davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
IN DEFENSE OF CASTRO.

From the New York Times.
 If the marrying of Castor continues long enough; if the countries that have possess sions around the Caribbean sea persist in barring him from their ports or driving him away as soon as he lands the situa- ton will cease to be amusing and become a cause of mildly indignant wonder. Moreover, in time some people may reach the point of asking if it is not rather small business for the United States to lead in the hunting down of one man, and a sick man at that, particularly as the obvious fears of what he may do if he enters his own country or even gets near 1t are not only distinctly ludicrous in themselves but they can fairly enough be Interpreted IS providing a conclusive ar gument for letting Castro go where he pleases and do what he can.
 Venezuela has or has not at the pres ent time government able to administer It's own affairs and to protect its own dig nity. In the one case there would seem to be no reason why it needs help against single enemy; in the other the help is not deserved. The fact is. or at least so it begins to look. that Gomez, whom Cas- tro left in charge as a trusted friend and subordinate official is much less the Pres ident of Venezuela by the choice of it's people than as the propped-up agent of certain foreigners with dubious claims and concessions, who think they can use him in the enforcement of their demands However, Castro may have attained and kept the presidency, it was and Is his under both Venezuelan and international law, and the methods by which he is ex- cluded from 1t are as grossly irregular as the worst which he has been charged with using.
 Castro is undoubtedly a villain, accord ing to foreign notions, but his position is technically perfect, and the excuse for in- terfering with his travels are all of the poor kind that cannot be openly avowed He has a real grievance, and he seems likely to win general sympathy as a per- secuted man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Modern JailS and COurthOuSeS

Dr. Bush, state inspector of jails and mills, has expressed or soon will off cially express the opinion that Jeffer- son county needs a skyscraper court house and jail-one in which the court rooms could be lifted high above the noise of the street, one in which the jail could be carried toward the clouds beyond sight and sound of good people and especially of children. The opin- ion of Dr. Bush is fast becoming the opinion of all thoughtful people, and the Board Of Revenue would be justi- fied-fully justified-in asking for a vote on bond proposition.
 A courthouse with cupola, sur rounded with hitching rails and pos sessing excellent accommodations for loungers, lacks utility, however. pie turesque it may be, and utility is what is needed in 2 county Of large popula- tion. The skyscraper courthouse and jail is the most acceptable and satis. factory, and Dr. Bush does not over state the deslrabii;ty of such court house and Jail. All cities want sky. scraper courthouses and not few are building them.
 There Is no reason why bond cleo tion should be longer postponed. The people are ready for it. The Board of Revenue need exercise no discretion. By acting in ministerial capacity they can put the real responsibility on the people, who are ready to assume it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17

smelting of iron ore and the electric refining of steel. The market for fine steels is constantly widening. No limit" says the Iron Trade Review, "can be set to the quantity of fine steel required for one automobile, beyond the limit of the total quantity of steel used in it, since the best within limits is none too good for the trying service. No limit at all can be set to the annual increase in the number of automobiles built, for the vehicle is being shown to be capable of almost unlimited adapta- tion. There is no danger of the supply being completed, for automobiles wear out rapidly In some lines of eonsump- tion such as bridges and office build ings, steel is destined for very long life. but it cannot be so in an auto- mobile. With this and many other uses promised for electric steel, no serious doubt need be entertained as to market being found for the prod uct. The iron and steel industry has distinctly passed into an era of prac- ticing economies in all directions, as the race for tonnage is pretty well run, and the utilization of the large amount of power now allowed to go to waste provides one of the most promis- ing fields for the practice of econo- mies"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
PERSONALITY OF sWINBURNE.

From the New York Evening Post.
 Many stories have been told of the poets eccentricities. He was an exceed ingly nervous man, of slight but we'll knit figure, scarcely more than five feet his eye full of fire. His feelings were plainly denoted by his expressive face and his gestures. when under the influence of mental excitement, were curiously and sometimes awkwardy eloquent. This was especially apt to be the case when he was listening to the works of brother poets William Sheppard, in his Pen Pictures of Modern Authors says: MT. Swinburne's S sense of humor is deficient, and it is there fore not surprising that his ardent temper ament should frequently lead him into ludicrous extravag gances. Not very long ago he excited the laughter of all Eng land by bringing with him to a public banquet given in honor of Robert Brown ing, a footstool, which he insisted on plac- ing at the masters feet and solemnly seating himself thereon. The humor of the situation was no doubt fully appre- ciated by the elder poet, who, in his every day aspect, is thoroughly common-sen- sible man of the world Browning, on his side, has a warm liking for Swlnburne as his merits. You foolish boyl' he is rep resented as saying to him on one occasion, with playful shake of his finger what do you mean by prosttuting such splen- did genius?'"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
lAnOther Revision Coming

James J. Hill may not know as much in relation to some things as he thinks he does, but it is plain that the tariff will not be settled until it is settled right. MT. Hill warns Congress against a revision that will be unsatisfactory to the people. He predicts that d. Payne bill would be followed by democratic victory and another revi- sion of the tariff
 MT. Hill is not wholly altruistic, and it is perhaps asking too much from him to recommend an income tax. Public sentiment plainly points, how ever, in that direction, and if Congress adjourns without providing the gov ernment with sufficient revenue an in come tax will become inevitable.
 The protectionists are unwilling to procure revenue through a tariff. They think the word tariff means protec- tion or prohibition, and that it has small reference to revenue. They want prohibitive duties with incidental reve- nue. And if that incident proves insuf- ficient, they may as well get ready to face an income tax
 The magnates of the monopolies and trusts created by the tariff do not want an income tax for obvious reasons Their greed is boundless, and they do not propose to give up a dollar that they can retain.
 As matters stand there must be re- ductions of duties on all necessaries of life and an income tax, or else there will be another revision of the tariff. James J. Hill sees the situation as it is, and he tells the republicans plainly that the Payne-Aldrich tariff will not satisfy the country.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
lndecorum In Theatres.

Tt seems to me that it is the duty of the management of theatres to enforce order in the playhouses,' said John G. Pasco, registered at the Hillman, but when the attaches of the theatres become noisy and bosterous, so much so they disturb the entire audience, the limit is oyerstepped and nothing short of an out rage is inflicted upon the patrons.
 Together with two friends, guests in the city l went down to see the Ben Greet players tonight. l was sorry to see that the form and class of entertainment offered by the company was not more widely appreciated by Birmingham thea the theatre to enjoy the production were not permitted by noisy attaches of the theatre to hear half the lines of the ac- tors, I was utterly disgusted and started once of twice to leave the playhouse
 T speak of this matter because I be- lleve those who allowed their stiffness to overstep their sense of consideration for others should know that they were ob- noxious. l was thoroughly surprised, in- asmuch as the loud takers and gigglers, I happen to know, were prominent at taches of the theatre. The patrons of the theatre are done a great injustice when such things are allowed to go on and the matter should be stopped"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Prosperity In CulIman.

Henry M Vanderputte of Cullman, manager of the German Farmers asso- citation, was in Birmingham yesterday. He reports a large strawberry crop in Cullman county and says that the berries will be on the market within the next week or ten days.
 ''The Cullman farmers are prosperous D said MT. Vanderputte, and the outlook for this year Is especially bright There is good demand, both north and south, for Cullman products and our shipping facilities are excellent"
 When asked about the value of farm lands in Cullman county MT. Vanderputte said: Some farms near the town of Culman would sell for $lOO an acre It would be practically impossible to buy any farm land within a few miles of town for less than $50 an acre I have been living in Cullman eight years and in that time farm land has more than doubled in value.
 Strawberries and sweet potatoes are our most profitable crops. With a favor able season many of our strawberry rais- CTS clear several hundred dollars an acre on their berries"
 Mr. vanderputte is native of Holland. After serving in the army he came to this country. He lived In Iowa for a short time and then came south. He spent four years kn Mississippi and from that state he came to Alabama, settling in Culman He says he likes the state of his pres ent adoption and intends to remain in Cullman the rest of his life
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
COLONEL HUTCHINSON AT 8e.

From the Boston Post.
 Col Thomas Wentworth Higginson at the age of four-score and six is one of the finest examples the world has ever had to show of the exceptions which go per- haps to prove the psalmist's rule of human life. In his wonderfully interest ing chapter of memories in the New York World, there is not a somber page. Life has been good to him; life has been joy ous.
 Such at least is the temper of his remi- niscences and he sees nothing but light in the future. He confesses to one disap- pointment-that he couldn't have gone up in balloon.' And this joy he sees now close at hand for the rest of the people. 'Id own balloon or an airship if I could afford it." he says.
 He is not one who believes alone in the good old times. ''They were fine, of course, but today's times are finer. The American people are going forward every year." People can do more than they could; things move more quickly. The in crease of great fortunes does not disturb him. Its a sign of American progress" he says.
 And there is so much more to be done and so much greater ability and resources with which to do it! The uplift of this wonderful age has no more earnest and confident prophet than our beloved enthu- siast, Colonel Higginson.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Waste Power At Furnace and Oven

The beehive oven is extremely waste full because in the making of coke m it all the value of the gas is lost. To a great extent this is the case in the blast furnace, although some modern furnaces utilize a portion of the ex- cess gas. Two millions of horse power are wasted in the two classes of plants in this country. This waste ranks next to the water powers that are unutilized in this broad country.
 If coke ovens and blast furnaces could be located near large cities the power now lost could be. utilized, but that is an idle question, for the great plants are established, and as a rule the fuel has gone to the ore or vice versa without reference to the prox- imity of cities
 As the furnace and coking plants cannot be removed to cities, the Iron Trade Review thinks that industries which require a great amount of power should be located near furnace or a coling plant. For example, the manu- fracture of aluminium. the elsctrtn
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Flour Is Going Up

Farmer Patten has marked May wheat up to SIPS; July wheat up to S1.15, and even September wheat is selling in Chicago at $1.06. One year ago July wheat was worth in Chicago but S5 cents. The price has been put up about 30 cents, and the advance in July and September means either that the harvest is to be late this year or else it is to be insufficient MT. Patten says it will be insufficient as we'll as late. But some wheat experts think there will be plenty of new wheat in July.
 The rise in wheat has advanced the price of flour. It is now worth $7 a barrel in St. Paul and perhaps S75O in eastern markets. Flour in turn affects the 5-cent loaf of bread, and Scent, or even 7-cent, loaf is in sight. The bakers in New York predict a 7-cenr loaf before new wheat is marketed.
 How much of the present rise in wheat is due to Pattenism and how much to scarcity in the great staple, it is not easy to determine That is a question that the Chicago wheat pit is endeavoring to determine from day to day It's final verdict will be conclu- sive. The visible domestic supply of wheat is said to be 36,000,000 bushels, as compared with 31,000,000 bushels last year in April, and it is too early to assume that the winter wheat crop will turn out poorly.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
SPEED LIMIT FOR OCEAN LINERS.

From the New fOfk Herald.
 On the Mauretania was the Hon. Charles A. Parsons who invented the type of engines which have made the speed of the fleet liner possible, and whose firm built these particular engines MT. Par sons said that the speed limit for big merchant vessels had been reached in the Mauretania and the Lusitania.
 Tt might be possible to build ship with engines giving her a speed of 30 knots" said MT. Parsons, "but under pres ent conditions such vessel would not pay. In the construction of swift ships, when speed is aimed at, one must of ne- cesity build deep, and the deeper you go the fewer are the harbors that such craft can enter. Deeper ships than the Lusi- tania and the Mauretania could not be ac- oommodated in the harbors of Liverpool and New York
 This question of harbor limitations is one of the chief stumbling blocks In the way of the construction of larger and faster ships. In my opinion the Mature. tania and the Lusitania represent what will be the limit of speed for passenger ships for many years to come"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
DEVELOPMENT OF TENNESSEE Co

From the Manufacturers Record.
 Since the purchase of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company by the Steel corporation about s6,0O0,000 has been expended in improvement work and in completing the Ensley steel plant, then under construction. It will probably take s5,000,00O or more to finish the work pro- jected and to round out the Ensley plant. according to the views of the experts. The old management, to which the Steel corporation succeeded, we believe, had in mind after finishing the Ensley works the thought of building in the future an en- tirely new plant at new location where, with ample ground, an abundant supply of water for all purposes and possibly river transportation to the gulf, great pos abilities for expansion existed. It would seem logical for the Steel corporation to take up this idea and after rounding out the Ensley situation to build at some new point where all raw materials could be eheapy assembled a plant modern and complete in every detail for the production of finished steel. This plant could be de- signed with special reference to the ex- port trade, as well as to domestic busi- ness. -
 The rapid growth of the south, its in- creasing consumption of architectural iron and steel and of railroad materials, the advance in reinforced concrete construc ton, all tend to rapidly broaden the mar ket for finished steel There is every pos- sible assurance that the consumptive re- quirements of the south will increase more rapidly than the local production. But added to the home demand is the certain ty of expanding foreign trade, especially with the West Indies, Central and South America and the Orient. The steel for these countries should be made in the south, and the Manufac turers' Record be- lieves that the far-seeing men who control the management of the Steel corporation so fully recognize this that they will take advantage of the strategic position held by reason of the ownership of the Ten nessee company, with it's vast stores of raw material We would not be sur prised if the future should prove that even now all these matters are receiving the most careful investigation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Looking for an Issue.

"That prohibition is to be left out of the coming gubernatorial campaign is be- coming more and more evident as the months pass,' said a political observer "All the candidates announced and mem toned seem perfectly willing to let that matter alone and are not agitating 1t in their campaigns.
 Tt is highly probable that there will be no railroad, or anti-railroad agitation in politics next year. There two issues sem relegated, at least for the near fu- ture.
 Tissues are out of order in Ala bama right now. Prohibition has been turned into the channel of law enforce ment. For once in quite a long time there seems to be no ranting or any hair pulling on the stump.
 Candidates there are who are remain ing under cover, waiting for an issue to show itself, that they may grab it, and try to waltz in with it. Those who have announced are depending upon their per- son popularity.
 "A penny for an issuel is the demand. Alabama has reached the deep water, and all over the state the politicians have their eyes strained toward the horizon for some big wave"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
The Ben Greet Players.

Tt has been long time since I enjoyed a Shakespeare play as much as I did Macbeth, enacted at the Jefferson theatre by the Ben Greet players" said an old citizen last night.
 ''The company should have been greeted by a large audience. but instead the at tendance was very small. Of all the trag- edies Macbeth and Hamlet, perhaps. con- tain more phrases that have been incor- porated into our ordinary speech than any of the other of Shakespeareis works. There is hardly scene in either of these plays that has not lines familiar to the average man and woman of culture. The Ben Greet players are excellent, and a better Lady Macbeth has not been found on the stage in recent years than Keith Wakeman.
 Tt is not credtable to Birmingham when company so strong and conscien- tious as the Ben Greet players play to empty seats. l hope to see a large audi ence at the matinee and the Saturday night performance"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
CANADIAN THRIFT.
From the washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
 It Is stated that the savings deposits in the accounts of Canadian banks aggregate $690 000,0O0, which Is a remarkable show ing for population of only 100000 peo- ple Per capita it beats the United States and is scarce surpassed by the most thrifty communities of Europe.
 The material development of Canada the last third of century is wonderful. There is one railroad extending clear across the continent, and another will soon be completed. It Is claimed that a score of years hence, at the present rate of development, the Canadian yield of wheat will surpass that of any other country on the globe, and this too, in territory that the last preceding genera tion looked on as practically uninhabit- able.
 For that matter, when the awful bliz- gard came in 1872 that put our Northern Pacific railroad out of business and bank rupted Jay Cooke, at one time the most famous and the most extensive banker of the United States, long articles were printed in the public press predicting that the Dakotas could never sustain a large population and that even Minne- sota must be surrendered to the ice and the snow.
 Nobody then dreamed that out of the British possessions farther north would be carved states peopled with numerous and prosperous thousands soon to be mill lions; but we all know that Canada is to become one of the great commonwealths of the world ere this century is half full filed
 It is matter that every American should contemplate with the liveliest sat- isfaction, for the more millions speak, ing our tongue and adopting our customs and laws in that country, the better for all of us on this side of the line.
 And it is true as well that an equitable trade reciprocity between Canada and the United States would work enormously to the advantage of both That Is food for the careful thought of our ablest statesmen.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
SPRING ON BROADWAY

are but allowed the privilege of staying on Broadway. But try to lure them away and-well, let a manager tell a story:
 T tried last summer to get together a company to do certain play in the west" said he, and sent for some of the needy looking chaps who were beating the pavements up and down Broadway. You should have heard the salaries they de- manded. Whew! They pulverized me. And their demands were no bluff, either, for they seemed to feel that it was worth big bonus to be taken off Broadway in the summer"
 So ho! for the merry summer denizen of the Rialto. In the winter he travels from Maine to California. but in the sum- mer his address is Broadway from Herald square to Forty-second street.
 Does he eyer get tired of it? He will tell you, never. He craves it. The hard f1agstones soothe his feet and the sight is balm for his eyes.
 So it's Hello, Jim,'' and "Howdy, Bob," from the first breath of spring un- til the autumn, when the roll call of man. agers drives them back to one night stands. %
 But are they happy? Go look at them or go listen to them as you saunter down Broadway some afternoon.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Damrosch Popular.

Damrosch is receiving an ovation on his present southern tour" said a music lover. He started his tour in Baltimore, and in that city and in Washington and Richmond large and enthusiastic audi ences greeted him. His orchestra, from all accounts, is finer this season than ever.
 Tn Richmond the choral society is called the Wednesday club. r. has been giving festivals for a number of years with varying success. It secured Dam rosch and his New York Symphony or chestra this season for the first time, and for the first time the music at the Richmond festival has drawn immense crowds and has paid.
 "Damrosch is unquestionably splendid conductor. and Birmingham is fortunate, indeed, in having him here. Let us give
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-17
Ten-Cent Cotton

The planting season has not been favorable. It has been too dry in Texas, and too wet elsewhere in the cotton belt, and this is the great plant ing month. All know that naked world needs 13,0OO,000 bales of Ameri- can-grown cotton, and the fear is be- ginning to be expressed that that many bales will not be forthcoming next fall.
 Perhaps this is the reason why mid ding cotton is now worth 10 cents in all the leading southern markets. When the cost of production was low 10 cents was considered fine price, but at present it is no more than any farmer needs. It affords but mod crate margin of profit. The recent low level was unreasonable and unjust to the farmer, and the chances are. that prices will not again fall to that level. No farmer can afford to make and sell cotton below 10 cents.