davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1912-07-21

entered the military service of his coun-
try In the II. NJ. South Staffordshire
Regiment, but was later transferred as
cornet soloist to the 9th Royal Warwick
shire Regiment and aftcrward TO the
Worcestershire Yeomanry. Upon leaving
the latter organization Mr.. Witcomb was
engaged in the private orchestra at the
Blenheim Palace Later, after SIX
months work in the Coldstream GUARDS.
of worldwide fame, Mr.. Witcomb was
made cornet soloist in that musical body.
Soon after coming to this country. in
1903. the cornetist Joined the kiities
Band, which he afterward directed. From
this organization Mr.. Witcomb entered
the United States Marine Band as cornet
soloist, winning such favor by his work
that musical critics have passed upon
the purity OF his tone and execution as
excellng Levy and Arbuckle, the worlds
greatest cornetists. Having been pre-
pared for his present position by such
musical directors as Sir Alexander Mac
kenZie, Lieut.. ]. NJ. Rogan, bandmaster
of the Coldstream Guards; Lieut. God
frey and Lieut.. Santelmann. the band
master of the 18th United States Cavalry.
enters upon his new position we'll equip
ped.
Requests are frequently made to this
musical organization for the rendition of
classical and popular music. Sometimes
notes OF thanks are received from those
who enjoy such selections as Believe
Me If All Those Endearing Young
Charms, for the writer's say such num-
bers of the program take them back to
the happiest days Of their lives.
At Soldiers Home there is band con-
cert on Tuesdays and Thursdays at
o'clock at the hospital, and on Wednes-
nesdays and Fridays at the bandstand.
when hundreds go out from the city to
enjoy the music. While this organization
has no military connection with the
United States. it is under government su-
pervision. Its leader, John S. NJ. Zimmer-
mann, is a Marylander by birth, educated
at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. For
twelve years he has held his present po-
stion, but previously was chief musician
of the 4th l.. S. Volunteers. commonly
known as the 4th ImmuneS, in the Span
ish war. With the soldiers war songs
are naturally the most popular, but Wis
itors requested Mr.. Zimmerman to rem
der various classical selections.
Each year the arrangements for these
public concerts are made by Col. Crosby.
the officer in charge of public buildings
and grounds. He requests the Secretary
of War or the Secretary of the Navy to
order the musical organizations under
their command to play for the Washing
ton public. The bands are then assigned
as fairly as possible to all sections of the
city. 1t is further arranged as far as
possible to have the band play at the
parks nearest their headquarters. This
Evening star., 1912-07-21

the face of plate of steel. as he would
have to do successfully to initiate the
Capital Traction tickets.
This maze OF lines is cut by machine
known as the geOmetric lathe, the only
instrument in the world which can do
work of this sort. The geometric lathe
is the first protection which the car ticket
has against it's counterfeit. for In the first
place 1t is so expensive that few counter
feiters. or none, could afford to own one
and in the second place. il it did come
into the possession of an unscrCpulOuS en-
graver who knew it's use, he would still
be in ignorance of the precise manner in
which 1t must be set to trace pattern
was about to initiate.
The construction of this geometric
lathe pattern is the work of one man in
the engraving firm which turns out the
Capital Traction Company's tickets. The
monogram on the left of the ticket is cut
by still another man; the lettering at
the top is done by third, and so on.
Like the lathe work, these sections of
the whole face of the ticket are cut on
soft steel. When finished these pieces of
soft steel are baked in white heat,
whence, after bath of oil. they emerge
as brilliant and hard as diamond. Then,
one by one, they are placed in the trans
fer press, which forces over each section
a soft steel roll that receives raised
impress Of the design. The same harden
ing process 10 again gone through with
on this ooDys which in turn is forced
Evening star., 1912-07-21

from the throne Kaiser Wilhelm under
took the reform. which he described as
lone of the most pressing problems OF the
day" Prince Buelow was then RESPONSE
BILE chancellor and president of the Prus-
sian cabinet. The dominant conserva-
tiveS resolved to give Buelow a lesson.
They took occasion OF the financial re-
form of 1909 to combine with the center.
and forced him from office. year later
Bethmann-H HollWeg introduced a reform
bill. The parliament cut ii to bits and
sent ii to the house of lords. which mutt
lated it still more. When the bill came
back. the lower house started chopping il
up again, and foiled Bethmann- Hollweg
withdrew il in disgust. The government
has since then not had the courage to
bring In new bill. And so long the
parliament remains obdurate il can he
reformed only by means of a coup-d etat.
Evening star., 1912-07-21

in excess of cash receipts. the suspicious
of the officials would be aroused at once.
Thus, after these supposed counterfeiters
had spent months of time run great
risks and put out large amounts of money
to initiate the valuable little nasteboards.
they would find to their chagrn that the
trolley company would withdraw that
type of ticket within two days after their
operations commenced. And, with tho
Washington police. well as a swarm OF
private detectives upon their trail, they
would do better than any OF their kin has
ever done in this city before il they es.
capped arrest and Imprisonment.
Evening star., 1912-07-21

policemen. Herr Borchardt stood close
to the presidents table and bawled out
rude remarks. His colleague, obstructor
No. 2, Herr Leinert, who sits beside him,
refused to get out of the way when the
police appeared, and had to be led out.
In any other parliament an incident like
this would have been forgotten next day.
But the 437 anti-socialist members or
Prussias parliament are so convinced OF
the helplessness of parliamentary dis
eipline that they decided 10 invoke the
criminal law. Speaker Baron Won Erfa
lodged a criminal information against
Borchardt for breach of the peace in the
house And the government is solemnly
prosecuting Borchardt on this charge.
and further charging him and Herr Lem
ert with resisting the power of the
Evening star., 1912-07-21

DAND Leaders Have Had
- Extensive Musical T rain
ing-Many of Them With
Washington Organizations
for Long Time-The First
Government Band and How
1t Grew-"The Presidents
Own-Summer Crowds
Throng to Hear Various
Bands-Requests for Special
Selections - Washington's
Choice of Music.
Evening star., 1912-07-21

large landowners and about 100 other
members who are in some way con-
nected with the land. The big owners
of land in Prussia number about 10000.
and. with their families, probably count
100000 souls. The interests Of these 1Oo.-
900 are represented to the exclusion or
the interests Of the other 100000. Bis
marck, though himself a tough conserva-
tive admitted that the Prussian fran
chise was an abortion" and the bandit
six when fighting for franchise reform.
think they need not be more meaiy-
mouthed than was the iron chancellor.
Socialist evaporation on the franchise
question is infiamed by the fact that in
the parliaments Of other German states
they have attained strong positions. In
the Saxon landtag sit twenty-five social
ist members; in the Bavarian. twenty
one, and in the Wurttemberg, sixteen. Al
together in German state pariaments sit
$50 social-democrats and there are 7,a33
socialist members Of municipal councils.
Alone the Prussian parliament remains
closed. The most striking contrast is
with the imperial reichstag. There the
socialists had one member in 1871, and
now they have no. The number of their
voters has risen from 10000 to 4OO0,0o.
Since 1905 the registered strength of the
socialist party doubled, from 3S4, 600 to
10000. At every legislative door social
lists knock with success, but six is their
higl-Water mark in the most important of
German state parliaments, and under the
present franchise they cannot get many
more.
Prussia's 'herrenhaus, the house of
lords, is of even more reactionary charac-
ter than the lower house. In composition
it is nearly as medieval as in the British
house of lords. and it's power Is much
greater. OF 316 sitting members seventy
six are hereditary. eighty-seven are rep
resentatives of entailed landed estates.
hfty-eight are appointed by the kaiser
as King of Prussia, and only forty-eight
represent the town interest. Bismarck,
Treitsche and many other sound conserv-
atives admitted the worthlesSneSs Of the
Prussian house of lords and saw the need
for radical reforms. But neither the up
per nor the lower Prussian house can be
reformed without it's own consent. That
is why the socialist six hold that argu-
ment is useless. and that the most eff
fective weapon is the interruption. the
hiss and the boo.
Prussian conservatism, as represented
in the two houses. is great deal more
powerful than even Kaiser Wilhelm him.
self. Its motto expresses that fact:
''Und der koenig absolut.
Wenn er unseren Willen tut"
That is:
I'VE stand for an absolute monarch.
On condition he does what We bid him -
In other words. absOlutism is to be sup
ported as long as the kaiser is conserva-
tive, but if the kaiser moves for reform
his autocratic wings are to be clipped.
That policy has SO far prevented the re-
form of the franchise. In his 1905 speech
Evening star., 1912-07-21

is the most backward and reactionary in
Europe. The franchise is based upon
decree of 1S49. issued the year after the
revolution. 1t gives no chance whatever
to democratic representation. Under the
franchise law the electors in each con-
stituency are divided into three classes.
according to the amount Of direct taxes
they pay A handful of rich men in the
first class count for as much as several
hundred men of moderate income in the
second class and as several thousand
workingmen in the third class. There is
a Berlin electoral district where the
first class of voters consists of a
single rich brewer the second class Of
this brewers relatives. and the third
Evening star., 1912-07-21

program, well selected and carefully pre-
pared.
There is one happy thought in connec-
tion with this criticism, and that is that
noise is not nearly as common at the
night concerts as it was few years ago.
From this fact it is to be reasoned that
a certain elefent which fiocks to the
parks is either being ION over 20 quiet
ness by the soothing effects of The mu-
sic, or that the vigilance of the police
is causing the change. In Some parks.
however. there is still much to he done
for the benefit of those who &C for the
concert itself.
Public band concerts are not novelty,
for there are records that such form of
entertainment has been popular almost
since the beginning of things. Perhaps
the earliest bands would not be recognized
by our generation as music-making
bodies, but they served that purpose in
their day. The account of an open-air
concert in Athens in go B. c. is surpris-
Evening star., 1912-07-21


The stock market may go up or down;
the cost Of living may fluctuate. interest
rates may vary: the purchasing power
Of that standard Of all values, gold IT.
self. may be more today than tomorrow:
but through II all, in hard times and good
times alike, the little coupons cost just
the same and get the buyer just as much.
Like postage stamps. they have a fixed
price, below which no one can buy them
and above which no one can sell them.
Lake postage stamps. also. they are good
for one fare" in the very act Of giving
which they are Cancelled at once. and
their usefulness Is gone forever.
Millions Of dollars are represented by
these humble bits OF pasteboard. Be-
tween s0000.O00 and 100000 OF them
almost one for every person in the
United States-are circulated in the Dis
trict every year. the Washington Railway
and Electric Company alone issuing some
1900 600, while the rest are put out by
the Capital Traction Company. In all.
between 80 and s. per cent OF all money
received by these companies for the
transportation OF passengers in the Dis
trict is first exchanged for car tickets,
which are accepted unquestionaby by all
conductors. How II 1t that they pass at
Evening star., 1912-07-21

they are fighting for Prussian liberty
against the unholy 431
That is how socialists see 1t: Ihey are
obliged. they say. to offend, fiout and ir-
ritate Prussa's parliament, because that
is their only resource. Like TIA In her
dealings with Turkey, they conclude that
they can effect nothing big and dramatic;
and resort to pin pricks because 1t is
necessary to do something. and because
in the meantime something may turn up.
Hence the get outs. "begones. misses
and boos. In order to justify their action
in asking aid from the police, the 4b'
have published list of Interruptions as
shown by the official reports. The list
showed that during period Wnen ~
interruptions came from the AT. the noid;
bad six interrupted or interjaculated
o.o7o times. Winch shows that the 431
could manage only two Interruptions per
head, while the outlaw six each managed
to get in 400.
x
Deputies Liebknecht Hirsch, Stroebel,
Hoffman, Leinert and Borchardt are the
six Their main strength lies in their
smallness of numbers. Did they number
sixty no man would heed them. But the
colossal fertility of their obstructiveness
and rudeness strikes the Prussian imag-
ination. The best known among them is
DR.. Karl Liebknecht He is a forty-one-
nous Wilhelm Liebknecht. socialist revo-
lutionary and exile, who was sent to jail
with August Bebel for the crime of high
treason. Wilhelm Liebknecht was the
man who gave German socialism it's inter-
nationalist and anti-Prussian color. His
son is competent speaker. memb Der OF
the Prussian parliament. of the reichstag,
of the Berlin municipality and Of the new
Greater Berlin council, that he sits
in four assemblies, and therefore holds q
record among German public men.
Liebknecht, the younger, has stormy
past. He has repeatedly been prosecuted
and punished. Like his father. he has sat
in Jail for high treason. This was in
1907. The charge was based on his book,
..Militarsm and Anti-Militarism with Spe-
cial Regard to the Youths Movement"
In this the government saw plot to
change the constitution by force. the first
step to be the abolition of the standing
army. Liebknecht spent his term of i'm
prisonment in GlatZ fortress. where now
languishes an English spy. Last January
he avenged himself by capturing for So
cialism the kaiser's pet constituency.
Potsdam-Spandau The court interest
fiercely opposed this red irruption: and a
conservative newspaper even proclaimed
that if Liebknecht was elected Kaiser
ace and migrate elsewhere. Liebknechts
victory was complete, but the kaiser
stays on.
Liebknecht is the only deputy Of the
six whose name is widely known to the
German public. The abiest Of his col
leagues is Deputy Paul Hirsch. forty
Evening star., 1912-07-21

little men. vowed only to obstruct and
worry: and the victory is with these SIN.
Not since Joseph Bisgar and Charles
Stewart Parnell ran their obstruction
campaign in England's parliament have
such events been seen. The shorthand
reports teem with Interruptions, ''ex-
carnations" cries of get out, "begone.
6crisive hear. hears Kisses and boos.
And the brave 49, have been so irritated,
stung and baffled by their mobile hornet
like tormentors that they have been
obliged 10 put into motion the ordinary
criminal law. and all Germany awaits the
result Of this unprecedented action.
That happened as the result of de-
bate on the Polish land settlement law
when obstructor No. I, Herr Borchardt.
was dragged out OF the sessions hall by
Evening star., 1912-07-21

actly like the left half; the upper half.
both left and right. exactly like the lower.
AS the meshes from top, bottom and
sides converge toward the center the
lines grow finer and draw closer together,
till they overlap at exactly the midpoint
of the whole rectangle There. in the
midst of the ellipse formed by this over
tapping, appears q tiny cross. Its tran
septs true to each other within the ten
thousandth part of an inch. To the left
and right OF the cross are small patches
In this is a white figure in form like
an electric light. and to the back of this
in turn Is small arrow head. surround
ed by q tiny white area. which melts OF
gradually into the maze of lines that
form the main pattern. Each one of these
figures in the center of the design is
mathematically accurate in all It's parts:
each corresponding figure Is an exact
duplicate Of the other.
1t is said that the great artist, Leonardo
da Vinci. could draw a perfect circle free
hand; but no human being. no matter how
perfectly he had trained his muscles to
carry out his WILL could guide a hand
tool that would trace to such a degree
Of exactitude, with reference not alone
Of each line to each detail, but also of
each detail to the whole design, such a
wellbalanced, delicate and harmonious
maze as appears on the face of the Capt.
tai Traction COmpany's car tickets. And
doubiy impossible would 1t be for him to
do the work, II his task were not merely
to trace tha pAttsrn hut to cut Il jnto
Evening star., 1912-07-21

class of ] .1SJ men. mostly employees of
the brewery. The brewer and his rela-
tives. under the present system, outvote
the 1.7SJ employees.
Another reactionary feature is the open
ballot. A rigid control over the voting
is kept by the officials known as rural
councillors" and also by the big local
landowners and officials and agricul-
tural laborers are practically forced to
vote conservative. Only in few towns
have the democratic parties d chance.
Hence Prussia's parliament is essentially
noble and agraran. Although Prussia is
predominantly an industrial and CONNER
cial state, the parliament contains only
ten merchants whereas it contains 139
Evening star., 1912-07-21

who arc eager to hear the fine solo parts
and pianissmo portion Of the selections
might be accommodated. This criticism
OF the band audiences is not common,
but in some cases 1t is true. especially in
one park where many Of the crowd are
attracted rather by the excitement Of
gathering and noise than by tte desire
to hear good music. If individual Is in the
audience feel this annoyance it must be
very disconcerting to the players in the
band, and especially to the leader, who
is trying in every way to render a good
Evening star., 1912-07-21

three-year-old socioogist and Journalist.
He is good authority on social dis
eases and on land ard communal legis-
lation. The other four-Herren Stroebel,
Hoffman,. Leinert and Borchardt--are
good fighting parliamentarians and bril-
liant interrupters. but their only claim
to be considered statesmen is their talent
for provoking scenes
Sympa thzers with socialism Justify the
tactics of the bandit six, declaring that
no self-respecting man would do any
thing in Prussia's parliament except
make scenes. The Prussian legislature
Evening star., 1912-07-21

years of working together has brought
about the same understanding OF the
written music sheet. Mr.. Hamper was
born in Rheinfelden. Switzerland. where
he commenced his study of music at the
age of seven. At ten years of age he be-
gan work with his violin and later added
clarinet. cornet and other band IN
struments to his studies After having
served in the military band of his native
country he travelled through Europe as
musician.
Evening star., 1912-07-21

the toots of the auto horns and tho
buzZing of speed cars.
That Washingtolans appreciate their
opportunities 10 hear these band con-
certs is attested by the attendance at tho
parks evening after evening. Although
II is reckoned that more than 5000 peo-
pie formed the audiences of these con-
certs during month, there Is but little
damage done to the Beautiful grounds
and no extra bills of repair result from
the generosity of the city I'm throwing
open these cool garden spots TO the
public.
Evening star., 1912-07-21

two years ago he followed his musical
career by playing in New York bands for
two years and then entering the Engineer
Band of which he is now the leader. 1t
has been Mr.. Hampers experience to re-
ceive requests for Faust William
Tell and the classics quite frequently,
but he has always noticed that such Sc
lections as 1.-The Rosary" "Silver Threads
Among the Gold" and medleys of popular
southern airs ending with Dixie" have
called forth prolonged applause
The 18th Cavalry Band at Fort Myer
has for many years pleased Washington
ians both at the fort and in park con-
certs. This summer the leadership has
fallen to Mr.. Arthur S. Witcomb, who
for many years was cornet soloist in the
Marine Band
Mr. Witcomb was. born in Birmingham.
England thirty-three years ago. When
only seven years old he commenced his
musical studies under the direction of
his father. military bandmaster. At
the age Of fourteen the young musician
Evening star., 1912-07-21

year Montrose Park in GEORGETOWN is 4
new center OF entertainment. Next to
the Capitol concerts. where from eight to
ten thousand people attend. the Franklin
Park Is said to have the largest attends
ance. as 100 people frequently gather
there to enjoy the concert.
Saturday afternoons at the music stand
south OF the White House there is much
comment upon the absence of the thronss
which used to assemble for tho concerts
when the band played within the White
House grounds. Not only numbers are
missing, but the beautiful setting Of for
mer times is enjoyed no more. one feels
that he must be the alert to catch
the melody and glorious harmony of ths
splendid music or else il will he lost In
Evening star., 1912-07-21

CRIMINAL Prosecution
~ of Little Group of So
cial-Democrats Will Not
Prevent Them Holding Up
the Business of Prussia's
Lower House by Interrupt
tions, Exclamations, Kisses,
Boos and Cat Calls s'-De-
clare That Until Franchise Is
Reformed and Dominating
and Unfair Representation of
Big Landowners and Mobiles
Is Cut Down Other Forms of
Protest Are Useless-Police
Called in to Gust the Half
Dozen Dissenters, Who In
terrupted No Fewer Than
2,272 Times.
pecial Correspondence OF The Star.
Evening star., 1912-07-21

been called the presidents own for
in America 1t takes the place which the
royal bands occupy in European coun-
tries 1t is the oldest national band in our
land, There is record of an appropria-
tion by Congress for drums and flies
for the Marine Corps in 119s In 1901 this
country decided not to be outdone by
the powers of Europe and SO the officers
of the United States man-of-war lying in
Italian waters enlisted sixteen musicians
Evening star., 1912-07-21

y warm days when
the ambitious mer-
curry seeks to rival
the high jumpers
at the o Y m p ! C
games by estab-
i S h ing a n e W
worlds record, one
of the most well
come pleasures at
hand for the stay
at-home is the pub
lie band concert.
1l- H. liFnrnnf
Evening star., 1912-07-21

IX bold socialist
bandits have sue
c e s $ fully cried
Hands up to
Prussia 5 parlia-
ment. 1t is a STIR
ring sight. Against
43T of the nation $
rnandatories, all
fiercest enemies OF
socialism. stand six
insignificant. poor
ly clad. unimpos,ng
Evening star., 1912-07-21
BARON VON ERFFA.

BNHUN VVN EHFFN.
Speaker OF the Pfussian Parliament,
Who called the Police In to Cope With
the Socialist "Bandit Six" Members,
Who Continually interrupted the Pro-
ceedings.
But Wilhelm III is not inclined to make A
coup-d etat which would benefit the
hated socialists most of all.
SO the soeialists-six of them-will con-
tinue to obstruct. Criminal prosecutions
will not dishearten them The Az, they
reason. soon will get tired and ultimately.
they hope, they will be able to reform the
franchise, and let few score of social
democrats in. But before that day dawns
many million boos. Kisses, eXciamations
and shouts of Get OUT Will adorn the
official reports OF Prussia's legislature.
Copyright. 1912 by Curtis Brown