The National tribune., 1911-03-02

A little while back President Taft
was very active in his efforts to have
at least a portion of Alexandria Coun-
ty, which had once been a part of the
District of Columbia, receded to the
United States Government. At the
time of the retrocession to Virginia
the people of Alexandria made as their
chief reason for wanting their terri
tory hack that they were afraid that
belonging to Washington would Kill all
hopes of Alexandrias being great
city. Alexandria has hardly grown a
thousand inhabitants since then, while
Washington has grown 10000 orr
more. Alexandria people particularly,
and the State of Virginia especially.
objected to the ceding back to the
United States Government of any por-
ton of that district. but President TAFT
went ahead in spite of these objec-
tons. At a dinner to the Masonici
Fraternity in Alexandria the otherl
night the President was one of the
speakers. The President took occasion
to say that he had given up all hopel
of retrocession back TO the Government
of the territory Virginia received
from the Government, at which there
was tremendous applause, and the peo-
pie of Alexandria are now appeased.
Representative Stanley, of Kentucky, !
in the course of a speech the other day |
went dIleT tue -NdNS department NAM
mer and tongS. He declared that the |
Committee on Naval Affairs spenti
money like a drunken sailor" 1T |
not only spends money for those who
are living in the Navy, but rakes up
dead mems bones as an excuse to
spend money" This remark was pro-
voked by the provision in the bill APP
propriating $4,000 for crypt at An
napolis. in which to place the remains
of John Paul Jones.
Word comes to Washington that
former Senator William E. Mason. of
Illinois. has announced that he will be
a candidate for any vacancy that may
occur in the Illinois delegation. /,
New Poisonous Drug.
Here is something new in the way of
drug smoking, and the idea is present
ed by DR.. George I. Wallace, of San
Francisco. He declares that even worse
than opium smoking is the smoking OF
the dried stems of the ordinary potato.
This discussion was brought about by
a discussion of opium smoking by the
Chinese, and Dr. Wallace declared that
there were a heap of things worse than
smoking the opium, and he then spoke {
of the dried potato stem. He went on
TO say that the poisonous growth, the :
apple or seed which grows on the po-
tato and looks like small undergrown |
green tomato, which it is, in fact, for i
the potato and tomato are blood cou- =
sins. is especially potent in its banefuI
effects if one smokes it. Il
Usually the vice starts in boyhood G
days on the farm, when the youngster c
of the family steals his fathers pipe t
and hides it, with some matches. I
down behind the garden fence or be- t
hind the barn, next TO the field of po- I
tatoes. He doesn't dare take up the d
straight tobacco, but he tries out some t
dried potato stems in the pipe. /
- The smoke sets the experimenter {
into a deliciously dreamy state at first. t
but the heart action acceIerates in G
minute or two in an effort to throw Off d
the poison thru the lungs and skin. /
The dreamy state quickly disappears. d
the face gets flushed and the heart q
action rapidly increases to severe pal i
pitation. The victim feels q wild. fierce G
citation that impels him to action of /
any kind. In this state he may do any 1
thing, but the stage is reached much i
more quickly than with alcoholic a
liquors. The eyes become blind and 7
clouded. The pupils dilate as tho bel s
ladonna had been applied. The motor! a