The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-30
Especial to The Free Press.1

New York, April 26.-Not since the
bnrrowing for the subway tore the
town to tatters has Gotham been SO
upset as it is today over the final
to split for Il few feet
more of highway the structures that
line Fifth avenue. Millions of tons
OF facades, Stops, balconies and front
steps must vanish within two slight
lines of wider frontage that have been
decreed by the powers to take effect
on the first of May. To make room
for Il few wheels widths of pavement
and an extra bit of elbow room OF
sidewalk in its midst the whole me-
tropolis is straining today as though
a volcanic eruption We're imminent. Al
ready half the old familiar faces of
the buildings along Fifth avenue from
end to end are being shorn of their
structural eyebrows, noses, and even
chins and cheek bones. Before this
modern wave of reconstruction the
good old brownstone flights of en-
trance steps are being Topped off and
carted away forever to the scrap heap.
When the city's wedge has slid the
length of this historic thoroughfare of
fashion, its own oldest inhabitants
will hardly know it..
Croker Is COntented
Hourly, hedged about by rumors of
the rankest invention, grizzeled old
Dick Croker is preparing to climb the
gang plank, bound for. his estates in
Ireland. . To those who have been
closest to the veteran Tammany chief
tain during the recent months of his
visit to these shores, all talk of tang
ling him up in active politics again
is regarded as absurd. Never during
his stay in this town of Tammany
has the eX-boss even given thought
of taking part in later-day politics,
these men declare, and no idea can
be further from his mind. Croker has
enjoyed all the fascination and for
tune within the grasp of any one boss
in a lifetime, and tte anyone who has
talked tiwith him iteently it is very
apparent that he has no sighs for more
campaign worlds to conquer. From
this day forth till the day of his death
it is assured beyondf doubt that Dick
Croker will be or try to be nothing
more than a placid squire and con
tented gentleman of leisure.
Housewives Are Heard.
Now that Il market combination or
wheat, is cutting down the size and
raising the price of the loaf of bread
of every family in this city, the
housewives of Gotham are beginning
to wonder how long the sugar trust
will be permitted to tack two cents
to the cost of every pound of this
other staple of the breakfast, dinner
and supper table, Though the gro
GERS are showing their customers that
! this high tariff tax, (which the sugar
kings are fighting to maintain, cost
every household in the land som,
eight dollars i'm increased sugar bills
last year, the united protests of thu
heads and housekeepers of families il
this town and throughout the lanC
are reported to have fallen on dea
ears in the tariff tinkering congress
New Workers, like all Americans, art
sugar consumers with almost ever,
bite and swallow they take each day
and vigorous protest is today bein:
added from people here to the genera
cry for cheaper sugar from all owe
the country. The few refiners in thi
city who are. not tools of the trus
are declaring that they need no dut.
on refined and raw sugar, while TIN
grocers, who look for increased con
sumption with cheaper, sugar to TIN
consumer. are joining in the genera
demand for real reduction on the nee
essary contents of the family suga
bowl.
IRIS, Twice Told Tale.
Little interest in the rate of Cap
tain Hams is being shown here thi
week as all the revolving details o
this sordid story are being prepared t.
spread before the court once more
New Workers appear to have ha'
enough of the tale of this murder AM
leXpress only mild interest in tn
mentality of the defendant who still
fingers in the grip of the law. Nov
that Sarah Koten has met the mere,
of the court for Staying her be
trayer in an unstable state of mind
the belief is growing that the measure
of this husbands mentality may coun
for a similar disposition of his ease
i Whatever the outcome of this last air
ling of the Hams case may be, tn
people here will welcome it chiefly a
closing forever. the public recital of
chapter which should have long sine
been shut up and put away.
Commuters In Campaign.
For the first time in the histor,
of this metropolis spell binding in tn
smoking cars of suburban trains ha
today been added to up-to-date cam
paign methods. For ten days to com
the merry villagers who commute t
Manhattan Island from South Orang
are to be herded into the confines O
the local smokers to listen to politi
cal oratory that will subdue the di