davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
President Taft'S Visit

This city has been made ready for the coming of the President this even- ing and tomorrow morning thousands and tens of thousands of Alabamians from points without the city will come here to assist us in giving the head of the nation a cordial welcome.
 No matter what party or what sec- tor a man may belong to he cannot but admire the Presidents sturdy Americanism, his high character and noble private life, his cordial bon homie and his willingness to shoulder any public task, no matter how try ing or prolonged 1t may be. The Pres ident's personal popularity is nowhere greater than it is in the south, and tonight and tomorrow he will see abundant evidences of this feeling
 His views-well, he certainly has pxesented in the course of his long >ouf . varied assortment. He has ad- Sucated the Aldrich-Payue tariff, .
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
Plain Facts In a llain Manner

The friends of the pending amend ment do not at all agree. There is, for example. the Dothan Eagle, bright as a new-coined dollar. which says:
 We have many friends who like us personally but some who don't like our politics because we are trying to get through measure that will confine the drinking. of whisky to the home instead of public places along the roads. in the stores. in the offices We are not trying to keep a man from drinking his liouor but are trying to fix it so that drinking will harm no one but the thinker.
 This is, we fear, misleading, and if the Eagle will answer a few plain questions the truth can be brought about even in this campaign.
 What does section refer to if not to section 5, article I. guaranteeing the sanctity of the home?
 Is not the storage of liquors pro hibited everywhere in this state by the Fuller bill except in the homes of the people?
 Would not section involve and in vite legislation concerning the homes of the people?
 Would not an extra session of the present legislature be called to put !
 The Eagle may evade an answer to the last-named question on the ground of a lack of knowledge, but if the 1 administration succeeds in securing ratification of section 2 it could not escape a charge of weakness to say the least if it should refuse to call the legislature together. It will not refuse, for it has the extra ses- sion habit. It dearly loves an extra session.
 Senator Henry Reese of Selma, a supporter of the amendment, than WuOlu uO OuS huONo dUOul lI and it's construction than he, says: Had I framed the constitutional amendment bill myself, I would have changed the second section so as to have eliminated the home" Senator Reese is an excellent lawyer, a straightforward supporter of Conner ism and the Eagle will have set aside his statement as we'll as the plain bald facts of the situation if it under takes to show that the homes of the people are not involved in this re- markable campaign.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02

From the Kansas City Times.
 A young man who went to work for a newspaper, received a book of instruc- tions on English, of which the Afchison Globe gives the following extracts: There is such word as burglarize. Do not use difficulty for fight or quarrel. In accounts of deaths and funerals, refer to the body, not the remains, or the corpse. Every person is supposed to be mourned by a host of friends and a large circle of relatives, and to have been good and prominent, so 1t Is unnecessary to say so. Every bride is fair and gracious, so it Is unnecessary to say so. Say a per son died, or was married. Do not say he passed away, or that he was joined in the holy bonds of matrimony. There is nothing immodest in calling marriage a marriage. Prominent is so overused that it would be good rule to eliminate it. An annuity of s1O0. not an annuity of s100 per year. Neither a funeral nor a wedding occurs; 1t takes place; woman is better than lady; the latter has been overworked. It looks like an attempt to make weak story strong by saying 1t is one of the most horrible crimes in years, or that the party was one of the most enjoyable of the winter season. Use as few adjectives as possible. Too many lose force Study the following ex- pressions where unnecessary words are used, and look out for others: All around for around in the city of Chicago for Chicago; first began for begun; nobody else for nobody; entirely through for through; struck by an approaching car for struck by a car; next Friday for Fri day: totally destroyed for destroyed, at
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
The Southern Steel.

All the members of the Southern Iron and Steel party looking over the com pany's properties are very enthusiastic over what they saw" said a citizen who met the visitors while they were sn Birmingham Sunday. Tt was especially gratifying to hear MT. Alexis w. Thomp- son speak in optimistic terms for he is so thoroughly familiar with the iron and steel business, and so thoroughly fa- miliar with the Birmingham district He was for years president of the Re- public Iron and Steel company. While he occupied that position W. H. Has, singer was in charge of the Alabama op- erations of the company MT. Hassinger is now president of the Southern Iron and Steel and MT. Thompson is a mem- Der of his executive committee.
 MT. Thompson said the reorganized company had started off right and that its improvements from time to time would be made on a permanent and modern basis He expects the company to do great things in the way of making money.
 MT. Hassinger has gathered around him in the Southern Iron and Steel or ganization many old and tried associates and all of his official staff-old and new men-are known for their capacity As one of the Englishmen in the party of visitors remarked Sunday. when he met all the heads of departments, every man seems alert and energetic and to apprect- ate thoroughly the value of close and hearty cooperation"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
The Parade Route

The merchants of Second avenue have long been noted for their public spirit and their generosity in contrib utiHg to funds for the public good They have been active especially in the work of arranging for the Presi- dents visit and in view of the facts they think they have a right to ask that the parade route be rearranged so as to include part of Second ave- hue between Nineteenth and Twentieth streets which is profusely decorated and it would be too bad if the parade left out that popular thoroughfare.
 It is hoped at any rate that the grand marshal will give the protest published in another column his earn est consideration.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Reqardinq Increase in Wages.

A prominent official of one of the large what basis there was to the rumors which have been floating around recently to the effect that general advance in wages would shortly be made, stated unequivo- cafly that rise in wages was not only contemplated but that the scales were actually being worked out. He stated however, that the companies felt that the men should not expect an increase too soon for the simple reason that every iron and coal producing concern, includ- ing the commercial operators, had made low-priced contracts which would run them up to or beyond the first of the year. AS he put it:
 ''The public sees the newspaper arti- cles quoting iron at $15.00, and naturally jumps to the conclusion that S15.00 is being obtained by the companies for pig iron. This is not correct. Iron is an article which is sold ahead. always from three to six months, because in no other way can the consumers make their con- tracts for complete castings. The con- sequence is that while the market is in deed $15.00, it is s15.0o for future delivery, but for the present we are still delivering SLIGO and. s1l.50 iron. AS soon as we begin delivering s15.o0 iron We expect to share the benefits Of the increased price with our workmen. We believe this 10 be only just and right.
 Tt can be readily seen, then. that the wage workers of the district may look forward to an increase in wages within the next 60 days"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02

From the Washington Post.
 There is no subject of more perennial interest than ghosts. Pliny the elder, writing to a friend. tells of house In Athens haunted by a ghost with clanking chains which frightened every one away from the premises: and all down through the centuries since. in literature and in legend. in firelight tales and in neighbor- hood tradition. .'hants,. ghosts, appari- tions and haunted houses have figured to an extent which shows either very wide spread and deep-seated superstition or an ineradicable race instinct correspond ing to some bafiing but nevertheless ex- istent phenomenon. Nothing in the ex- perience Of man has been regarded with such fear and apprehension as the ap- pearance Of a ghost
 Fortunately the courts. which always take the logical and common-sense vic 7 of things and let the light into the dark corners Of all human transactions ana relations. have passed on the question of ghosts Recently in Manitoba a man sued a publishing company for islander for saying that his house was haunted. The defendant claimed that the plaintiff must prove that there were no ghosts on his premises. The court said:
 Tt Is urged that the plaintiff has not proved that the article Is untrue and that the house Is not haunted. 1t is, of course. impossible to prove such matter by evidence in the ordinary way. The very nature of ghost as understood by superstitious people. is that of phantom appearing at rare intervals. Unless, therefore, we hold that courts should take judicial cognizance of the fact that ghosts do not exist, the falsity of the statement could never be absolutely proved. think that the members of the court may and as educated men should assume that there are not such things as ghosts, and that, therefore, the statement is necessa- rily false.'
 A judgment in favor of the plaintiff was affirmed in the supreme court of Canada, and the same point has been decided in England on almost identical facts. Here we have judicial authority for the fact that "educated men should assume that there are not such things as ghosts In spite of this decision, however, and even if many more should be added to it., ghosts will continue to walk for a long time vet
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
AN EXPERT WITNESS.

From the Chicago Evening Post.
 Do you know the defendant?" asks the lawyer of the gentleman with the heavy eyeglasses and the high brow.
 "I do,' replies the witness.
 How long have you known him?' "All his life"
 What do you know of his reputation for truth and veracity?'
 "I do not care to state."
 would you believe him on oath" "I wouldn't believe anybody on oath" ''Would you believe him if he made a statement on his deathbed?'
 "T wouldn't believe anybody under such circumstances.
 "would you believe him if he told what you personally knew to be true?"
 q should say not"
 That is strange. Wouldn't you believe anybody under the conditions have out lined?"
 "No, indeed No, sir!''
 May I inquire why you take such an odd position?"
 q am a professional scientist, and my active work at present is disbelieving the stories of polar explorers
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
HUBBY WAS TOO WILLING.

From the New York Morning Telegraph.
 In the midst of her tears over late dis agreement she announced that she would take a trip of three weeks in the country for a rest for his abuse.
 Hooray! Hoorayl
 He hurried to the station. bought tick cts, hurried back home, pulled off his coat, plunged into the cellar, lugged out her trunks and commenced to pack.
 Lying on a couch she watched him through her tears with great curiosity. From time to time, in reply to many questions, she> advised him what articles would be useful In the country and they were eagerly included.
 Perspiring and exhausted after some hours of preparatory detail for her de- parture, he sank into a chair and said:
 "Everything is ready now. You have abundant time to catch your train"
 'I have decided" she said softly, mot to gO."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
Governor Harmon and the Machine

The republicans do not fear Gov ernor Marshall of Indiana, whose per sonal following is small, nor do they fear Senator Chamberlain of Oregon because they know he cannot carry his own state in a presidential year, but they do have wholesome dread of Governor Harmon of Ohio. They do not desire to see him reelected next year, for they Know that re-elec- ton in Ohio would bring him promi- nently forward as a presidential as- pirant, and tussle over the control of Ohio might follow which would de- eide the presidential election of 1912.
 Governor Harmon is cultivating the good will of the voters in Ohio much more than he is Ohio's representative in the democratic national committee or the chairman of the democratic
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02

subsidy scheme, postal savings bank,
 changes in the interstate law, cen tral bank, and many more things, 1n-
 cluding a comprehensive waterway 1m- provement scheme. It is said that the
 President has been trying these things on the people as he travelled, and that from the manner in which the various
 propositions have been received IL IS
 believed he will decide in what way and to what extent he will put them in his forthcoming annual message. His policies will naturally be outlined in his first regular message and II he presents all the policies he mas advocated in the course of his tour Congress will, indeed, find itself well provided with business.
 But these matters will be between the President and congress already elected, and they need not concern us while the President is our guest. The respect in which we hold his great office, and ill particular the admira- ton we have for a big whole-souied American are the only issues before Us while the President is with us. We may. it is true, suggest to him at times that Alabama is the great river state of the Union-that when the Warrior and the Coosa are opened American coal will be floated to Colon that the Tennessee and the Chat tahoochie are interstate rivers-we may do all this incidentally, but our chief occupation will consist in rejoic- ing that the President is here and in hoping that no incident of any sort will mar the pleasure of the oc- casion. Long live the President
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
FISTS AND STEEL.
German Students Shy at Former as
 College Boys Do At Sword.


 T have just had a conversation wit, German army officer. which brought un the old subject of the relative courage or the people of two nations," remarked Maurice Connolly, manufacturer of Dubuque, Ia-, at the Arlington.
 We were discussing the comparative merits of American football and the Ger man system of student duels in the de- velopment of boys physical courage. or course, the conversation led to no par- ticular end. He still thinks as he did be- fore and l haven't changed my opinion. AS matter of fact, I wouldn't give the award exclusively to either of the sys- tems.
 It Is percular fact, but 1t is true. that the average German university stu- dent Is very much averse to a rough and tumble fight. have seen two Americans put eight husky Germans to flight with no weapons but their fists. And vet I have seen these same Germans stand up before opponents in the fencing hall and race cold steel without tremor In fact they seemed to enjoy having their faces slashed open with the keen-edeed schlager employed in the affairs of honor at the universities. I wonder how many Amer ican college students would like to be cut and slashed by a classmate against whom he had some grievance"
 MT. Connolly spent year at Heidel- berg university and one at Oxford after his graduation from Cornell and had op- portunities of seeing how the young men or the three countries behave in a pinch.
 The English, like Americans, take nat turally to their fists as weapons of of- fense," he said. "I have witnessed soma very interesting combats between Oxford students and 'navies' from the town. Both sides seemed to be having a good time as long as the fighting lasted. A German student wouldn't last very long in one of those rows. believe, though, that the fact that German does not like to stand up before two clenched fists and that an American and an Englishman have the same reluctance to being carved with sword is no evidence that either is afraid. He simply isn't accustomed to that particular method of demonstrattng his physical courage. Both undoubtedly are brave
 My German friend however, insisted to the end that the duel is the only proper method of teaching boys to be fearless. He refused to see any good in football for this purpose"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
ChiCagO'S Blue Ribbon Husband

Chicago holds an annual Hubby Show" and it is more popular than the horse show, or even the baby show. A blue ribbon is the first prize, and this year Samuel ". Van Nost- rand, who is husband of nine years standing, won it. Mrs. Van Nostrand certified to these points in Sam's fla vor:
 Good natured before breakfast.
 Allows wife to carry the pocketbook
 Says wife's cooking is better than moth- CTS.
 Prompt at meals.
 Good entertainer.
 Adept with chafng dish
 Good judge of feminine beauty.
 Generous and kind hearted.
 Enjoys home more than club.
 Almost feminine ability to sew.
 Happiest when among friends.
 The judges did not accept Mrs. Van Nostrand's statement as final. They investigated hubby's record and stand ing among his neighbors, and then O.. Kd. the wife's summary.
 Nor does it at all follow that the wearer of Chicago's blue ribbon is a mollycoddle. He may well be the strongest and manifest of men-a man strong enough to face the perplexities of life and overcome them or be over- come by them serenely, for no man can win all fgh,s. But all men can do their best to make their homes the center of happiness and contentment, and the winner of the Chicago blue rib bon seems to have all the elements of success in that direction President Taft said as much in one of his re- cent speeches, and the President went one step further than the Chicago man did, for he frankly says he let Mrs. Taft turn him into politics when otherwise he would have been dozing on the bench.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
weakley as Candidate.

while Judge weakley is not as pop ular personally as Colonel Mallory said well-known planter of Lowndes coun- ty. q have found among my neighpors a goodly number of men who are boost ing Weakley for the governorsh1p. IL goes without saying that if the amend ment is defeated Weakley VIII De out of the running but should 1t carry then he would go into the governors oniee with whoop. He would have the help of the Conner machine and would have the advantage of his own heroship In many respects Judge Weakley would make a first-class governor"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
Rishon Aliens sermon.

"In the course Of his sermon a- sf- Pauls last Sunday Bishop Allen very clearly and simply defined the attitude Of temperance" said a member of the con- gregation, and I am pleased 10 find so many people express themselves in ap- proval of his words
 Bishop Allen was very deliberate in his remarks and he defined the word tenn perance' as moderation. He pointed out that the church made temperance one of the cardinal virtues and that temperance extended to eating as well as drinking. He did not hesitate to condemn the evil of drunkenness but he left it to every man to judge for himself whether the remedies proposed were the best He said the Catholic church, with it's centuries of experience, recognized the fact that fanaticism accomplished no permanent good and the safe and sane course in all affairs was attended with the best results.
 Tt is fortunate for the state of Ala bama that there are some men still left who can advocate temperance without becoming incorporate in their language, and Bishop Allen is one of them. lie tells his people to live up to and obey the teachings of their church and they won't go wrong. He tells them to make Christ their model and that their lives will be perfect. If people would adopt that simple bit of advice to make Christ their model there would be very little use for laws of any sort.
 T regret that Bishop Aliens discus sion was not published in our daily pa pers, because 1t is as a whole and not in parts that it should be presented to the public.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02

state committee. He refuses to dis miss some republicans who had served the state well, for he is not a firm believer in the old doctrine that hands over to the Yictors all the spells in sight. He proposes to serve the gen eral good rather than the clamor of a few for fat places.
 The hub of the contest relates to next year when Governor Harmon will stand for reelection, and if he sweeps Ohio as a tariff and political reform CT the country will pretty surely be asked to choose between two Ohioans in 1912.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
DING.
rom the Denver Republican.

From the Denver RepuDllcan
 It was hardly dawn. and the window was open. The intruder had clambered up the front porch, and the interior of the room looked inviting. He could see that it was the abode of some person of wealth. There were costly ornaments about the room, any one of which would bring handsome returns at a pawnbro- ker's gold clock ticked on the man tel, and silver service glistened on the table.
 On couch lay man, sleeping heavily. His face was red and his hairless crown glistened in the first faint glow of the day.
 This is fne,' muttered the intruder. Here's a bald headed man first thing. The season is opening in great shape"
 And the first fly crawled over the win dow sill, and the season of torture had hegI1n
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
Grand Opera.

''Not only is 1t sure that Atlanta is to have a season of grand opera next spring" said representative of the Met ropolitan company, but other southern cities may also have. It is matter of money purely. Atlanta was willing to meet the requirements of MT. An dras Dippel. who looks after the business interests of the Metropolitan Opera com pany, as to guarantee, and he has signed contracts for week of grand opera at the Georgia capital. I understand If Mo- bile, Memphis or New Orleans wish to hear the Metropolitan company and are willing to pay for the privilege that any offers they care to make will be given careful consideration
 T also understand that Oscar Hammer stein would not be averse to making a short southern tour next season."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-02
Cheap Fuel the Test

St. Louis is growing over Chicago because Illinois coal is delivered to all parts of St. Louis at 52 cents a ton. This rate includes all bridge and switching charges. The railroad rate plus the cost of the coal is, in whole sale lots, at prices ranging from $1.10 to $1.45 per ton, according to qual- ity. Good mine run is delivered on many contracts at a price as low as $137 per ton, while screenings used in automatic stokers sell at $1.1O and in some cases even lower.
 The minimum coal rate in Chicago is 67 cents a ton, not including switch ing and delivery charges. In many other cities the manufacturer has to pay extra switching charges in or der to get his consignment, unless indeed his plant is on. the road orig mating the shipment.
 Industries invariably seek cheap fuel and the Chamber of Commerce would serve this city well if it would is- sue a booklet showing how cheap steam coal can be delivered in this city. The booklet of the Business Mems league in St. Louis offers an example of this kind of work, and The Age-Herald has full faith that Bir- mingham can give St. Louis and Chi cago points in the fuel game and un- dercut both.