davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
Opportunity for District Merchants.

The fact that a purchasing commits
sary is to be established m this city by
the Subsistence Department of the army
offers an opportunity to District mer--
chants which they have not hitherto
enjoyed The Chamber of Commerce
has been made acquainted with the pur-
pose of the army officers, in-opder that it
may be determined whether goods can
be purchased here as oheaply as IN
New York
Inasmuch as the list of supplies in
cludes nearly 900 items, II is to be
hoped that the District merchants will
be able to secure a good1y share of this
government business. The value of the
government purchases amounts to sew
eral hundred thousand dollars a year,
and there is no reason why percentage
of this sum, at least, should not remain
in Washington 1t isl matter to which
the Chamber of Commerce has wisely
given immediate and enthusiastic atten-
ton. 1t means a desirable increase of
trade.
While we are endeavoring to beautify
the city and improve its condition In
other respects, let us not overlook the
opportunity to help ourselves through
legitimate business opportunity.
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
A Railroad on the Isthmus.

The action of the Panama Congress
in authorizing the building of railroad
from Panama to David, despite the OPP
position of President Arosemera, who
fears the heavy expenditure with no
chance for speedy dividends, is to be
commended. If this plan is carried out,
the territory of the republic not only
viii be made far more accessible, but
there also will be industrial development
of the valuable resources OF the coun-
try. Another interesting consideration
is emphasized by the announcement that
the Panama Canal engineers are pro-
viding for the construction of a per-
manent railroad bridge across the canal.
Chief Engineer Wallace was inclined to
oppose the building of bridges, yet it
is obvious that there must be way of
getting across the canal, perhaps at more
than one point. There probably will
be need of one bridge at Panama, one
at Colon. and one midway between
these places.
Such a bridge suggests not only the
binding together of the two parts of
Panama. but also the establishment of a
link in that great chain of international
railroads which has been conceived as
extending without a break from the
United States to Patagonia. Of that
chain the railroad from Panama to David
will be an important part, and it may
fill up the longest gap which now exists
between the Rio Grande and the canal
The stretch practically is complete
through Mexico, and Guatemala is
rapidly carrying it to the border of
Salvador. while Nicaragua and Costa
RIGA already have long lines in opera
ton
Panama may gain advantages sufficient
to compensate It for the lack of dividends,
and even profits on the road may not
be deferred as long as DR.. Arosemena
seems to fear.
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
The Police and Fire Pension.

1t is unfortunate that no provision
was made by Congress for the de-
pendents upon the police and fire pen
sion fund AS the case now stands,
the revenues to meet the requirements
of the pension list are inadequate. The
sum which should be expended each
month amounts to about $1,000. The
actual disbursement, however, will be
only about 90 per cent of this sum.
This means that from the usual al
lotment about $4,000 will have to be
deducted each month The loss will
fail upon the aged members of the po-
lice and fire departments and upon the
widows and orphans of the men who
were on duty at the time of their
decease In every case the money is
needed to pay rent and buy clothes and
food, and the curtailment neoessitated
by Congressional inaction is d serious
hardship. It means that an allowance
of $50, for instance, is reduced to $780,
and all the other pensions decreased IN
proportion
These pensions are authorized by law,
and the District Commissioners have
only recently concluded a denomination
of the list They have carefully
scrutinizcd the claims of each recipient
of a pension allowance, and it is to be
taken for granted that the disbursement
IS based upon equity This being the
case, the condition in which the pen
sioners now find themselves is all the
more grievous. If Congress desires to
abolish the pension system, it has the
authority to do so; but certainly it IS
unfair to accomplish this result by in
direct methods. If sufficient funds are
not TO be provided, the Commissioners
might Just as well close the pension
books and decline to consider all ap-
plications for retirement 1t would be
better for the municipality, however, if
all of the superannuated men now in
the police and fire departments could
be retired and their places filed by
young and active men With no pen
sions in sight, however, these aged en-
ployes will be continued upon the active
roll until death sewers their connection
with the force
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
An Independent Campaign.

Critical times, reform measures, and
emergencies generally beget the neces-
sary men to cope successfully with them.
Direct primaries, opening the way for
greater individualism in politics, may
reveal strong men untrammeled by
organization ties or campaign promises.
Prof Merriam's decision to conduct
his own. campaign for the mayoralty of
Chicago, without aid from the party
machine, reveals another possibility of
the direct primary system If he be
elected, he win not be under obligation
to the organization managers for his
nomination, nor even for those services
which they usually render after nom
ination. AS he owed his strength at the
primaries to other things thap nachin-
cry, so he means to trust to other things
than machinery for success at the polls.
The dispatches say that his plan is
popular.
The experiment win be interesting.
Prof. Merriam is man of ideas He
proved that fact in the book which he
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
Hepburn Defines n CRATER.

From the New York SUM-
Senator Kunte Nelson, OF Minnesota.
has boldly asserted that when a boy
he had work in a nursery and had learned
lot about grating. When the laugh
ter had subsidized. Mr.. Hepburn proceeded
to elucidate what he meant by the word
'grafters.
There never was a better application
OF the word" said Mr.. Hepburn. "A
CRATER is not the man who puts his hand
into your till and takes your money or
embezzles from a bank or insurance COM
pany. That is not a CRATER. A CRATER
is one who engrafts himself upon your
property and lives off of what you have
accumulated"
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
HUMAN NATURE IN WASHINGTON
BY FRED c. KELLY.

Funny thing that you ever ran for
Congress-" said a friend to Martin Little
ton, the New York lawyer, who's going
to be in our midst in the next session.
You can make several times as much
money practicing law in New York as
you can being Congressman Does
seem like a queer move on your part "
The only answer is that LttIeton does
not care anything about money. His
ambitions lie in the direction of accom-
plishing things. The reward that follows
big accomplishments is of little moment
II he could earn a million dollar fee, the
million itself would interest him much
less than the feat of getting it
II carried everything had right in one
of my trousers pockets so long," re-
marked Lfttleton recently, that 1 have
tnever been able to feel accustomed to
money. L now have two comfortable
homes and / never enter one OF them
servants. or TO somebody. 1 never feel as
if really belong there
And" says Littleton, 81 never see a
man on the car carrying a dinner bucket
that 1 don't have half a notion to go over
to him and offer explanations. I'd like 10
say: See here, old man, ! know it isn't
right. I'm not pulling my weight but I've
got into the habit of making my money
easily and 1 don't know whether I'll
ever do my share of work again or not.
I hope you'll forgive me-
Littleton, however. is entitled to some
thing to sort of even up for the string
of hard luck that was handed to him
when he was a youngster.
II was like the fellow" says Little
ton, who declared that he played in
such hard luck that if he had been in the
place OF Lazarus when the Lord said
come forth, he'd have come fifth.
Take. for example, the first circus that
ever came to our town down in Texas
said town being a mere irritation on the
map. and not having circuses every day.
I thought of crawling under the tent, but
decided that wouldn't be the proper
thing, as l might get caught. So I ar
ranged with one of the bosses to carry
water for the elephant in return for a
ticket to the show. 1 asked him how
much water ] should carry. He said
that would depend entirely on how thirsty
the elephant happened to be. II the
elephant wasn't especially thirsty mebby
a couple OF buckets OF water would be
enough.
THE water had to be carried from a
creek about a quarter of a mile from
the show grounds. The great trouble
about that was that the elephant would
work up an additional thirst while I was
going back after more water. The scant
bucketful or two that could carry at a
time seemed only to stir up the vast thirst
that lay dormant within that mammoth
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
a Wise Judge.

Without knowing anything of the
merits OF the particular case, we say
unhesItatingly that that California Judge
acted wisely in suspcnding sentence on
man who had embezzled 5000, pro-
vided that he 60 to work, support his
family, and repay every cent of the
money. The fact that the mans earn
ing capacity IS larger than the average
may have influenced the judges decision.
The accused, however, has a duty to
perform He must shun billiards, cards,
and drinking, and if he does not comply
with the courts orders he Will have to
serve his sentence. His Imprisonment
would have been of no especial benefit to
the Commonwealth, would have cost the
State a lot of money, and, above all,
would have deprived the mans family
OF their supporter and provide1.
1t has always been a misfortune in
the execution of the criminal code that
It provides no means by which those
who are innocent can be saved from
shame and suffering through the mis-
deeds Of the guilty Is it not much bet
ter for the family of criminal, and for
the State too, If the man can be made
a producer, to compel him to fulfill his
natural obligations, even under police
surveillance? This sort of mitigation
has worked well IN Germany for years,
where according to Official statistics,
society has gained through decrease of
crime Then why not in this country?
The criminal released under such con-
ditions will find it difficult to hide him
self from the police He will prefer
TO labor in the open, especially when
he knows that he is not to be molested.
If there is any manhood in him, any love
for his suffering wife and children, he
will be glad to be free and to labor to
make restitution, rather than to toll
behind prison walls with no compensa-
ton and deprived of his liberty and
the companionship Of his family.
OF course there win always be cases
of exceptions, but nevertheless, as a
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
As to Loveless Marriages.

A Chicago professor depicts loveless
marriages as the source of much crime
and great deal of SORROW. His idea
is that no woman should marry merely
for property, position, or support He
thinks that one-million-dollar feminine
personality which is dependent on a
one-thousand-dollar masculine income
means a discordant couple, and he con-
tends for the economic independence of
woman as the basic condition of marital
happiness. He appeals to woman not to
sacrifice her rich nature on the altar
of want and dependence, and adds:
'If man can be brought to see the
undeSirabIlity of the power OF man over
woman, power enjoyed by the posses
sion of money, we may even bring him
to see the degradation of the power
of money over man"
The lesson which the professor tries
to convey is that woman must know
a mans limitations before she marries /;
she must accept them, adapt herself to
them lovingly, faithfully, and he, IN re-
turn, must sacrifice everything for this
loyalty and love. There is no question
that if all marriages could be arranged
upon this plane the world would be an
ideal place IN which to live.
The extra session no doubt win he an
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07

pachyderm. 1t came time for the show
| to begin, and / was still carrying water
The show was half over and / was still
carrying water. The workmen began to
pull up stakes and let down the tents,
and stin the elephants thirst was I'M
quenched. 1t was bad enough missing
the show. but hated to think that after
I'd carried water all day the elephant had
to leave. town thirsty
Another bunch of hard luck came to
Eittleton one morning shortly after he
Texas railroad. He had quit because he
was expected to shove a hand car up
grade to the scene of operations each
morning on his own time. The boss gave
him a red slip to present at the door of
the pay car for his months wages. But
the pay car was over at the next town,
eighteen miles away. Littleton started
| to walk over. After he had; trudged along
| for ten or eleven miles, it began to rain
Oh. how it rainedI But Littleton kept
right on, and about dark he reached the
pay car. He felt in his pocket for the
red slip calling for a months wages.
The rain had erased all the writing.
And the section boss refused next day
to issue a new order, Littleton has not
got that months pay yet.
A lawyer who had been opposing Little
ton in 4 big case up in New York asked
him one day where he went to college.
College, repeated Littleton. why,
the only education I ever got was by a
sort OF Albino system. learned to read
from newspapers pasted on the wall of
the room where 1 slept. Unfortunately,
the papers had been pasted on the wall
upside down. and I therefore saw every
thing l read about as an Albino does"
Senator John Kern. of Indiana, tells
this story about his predecessor, the late
Senator Dan" Voorhees,.
Voorhees, frequently made the claim that
more Democrats than Republicans had
been enrolled from Indiana i'll the Union
army during the civil war. On one occa-
sion he made the assertion in connection
with a speech in Sullivan County.
II guess anybody will admit that con-
siderably more than half the people who
went into the Union army from Sullivan
County were Democrats" he declared.
with emphasis.
A Democrat down in one OF the front
rows had taken a drink or two before
he came to the meeting. and he confirmed
Voorhees, statements.
Yes: it's true" he shouted. Col darn
il, they drafted u.s.
Representative Macon. of Arkansas, on
the occasion OF his first speech in the
House several years ago, was mistaken
by number of gallery spectators for Dr.
Mary Walker.
Copyright lgu. by Fred O. KeIlIl
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07

wrote about primary systems, and he
proved it again in his brief experience
IS smernber of'ti,e Chicago city council
and as head of its investigating COM
mission. AS candidate he is Illus
trating how to subordinate partisanship
in municipal campaign. Various plans
to secure this result have been tried,
such as nominations by petition, with
the names of the parties excluded from
the ballot Under them all, however,
the party machines have usually been
found just as busy as ever. To do sue
what Prof Merriam is doing
requires exceptional Individuality.
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
Who Is to Blame?

We advocated in a recent editorial
that the simplest way to ascertain why
food prices are so high would be to
trace particular articles from the pro
Queer to the consumer This suggestion
has elected much attention and has
resulted IN communications from farm
ers and small traders which, if true,
prove that the farmer is not getting
more than an average price for his prod
ucts, while the consumer is paying ex-
tortionate rates. Somewhere along the
line between these extremes some one is
getting more than a legitimate share of
profits.
If a farmer brings his eggs to his
local merchant, for example. and sells
them at II cents a dozen. it does not
seem reasonable that the consumer
should pay twice that sum This ap-
pears to be the fact One estimate out
lines the transaction thus: Original
price paid to the farmer by the country
storekeeper, II cents a dozen; cost of
transportation, I cent dozen; divided
between the commission merchant and
the retail grocer, 8 cents a dozen; cost
to the consumer, 20 cents a dozen. If
this statement is accurate, it is inter
esting.
This condition also may exist m the
matter of butter, poultry, fruits, and
vegetables. 1t would seem logical,
therefore, to start at the production of
food and follow it to the consumer. If
the broker is found to be making more
on the product than the producer and
shipper, without taking commensurate
risks, he could be saddled with the
blame In any event, this method of
procedure would illuminate the prob
lem of the high cost of living.
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
Uncle sam as Stakeholder.

From the Kansas City Star
Some fifty years ago, when Francis n
Sheppard, now living at Gillian, Saline
County, joined the Union army he haG
S376 in cash. Later the 1916, together with
$456 he had won, was taken from him for
gambling in the ranks and he was sem
to prison. At the expiration of his i'm.
prisonment the 1916 was rendered him
but the $456 was not. Sheppard refused
to accept the S376 unless the s4J6 also was
paid him. And ali these years Sheppard
has been trying TO get Congress to pay
him. He stood in the way to be paid al
this session until Representative Mann,
Of Illinois, by a filibuster, succeeded in
knocking out the omnibus war claims bill
which carried Sheppard's claim.
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
OId-time Booksellers Few.

Harris c. Clark, of New York. for
merry bookseller of that city. but now
retired from business, discussed at the
Raleigh last night the decline of the old
bookshop. Thirty years ago there were
in the United States about 5000 book
stores where a man might so and get
what he wanted in the way of litera-
ture. or, more probably. might 60 and
order what was not in stock At present
there is but one bookstore where there
used to be three. Many men who made
a good living over the book counters
are now working at other trades, unable
to keep afioat where there was so little
business. A whole art has vanished
THE magazine-reading public is re-
sponsible for this fact Formerly they
bought books: now they read magazines.
II NAV be, too, that the broadening and
enlargement of the newspapers has had
something to do with the decline in the
widespread demand for books. 1t does
not follow. however. that the people buy
fewer books than formerly, or that the
total number OF readers is reduced On
the other hand, any publisher can at
test to the fact that where they sold
one book in 1850 they are now selling
three. The public is buying the books
through different channels, IL not
through the regular booksellers, and as
long as he makes his profit. what right
has the publisher to complaint
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
GREATEST ENGLISH CLASSIC.
Speaker Mt Charming Club Deals
Upon Majesty of the Book.


Upon Majesty of the Book.
From the New York Tribune.
The authorized version of the Bible
promises to be common theme for
orators this year, and it is one which
admits of many safe and innocuous va
ria TONS There was nothing surprisingly
new in Prof Z. C. Moore's address before
the Claiming Club in Boston; he dWeit
sufficiently upon 1.-The majesty of the
book" he reminded his hearers that they
were heirs to the influence of the great
est classic in the English tongue" and in
cidentally he deplored 1.-The vast amount
of ephemeral literature and the pace and
press of modern life" This was all
familiar enough: however, on the subject
of revision he adopted a somewhat more
controversial tone.
He made it clear that he was not fond
of the Victorian version. Il keep a
copy OF the revision on my table," he
said, because it is an excellent COM
mentary, but l do not read il in the pull
pit. / like the march of the King James
version. 1t is a literary classic, which
the last revision is not" Many will be
hut the reasons he gave against tamper-
ing with the text do not appear very
sound.
He thought it a good thing that the
Long Parliament had failed to carry out
an earlier undertaking of the sort among
other reasons because the English
tongue was then rapidly changing" But
surely the English tongue had undergone
revision was in hand. That the language
| of the Jacobean version was not the
| common language of the time any one
may plainly see by a comparison with
the language of the preface. The fact is.
of course, that the translators had all
the earlier English versions before them,
and their business was very largely a
question of selection and revision.
The comparative failure of the Vic
torian revision is attributed by Prof.
| Moore to the manner in which it was
made. Committees" he says. cannot
write English" But the version of 1911
was also a piece of committee work; in
fact there were several committees en-
gagged in it, besides a general committee
TO supervise them. There may have been
something wrong in the plan adopted
by the revisers of our time, but any
generalization concerning committees
ought to apply with equal justice to the
makers Of the authorized version.
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
Sheep Fattened on Peas.

From the Kansas City Sta-.
Sheep fattened On field peas in Colorado
were marketed at the stock yards last
week by C. F. Larrick, of Monte Vista,
Colo.
In the San Luis Valley field peas grow
rapidly and mature early. Many thou
sand acres Of them are planted annually.
Their use for fattening sheep began in
1900, when 5000 were fed. This year
about 10000 are on feed. The pea crou
is a good one
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
Wicked IrEutAk.

George Woodruff, an American banker
who recently went to China to investi-
gate the railroads there in connection
with a new loan. spent two weeks in
Irkutsk last October In speaking OF this
city, Mr.. Woodruff said: "Irkutsk is the
capital of Eastern Siberia 1t has wide
streets, lined with fine buildings. 1t has
among it's citizens more millionaires than
any city Of its size in the world, and
they have to spend their money in the
city, for the reason that they are not
allowed to leave the province. Most of
them, especially the rich ones, are con-
victs or the descendants of convicts, who
have amaSsed fortunes in gold mining.
The Baikal Mountains near Irkutsk. are
filled with rich veins OF gold, and it is not
exaggeration to say that thousands of
men in this comparatively small town in
the heart Of Siberia have become rich
beyond the dream of avarice- The flood
Of gold has naturally attracted all the
luxuries of the world. and, as usual, the
luxuries have brought vices.
There is nothing secret about any OF
the vice Every type Of beauty is to be
found, beautiful geisha girls in native cos
tune vying with Viennese and Partisan
women in the latest creations. All the
gambling houses are wide open, the more
important conducted under police proteC-
ton. The cafes never close, and it is
between the hours of midnight and 4
o'clock in the morning that they are at
their liveliest. Every one drinks, and
most Of the Russian women smoke cigars.
leaving their Partisan sisters to enjoy the
cigarette.
Tragedies. as might be expected, are
frequent. and suicides are so numerous
that scarcely any attention is paid to
them. except by the immediate friends
or relatives
The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT wELLkNowN PERSONS

gardener and expert fisher
man..
EX-SENATOR HENRY
y teacher in New orkSt
STEVENSON
he a skip of a scho
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postmaster
in