Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-07-21
Straps aud faets.

growing in favor with the public.
This, he said, was especially true in
the western states. He cited a record
made in Cripple Creek, Col, where in
four weeks forty-two deposits were
made for the limit, 500, and Gains
VILE, Ca, where more than $4,000
was deposited in the first month, al
though the population of the town is
only about 5000.
The engineers in charge of the
work of raising the battleship Maine
from Havana harbor are confronted
with new difficulties. says a dispatch
The water in the cofferdam around the
ship was lowered eighteen feet last
Saturday; but it was found that as the
ship was robbed of the support Of the
water around, it sank deeper into the
mud, and now it is question as to
how deep the mud is. That the bot
tom of the ship is "a feet below the
water level in the cofferdam is GER
tain; but how much deeper it may be
is a matter of conjecture. The situa-
ton is recognized as very serious one
and there seems to be no certainty
that the engineers will be able to
solve the new problem.
Democratic leaders in the house,
according to a dispatch, are closely
watching developments in the senate as
the time approaches for action on leg
islation initiated in the lower branch.
Their expressed position is that Sen
ator La Follettes wool bill is now like
ly to be tackled to the farmers free list
as a rider and that the senate Demo-
Gratis will keep the bills separated.
The house leaders say they feel that
after the La Toilette bill has been voted
down in the senate the Republican in
surgent senators may be induced to
vote with the Democrats on the Un-
derwood woolen schedule bill. The
Democratic leaders contend that the
La Toilette bill is not really revenue
measure in the same sense as the Un-
derwood bill. House Democrats have
taken the view that they would rather
have the Underwood bill defeated than
to accept the La Toilette bill. In that
event the Democrats claim they would
be in a good position to go before the
country on the defeated measure.
Annoyed by repeated rumors, TO-
mented especially in Cuba, that the
visit to the island Of Secretary of War
Stimson was preliminary to American
Intervention, Secretary Of State Knox
on Wednesday addressed note to the
Cuban government through United
States Minister Jackson, declaring that
Mr.. Stimson's visit Is partly to inspect
the work on the wreck Of the battle
ship Maine in Havana harbor and pri-
marily TO pay friendly visit TO the
republic Of Cuba. Secretary Knox says:
"The government of the United States
has thought it not worth while to deny
the false stories of possible interven-
tion which have been circulated in GER
tain sections of the press, the fact be-
ing that no such question has been the
subject of consideration by that gov
ernment, whose sole concern In rela-
ton to Cuban affairs in recent years
has been that in the rapid development
of the splendid resources Of Cuba,
which will be viewed in the United
States with so much pleasure, the
process Of exploitation should be ever
safeguarded by that wise and deliber-
ate economic policy so essential to A.
nancial and political stability"
Chicago, July 19: That there ex-
lists a gigantic, country wide arson
trust with headquarters in Kansas
City and representatives in nearly all
the larger cities, the members of which
make a business Of setting fire to
buildings to enable the owners to COL
lect large sums of insurance was the
charge made today by c. ]. Doyle,
state fire marshal, in an address be-
fore the Chicago Association Of Com
merce. THE country is facing one Of
the most gigantic, organized arson
conspiracies the world has ever
known" said Mr.. Doyle. The state
fire marshal department Of Illinois has
combined with the state fire marshals
of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio to
wipe out the band Of fifteen men at the
head Of this conspiracy. The head Of
the fire bug trust is IN Kansas City,
from which city the operations of the
entire gang is directed. The tentacles
daring of these behind the plot has
grown, into a dozen or more cities.
They have been found at work at
Bloomington, Springfield, ILL.,; Pits
burg, Cleveland, New York, Buffalo, St.
Louis, Chicago and elsewhere. Two
of the gang have been convicted and
are now imprisoned in q southern city.
The others will be behind the bars be-
fore long If we are successful in fol-
lowing the clues we now are working
on. The fire bug problem is one of the
most important which confronts the
country. Even without the cases Of
arson, the fire losses Of the country are
appalling, amounting to about $500 a
minute. In Chicago the loss is $5,000,-
900 a year while in Berlin the annual
loss does not exceed 100000. We
should adopt the fire protection plans
prevalent in European cities"
Unless the public demand becomes
overwhelming and political exigencies
become pressing, says a Washington
dispatch, the present congress will not
authorize the establishment Of a gen.
eral parcels post. The Democratic lead
ers in the house of representatives
who have followed the hearings con-
cluded Wednesday by the Lloyd's sub
committee are inclined to oppose the
comprehensive system urged by the
advocates Of the proposition. They
admit the weakness Of the opposition
at these hearings, but contend that
congress should go no farther than an
experiment at this time. These lead
ers suggest that as a beginning con-
gress reduce the mail rate on mer-
chandise from sixteen cents to twelve
cents a pound and increase the limit
for weight from four to eleven pounds
That would extend to the United
States and its posse ssons the terms on
which packages now are transported
in the foreign parcels post. The post
Office department admits that II is
making a profit of four cents pound
on all merchandise carried at the
present rate. This adjustment, 1t is
contended would give an experimental
parcels post operated at its cost to the
government and one which would not
tax its postal facilities at the outset.
The Democratic leaders argue that to
establish a parcels post carrying pack
ages of eleven pounds for twenty-five
cents as some advocate or for sixteen
as some of the pending bills provide,
would swamp the department. This
is the attitude of the house leaders
following the parcels post hearings,
but it is sufficient that none of them
=. A,l 80 l,nf off anf