davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
As to Tax Valuations

T have noted the suggestion of Commissioner Weatherly in the matter of raising more revenue for the city s needs," said man in official position and familiar with tax matters, and i want to suggest the agitation of d change in our system of assessment.
 Tn some states a board of assess ment views all the property in a coun- ty and values the same. Protests are heard, and then the decision of the board as rendered stands as the tax able value for four years, with tho proviso however. that improvements must be returned to the tax assessor. In some states property holders can not recover insurance where the i'm provements are not returned within the tax assessing period.
 If we could have a board of three in the county and two from the state board to make a fair assessment on a 50 per cent valuation the state, coun- ty and city would have ample rev enue. I am in a position to know much of assessed values and I feel sure that taxation here in Birmingham and Jef- ferson county is on 30 to 35 per cent valuation Now this does not apply nec- essarily to any one class, but it is largely among the well to do. The humble owners of homes in many cases are paying on full valuation from lack of knowledge of the law. or course when man returns his prop erty at a fair valuation, though it be 100 per cent, rather than upon a 60 per cent basis for taxation, the assessor has no business correcting the list"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28

thcre was material change for the pet ier Based on this precedent. d decided Improvement might be expected in the Iprosent autumn It seems likely, however, that the proximity of the presidential 1 election may retard improvement. But the past four years have been much more
 satisfactory throughout the country than
 Che four which followed 1893, and this is
 especially SD In Alabama. While eer-
 tain very legitimate lines of business have
 been less active than others, speculative enterprises have suffered most.
 But it is not. however, for the perma- nent good of individuals or of the coun- try for speculation to be too general There are also many advantages to be gained by conducting ones personal and business affairs economically, and by liquidating obligations. when the tempta- tions to overtrading is removed. Pres ent conditions tend to lessen competition, and to eliminate weak or unsafe factors from the business structure. And when this has been done the great majority of people will probably besno worse off for the four years in which business has not been altogether what we would have de- sired il to be. And a careful survey of the situation warrants the belief that better times are not far away"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
From the Farm to the Kitchen

The commission has unanimously adopted Commissioner Weatherly's general idea for bringing producer and consumer together. Mr. Weath- erly will soon lay before the com mission a detailed plan. He has gathered information from many cities, and when he presents his plan in ordinance form there will be in- teresting reading, at least to all housekeepers.
 The chief feature of a market place for farmers wagons is the elimination of the middlemen. Wag- ons from Morris avenue would be out of place in it, because they would be loaded with produce burdened with sums paid to transportation people and to at least one middleman at each end of the railroad. Wagons straight from the farm and truck garden. are to be welcomed, and Com missioner Weatherly will find that they will call for considerable space. A blocks length of street may, how ever, answer at the outset. In Des Moines the city threw open the city hall park to the producers and con sumers. It proved to be just what both wanted. So will an open mar ket place be in this city.
 On account of the area of the city additional street markets may be called for in the various sections of the city. The plan can, however, be tested by providing at first a single place in which wagons can be drawr up in orderly and fruitful array.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28

very plain that the people even in the manufacturing states want lower tariff rates and a lower cost of liv- ing. The tariff is the chief issue in the Massachusetts campaign. The Taft vetoes are combatted by every democratic speaker, while Senator Lodge and his colleagues are defend ing all the acts of the Taff admins tration, including the tariff vetoes.
 Should New York and New Jersey fill their legislatures anew with dem- ocrats it would be very plain evi- dence of their determination to vote next year for tariff reform and downward prices all along the line.
 The off year elections on Novem- Der will present plenty of results for the determination of the trend of public sentiment, and already the advance guard at the national capi- tai are speculating over the lesson to be derived from the returns of the states that will then hold elections.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
THE MINERAL DISTRICT

From the Gadsden Evening Journal.
 The articles appearing in the Birming ham Age-Herald from the pen of c. E. Stewart on the possibilities of the Ala bama mineral district and the means for it's greatest development are timely and comprehensive, showing thoughtful con sideratlon of the subject and a thorough apprehension of what the future holds out to this section of our great state. These discussions of our potentalities should not only waken the home folks to a realization of their own possibilities, but should prove a strong magnet in at tracing men and money from all parts of the union to assit in working out the metamorphosis which destiny has decreed shall take place in this favored region While MT. Stewart is laying special stress upon the assured future of Birmingham, yet of whatever development that may come to the mineral region of Alabama, Cadsden Is certain to get her share. Praises sung unto the Magic City need excite no envy here, for we are heirs to a common heritage, the prosperity of one being the property of the other.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
A NATURE STUDY.

From the St. Louis Times
 "HE war department has issued an
 order to the effect that the army
 cook need no longer fulfill all the duties of soldier; that he shall be re- garded as having done mans work when be places the "slum" and the coffee and the baked beans on the table.
 This is not matter of great import ance to the public at large; but we may always have a minute or two in which to think of the soldier boys who go on serving, when the nation sleeps.
 Since time immemorial, the army cook has had a hard time of it. He has had to prepare meals for a company of men who were almost continuously ravenous. and who were sharp critics when the fare idiosyncracies of rockies and wayward soldiers, who are made to serve extra time in the kitchen. In time of service, he has had to dispense his viands impar- tially, when the long line of hungry men approached him, giving no bigger po- tato to Jack, who enlisted with him, than to Jim, who came over from Com pany H, when he "held up his hand' the last time He had to be equally impartial where seconds are concerned; and all who come before him with cajolerie. or
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
Democratic Outlook

'T cast my first vote In 1888, but I was old enough to hurrah for Grover Cleveland when he was elected in 1884. :" said Jonas M. Stockdale of St. Paul.
 From what I see and feel, and from what my father has told me of campaigns since the civil war, l would be willing to bet money right now that the next Pres i6ent will be a democrat.
 "There is great deal of enthusiasm among democrats, and I find what is be- ing thoroughly appreciated is the fact that harmony for the first time in some years has been restored.
 q voted for MT. Bryan each time he ran. and, of course for Judge Parker But l never was a simon pure Bryanite, l have committed myself to Governor Harmon of Ohio. I believe in conserva- tism, and Harmon seems to be an ideal man of the conservative class It may be that Woodrow Wilson will be stronger in the convention than Governor Har- mon: if so. an able and conservative man like Underwood will probably be nomi- rated. But no matter who receives the nomination, just so he is not too radical will be elected"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
THE SUNkEN CITY

By Wilhelm Mueller. .Hr ,uarki the faint bells of the sunken city 2 Peal once more their wonted evenins E chime; From the deep abysses floats ditty, Wild and wondrous, of the olden time. Temples, towers and domes of many
 stories There lie buried in an ocean erave- Tndescribed, save when their golden glofles k.s.sss s.1s.s sE Clean, at sunset, through the lighted
 wave. And tlIes.mariner who has seen them
 glisten,
 In whose ears those magic bells dc Night by night bides there to watch and
 listen,
 Though death turks behind each dark
 rock round. So the bells of memory's wonder city Peal for me their Inelodious chime; So my heart pours forth changeful ditty Sad and pleasant, from the bygone time. Dcmes and towers and castles, fanc,
 builded, e1A ,tl54F
 There lie lost to daylghts sarist
 beams n. There lie hidden till unveiled and silded Glory gilded, by my mighty dreams! And then hear music sweet upknelling From many well known phantom band, And through tears. can see my natural
 dwelling
 Far off in the spirits luminous land!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
UNDERWOOD AS \ CANDIDATE

From the Florida Times Union.
 With the statement of Senator Bank head, published through the Associated Press yesterday, the Underwood presl- dential boom may be considered as full ly launched. He who fails to take 1t seriously will make a mistake.
 We do not remember a time when a democratic presidential nomination was more uncertain than it is now. Judson Harmon and Woodrow Wilson are ac tive in seeking the nomination and Champ Clarlk's position as speaker of the House gives him following with out the exertion the other two of the three leading candidates find it neces- sary to make. These three will go into the convention with the highest vote unless MT. Clark sees fit to hold out on account of the candidacy of Governor Folk.
 But the lines between the two parties will be drawn in Congress-not on the lecture platform or on the stump, and this will give an advantage to the dem ocrats participating in the fight. It will give the speaker prestige as com pared with candidates who are shut off from participation in the contest, but it will advance the position of the chairman of the ways and means com mittee much more than that of the speaker. For the chairman of the ways and means committee, by virtue of his position, will be the leader of the fight while the position of the speaker will interfere with his active participation in it.
 If oscar Underwood when he was made chairman of the ways and means committee, had been as well known throughout the country as Champ Clark or Judson Harmon or Woodrow Wilson he would have gone into the democratic convention far in the lead. He was at that time, however, little known and this fact may give to the speaker part of the prestige that MT. Underwood otherwise would have had MT. Underwood is well known now however, and will be better known be- fore the convention meets or the states select delegates Taking it for granted that he will conduct the tariff fight as well during the regular session as dur- ing the extra session MT. Underwood
 will be much stronger at the end of the regular session than he is now If we | fudge by results we must conclude that
 10 democratic leader has. eyer had his forces so. well in hand as MT. Under doow had during the last session. We l may ignore the fact that he IS rom ! e ad than | i6 years ago. and we do not thlnh .he
 iackass vote of tue north will be strong enough to affect the result.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28

Archibald Forbes, Souvenirs of Some
 Continents"
 l have seen Napoleon III at the pinnacle Of his hollow splendor. From the Ger man picket line on the second day of August 1870, l heard the distant cheering on the Spicherenberg that greeted him and the lad whom he had brought from Metz to receive that day his baptism of fire " Again 1 saw him on the morning after Sedan, as the broken man-brolxen in power, in prestige, in health, in spirits Sat with Bismarck on the grass plot in front of the weavers cottage on the Donchery road.
 Next morning I witnessed his depar- ture into his Wilhelmshohe captivity. have seen him doddering about Brighton and strolling under the beech trees that encircle Chiselhurst common. And for the last time of all l saw that stolid, careworn lace, as it lay on the raised pillow of the Der in the broad corridor of Camden place, and when the face was no more vis- ible l witnessed the coffin laid down in the little chapel among the Chiselhurst elm trees. l knew the boy of the empire when the shackles of the empire had
 
 longer a buckram creature, but a lively natural lad. My acquaintance endured into his manhood. When the twilight was falling on the rolling vedt of Zululand. and his days work in the staff tent was done, he liked, it seemed to me, to gossip with one who knew the other side of the picture about the early days of the | Franco-German war-a war that had wrought at once his ruin and his emanci- | patton.
 | And finally, poor gallant lad. l saw l dinly through tears the very last of | him, as he lay there dead on the blood stained sword by the Ityotyosi river, with calm, proud smile on his face, and his | body pierced by countless, assegai stabs. Men have called his death ignoble. Petty as was the quarrel, wretched as was the | assertion that wrought his fate, l cal | hiiR rather, happy in the opportunity ot | his death. Had he lived, what of artifi- cality, what of hollow unreality might there not have been in store for him. As it was, he had moved in the world live sslost. Better than this surely, to be 2 dead hero--to end the Napoleonic serio- | comedy with his young face gallantly tC his assailants and his life blood drawr by the cold steel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
Trend of 1912 Battle

One week from next Tuesday gov ernors are to be elected in Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi. Rhode Island and Virginia, a mayor in Philadelphia, and legislatures in New York and New Jersey.
 Enough is involved in these cleo tions to show to the careful student the trend of public sentiment in the months directly preceding a presi- dential year. Some of the results in the approaching elections may prove very significant. For example, if Governor Foss should be reelected in Massachusetts it would becom,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
The Best Steel Rails

The best steel rails made in this country are produced by the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company at it's Ensley plant. They command premium and will always be in de- mand.
 The steel industry in this district is yet in its infancy. Since the United States Steel corporation acquired the Tennessee company it's valuable prop critics here have been developed along large and permanent lines. The com pany has materially increased the variety of it's finished products, and it has planned future expansion on a scale of great magnitude.
 Millions of dollars have been eX- pended in modernizing and extending the Tennessee company's plants here, and millions more will be expended. The Birmingham district has vast treasures in it's raw material. The natural wealth of mineral Alabama has long been attracting capital, but it has been more thoroughly ex- plotted by the Steel corporation than it ever was before.
 The suit of the government seeking to dissolve the Steel corporation is of far reaching interest to the world of capital. It is also peculiarly inter- esting to lawyers, and students of in dustrial economies. But no matter how the action of the government may result, the Tennessee company is here and will continue to be oper- ated at a lively clip. Regardless of complex problems that may grow out of the government action, there is every reason to believe that the large improvements now under way will be carried rapidly to completion.
 The entrance of the Steel corpora ton into the Birmingham district in 1907 was hailed with enthusiasm by the citizens of Birmingham. It meant the employment of brains and money in the upbuilding of splendid indus trial properties. The corporation has apparently striven to keep strict ly within the law, and through it's high officials it has always invited investigation. Its policy of publicity has been commended on all sides, and now while the corporation will stand up for what those in control regard as its rights, it will be prompt to comply with any final decree growing out of the pending suit. In the mean time the Tennessee company will en- deavor to get all the new business that is in sight, and will keep it's payrolls up to the top notch.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
The heavens rain odOurs on you.
 Twelfth Night.
Success of the Chinese Rebels

The rebels in China have captured Canton, the largest city and port in southern China, and the revolution has progressed to point that admits of but one of two solutions. Either the Manchu government must grant immediate and full constitutional government and must cancel the contract for railroad loans made with four of the powers, including the United States, or else it must abandon Peking and all power out side, at least, of Manchuria.
 Yuan Shi Kai-the statesman with 8 rheumatic leg-is endeavoring to arrange compromise by which the emperor and the prince regent can remain in Peking and retain a sem blance of power. He is considered very able man in China, and it is barely possible that he may patch up a peace that will let the Manchus remain.
 While this is possible it is not probable. The revolutionists are an- gered by the proposed handing over of an important railroad line to the four powers-three of whom robbed China unmercifully after the col lapse of the Boxer rebellion. The revolutionists, too, are progressive and they want a speedier reconstruc- tion on western lines than the Man chus are inclined to favor. It is all together probable that they will sweep on toward and into Shanghai and Paking, and that the Manchu dynasty will be ended. The imperial troops are proving eyry untrust- worthy. They go over to the rebels at every good opportunity, and the gov ernment is well nigh powerless. At the best it is loosely constructed, be- ing far stronger in theory than in fact. The appeal from it is logically revolution, and if it prove success ful all Chinamen will accept it as the will of heaven. As the rebels al ready hold the railroad approach to the Yangtse Kiang valley and also Canton it is plain that the vast popu- lation is becoming acquiescent and that the Manchus are to be driven out.
 The rights of foreigners are care fully respected, and the robber na- tions of the Boxer period can find no excuse for intervention. The war is civil war, conducted by Chinese for Chinese, and all foreign nations should keep out of it. It is simply none of their business.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
FOUR ACRES AND A LIVING

John l.. Cowan, November Worlds Work.
 A unique settlement is the village of San Ysidro, founded two years ago in southern California. The 40 families who i've there are not socialists or free think CTS. They are simply poor men who want freedom.
 Owing to the mildness of the climate, q little lander need not put more than S100 into the building of his house. His and he can buy mostly on credit. He purchases only as much as he and his sons can cultivate comfortably. without hired helpf-usually about four acres
 There is no such thing as hired man or a bired girl in San Ysidro. Every man is his own boss. There is plenty of social intercourse. but the settlers have care fully avoided the rock of commercial ownership. R The enterprise is still, of course, in its experimental stage; but so far every fam fly of six months standing is making { comfortable living and little more be sides.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
IN THE HOTEL LOBBIES
under,yood.s strength

Any one who travels over the country will hear a great deal about Congressman Underwood as a presidential possibility, said John F. Sharon of Philadelphia.
 T am q democrat and my heartfelt de- sire is that a standard bearer may be selected in the national convention who may be strong enough to tbe elected. l Wilson, but I am beginning to think that a man of Underwood's type and general equipment as a tariff reformer would be the logical candidate. l believe that MT. Underwood could beat Taft
 T was in New York two weeks ago and nine out of ten democrats I met expressed Il preference for Underwood"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
MRS. CRAIGIE AND THE yULGARIAN
From Chronicle and Comment in the Q toher RoOl<man

From Chronicle and Comment in the De-
 tober Bookman.
 Writing under date of November ?, 1884, Mrs. Craigie says: "Of course, Thackeray is Vulgar-atrociousy so, often. As a sa- tilist he is vulgar in the sense that Hor- ace, Pope, Voltaire, and Dryden are not vulgar. As a novelist he is vulgar in the same degree that Fielding. Tolstoy, Eliot, and Balzac are not vulgar. Jane Austen writes about vulgar people, but she her self is never one of them. That is why she is more often praised than read. Browning was neither refined nor 'vul- gar He wrote as a poet-not as can didate for popularity. Flaubert was a man of diseased genius. He was vicious -never vulgar. De Maupassant was also diseased but he was not genius and he was vulgar. Handel is vulgar. Bach and Palestrina are not. Wagner has des- ecrated every beautiful phrase in the great masters. Vaasquez is not vulgar. Whistler was not vulgar. Dr. Arnold was not vulgar. Matthew Arnold was vulgar. Burns was not vulgar. Carlyle was lit tie vulgar. Froude was not vulgar. Mot ley was not vulgar. Macaulay was not vulgar. Johnson was not vulgar. Ad- dison was vulgar. Ones place in litera- ture is a possession-never concession. Anc one knows ones place. don't wish to be judged-one way or the other-till l am forty In the meanwhile l am in no hurry" In a letter, written the next day, she adds Here are some more yuIgars and not vulgars: William Nor ris--vulgarity itself. Spenser-not vulgar.
 Dickens-not vulgar. Scott-not vulgar Lord Iytton-rather vulgar. Stevenson vulgar, very. Macdonald-not vulgar. I Ibeap dicaaced not vIlPar''