brill.
liant delicaey of the French school
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
THE OWL.

BY Barry Cornwall.
In the Hollow tree, in the old gray
tower
The spectral Owl doth dwell;
Dull, hated, despised, in the sunshine
hour.
But at dusk-hes abroad and well!
Not a bird of the forest e'er mates
with him;
All mock him outright, by day;
But at night, when the woods grow
still and dim,
The boldest will shrink away!
oh. when the night falls and roosts
the fowl,
Then. then is the reign of the
Horned OWL
And the Owl hath a bride, who is fond
and bold.
And loveth the woods deep gloom;
And with eyes like the shine of the
moonstone cold,
She awaiteth her CHASTITY grooml
Not a feather she moves, not a carol
she sings,
AS she waits in her tree so still;
But when her beart heareth his flap
ping wings,
She boots out her welcome shrill!
All, when the moon shines, and
dogs do howl!
Then, then is the joy of the Horned
Owl!
Mourn not for the Owl, nor his gloomy
plight!
The Owl hath his share of good,
If prisoner he be In the broad day
light,
He is lord in the dark green wood.
Nor lonely the bird, nor his CHASTITY
mate,
They are each unto each a pride;
Thrice fonder perhaps, since strange
dark fate
Hath rent them from all beside.
So, when the night falls and dogs do
howl,
Sing Ho! for the reign of the Horned
OWL
We know not Away
Who are kings by day,
But the King of the night is the bold
brown Owl!