davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
BURYlNG THE HAMMER,

The town of Enid, Okla, recently
secured widespread publicity for a
clever symbolical performance of
"burying the hammer" A mammoth
hammer was put into the ground, as a
symbol of the spirit of dssension and
criticism that had interfered with the
progress of the town.
This little performance has a sug.
gestion worthy of attention right in
our own community.
The faculty of criticism is too easy.
1t is one much affected by men of me.
diocre character. A man lacking the
slightest constructive ability often
makes very just criticisms. 1t takes a
Shakespeare to write a great play, but
a cub reporter might go to see the
thing and find some real flaws that the
greatest of dramatists failed to dis
cover.
Usually this spirit of criticism is a
mere dead weight on the community,
1t disheartens those who have the
power of leadership, and it fails TO
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
CHARLESTON,s RIG STORM.

Few persons have any conception Of
such a terrifying experience as has be-
fallen Charleston, 5, c.
The dreaded tropical hurricanes of
the West Indies do not produce their
worst effects on our coast. But they
frequently give us a parting kick that
is vicious in the extreme.
DR.. Eugene Murray.Aaron. a West
Indian observer, says regarding the
storms he has seen in his locality:
Had the cannon of a hundred con-
tending armies been discharged, or the
illumination of the most terrific thun.
der claps ratified through the air, the
sounds could not have been distin-
guished through the horrible bowling
and yelling of the wind, which APP
palled the heart and bewildered the
mind"
The dwellings and public buildings
must have been subjected to strain
even greater than that of the historic
Mobile storm of 1906. In that calamity
the average power of the wind was
but about fifty miles per hour, while
at Charleston the wind at times re-
corded ninety-four miles.
The fact that islands and the lower
fringe of the city were inundated for
eighteen hours by the tide is warn
ing against building too near the
shore. Sand bars and keys along the
Gulf and South Atlantic coast leave
record legible to scientists, showing
the reach of the historic storms of
past centuries. Many a village has
grown up on sands that are simply a
weather record, sure soon or late to
feel again the grim grip of the tawny
tiger of the tropics.
These storms illustrate the terrific
power of the West Indian winds to
lift even a small body of water, At
the Mobile hurricane, it is recalled
that the wind drove the water of the
causing a large part of the 100000
J loss through undermining houses.
After any public calamity, the pub.
lie naturally inquiries what lessons can
be learned, and how the tragedy can
be averted another time. But the
deadly grip of these hurricanes is too
illogical to be wholly guarded against
The blast passes over structures that
are relatively tiimsy, and brushes 9th
ers of the most substantial construc-
ton. Fortunately such a disaster is
rare enough so that no generation sees
it twice in one place. But when the
blow falls, the hand of public charity
should spring forth to those in need
| with glad alacrity.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
STOCK WATERING.


Ordinarily you are charged with be
ing a populist, whiskers and all, if you
say much against corporations. Yet
here comes so impressive and digni-
fed an authority as Judge f. II. Far.
rar, president of the American Bar as.
ISOLATION, who has just told that or
ganizatiOn that the great national
disgrace is the issuance of fictitious or
watered stock"
The case is told of one public SER
vice corporation doing business not
far from New York which had at one
time S32000,00O in stocks and bonds,
yet whose plant would not inventory
over $2,000,000. There are plenty of
other similar cases.
There are two excuses for this prac.
tice. One is that no one is deceived
so long as the real value of corpora.
tons assets are known through quota,
ton on some stock market. This is
equivalent to saying that lie is not a
lie provided everyone knows about it.
Another excuse is that company
starting business in a growing field
has right to assume that the growth
of the community and improvement of
the plant will eventually bring the
value of the watered stock up to par
In so far as corporation makes bet.
terments on it's plant, it is legitimate
to add new stock to represent such
expenditures. But it is hardly fair to
make the people pay interest on what
comes as a free gift.
Our big corporations will never com.
mand full confidence until they are
conducted on the same basis of rigid
truth telling as our banks. When a
corporation issues capital stock and
bonds with a par value of 81 100000
on property representing only $780,
600 value, the books of that corpora,
ton have got to be doctored to CORE
spond. Either 100000 has got to be
credited as good WILL" or a false esti
mate of plant valuation must be placed
there. Commonly the figures are made
to tell square lie.
If our corporations would issue
bonds and stock only against actual
property, public confidence would be
attracted. The old practice always
means high charges. Widows and or
phans buy the stock at the inflated val
uation, and back fire of general stock
ownership opposes any movement to
base rates on the actual value of the
plant
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

dleman from the dairy trade, the pro.
ducers to sell directly through coop.
erativo associations.
1t is more than strange that the
American farmer has been so slow
to adopt cooperative methods. A re-
cent magazine article tells how the
Eastern Counties association of Eng.
land sells for fifty.fye pounds seed
mixtures that the farmers had to pay
seventy pounds for outside \ farmer
walked into the Office of the Hereford
society one day. He was afraid that
they had made a mistake in their re.
mittance to him for pears. They had
given him twenty.eight shillings per
100 weight, where previously he had
sold them for three shillngs.
In the Teme valley in England, co
operative associations took up the
matter Of transportation and got mo-
tor wagons started that hauled freight
for three shillings a ton that previous
ly had cost the farmers five shillings
France is great country for coop
erative work among farmers. There
are 10000 members Of these societies
in the province of Brittany alone
They buy fertilizers, tools and seed al
low rates, sell all products, secure low
rates for insurance, get more favor
able freight rates, etc.
The Anglo.Saxon temperament has
certain independence that does not
take kindly to cooperation, particular
ly among class of people having ten
denotes of isolation like farmers.
Our English cousins have similar
tendencies, although cooperative
movements have made far greater ad
vance there than here. But English
experts feel that British agriculture is
falling behind the continent, because
the farmers don't cooperate any bet
ter.
The consumer of course looks as
kance at any movement to enable the
producer to get higher prices. He
need never fear No cooperative
farm association can ever get any hole
in competition with the Independent
producer until it beats out the indie
pendent producer on prices and quail
ity
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

There is general acquiescence in the
opinion that uniform marriage and
divorce law would be most desirable
thing. But the difference in the con-
dition of public opinion in the vari.
Gus states, and the enormous diff
Guilty of enacting any constitutional
amendment, however desirable, make
it appear probable that the movement
in that direction will be a vary de.
liberate one. Fortunately as civiliza-
ton advances the several states are
passing more rigid laws which now
the easiest place to undo the marriage
VOWS, will be led before long to put an
end to the national scandal
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

A Chicago man has recently offered
to pay for setting out trees along
miles of highway in his native town
in New England. Absent sons often
remember their home towns with cost
ly gifts of libraries, churches, monu-
ments and such memorials, why not
trees? They are certainly worthy to
be counted in that list. The present
generation is cultivating a far greater
appreciation of trees and a closer
companionship for them than the pre-.
ceding generations who saw nothing
in trees except their commercial value
He who plants a tree plants many
good things for the future.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The art of lighting has been won,
derfully developed and improved in the
last quarter of a century, but authors
ties on adapting electricity tell us the
art is still in it's infancy. A concert
room in Pittsburg has a very unique
illumination. It's 125 square feet of
ceiling is covered with a great variety
of electric lights modified by screens
so as to produce the effect of a vast
glowing, tremendously colored orient.
al rug. The belief is expressed by H.
Eliminating engineers that means will
be found to cause light to stream from
cornices and make the atmosphere of
large room glow without visible
means of illumination.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The fight over reciprocity in Canada
is waxing intensely fierce. Both sides
make large claims of success and the
nearer the election day approaches the
surer it becomes that the outcome is
uncertain. The opposition to the pact
Is working the cry of American annex
alton to the limit and creating all the
suspicion it possibly can against this
country. 1t may be defeated. Even if
it is the defeat will only be temporary.
1t is one of those questions that never
will be settled until it is settled in
accordance with the common welfare
of the people of the two great coun.
tries concerned. Its defeat now sim.
ply means delay. Reciprocity or free
trade between the two English speak.
ing countries, having common inter.
ests, sympathies and purposes is the
only logical result of an economic law
which is unerring. Moreover there are
no political conditions which can long
hinder it. The stars in their courses
fight for it, and if not today, some time
in the future it will be an established
fact. In connection with the campaign
which has been carried on for it,
whether it triumphs or not, President
Taft by his insistence in pushing its
passage through congress has given a
signal demonstration of great con.
structive craftsmanship and history
will record it's appreciation of his eff.
forts for the prosperity and progress
of the Greater America which extends
from the Rio Grande to the SHOWS OF
the arctic circle.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Uncle Sam is going into the moving
picture show business. With the au-
thority of President Taft, a contract
has been entered by government Of
ficials and Chicago firm for the pur.
pose of reproducing in moving pictures
all the various activities of the nation.
The pictures will be shown in hun.
dreds of moving picture houses Ma.
rines at work, on battleships, gunners
firing at the hulk of an old battleship,
cavalry drills, mine and rescue work,
plant and animal industry, road build
ing and every single activity of the
government will be shown on the films.
This will be an advance along edu.
cational lines that will be especially
beneficial to the non-reading public.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

European hotel proprietors are aban.
doning the baggage label as a form of
advertising, and instead are present.
ing their guests with picture cards
So the suitcases and trunks of return
ing travellers are not as literally dec
GRATED with the hotel labels which
have been the special pride of tour
lists. 1t Is easy to predict that the pic
ture cards will not be valued half as
highly as the pasted labels which told
their own story of travel.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
COOPERATION BY FARMERS.

A comprehensive plan for getting
rid of that much berated creature, the
"middleman," has been announced by
the promoters of a movement embrac-
ing $4,000 farmers in Pennsylvania
and New York. They supply the New
York produce market Plans for a
central receiving station and cold stor-
age, etc, are carefully outlined. A
convention just held at Newburgh, n.
Y, considered throwing out the mid
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
AROUND TOWN.

Last Monday there wasn't any
around Town" column and two anx.
ious readers inquire to know why. The
real truth is that the Around Depart
ment" felt groggy all day last Satur-
day till it came time to play golf, so
Mondays paper had to go to press
with nothing in it worth reading. And,
while we don't like to cause 100000
people in the entire half of two eager
states to worry, we must admit that's
apt to happen again. Maybe it'll hap
pen tomorrow. At this minute, we
don't know any more about it than you
do. Up. Sour contract calls for so
many pearls of wisdom per week, so
We don't get locked, even if we do
slip cog now and them
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The Johnson family has locked horns
with the Smith family in Chicago to
decide which has contributed most to
the population of that city. When
the count came in the Smiths were
humbled to the dust, being able to
produce but 5,315 to 7,749 members
Of the Johnson family, which had, in
addition a reserve of $50 others to
draw on, IL need be, who used It" in
the spelling of the name.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
NORFOLK SHOULD GET CHUMMY

NORFOLK SHOULD GET CHUNKY.
A suggestion was made at the AID
club meeting the other night which
appeals to The News as timely 1t
was the suggestion that Norfolk ought
to pay more attention to those indus
tries that are already established here
ought to go out of it's way to make
new enterprises, recently started, feel
that they are appreciated.
1t would be paying investment for
Norfolk business men to get more
chummy with their new neighbors. A
little social visit now and then at
the business office of a new industry,
with a word of cheer, would help a
whole lot in making newcomers feel
that this was a good place to have To-
Gated.
And it would be eminently worth
while for the whole city to adopt the
slogan of patronizing home industries
wherever possible. Let's get it in
the air that everybody in Norfolk buys
Norfolk products, whenever they're to
be had. Encourage the merchant to
patronize Norfolk manufacturing and
wholesale enterprises.
It's the spirit of cooperation and
loyalty to home industries, that builds
up cities. We want new industries,
but let's not forget the industries We
already have. Let's drop in on 'em
now and then and make 'em glad they
came to Norfolk.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

substitute anything better for the
faults complained OF. II some local
enterprise is proposed that is in the
main good, but has a few flaws, some
men can see only the faults, and ut.
terly overlook the benefits of the thing
as a whole.
If we want our town to advance, let
us critiCise plans for public betterment
only when some definite amendment
can be made by such criticism.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

"A burnt child breads the fire." but
evidently the rule doesn't work ont
the other way Notwithstanding that
Clifford Pinchot was frozen out in
Washington he is now on his way to
Alaska to look over the prospects of
progressive conservation.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

With Mr.. Bryan doing all he can
to magnify the differences in the DEM
ocratic party and Taft and the pro-
gressives getting into family mix-up
it begins to look as if the campaign of
1912 would be a warm one.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Senator Lorimer's denunciation Of
the initiative, referendum and recall is
one of the most laughable incidents in
recent American history. This man
who was elected to his high position
under an environment seething with
such corruption that it stamps him as
either q CRATER of the boldest kind or
a fool of the most stupid density, dares
to talk about representative govern
ment and says he demands It. If ever
there was case that would fully JUS
tify the recall it is that Of the Illinois
senator. If he had any sense of man.
hood, long ere this he would have
handed his resignation back to the
people and given them, at least, the
opportunity to say at the ballot box
whether they wanted his services any
longer. There is a rumor that he is
now going to resign because President
Taft insists that his longer stay in
congress as a republican senator is a
menace to future party success
Worse than that, the presence of such
q man in the highest council chamber
of the nation, is a menace to good cit
izenship. The advocates of the recall
couldn't ask for any argument more
kindly to their cause than the opposi
ton of such a man as Lorimer to do It
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

President Taft is no longer accused
OF lacking backbone. Both the demo-
Gratis and the insurgents recognize that
they have a large-sized fundamentally
as well as physically to fight and
one that will rather enjoy the battle.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

There is talk of abolishing the eX-
press companies and making the rail-
roads do the work. That would open
a broader field for some of our artistic
baggage smashers.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The number of immigrants has fall
en- off 22O,S54 this year, and 20,s54
housewives are standing on the
wharves weeping because of their fail
ure to obtain cooks.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The news of Esther Cleveland's en-
gagement is denied. We must remind
our enterprising reporters that a girl
is not necessarily to be married be-
cause she fingers two minutes at the
gate post.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

A man in Pennsylvania recently
came home from the Klondike region
to find that his friends had erected a
monument to his memory. lie says
that, as far as he knows his memory is
as good as it ever was and he has it
still with him.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

]. P. Morgan went to see ex-senator
Aldrich about the monetary commits
sion, but when he searched Mr.. Aid
rich he could no longer find the Unit
ed States senate secured in that gen.
tleman's pockets.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

season, and for each of these build.
ings twenty architects have been re.
quested to submit designs, from which
a choice will be made. II is hoped to
get out OF the competition several ad.
mirable designs that will be useful in
building other small government
buildings, besides providing plans for
the structures now in demand that
will be admired as much a hundred
years hence as the work of the archi.
tects Of the fine old buildings seen in
the South and New England is now.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The assistant secretary of state is
the highest official in Washington
now, but if he will shake hands faith
fully with all the tourists. everything
else will run along all right.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

A peculiar custom which exists
among a savage African tribe would
often bring welcome relief to bored
audiences in more civilized countries
If it could be made binding When a
member of this tribal council makes a
speech he must stand on one foot.
When WEAKNESS brings the other foot
to the ground the speech must end
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

John w. Gates left about 100000,
600. Would any hardship be done to
anyone, if an estate of that size was
assessed an inheritance tax of 25 to
so percent?
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Considering the high state Of polit-
deal tension fourteen months ahead of
the presidential election, a person of
decided political views will possess
but few speaking acquaintances by
November |, 1912.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Mr.. Vaniman is going to try to
cross the ocean in an air ship, and
though he may not land in Europe,
we are confident that he will at least
get as far as the lecture platform.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

They propose to make the isthmus
thoroughly sanitary. Even the fore
men on the Panama canal are forbid.
den to use swear words.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Frank Hitchcock recommends the
parcels post, but he does not seem to
have any relief for the man who has
to carry parcels on his wfes shop
ping trips.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The Alps are now penetrated by five
tunnels. The Loetschberg tunnel
which was commenced in 1907, was
completed a short time ago, as far
as excavating is concerned, but it will
not be ready for train use until 1913.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
The European nations are still fight.

The European nations are still fight
ing-in a diplomatic way-over the
possession of Morocco. Whether Ger.
many holds Agadir as seaport or not
remains to be seen. While it is ap.
parently small and unimportant har.
Dor on the African coast it is in real
ity a strategic point of tremendous
consequence to the future of German
commerce. France and England rec
ognize this and are very loath to give
their common enemy any further ad.
vantage in the race for commercial
supremacy on the high seas. Destiny
has way of lowering over what seem
to be insignificant spots and making
them sometimes the center of great
world conflicts. What it has in store
for Agadir the future only can disclose.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

The Congressional Record has sus-
pended publication until next Deem
Der. The next volume promises to be
an unusually lively one.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Ninety-two thousand Holsters have
been liberated along the Maine coast,
but it will take far more than that to
feed the chorus girls through one win
far
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

II Is not true that the high tide
along the coast is due to the floating
of the worlds biggest battleship at the
Fore River ship yards.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

What used TO be called-sometime
derisively bargain hunting has
evolved into the practise OF intelligent
buying. The advertisements make 1t
possibls-
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Mr. Taft met the members of the
American Bar association, and not one
of them charged him So for an opinion
as to the next days weather.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

II Is the longest tunnel in Europe, be.
ing nine miles in length, and will cost
nearly twenty million dollars.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

That story from california about the
29S-pound fish caught on a line, al
most comes up to some of the yarns
told around this town by Rainbolt and
irwin and Melcher and Hall. By
rights, people who tell that kind of
fish stories ought to be fined. They've
made us disconnected with the world
we want to go fishing and can't.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

That Mona Lisa picture seems to
have retired from public view nearly
as far as our old friend Doc Cook.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

There are now fifty cities under the
commission form OF government in the
United States.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

DR.. Wiley says that men who smoke
are liable to sunstroke. Do your
smoking at night.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08
ED HoWE's PHILOSOPHY.

When a man fails in big town, and
moves to little one, it is hard work
for him to keep from slapping the peo-
pie he comes in contact with; he has
so much contempt for them.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Why say so much about tariff ex-
perts, when you can find them in any
grocery store seated upon the cracker
barrel?
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

There Is no way to put the brakes
on the speeding summer.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Most people put in lifetime plan
ming for some great pleasure, and die
before they get around to it.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

When we consider the great amount
of reform accomplished by the insur-
gents, it is rather astonishing that
taxes increase so steadily.
The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-08

Paris has declared against statues
in frock coats. 1t may prefer pajamas.