The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-02-23

Pl
already under way.
There ism t any doubt that the stu
alton in Australia is responsible for the
present tentative plans for sending a
fleet to the Pacific. Since the visit of
Admiral Sperry's feet to the common
wealth the Australians have talked of
nothing else so much as American bat
tleships and other things American.
This is not at all pleasing TO British
ears. Every thinking Englishman is
possessed with the conviction that the
day is not far distant when Australia
will cut loose from the mother country
and become an Independent republic.
Already the Australians boast that
their commonwealth is modelled after
the United States so far as the Austria
liam constitution will permit, and it is
not difficult to see that the next step
will be a demand for a ~remodeling of
the constitution or complete indepen-
dence.
ANY Englishman will tell You that
when either Australia or Canada de-
cides to go her own way she will be
permitted to do so without attempt at
coercion, but that does not mean that
England would not sorrow to see
either of them go. 1t is very plainly
true that the British empire is held
together by the very slenderest of
threads, and one break would almost
certainly he followed by others.
London. the worst in several years.
For quite a while Londoners had been
claiming that the fogs were neither so
thick nor so frequent nor of so long
duration as they once were, but the
past few week have dispelled this
illusion.
A few days ago a funeral party got
caught in a fog which became so
dense that it was absolutely impossible
for the funeral party to follow the
hearse. Had it not been for the in
genuity of the undertaken, the mourn
ers probably would have had to pull
up somewhere and wait for the fog to
lift. But the undertaken. had brought
the candles from the church, and they
furnished him with an inspiration. He
placed six of them lighted inside the
hearse. and by the illumination thus
afforded the cortege was enabled to
make its way.
On one day when the fog was thick
est a walrus, one of the prizes of the
geological gardens, died, and the natur-
alists attributed its death solely to the
poisonous fog. AS the Arctic regions.
whence the walrus came, are noted for
their fogs, the conclusion was forced
that London fogs are peculiarly dead
ly. 1t also has been noted that most
of the animals at the zoo appear to
suffer when the fog is heavy, some of
them appearing to lose all vitality.
Every sort of business in London
suffers during a heavy fog with the
exception of the traffic lines and illu-
minating companies. When the fog is
heavy passenger traffic is driven from
the surface lines and omnibuses to the
tubes, where there is less interference
with the operation of trains. 1t is est
mated that OF a foggy day London $
gas bill is increased by not less than
ten thousand dollars.
England is very proud of Jack
Binns, the Marconi operator of the
steamer Republic, because he refused
to go into vaudeville, and more
especially because he objected to being
kissed by hero-worshiping young
women.
The Pail Mall Gazette seizes the
opportunity for the following "knock"
at an American hero: The heroism of
| lack Binns, who bottled when 400
chorus girls wished to kiss him, is or
poor order, as might be expected of
one who is not American born. When
Lieutenant Hobson did the business
he did it well. In Chicago, it was said,
he seemed to like it, for he did the
kissing himself and even added a
hearty hug. General McNulty ad-
vised him to kiss them all, and the
hero of the Merrimac responded until
los fair C~hicagoans had been saluted.
And Jack Binns bolted, 1t is almost
as bad as Bunker Hill.n
LOT avarv NON ha oaonpio1 onl oa