davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15

/, the affairs of the town were admin
istered by five trustees for a period of
fifteen years. 1t was not until the
first mayor was installed under a
new charter in 1928 that this plan was
abandoned.
"What st. Louis actually had was
governing commission. That it pos
sessed greater merit than was later at
tributed to it is attested by many
recommendations made to the Free
holders and by the return to it by a
number of our later-day municipali-
ties.
From 1908 to 1923 the five trustees
of st. Louis had many duties to per-
form which required both integrity and
executive ability. The policing of a
town in which the Indians who came
to trade were not infrequently drunk
and dosorderly was not "a sinecure. En-
forcement of the law against selling
liquor to the Indians required vigilance
and frmness. Wharves had to be main
tanned for the boats that came and
went, the streets had to be kept in
passable repair and from time to time
new streets had to be opened. Though
it was day of small things, st. Louis
was well governor by its five trustees.
"The country is coming to learn that
the great evil of national state and
municipal government is the enlarge
ment of legislative bodies to the point
at which individual responsibility dis
appears. The five trustees of ST.
Louis were responsible because every
body knew who they were and knew
where to lay the blame for abuse of
authority or neglect of duty.
Probably small legislative body,
elected at ladge, well paid and predid-
ed over by a mayor, would suit the
st. Louis of today better than would
the five trustees of a hundred years
ago. Old systems require to be adapted
to new conditions, but it is often UNI
safe to abandon them altogether At
any rate, it is worth while to inquire
whether the simple system of municf-
pal government whose centennial st.
Louis is now celebrating cannot be
studied to advantage in the effort to
improve the complex system under which
the affairs of the city are now ad-
ministered."
The Republic has discovered the one
great fault of our present unwieldy
systematic enlargement of legisla-
tive bodies to the point at which in
dividual responsibility disappears" Dur
ing the recent charter campaign, The
Free Press called attention to the evils
that have thrived in this municipality
under the divided responsibility and
the disappearance of individual re-
sponsibility-two things that never can
be remedied as long as we continue
to have the present bad law as our
guide.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
Old Mapleton


Sam Chandler and family visited
at Truman the first of the week.
Ruth Otte, who has been sick for
the last week, is now on the gain.
Mrs. Orson Chase visited her sis
ter, Mrs. B. F. Taylor, last Thurs
day.
Neil Darroch went to st. Clair last
Thursday to attend Mr.. Mays auc-
ton.
Mrs. r. B. Taylor and Mrs. William
Morrow of Mapleton visited their
mother, Mrs. j. Taylor, Monday.
DR.. Bomberger was called to the
home of William Iams Tuesday to
see Mrs. Iams, who is quite sick.
Mr. and Mrs. Judd Cornell met with
quite an accident Monday afternoon.
While going to town their horses
got frightened and ran into a wire
fence, throwing both Mr.. and Mrs.
Cornell over the fence. Mrs. Cornell
was quite badly hurt, cutting one of
her limbs. DR.. Kreuger was called
to dress the wounds. She is getting
along nicely. Mr.. Cornell escaped with
lame shoulder
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15

nearly six persons. In 1900 develop
ment had gone far and luxuries were
plentiful and comparatively cheap; yet
the average family had gone down to
4.6 persons. This seems to harmonic
with the theory of sociologists that
luxury tends to decrease the family
and poverty and hardship tend to in
crease it.
In 1870 there were in this country
20,203 families with eleven persons and
over; 1856 families with ten men,
bers; 26,6S7 families with nine persons;
36,932 families with eight persons; 49,
l72 families with seven persons; 54,O52
families with six persons; and 57,l7l
families with five persons. This is out
of total of 4lO636 families. There
were six or more persons in POI ,402.
families, or nearly half the total.
The change is better illustrated by
percentages. OF the total number oil
families in 1890 those with eleven per-
sons or over constituted 40 per cent,
and such families amounted to only
% per cent of the total in 1900 Fam
lilies of ten persons amounted to AZ
per cent of the total in 1870, but only
10 per cent in 1900 Families of
nine persons were 6.5 per cent of the
total in 1870, and only 80 per cent
in 1900 Families of eight persons
were per cent of the total in 100,
and 90 per cent in 1900 Families of
seven persons were ll.2 per cent in
1870 and III per cent in 1900. The per-
centage of 1900 begins to gain over
that of 1890 when the families dwin-
die below six apiece. In 1870 only
rs per cent of the families were linn
tied to two persons, but in 1900 fam
lilies of two constituted Is per cent, or
nearly double.
In 1870 families of five or less con-
stituted 500 per cent of the whole.
and in 1900 they constituted 6S.S per
cent of the whole.
In 1870 families of four or less con-
stituted 81 per cent of the whole, while
in 1900 they constituted SAG per cent,
or more than half.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
FIRST FROST TO DO DAMAGE.
Jack Made His Appearance Last Night
He Was a Freeze

The first frost of the season to do
any damage occurred last night, and
it was a regular freeze, that even con
gealed the surface of the ground. The
mercury fell to twenty seven, and with
the searching gale that howled all
night the cold worked into hooks and
CRANES, and must have found the hid
ding places of the mosquitoes and flies.
The leaves will be coming down in
a hurry before the end of the week. 1t
is likely that the mercury will go still
lower tonight, if the wind goes down
and the sky clears. Then more settled
weather may be looked for.
The heavy wind yesterday after
noon slammed the screen door at the
main entrance of Paul Iverson & Sons
store back against the plate glass
window, breaking the latter
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
BUCK GIVEN PARDON
FORMER MANKATO MAN WILL BE
LIBERATED OCT. IS.
Expects to Go to California Where a
Position Awaits Him; Has Been
On Parole a Number of Months;
Will Visit Mankato Before Going
to His Western Home, Board Act
ed Yesterday on Application.

Alfred A. Buck formerly of Mankato,
has been granted pardon, the board
having acted favorably yesterday on
his application. Mr.. Buck will be given
his liberty on Oct. %. He has been out
on parole several months and of late
has resided in Minneapolis. He ex-
poets to 90 to California where a po-
sition awaits him. He will no doubt
visit Mankato before going west.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press says:
A. A. Buck of Blue Earth county
convicted of completely in the frauds
which resulted in the wrecking of the
Mapleton bank nearly five years ago,
was given Communication of sentence
by the state pardon board yesterday,
which will permit him to remove from
the state.
Buck was sentenced in 1905 to six
years Imprisonment and is out on pa
role. He applied for a pardon before
and it /, was denied, but this time the
plea was made that his little son
is suffering from asthma and that he
wants to take her to California, where
he has relatives. This was prevented
by the parole laws.
The members of the board did not
want to give Buck a pardon fearing
it might be construed as evidence of
his innocense, but for the sake of the
little son they committed the sentence
to five years and six months, which,
with the good time allowance, will per-
NIT him to leave the state Oct. 25.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
farm FOR SALE
Rare Opportunity to Purchase I
Choice Quarter Section Of Land
In Pleasant Mound, Blue
Earth County, Mimi.

| offer for sale The northeast quar-
ter of section II in Pleasant Mound
township, containing 100 acres, 90 acres
under cultivation, $4,000 worth of mix
ed timber, mostly oak, located on will
low creek.
The house is a square brick, two
stories high, 2Sx3O, and is in splendid
condition.
Barn is new, 3Ox5O feet with Is
foot posts, cement floor under all.
Granary is 20x3O foot posts, with
machine shed 2O-32 attached. Hen
house is l2xlS feet
A good well of water close to house,;
l5O barrel cstern.
Good orchard of so bearing trees.
Creamery and general store 21s
miles. General mail delivery passes
house. Telephone connections. School
house "a miles west.
The buildings are surrounded by a
natural oak grove and are well pro-
tected.
Will take 500 an acre and make rea-
sonable terms.
This is a rare bargain.
For further particulars address Miss
Marie Hanson, 2l5 Carol street, Man
kato, MINI.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
UNCLE SAM A PARTY
INTERESTED IN CASES BSF0RE
SUPREME COURT.
Twenty-Five in ALI; the Most Import
ant Is That Against the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company; Claimed to
Be Organized in Restraint of
Trade; Contract Labor Law Is In.
volved in Action.

Washington, Oct. 12.-Twenty -one
cases to which Uncle Sam is a party
are on the calendar of the United
States supreme court for today. All
will not be heard today, but it is
expected that they will be taken up
and argued in their order.
The most important case put down
for argument is that of the American
Tobacco company, brought on behalf
of the federal government to declare
the company an unlawful combination
or trust in restraint of trade and to
dissolve it. The case will be argued on
behalf of the government by Attorney
eneral Wickersham and Special United
States Attorney McReynolds.
Stickney and Others.
Another important case is that of
the interstate commerce commission
against Stickney ct al, which involves
the validity of ruling of the Inter
state commerce commission limiting
the charge for transportation of cattle
over all the roads out of Chicago. On
complaint and hearing the commission
decided to cut the rate in half and the
carriers resisted and took the case
into the courts. There is a very wide
interest in the outcome of this case
among the carriers and on the part of
the cattle growers associations of the
western states.
Government Suffered Reverse
A case in which the government suf-
fered reverse in the lower courts and
which is to be heard op appeal in the
supreme court is that of the United
States against the Union Supply COM
pany. 1t is to settle the question
whether the statutes requiring deal
ers in oleomargarine to make reports
applies to corporations as well as to
individual dealers. The Federal Court
in New Jersey held that it did not
apply to corporations, but the Govern
ment contends that it does, and Lloyd
w. Bowers, solicitor general of the
United States, will appear and make
the argument for the governments
contention.
Contract Labor Law Involved.
Another case that is attracting wide
attention involves the question wheth
er the alien contract labor law allows
the Indictment of offenders or merely
imposes a debt penalty. This question
will come before the court on appeal
from the United States court for the
District of Massachusetts. Other cases
i'll which the government will appear
as a party involves the title to many
millions of acres of Indian lands of the
Chocktaw and Chickasaw nations. The
Hinkle and Price cotton leak cases,
which involve the right of the govern
ment to have the defendants removed
from New York to the District of
Columbia for trial under indictments
found here, will also be heard early
in the term.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
TINE STORY OF WILLIAM PENN.

Citizens of Pennsylvania are today
observing-or should be-the birthday
of the founder of their state. Will
hundred and sixty-five years ago. When
a young man he embraced the Qua
ker faith and attempted to propagate
the doctrine. Accused of the grave
crime of teaching unorthodox doctrine,
he was sent to prison, but was re-
leased through the influence of his
father. He then wrote book which
was obnoxious to the pious powers
and was sent to the tower to reflect
on the wickedness of nonconformity.
His reflections were not at all repent
ant but took the form of a book
entitled, "No Cross, No Crown" which
was intended to show the benefit of
suffering.
Released from the tower, he imme-
diately resumed his former labors and
was again tried for preaching. The
jury was evidently sympathetic and
insisted on declaring him not gull
ty, for which the jurors were fined for
contempt of court. This illustrates
the beauties of trial by jury, as the
system was in force. in the England of
the seventeenth century.
In 1861 Penn secured from the
crown, in lieu of the arrears due his
father, the grant of the provinces in
North America, and Charles II pro-
posed the name Pennsylvania. Ac-
companied by emigrants, Penn sailed
from Deal September 5, 1852, and
landed at New Castle, Del, October "a,
and at Upland, Pa, now Chester, on
October 90. Under the benefcent in
fluence of Penn, the work of organiza-
ton and settlement of the colony was
rapid. Colonists from various coun-
tries of the old world, including many
Swedes and Dutchmen, poured in. Uni
versal liberation was proclaimed,
a charter of liberties was solemnly
consecrated and a democratic govern
ment was established.
In dealing with the Indians, Penn
manifested great magnanimity and JUS
tice. Philadelphia, the capital city,
was planned on a magnificent scale,
Penn forseeing its future growth to a
metropolis. The overthrow of James
brought misfortune upon Penn. He
was stripped of his title to the Penn
sylvania government, involving his ut
ter ruin. Two years later his title
was restored, and he made a second
trip to the New world. Returning to
England in l70l, he found himself en-
numbered with debts and in failing
health. After an illness of many years,
he died July 20, l7lS, and was buried
at the village of Jordan, Buckingham-
shire.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH SYSTEMS.
Telegraph and phone systems

anu piiOhS ooSmo
A newly completed census of tele
graph systems in the United States
presents many interesting figures. At
ter the Implications in the data for the
wire used in the telegraph business
were eliminated as far as possible,
there remained in 1907 2,O72,s5l miles
of wire in operation. A specila tabu-
lation includes the mileage of wire us
ed by railroad telegraph systems COM
mercial telegraph systems and tele-
phone companies in the United States.
The mileage for all makes staggering
total of l5,O72,22O miles, of which H.
$4,000 was in telephone wire and q
lO72,s5l used by the telegraph COM
panies.
The first telegraph line in the Uni
| ted States was opened for business
| in 1874, and thirty-two years later
! the telephone was introduced. At the
census of 1880 the telegraph companies
reported the operation of 29l,2l3 miles
of wire, as compared with 34,305 miles
reported for the telephone companies.
By the census of 1902 the amount of
wire for the telegraph systems had in
creased to l,3lS,35O miles and that for
, the telephone systems to 4,900,45l
miles. Thus in 1902 the mileage of
! telephone messages was almost four
times as great as that used for tele-
graphing. Yet in 1907 the mileage of
the telephone companies had trebled
and that of the telegraph system had
gained almost 100000 miles.
Of phone systems the census reports
22,97l in operation, and twenty five
commercial telegraph companies. The
former figure includes 1902 independ-
ent farmer or rual lines. In addi-
ton to their land wires, the telegraph
companies control 46,30l miles of
acean companies amounted to $l9,29S,
423 and of the telegraph companies
to $2,794,937. The wage earners of the
telephone and telegraph systems re-
ceived respectively $48,9SO7O4 and $l5,-
0l3,3l2. The par value of the capital
stock and bonds outstanding of the
telephone companies was $8l4,6l6,0O4;
of the telegraph companies 1920, 293, 575.
The income of the former is given as
I$lS4, 46l,747 and of the latter as $751;,
5S3,S6S. The expenses were $40,S02, 305
and SAL, S79,6l3. There are four diff
ferent methods of operating telegraph
wires.
The single system, by which only
one message can be sent at time;
the duplex system by which two mes
sages can be sent simultaneously; the
quadruplex, by which four messages,
two from each end, can be transmitted
over one wire simultaneously; and ma
chine or automatic systems, which
make possible a higher rate of speed
than can be attained by hand. All of
the ocean cable is worked duplex. Of
the total wire mileage operated in
1907, almost two-thirds was worked by
the single system. Less wire was OPP
Grated by the quadruplex system in
1907 than in 1902, but more than twice
as much was operated by the machine
or automatic systems at the present
census than at the previous one. The
five years brought about 40 per cent
increase in the mileage worked by the
duplex method.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
NOT NEW IN ST. LOUIS.

Apropos to the discussion of the
commission form of municipal govern
ment, this comment by The st. Louis
Republic is decidedly interesting and
is another convincing argument that
the new system-but an old one in
the Missouri city-has its merits. The
commission there was known by an
other name, but the results obtained
were as valuable to the taxpayers. The
name of the governing body amounts
to nothing. Results are what the tax
payers seek. The Republic says:
"While seeking methods to simplify the
city government of st. Louis and to
make it more efficient, the board of
freeholders might get some valuable
suggestions from a close study of the
system adopted by st. Louis in the
election of July %, 1908, and confirmed
by the charter of 1909, under which
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
AN AMERICAN NOVELIST.

George Washington Cabel, the Amer
lean novelist, is today observing his
sixty-fifth birthday. He was born in
New Orleans on Oct. II, 1874, and re-
ceived only common school educa-
ton. His youth was that of the
average lad of the Crescent City at a
time when the dolce-far -niente of the
Old South was most in evidence.
When the Civil war broke out he
was smitten with the fever of pat
riotism that sent all of the men of
Dixie to arms against the northern
invaders. He entered the volunteer SER
vice of the Confederate army in 1868,
at the age of nineteen, and served to
the close of the conflict
When the war was over he obtained
employment in mercantile house.
Commerce and trade were not to mis-
liking, and he abandoned business for
Journalism. So rapid was his prog
ress that he had soon won place on
the editorial staff of The Picayune,
then as now one of the leading daily
newspapers OF New Orleans. His SER
vice with that paper extended to 1879,
when his sketches of creole life, origi-
nally published in Scribner's Monthly,
proved so successful that he deter
mined to turn his entire attention to
literature.
Many books and scores of mag
azine stories have come from his
pen and have won large and devoted
band of admirers. Of late years he
has spent most of his time in London,
and recently has turned his attention
to play writing.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
STILL MISUNDERSTANDING TAFT.

Minneapolis Journal: In a Washing
ton special dispatch, published in The
Pioneer Press today, appears this
statement:
In his speech at Winona recently
President Taft praised the Aldrich
tariff bill as the best yet, and said i'll
effect that both the republican sena-
tors and seven of the eight republi-
can representatives from Minnesota had
left the party by voting against the
Aldrich- Payne upward revision.
This is fair example of the sort
of persistent misrepresentation of the
presidents speech in Winona that has
been given free rein in various quar-
tiers. The president never said, either
Sin effect or in any other way, tha5
the Minnesota members of congress
who voted against the Payne bill had
left the party. On the contrary, he
recognized in the frankcst language
their right to consult the.r own con-
see. ces when it came TO the vote on
the Payne bill.
For himself, he maintained that the
bill, though far from perfect, was the
best bill the republicans had yet made.
and that as between signing and veto
ing it, the former seemed to lm the
wiser course. One of his chief reasons
for this decision was his desire TO pro-
mote the solidarity of the party for
the accomplishment of its main pur-
poses" How absurd, then, to accuse
him of reading out of the party any
republican,! How ridiculous to assert
that he accused republican members of
congress of having by their votes on
the bill left the party! This is what
President Taft said:
| am CAD to see that a number
of these wiz thought it their duty to
vote against the bill: insist that tEcy
are still republicans and intend to carry
on their battle for lower duties and
lower revision within the party
lines. This is their right and in their
view OF things their duty.
The capitals are ours. In the face
of this language, it is clearly apparent
that there was deliberate desire to mis-
represent Mr.. Taft.
We know of no movement, insurgent
Oh otherwise, that gains in the long
run by Misrepresentation
| Mr.. Taft told the insurgents at
Winona that they did their duty by
voting against the Payne bill, that he
was pleased to know they would
Garry on their battle" within the
party" and IN saying that he an
nounced his belief that the fight for a
lower tariff would be carried on.
And likewise IS the party solidar-
!ity" statement by President Taft being
equally misrepresented He said:
The question is whether he shall
help maintain the party solidarity for
accomplishing its chief purposes, or
whether the departure from principle
in the bill, as he regards it, is so ex-
IRENE that he must abandon the party.
There is other work to do. President
Taft, instead of reading out was read
ing in. He desired the republicans to
hold together and thus not only pass a
scientific tariff measure three years
hence, but in the meantime, put the
Roosevelt policies into law!
This is an honest program and it
should receive patriotic support up to
the time when it shall develop that
President Taft does not mean what he
says. IS s
He CON oat mona ~ those oroat 90
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15

form measures on the statute book by
a split party, that is quarreling party.
In this sense he asks for solidarity,
not for solidarity at the expense of
principle, but solidarity because of
principle, so that results may follow.
! The Journal does not agree with
every suggestion President Taft makes,
but it is externally opposed to deliber-
ate Misrepresentation of what he says.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
Disposed of His Residence

B. f. Pay has disposed of his resi-
uence on South Fourth street to Fred
Busch who will take possession Nov. l.
Mr.. Pay and family will make their
home temporarily with Mrs. Pays fla
Their, Mr.. Messer, at ll6 North Broad
street. Mr.. Pay is contemplating build
ing residence in the near future, but
has not yet decided where.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
Serves Him Right.

st. Paul Pioneer Press: The mayor
of Burkesville, Pa, has been sent to
Jail for graft. Serves him right for To-
eating in BurkesviIle, instead of going
TO Philadelphia or New York.