davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Curious impression.


 T find that many unsophistieated pro- hibitionists are under the impression that if prohibition Is inserted in the consttu- tion the law cannot or will not be yio- lated as it Is now under legislative en- aetment," said an old citizen.
 T myself am total abstainer and therefore am not personally interested in all this agitation over lockers, near beer and the like. But l have been struck with the confusion existing in the minds of the masses about this whole prohi- bition question. The l-prohibitionists contended before the state went dry that prohibition would not prohibit in the large cities, for the simple reason that public sentiment was not strong enough on the anti-saloon side; and it has turned out worse, if anything, than was predicted.
 Six months ago when the man about town told us that prohibition in Birming- ham was farce, those who were sin eerely in favor of prohibition but who saw nothing of the blind tiger side of the city, said these stories were made up simply to scandalize those persons who had advocated the statewide law. Now, tNtlA Douy save the AioSl staPiu eeaifi saloon follower acknowledges that prohi- bition has not prohibited well as was hoped.
 Not only are most of the large towns running wide open, according to common gossip, but the vilest sort of whisky is being sold at nearly all the mining camps. And should we have constitutional pro- hibition whisky and beer would be sold and consumed in large quantities in this state just as is the case in Maine, where prohibition is in the constitution and where liquor has not been sold legally for 60 years As great a farce as this whole matter is today, 1t will be still greater farce later on. The more dras- tic the laws which are not upheld by public sentiment, the more they are vio- lated.
 Even if I were disposed to be drink ing man, I would not only advocate obedience to the law myself but would set an example by obeying 1t; but as Solomon says in the book of Ecclesiastes, the thing that hath been Is that which shall be and the thing that hath been done s that which shall be done' So long as proibition has never prohibited in large cities it is safe to say, taking Solo mons words as a text, that it never will. It would be better therefore to try some other way of promoting temperance, and at the same time providing revenue for city and state.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28

first to the House and upon Messrs. Clark, Underwood and Griggs will fall the task of presenting and defending a report that exposes the iniquities of the pending bill-its robberies of the people for the benefit of a favored few. All three of the House mem bers have an excellent record They have done no dickering. They have opposed free raw materials unaccom- panied with corresponding reductions on manufactured goods, and they no doubt will present a report that will strip the device of the republicans stark naked, and that will const titute a fine document 10 lay before the voters next year. Criticism of the work of their republican associates is all the work the democratic con ferees have to do, and this they should and doubtless will do to the queens taste, and the consumers also.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
Hurricanes In July
state.

Ordinarily West India hurricanes do not appear before August, and in some years not until September, but this year the Caribbean sea sent one straight on to Galveston and a long stretch of coast on either hand of it. These storms are of a tropical na- ture, and summer heat seems to be re- quired before the trade wind seas are ready to send out hurricanes that create mountainous seas that spread disaster far and near. On account of the extent of the gulf coast this coun- try is often the victim of these storms.
 As the hurricane season has been opened by the storm that assailed without overthrowing Galveston's sea wall, violent cyclones from the sea may be expected at any time. Sailors know this and landsmen should take notice that storms from the Carri- bean sea are due on short notice. The southwest will have a rival through out the remainder of the season as a breeder of dangerous storms.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28

prising manufacturers. The high place that Kreisler has attained in the musical world has only been achieved by strenu- ous hard work, study and a faculty for overcoming difficulties which would have long ago disheartened one not sustained by his high ideals. Since Fritz Kreisler made his first appearance in London some six years ago his position among us has been unassailable, and his name is syn onymous for all that is best and highest in the world of art. Even eursory knowl- edge of the man shows that there is every reason why this Is so. for his nature and character are such that he would have risen to the top of the ladder in almost any walk of life he had chosenA
 Born in Vienna in 1875, and surround ed from his earliest years by an atmos- phere of refinement, art and culture, 1t is hardly to be wondered at that Kreisler cannot remember a time when he was not possessed of a violin of some sort, though he confesses to having had a strong aver sion to praeticlng, and would have much preferred any other career to that Of a violinist"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
He makes a JuIy's day short as De- cember. Winters Tale.
Ks to COnStituti0nallty

There is no authority in the con. stitution authorizing the governor of the state to call an extra session ex- cept on an extraordinary occasion" i" and Emmet O'Neal, a lawyer who knows law and the English language when he sees them, says that an ex- traordinary occasion did not exist that is to say an extraordinary oc- casion within the spirit and meaning of the constitution. MT. O'Neal goes on to say that an insurrection or some widespread calamity or pestiience, or the overthrow by the courts of some general revenue bill, would constitute an extraordinary occasion contem- plated by the framers of the consti- tuition.
 The plain, everyday legislation men, toned in the Governors call could have been postponed without serious detriment to the state to January, 1911, and not bit of it, or all of it, con- stitutes an extraordinary occasion. The whole of it is of strictly ordinary nature, and if the phrase lon extra ordinary occasions" Is to have any Emo afY1cr 10ff In o a uTj Q held by good judges of law other than MT ONeal that the Governor was not justified in calling an extra session when he did. He acted, 1t is plain, without due consideration of the linn itation named in the constitution.
 This question can be settled in one way-by a decision from the supreme court of Alabama. The Governor of a state is not sole judge of oc- casions. Not until the supreme court defines the phrase in the constitution and decides whether the Governors recent call presents on it's face an extraordinary occasion will We know whether the legislature sitting in spe- cial session was constitutionally sum- moneo If it was not it will have had no legal existence at all A court that does not hesitate to judge legisla- tive acts certainly has the power to pass upon executive acts. In other words, the Governor must have the facts on his side when he calls a spe- cial session within the spirit and meaning of the constitution. The governor of state is not a consti- tutional dictator He is bound by the limitations and terms of the constitu- tion as well as every one else in the state
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
ONE MANS LIQUOR BILL,

From McClure's Magazine.
 At 14 years of age I developed a love for statistics, accounts and bookkeeping. Since I was 15 I have kept an accurate account of my expenditures in saloons, covering period from January 1, 1878, to April 27, 1908. The total debit balance of my personal saloon account for 30 years is ST, 364.60. This amount covers alcoholi, beverages, mixed or straight purchased by me in saloons, drug stores, blind pigs, bars, buffets, cafes, restaurants, hotels, also covers slight losses at playing sa- loon slot machines; losses at dice shaking in saloons for drinks losses at card play ing in saloons for drinks one gun hold up in a saloon; three gun hold ups in saloon districts; and two chloral-hydrate robberies at saloon bars.
 My average daily saloon expense was $1.5 for every calendar day of the 30- year period named. Reduced to drinks. this is an average of more than 10 sep arate drinks of IS cents a drink per cal endar day. The reader will comprehend that I must have spent considerable time in saloons to have acquired this driking beverage
 My records show that the total time spent in buying drinks in 1860 saloons in 6S cities of 19 states was 32,S74 hours 1869 days-nearly four years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
The Iron Market.

The pig iron market has hardened at S13 on a No. basis, and it looks as if a still higher level would be reached in the near future. It seems to be the opinion of some iron makers that we will have $14 Slarket within the next two weeks.
 It Is pointed out that one of the best features of the iron situation Is the gradual way in which prices have ad- yanced. From s11 the upward move- ment has been by 25 cents stages. There has been no excitement up to this time, and iron operators hope there will be nothing like a runaway mar ket; but another large buying move- 1nent being due, the future advances will probably be sharp and quick.
 The Tennessee company's Alice fur mace, which was ligh ted up Monday, will be running foundry iron today.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
China'S Railroad Loan

China wants to borrow 1000 ,000 with which to build a railroad, and
 at first she expected to get the money from investors in England, France and Germany. A letter from President Taft to the prince regent of China has, however, changed the situation and bankers in this country will certainly be permitted to participate in the plac- ing of the loan. The agents of J. P. Morgan & Go. have already expressed
 loan will be apportioned to this
 country.
 China will act wisely if she brings the United States into the matter, for this country has stood for the terri torial integrity of China a long time.
 Before the Russo-Japanese war the western powers were anxious to se-
 cure spheres of influence in China,
 and these spheres would have ripened
 into territorial annexations. Against
 all this the United States resolutely
 stood, and our course served it's pur-
 pose until the defeat of Russia by
 Japan clinched the matter. Even now
 no one, not even Japan, is so fully determined to save China from spolia- tion as is the United States, This
 country invented the open door, and it has battled for it ever since.
 China will do well to look to this country for portion of the money needed in her great railroad exten-
 sions, and this seems to be the sure
 result of the recent movement. Many
 countries are willing to lend China
 money, but in no other country has
 she so trustworthy friend as she has in the United States,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
FROM BALLOONS TO BED SEATS

Mrs. Wilson Woodrow in the August American Magazine.
 I have splintered many a lance in de- fense of woman's sense of humor, ever maintaining that it was as keen or keener than a mans, only less obvious because more subtle. It was rather a blow then, upon discussing the subject of sheath and medieval gowns and the relative merits of cart wheel and peach basket hats with a group of women, to have them all as- sert that they did not see anything in- herenty funny in either gowns or hats, nothing to cause spontaneous laughter at any rate. They looked shocked and seemed to think it a rather irreverent handling of sacred subjects. But when I was talking to member of the staff of this magazine about the illustrations, he said: T think we shall present some of the styles exactly as they are. Whats the use of caricaturing a caricature?"
 Still, that is not necessarily an argu- ment against woman's deficient sense of humor. It Nay mean that clothes are too vital and intimate an interest in her life for her to be able to view them humor- ously.
 A great queen was willing to go down 10 posterity wearing hoop skirt Never theless, there was an early Victorian sim plicity and modesty about that rat trap garb that has nothing in common with the glaring poster effects of today. Then woman, as violet by messy stone, shrank demurely within her wire en- closure and buried her dropping head and coy blushes in the deep shade of the shel- tering poke bonnet. Then the waiting 1oyelace beheld the lady of his dreams advance as a balloon floating along the earth, its slender stem crowned by large coal scuttle. All Clarissas were alike in appearance, and 1t took keen eyes to tell who was who. Thus the mystery of tha inscrutable feminine was more intact and inviolate than ever.
 But now woman scorns concealment. Mystery She apparently abjures 1t. Fearlessy she emerges from swirl of draperies which seem to shrowd the curves of grace. And there Is not line concealed, not a pettooat retained; and yet, oh curious paradox, she retreats be- hind the revelation and remains as great a mystery as when she employs every device of incognite, Has bed slat form? Has a telegraph pole shape?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
THE SHARING OF THE EARTH.

By Schiller. (Bulwers Translation.) Take the world" cried God from His
 heaven
 To men. T proclaim you Its heirs: To divide 1t amongst you 'tis given, You have only to settle the shares" Each takes for himself as it pleases, Old and young have alike their desire, The harvest the husbandman seizes, Through the wood and the chase sweeps
 the squire The merchant his warehouse Is locking, The abbot Is choosing his wine, Crios the monarch, the thoroushfares
 blocking,
 Every toll for the passage is miner' All too late, when the sharing was over, Comes the poet--he came from afar. Nothing left can the laggard discover, Not an inch but its owners there are. 'Woe is me, is there nothing remaining, For the son who best loves thee aionel'' Thus to love went his voice in complain
 ing, As he fell at the thunderers throne. Tn the land of the dresms if abiding" Quoth the God, "canst thou murn1ur at
 Me?
 Where vert thou. when the earth was d.
 viding"
 T was." said the poet ''by thee. Mine eye by thy glory was captured, 2 Mine, ear by thy music of bliss. Pardon him whom thy word so enrap-
 tured
 As to lose him his portion in thisr' '.A1as!" said the God, "earth Is given! Field, forest and market and all!- What gay you to Quarters in heaven? ''We'll admit yeu WhsnsveH yeu callt~
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
The Governors Message

The message of the Governor is
 an elaborate effort on his part to ex-
 tol his own administration by prais-
 ing the acts of the legislature since it first met in 1907. He goes on to
 praise the members of the legislature for what they had done, thereby show ing that the state is in happy con dition. But 1t is true that the pen
 sioners who were promised $50 year by the legislature did not get that
 amount, and the lack of school room for all pupils of school age is dropped
 out of sight amid praises for appropria-
 tions made to the higher institutions
 of learning. The humble schoolhouse
 in which nine out of every ten chil- dren in the state are to learn to read
 and write receives small attention in
 the message.
 The Governor does not rejoice and bubble oyer however, until he reaches the railroad portion of his message He tells the legislature they did nobly for all time, and he is especially hap py, even jubilant, when he refers to Judge Jones and his celebrated injunc- tions. The fact is known to all men in tho e+o+a +bat tho cuppraccion of the spontaneous injunction did some thing to increase the Governors pop ularity and now our executive hopes
 to reach the top of the ladder by sup
 pressing John Barelycorn. The latter
 part of the message is devoted to the liquor question, but the Governor brings to the difficult subject noth- ing new, nothing convincing.
 themselves to any dispassionate read CT of the message:
 First. Nothing is brought forward to show why prohibition should be 1 hurried into the constitution while l it is in tentative condition.
 Second. Not line appears in the
 message to show that the converting
 of the legislature in extra session was justified. No facts going to show that an extraordinary occasion had arisen are presented. The message extols
 the wisdom of the legislature in past
 sessions, but fails to name anything
 that is out of the ordinary either In
 the present or future.
 The Governor does admit that pro-
 hibition will create deficit in the
 state treasury at the end of the pres
 ent calendar year, and again at the
 end of the next calendar year. But
 still he consinders prohibition a good
 nvestment-political investment-and
 he argues the subject at considerable length, winding up his message with an appeal for constitutional prohibi- tion.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
Work of the Democratic COnferees

Leader Clark and Messrs. Under wood and Griggs and their senatorial associates on the minority side of the conference committee are not over worked with details, They are not engaged in any dicker over rates on hides or anything else. All the vile ness of tariff making rests on the shoulders of the standpatters selected in the two houses to represent the republicans, and the sum total of their work even when modified by orders from the White House will be lamentably unsatisfactory to people who had expected real downward re- vision,
 But the conference report will go
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
HOW SHAKESPEARE SPOKE

the demonstrators that Will was lawyer and doctor and a Catholic and a Pro- testant. To read Shakespeare as he is pronounced at the Hogarth fair would be to destroy much of the immediateness of his appeal In the speech in which we know him. Let us leave this new fad to the 'deformed spoilers" We have troubles enough nowadays to distinguish shakespeare's thought in the pronuncia- tion affected by most of our actors who attempt him.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
A Great violinist.

"The task of writing an article on the career and life work of Fritz Kreisler is a most difficult one, even to an individual like the present writer, who has had the privilege of being associated with the famous violinist during the last five years, both on tour and while he was fulfilling his numerous engagements in London and elsewhere" said a writer in the Musical Courier.
 "The reason of this difficulty is that Kreisler, unlike so many great artists now before the public, does not proclaim his deeds from the house tops, or seek to achieve ephemerai fame by doling out to the admiring public such interesting items of information as the size of his collars. his boots, his favorite flower, poems, etc., and being constantly pho tographed in gorgeous motor oars kindly supplied for the occasion. by tho enter
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
NUMBER OF CRIMINALS.

From the Washington Herald
 pr. Henry Royce of New York, who was seen at the Arlington, speaking of criminals. said he estimated that in the United States there are ten times as many criminals at large as are confined in prisons. "As the average number of prisoners Is about so,ooo, this would su- perficially mean that not less than 800, 900 criminals constantly manage to keep out of prison.
 ''In some of our prisons in the United States 50 per cent of the prisoners die of tuberculosis. The chief cause of this large number of deaths is the lack of air and light, of sufficient ventilation in the cells and shops poor diet, oyerwork, mental depression. and, finally, that which Is of not least importance, living with those who have predisposition to tuber- culosis, without any measure being taken to prevent tho spread of the bacillus of tuberculosis from approximation upon the walls the floors and the corridors of ths prlson."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
Strides in Five Years.

''In May. when I was last in Birming- ham," said William l.. Lloyd of St. Louis business conditions had improved very much as compared with the early part of the year; and now l observe still greater improvement.
 At this season of the year merchants are not usually rushed with business and 1t may be that some of them are com plaining of a dull July. But no matter what is said to the contrary business conditions here are fast approaching nor mal and it Is natural to forecast high ly prosperous fall.
 Birmingham in five years has made big strides as a mercantile center out side of it's industrial activities and if the Greater Birmingham bill passes, and understand its chances are excellent, shall expect to hear of a population oi 130,000 or 10000 next year
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
Should Be Patient.

Every branch of industrial business is improving" said a prominent mer- chant, and it can be seen now that prosperity will be in full swing during the coming fall. But many persons who hear so much of industrial re- vival wonder why the results are not being felt more generally.
 "The trouble is that merchants are unduly impatient. These things must be remembered While thousands of men are at work in the Birmingham district In the summer, and while thousands more will be employed in August, 1t will take several weeks be fore the increases in the pay rolls will be in circulation. Most men who have been out of work for some time are apt to be in debt and 1t will take these men a month on two to get on their feet.
 The crops of the country are very large. In the west they are called bumper crops. This means a great demand for cars and motive power and a great demand for everything that railroad uses. Orders for new railroad equipment have been placed and more will be placed. All tn e transportation lines will be busy with freight traffic and the western roads will be overtaxed.
 ''The coal trade, which has been very dull for more than o year past, Is sh owing signs of improvement and in the fall 1t will probably be quite brisk once more
 Let our merchants have patience, therefore, for by the next holiday sea- son Birmingham will be about as pros porous as it was in 19o6-a record breaking year."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR

' TUIH IIb N5W fOfk PTtSE.
 The only time there seems to be any room in fiat is after a sleeping car trip.
 What people mostly like about good music is pretending they can understand 1t.
 It's simply wonderful the way 1t in- ereeses a baby's yelling power for 1t to belong to somebody else,
 Some men are so unlucky in money matters that if they married rich wife they would have to support her,
 The reason q woman can believe scan dal about other people Is she doesn't sec how they can believe 1t about her,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
JUST CUTTERS.

"Over the hills to happiness,' Seems long, hard way to go; The upward road is a winding road And the boulders hinder so But we might as well keep toiling on Till darkness settles down; Better the hills and the wind-swept pass Than the streets of Trouble Town, Where failures tell how fate has moclxed Their dreams with baleful grin, Though deep in their hearts they know
 quite well
 They lacked the strength to win.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES

HE DIDN'T GIVE UP. I knew man who journeyed once Upon Pullman car, Sat in the smoker, told Joke
 And smoked a black cigar; And yawned a hundred times or so, And took a little nap, And sprawled himself this way and that And wore linen cap; And bought three papers on the way. And read some magazines, And scraped acquaintance with a girl, A "peach'' still in her teens; And did most everything, I guess, A lonely chap will do When travelling for half day, Or cen the whole day through. He did most everything, say. But one; by stratagem The willy porter failed to get A quarter out of him.