davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
A xl,OOO, 900 Hotel Talk

"If the advocates of saloons win by l decisive majority in the Jefferson county election next Thursday a $1,000. 600 hotel in
 the near future will be assured" said a philosophical citizen. q would stress the phrase decisive majority because if the majority happened to be small capital
 ists would be slow in investing money in an expensive hotel.
 As everyone knows, the bar privilege in first-class hotel is worth a good deal 10 the lessee, which is the same as saying worth a good deal to the owners of the property. l have heard prohibitionists say something like this: Birmingham will have a s1.O00,0OO hotel, no matter which way the election goes But we have been hearing much about great hotel pro- jects. yet all the same nobody builds the hotel.
 Tt is a well-lSnown fact that plans were ali made and the financing of hotel pro- vided for in 19O7 just before the Anti Saloon leaguers voted out the legal sale of liquor. That settled it. The hotel scheme was quickly abandoned owing to the result of the election. Subsequent
  Lut they too. were abandoned.
 The latest active efforts in s1,oo0,ooo Lotei direction were made by W. J. Dan- saiX last spring. He told me that he had gone far enough to know that he could finance a s1,G00,00o hotel on the site which he owns at the northeast cor Ter of Fourth avenue and Nineteenth stI eet. but that he would only go forward with this enterprise in the event that sa- looms were legalized. Mir. Dangaix, just before sailing for Europe, stated to me that he expected to return about the mid dle of September, and that if high license and regulation prevailed he would lose no time in putting up a magnificent modern hotel. But whether or not Dangaix car ries out his purpose, l am confident that e s1,000,000 hotel will be built provided high license and regulation receives a large majority"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

one of the largest, but one of the handsomest public structures in Jeff ferson county. It is kept in thorough repair, and is, therefore, a credit to the community. Improvements are needed from time to time and it is hoped that this years picnic will bring the sisters several thousand dollars so that some part of the fund can be applied to the building after current expenses are met.
 If the day be fair a vast throng will attend the picnic, but there should be enough tickets sold in advance to make sure of goodly fund regard less of the weather.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
IMPROVEMENT IN ConN CROP

Chicago Special to the New York
 Journal of Commerce.
 According to interior bankers who have visited Chicago during the last few days, there has been 8 marked improvement in the crop situation. The bountiful rains and the continued warm weather are doing an immense amount of good over the corn belt, although little hotter weather would be welcome. It will be recalled that d year ago the rains that fell in Au gust added nearly 200, ,oo0,00 bushels of corn to the August estimate, &C., cording to the final yield reported by the government. eWather conditions during the first half of this month have been even more propitious so far as corn is concerned than they were in the early part of last August, but the corn is not so deeply rooted, ex- cepting in black soil sections of the country. hence it is a question whether the yield will be increased as greatly as it was year ago. Many bankers in the interior believe it will be, and in any event, unless the plant is over taken by an early frost, they figure yield better than 2,700,o0o.000 bushels. h
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
THE FREAK ROUTE

prisings,if hes had sold a string of .flats and Borrowed the limit on his life insu-- ance to do it. Benefactors like that are to be found in every town where there Is man willing to climb church steere and stand on his head on the top. As soon as it becomes known that a person [ is prepared to embark on some such scien tifc experiment the results of which will be of great value to the-world he is sue to get letter like this:
 T was greatly interested to learn that you are about to attempt to walk sfrorl Chicago to Seattle on your hands. The world long has been waiting for the prooe of the possibility of such feat. and as.I am 8 deep student of the sciences and have made about s5o0o in the laundry business I gladly will back you in this undertaking and will offer diamond bsI1 to be known as the Smithers belt to tEo winner of this gerat contest" E The announcement of Dr. Denn3sr,s purpose is certain to bring other ehan.- pions. in similar unusual accomplishments out of retirement. It will be only antic,- .pating the news dispatches by a few days to print their announcements now:
 South Bned, Ind. August 10.-Charles Cocker, who holds the pie-eating belt is about to attempt to break his own record made 10 years ago, when he ate a 12-hour sitting 400 mince pies, IA lemon, s6 goose- berry and pumpkin. Cookers bacser has taken him to Newport for the sum- mer, where he is in training in private quarters with steam yacht, a motor car and stan of physicians He will be brought back here on a special train .his fall when the contest will be held. A
 Louisville. Ky, August 10-Henry Pfuner is in the hospital here and physl- cians say he may not recover. In con test for long distance smoking honors Pfuffer smoked si6 cigars yesterday. light ing one from the end of the other. Han he lasted 15 minutes longer and finished 10 more cigars he would have won bo,, of cigars
 "Binghamton, N. r., August 10.-Ralrn Hengelmuller will attempt to roll a hoop rom here to Oswego without allowing the hoop to fall on it's side William Y. Ockelmyer, the millionaire overall ma,,- faeturer, is backing Hengelmuller. and will follow him in a motor car Oe<ei-
 
 the roads between here and Oswego. If 1iehseimulier succeeds in his unique u,- dertaking he will get pair of new ove-- alls.
 Lynn, Mass, August 10.-A large crowd saw Billy Mooch start on his journey to Bangor today, walking backward. Pe IS making the attempt for the diamonl belt offered by William Welt, the million- are shoe manufacturer. Welt has made specially designed shoes for Mooch on tne trip, the toes being in the rear and the heels in front. and he will walk al, tue way on a carpet of flour laid in tie road so Welt, who will follow in a motar ear, can see if the terms of the con.es. are observed. Welt is believed to bava spent s4oooO in promoting Moochs under taking"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Rsom the Baltimore Manufacturers Rec
 ord.
 Mir J. c. Mabeu, president of the sloss- Sheffield Steel and Iron company, in let ter to the Manufacturers Record, refer ring to report of his company published in 190S showing the estimated amount of iron ore owned at that time as 625.00o cJ0 tons, of which 133,OOo.o00 tons is the esti- mated quantity of brown ore, says:
 T feel that the estimate made in this report is very conservative, and Mr> Dc had been Investigating the Russellville brown ore field, stated to me that he thought we hads double the amount cf brown ore in that field that we claimed.
 Az you probably know, the ore from our Sloss mines is not only entirely self-1uxing, but is fiuxing about Ter cent of low lime-bearing orc. Our usual mixture is three-fourths Sloss hard and one-fourth Irondale hard, the latter carry ing only about IS per cent of lime, with no additional lime or dolomite''
 If the south makes the most of the present occasion, instead of being injured by the erroneous impression created by the Stanley investigation that the Steel corporation monopolizes southern ores, it can turn an adverse situation to good account. The south ought to bring to tue front through the widest discussion the vast extent of it's iron-ore resources, and thus forever set at rest the injurious statements put forth as a result of some of the absurd things published as an out come of the Stanley investigation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
UNDERWOOD FOR PRESIDENT

From the Montgomery Journal.
 The democratic party is united and har- monious. The internal bickerings ard squabbles that for 20 years have brought defeat and disaster are heard no more Democracy Is eager for the 1912 struggle However bitter may be that fight before entrenched privilege Kings up the white of victory. Alabama democrats may well take pride in the situation for an Alabama democrat, Oscar Underwood, quiet finn, aggressive and brainy has been steering the party ship away from breakers and hidden rocks and today he is recognized as the foremost democrat in Congress.
 The whole people of Alabama are proud Of him and his great work When the op- portunity comes next spring the demo cratic party of this state will with a unite.;
 front present his name for the party nom- | ination for President He is the very en,- bodiment of the issue upon which the
 coming struggle will be fought, tarff re.
 duction, and there will be no south. m
 east no west. no north The question vii,
 not be whence does he come9. .hnt what does he stand for?" The old hosa, of from the south can now frightor only babes that suckle from the tarl. bottle. Underwood has run plough share.
 where stood the old walls of section T,
 prejudice. Great Is the national demo,
 racy, and Underwood is its prophet
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
Good Average Crops

The last government crop report took away the optimistic belief that all crops would be record crops. There will be a falling in the cereals and also in hay, rice, tobacco and flax seed. Excepting, however, hay, white potatoes and oats, there is no reason to believe that the other crop will be below the average of the last ten years.
 Excellent rains have fallen since the government gathered data for it's recent report, and the belief prevails that there will be a good average crop of corn, wheat, barley and rye. The cotton crop will be ample. al though it may not reach the first ex- travagant estimates. The acreage of all crops is large, and altogether there is no sound reason at present for crop scare. Crops that promise poor ly in the first week in August some times prove to be bumper crops.
 Not until last year did the corn crop cross the 3,OO0,O00, ,O00-bushel line. The government experts say the crop this year will be 2,620, ,000,- 900 bushels. The truth is, it may again go to three billion bushels. No one knows. All depends upon weather conditions up to October 1. As big corn crop is possible, an average wheat crop is assured, and record cotton crop is probable. This should be satisfactory. It leaves little room | for crop scares.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
SOME AGE LIMIT WANTED

From the Des Moines Register and
 Leader
 The.last election to the United States Senate of the late Senator Frye, as the Hartford Times points out, was poor politics. The Maine republicans thought they could safely keep MT Frye in the Senate for life. regardless of his utter incapacity for service, but they reckoned entirely without the possibility that the Maine legislature would be democratic when he died.- Springfield Republican.
 There will come a time when we shall, by common consent, establish rule against life service in Congress. when no man not in the prime of his powers will be considered for a re- sponsible government position of any sort.
 The fact that Senator Frye is to be succeeded by democrat is not half so important as that he was reelected at a time when his physician should have interposed a veto If nobody else did Senator Tillman is to be re- elected in South Carolina, and his physician also should do what his con- stituents seem to have neither the good sense nor patriotism to do.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
POINTED PARAGRAPHS

From the Chicago News
 Did women talk the dead language to death?
 The little green apple is ripe for mischief.
 Somehow we can't help feeling sorry for an ex-hero.
 Fools try to convince a woman wise men persuade her.
 Dignity is what some people stand on when they are short.
 Crying babies. like good suggestions, s.ould bo carried out
 The one redeeming feature about . pawn shop Is the ticket
 Give the average man half chance and he'll want the other half
 The crooked work of most women Is confined to nail-driving.
 It's one kind of tough luck to strike oil when boring for water.
 wise youth never expresses hIs love for an heiress C.. o. D.
 An ounce of flattery goes further with woman than a pound of pity.
 If a man owes lot to his wife, it's because she Is poor collector
 Time and tide wait for no man-but it's different with an united woman.
 Don't get into the habit of giving advice because you want to get rid of 1t.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
THE COMMON STREET

By Helen Gray Cone. The common street climbed up against
 the sky, Gray meeting gray; and wearily to and
 fro I saw the patient. common people go. Each with his sordid burden trudglng F by. And the rain dropt; there was not any
 sigh Or stir of live wind; dull, dull and All motion; as tale told long ago pThe faded world; and creeping night
 drew nigh. Then burst the sunset, flooding far and
 fleet Leavening the whole of life with magic
 leaven. Suddenly down the long. wet glisten-
 ing hill Pure splendor poured-and To! the common street A golden highway into golden heaven With the dark shapes of men ascend InB stllj. fst1 ft sf<.tu afs. ,Ac{s st1
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
From the Kansas GIN Times.

| WTHiLE pr. Johnson was was not bus 1 W thinking up long, hard worods to W put in his dictionary he passed
 his time walking up and down Fleet street. l touching all the posts. He had standing wager with himself that he wouldn't miss any of them.
 Freak achievements for wagers or for fun have provided a popular pastime since the world was young, but probably the announced undertaking of one pr. Julius William M Demmer of Springfield, Ill.,, who firmly is determined to swim across the Atlantic ocean from Liverpool to Bos- ton, offers the most fruitful study for the psychologist since Mir. Brodie jumped off the Brooklyn bridge.
 Festive persons have dragged the north pole from it's hiding place of centuries and exhibited it at chautauqua assemblies.
 They have climbed the highest ,moun- tains, walked the longest distances, lasted for record periods, allowed their whis- kers to grow until they touched tho ground and passed months without speak,
 ing to their wives.
 They have invented new languages and passed what might been useful lives trans lating Hamlet" into those tongues.
 They have lived years in the wlds of Africa trying to find out what the mon- keys said to one another.
 They have written shelves of books to prove that Shakespeare wasn't the author of the plays that bear his name. and have stirred up a good deal of ill will over the proposition that Queen Elizabeth was a man.
 Persons of apparently high intelligence have mortgaged their farms and devoted all their time to driving a team of goats from San Diego, Cal, to Quanauuan- tang. R. l.
 Without the aid. of brass band or any monetary inducement beyond the price of hat, men can be found in every com munity who instantly will drop the tools of their trade, close their offices or aban- don their professions to enter a sixty-day heel and toe walking contest around q sawdust ring
 The news dispatches do not state what pr. Demmer is to receive if he accom- plishes his long swim successfully. The chances are it is a belt but who is to give It or whether it will be ''studded' with diamonds or pearls are matters that the press agent has reserved for future use pr. Demmer's picture, encircled within the glittering trophy with the American and English flags crossed above his hea I may be expected to appear in the Police Gazette most any time, accompanied hy the doctors challenge to swim around Australia with one arm tied behind hlm.
 Next to the man who undertakes freak achieVements, the man who backs them IS the wonder of the student of human Kind. Some unknown philanthropist is to nt out 'three-mast bark with crew of ls men to accompany Dr. Demmer across the Atlantic. Probably he is the same man who now is having the belt made at Tifanys, and it would not be sur
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
Expensive Orchsstra.

"Musicians know how expensive first class symphony orchestras are, but the general public does not, of course,, said music lover.
 'The one orchestra that has been main- tained for many years on lavish scale is the Boston symphony. It is backed by a generous millionaire and always has been. It attracts immense audiences wher- ever it plays, but the deficit each year is large. There has been an impression of late that the orchestra was on a pay ing basis, but such is not the case. It is not because of lack of interest on the part of the music loving public in great cities like Boston or New York that such orchestras as the one referred to incur deficits. The crowds are there, but 20 artists paid for their full time dur ing the season means an outlay ol something like $2O0,0O0 and the box office receipts cannot be anything like that to- tai. In Europe the government helps out, but in this country symphony or | ganizations receive no such support A
 Boston man writing to the New Yori | Sun says:
 | " Tn recent editorial article The Sur said that the Boston Symphony orches
 tra, after years of struggle, has become
 practically self-supporting. I happen tt
 have information from private source.
 that this is long way from being tn, ease. The annual deficit has been slightly reduced, partly as . result of the excel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
Moroccan Dispute Unsettled


 The German warships are still an chored in Agadir harbor and no agreement has yet been made public by the terms of which France is to have free foot in Morocco and Ger many is to be recompensed by a ces- sion of territory further down the west coast of Africa. The converse tions at Berlin are still going on, however, between Ambassador Cam bon and Herr Alfred von Kederlin Waochler, the German foreign secre- tary, and an understanding may, of course, be reached.
 Germany has no desire to become a party to another information con- ference in which she should be out voted by England, France and Spain. At the Algeceras conference even Italy voted with England, France and Spain, and the only support Germany had came from Austria. Germany therefore prefers to talk the matter out with France. The entire dispute remains where it did when England declared it's intention to stand by France in all contingencies and under all circumstances. France will not hesitate to give away good deal of worthless African territory if she can gain free hand in Morocco, for she needs Morocco in order to round out her great African empire.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
East Lake Orphanage

One of Birmingham best known and most deserving charitable insti- tutions is the orphanage at East Lake. It is conducted by the Sisters of Charity, but is non-sectarian and the generous public manifests the same practical interest in it that is shown in regard to St. Vincents hos pital, which is also non-sectarian.
 One hundred children, boys and girls, are cared for at the orphanage. These homeless little ones are not only well fed and well clothed, but they receive a sound elementary edu- cation. The discipline of the insti- tuition is of the most gentle kind and the children naturally become fondly attached to the good sisters.
 An appeal is made to the public for aid once year. The form which this annual appeal takes is an all day picnic> This years picnic will be held tomorrow at Germania park and as the tickets of admission are only 25 cents thousands of them are being sold. Nearly everything needed to make the picnic attractive is do mated and the money paid for tickets is therefore practically all profit Everyone, then, who buys a ticket is contributing 25 cents to the good cause.
 The orphanage building is not only
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Many a man who from honest convic- tion votes dry, and then because he is urged by friends woes for dspensary on the same ballot, will be glad when re- turns come in to see the high license and regulation side get the decision; and there are not few who will vote for prohibi- tjon ony-from habit-who will at the same time devoutly wish success tos the advocates of the saloon.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
Regarding Changes

Many voters have changed their minds since the local option campaign opened, - said business man, "but the changes, in the nature of things, have been from the dispensary to high license cause; in the nature of things because those Uno started out as advocate of saloons lad thought over the problem, had discounted all the pressure that would be brought to bear on them by relatives or friends and their mipds were made up firmly.
 "On tic other hand. the dispensary in theory appealed to many men, but when they came to analyze the provisions of the act, and to understand the blind tiger situation and see how much of the illicit traffic would continue under dis- pensary system in spite of honest ef- forts on the part of officers to enforce the law. became adherents of the high l- cense and strict regulation side'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

lent attendance at the Boston orchestra's s concerts in New York, to which the ar ticle called attention. But the deficit which Henry l.. Hgginson, the orehes- tras generous patron. meets each year is large, and the men most closely as- zeciated with the management of the Boston orchestra are fully convinced that it will never be self-supporting. Crowded houses at every concert would leave deficit
 " The Boston orchestras experience should be accurately set forth to relieve the Philharmonic and New York Sym phony organizations from the implied re- proach of poor management. They have been very successful as compared with the Boston orchestra in a purely business way And if New York city supplied Major Higginson to-m meet huge deficits they might more nearly approach it's ar tistic achievement :"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21
RESTRICTIONS OF A BACHELOR

From the New York Press.
 To pesslmlsm, sunshine always gives headache, and rain 6 cold
 Confidence nerves an arm for a stroke, but cock-sureness gives 1t a wild aim.
 Marrying for love doesn't seem to turn out such & lot worse than marry ing for money.
 A woman wants we'll dressed man for suitor, and a well-behaved man for a husband.
 A girl can't help feeling suspicious shes going to be kissed when she goes out on dark porch with man, even # it's her father.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Gov Woodrow Wilson has been called a liar and an ingrate. and he must feel that inc presidential campaign has actually Teen begun.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Mrs. Russell Sage is fighting to save the robins that are slaughtered annually in the south by pothunters. She should apply for aid to John Wallace, Montgom- cry, Ala
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Ire air is being utilized in the twentieth century. Between wireless messages and shps 1t is made to serve mankind as well as the water
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

h the west school children read with Geep feeling '.The Old Oaken Bucket. !" and yet they never saw one It is a country full of drive wells and long gal vanized buckets.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

New York city is looking for the man vhc wrote it's new charter, but he is evad- ing notice, and no one has yet been able
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Madison Square Garden is but a years old. and yet next year it is to be taken down to make room for commercial monster.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Chicago is seeing it's first airships It had to organize an aviation meet in or der to induce the birdmen to exploit them selves in the sky.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

Uncle Ike Stephenson is to be investi- gated by the Senate. His seat cost him S,oc ooc, and perhaps he forgot to jot down some of his expenditures.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-21

In aviation the word she'd is repudi- aed in order to lug in the word hangar that few except Frenchmen can pro- ncunce