davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1912-09-15

were still maintained by the British gov
ernment Then came the revenue act
The result Of this In Virginia was the
organization Of the Non-Importation As
sociation with a committee active in each
county. Maryland was also hostile and a
committee of the Non-Importation Asso-
citation was busy in every county in that
colony. Pamphleteers, writer's in the
press. orators and even the clergy were
active in this non-importation campaign.
The non-impOrtation resolutions of the
Virginia assembly came in time. George
Mason of Gunston Hall in 17dp drew up
the nOn-impOrtation resolutions which
George Washington presented to the Vir-
ginia assembly, and which were unani-
mously adopted. The agitation in favor
Of severance of commercial relations
with the mother country was seething.
The talk of armed resistance and COM
plete independence was becoming loud
and quite general. This feeling was find
ing expression in county meetings, at
which citizens of the county would draw
up resolutions and adopt them for the
instruction of the burgesses and the In
formation of the people at large as to the
state of the public mind. In some in
stances these county meetings appointed
committees to consider means OF defense,
which meant armed opposition to British
authority and treason.
One of the early meetings of this char
acter was held at Fairfax Court House.
The date was July IS. 174. This meet
ing of county notables and the patriot
crowd attracted by such a revolutionary
proceeding took place close to Tyson
cross roads. The Fairfax meeting was
even then considered a very important
affair. 1t blazed the way for many other
southern counties, and its message was
notice to New England that the south
ern colonials stood with their northern
brethren on the question OF taxation
without representation.
George Washington was chairman of
the Fairfax meeting. George Mason of
Gunston Hall drafted the resolutions.
Kate Mason Rowland in her Life. of
George Mason says: These resolutions
set forth the grievances of the colonies
and mapped out a program of nOn-inter-
course with the mother country, while
they advocated the necessity of calling
a congress for the further guidance OF the
colonies in their just resistance to the
usurpations of the crown" This Fairfax
meeting named the following as a COM
mittee of safety: George Washington.
George Broadwater, John West, George
Mason, William Ramsey, William Rum
ney, George Gilpin, Robert Hanson Har-
rison. John Carlyle, Robert Adam, John
Dalton. Philip Alexander, James Kirk.
William Brown, Charles Broadwater.
William Payne, Martin Cockburn. Lee
Massey. William Hartshorne. Thomas
Triplett. Charles Alexander. Thomas Pol
lard. Townsend Dade. jr.: Edward Payne.
Henry Gunnell and Thomas Lewis.
OF this committee of safety it was re-
solved: THAT they or majority of them
in any emergency have power to call
general meeting and to concert and adopt
such measures as may be thought most
expedient and necessary
Evening star., 1912-09-15

compete with our trust. Ihis is the AT
lantic Company, which, as am told. has
bought many Of the outside plantations
and is about to make a fight for the
trade. 1t is backed by some West Indian
Jews in combination with the Hamburg
American steamship line which wants
share in the freight. 1t has much to
do. however, before it can successfully
compete with the United Fruit Company.
1t will require new port and Will nave
to build railroads to bring the bananas
down to their ships. This banana busi-
ness is not q small proposition. The Unit
ed Fruit Company, which has done more
than any other to give us cheap fruit. has
many great interests here outside the ba-
nanas, and it has farms and ranches Wnere
it raises the cattle, horses and mules used
on its banana estates. The ranches are
in the highlands, and upon them there
are now 1900 head Of stock, including
horses and mules raised from imported
stations and jackasses. There are also
2, 600 cows, from which come the butter
used in the banana trust commissary,
and there are other farms for raising
vegetable and various supplies. The busi
ness is so extensive that all efforts are
made to cut the cost to the lowest pos
sible notch, and should doubt much the
ability Of the Atlantic Company to COM
pete as to prices.
But let US come back to the beauty OF
this Costa Rican republic. The banana
plantations form but small part of 1t and
they are confined to a strip Of the low
lands along the Caribbean sea. There
are similar lowlands on the Pacific. but
the bulk Of the country is made up OF
these mountains, which roll over one an
other in all sorts Of shapes. now in great
gorges and again in little inollows or nests
OF comparatively smooth land which are
covered with farms.
Some Of. the mountains are over two
miles in height, and from one Of them.
Irazu, you can see the two oceans. the
Atlantic and the Pacific. each being only
about seventy-five miles away. rhat
volcanic peak can be reached from Car
tago. which is just ninety miles from
Limon, and we may possibly ascend 1t
Evening star., 1912-09-15

W to be replaced In mouse
and it is so hard to keep
Clean" Is the complaint OF
nearly every housekeeper.
Imagine then how Uncle Sam must regard
keeping house in so large a place as the
Treasury building. Twenty-Five hundred
people make a rather large family, and
10 heat and keep clean a place large
enough to hold them Is task filled with
difficulties for any housekeeper. But SO
thoroughly has he learned his lesson that
the workings Of his household run with
clocklike precision, though his domestic
duties, as In any home, are often heavier
one day than another.
=
Quite frequently. in addition to the
general housekeeping, an order is sent
in for the removal Of the furniture or
letter flies from one Office to another or
a carpet taken up and renovated. For
occasions of this sort men are needed.
and Uncle Sam must have a sufficient
force in reserve to perform just such
duties without unnecessary delay. This
work falls almost entirely upon the thir-
ty-odd mer comprising the labor force
Two or t1ree of these men must be
sent in to help in moving or adjusting a
painters scsffoiding or to carry lumber.
large part of the cleaning and general
care of both the interior and exterior of
the building also falls upon their shoul-
ders. To the foreman of these iaborers
falls the task of inspecting the building
and each day witnesses his journey from
the subbasement to the roof.
II one should make tour of inspection
OF the long corridors and stairways of
the building at the hour that in winter Is
so nearly dusk, when the clerks are de-
parting and business Is over. he would
soon discover that Uncle Sam is not a
commonplace housekeeper, but a wizard
bidding his sprites begin their labors.
For in the deserted corridors figures ap-
pear armed with long handled brooms
that invariably remind one OF the old
woman in nursery days who brushed the
cobwebs out of the sky. Gradually a
small army is organized and the waste
material and dust of business day fly
quickly before the brooms and scrub
brushes. Until 5 o'clock the charwomen
are engaged in sweeping and scrubbing
the corridors and stairways and In put
ting TO rights the various office rooms
AS in any house, so in the Treasury
the question of heat, light and the sup
ply of hot water are all problems that
must be solved. A large portion of the
subbasemsnt of the Treasury Is occupied
with the machinery used in carrying or
these household duties. The chief engi-
neer OF the Treasury supervises the fur
naces and boilers and the various sets
OF machinery for which these boilers
furnish steam His force consists OF
three assistant engineers and some thir'
ty-two men in all. Many OF these work
in eight-hour shifts, for nearly as many
activities are carried on at night in the
subbasement of the Treasury as in the
day.
Evening star., 1912-09-15

price that makes the work worth while
The other waste paper discarded by this
treasury family is also made to bring in
a revenue. for practically a ton Of waste
paper Is bailed every day and sold. Two
men manipulating hand machine carry
on this work. Uncle Sam doesn't scOrn
to deal with secondhand men, for once
year he offers for sale the old furniture
and machinery tina; have accumulated
and are of no further use to him. He
asks for bids. and to the highest bidder,
Of course. are the spoils.
-
with a large char force and labor
Treasury Clean the average housekeeper
might say. but should she stop to think of
the tremendous amount Of supplies need
ed for this work and the records that
must be kept Of these same the task
grows more stapendOus. Six thousand
yards of cheesecloth alone are purchased
each year for cleaning purposes and some
five hundred yards OF linen crash. Guam
titles Of soap powder, brushes and any
number OF other housesold articles are in
demand. and acquisitions must be made
for each Of these and put on flle
Some seventy-nine women with an
overseer make up the char force whose
duty 1t is to scrub the corridors and stair
ways of the building and put the rooms
IL
that 1t has been approximately figured
that there are about SS. 180 square feet of
corridor space and about 1900 square
feet Of surface to be scrubbed on the
are about 417.69O square feet Of floor
space In the building. portion Of which
must be scrubbed and broom or vacuum
cleaner used on the remainder that Is
covered with carpet.
About forty-nine charwomen are de-
tailed to sweep and dust the Office rooms
after the clerks have departed and the
eight stairways of the building are kept
in order by some four or Ave OF these
women To the average housekeeper the
supplies that these women must needs
use in their cleaning are at least aston
ishing A requisition was made In the
month of July for ten dozen mops. two
dozen sanitary busting cloths in addition
dozen corn brooms. Two dozen dust pans
needed replacing. Six hundred pounds Of
scrubbing powder and $40 pounds Of laun-
dry soap were the cleaning materials used
during that same month.
\
The work Of the labor force, though
somewhat similar to that of the char
women, in that 1t endeavors to keep the
building clean. varies more from day to
day in quantity and its nature. For the
seasons have their effect. In winter.
from October until April two Of these
men are kept busy carrying the coal in
wheelbarrows from the coal bunkers in
the Treasury to the furnaces. Summer
demands that two men be employed in
caring for the grounds surrounding the
building and in the spring and fall over
500 awnings that shade the building must
be put up or removed. Every few days
bring a call for the removal or the haul
ing of furniture or carpet. and the labor
force
The cleaning Of the building. however.
Is perhaps the heaviest part OF their
work. for. with the four doors, the ap-
proaches and porticoes that must be
cleaned on the exterior of the building.
the force is kept constantly at work.
There are some 400 glass ttausoma
Evening star., 1912-09-15

But no vestige remains Of the old court
building nor could the visitor in his brief
Sunday visit to the spot find anybody who
could recall that a brick or other rem
nant of the historic building had ever
been picked up. No doubt this little
story will meet the eye Of some descen-
Evening star., 1912-09-15

The justices of Stafford county resigned
rather than put into execution the stamp
law. The stamp act Congress or the first
American or first continental Congress as
sembled at New York October Z. 1855.
The declaration of rights. petition to the
king and the memorial to both houses of
parliament were adopted. OF course, as
every American probably knows, the
stamp act was inoperabie and was re-
pealed, though the principles involved
Evening star., 1912-09-15

dant of an old neighborhood family who
does know Most of the dWellers In
that neishborhood seem to be compare
lively late arrivals in Virginia, and many
Of them from the north. Some with
whom the writer talked were born there,
but were born of parents who settled IN
that neighborhood at about the time OF
the outbreak or soon a1ter the close OF
the civil war.
Standing on this high ground and look
ing out upon this fair Virginia landscape
it is necessary in order to get the proper
impression to think bach century and
ment passed the "declaratory act" by
which act it was maintained 10 be
proper to impose certain stamp duties In
the colonies for the purpose of raising
British exchequer." This act, when the
news of it reached the colonies, caused
the thoughtful men of the new world to
regard it as the opening attack on the
rights of the colonies. The stamp act
received the royal signature March o.
17G5.
1t was a long document, and any inter-
ested person may study its provisions in
the Library of Congress. 1t required that
for every skin or piece of vellum or
parchment. or sheet. or piece Of paper on
which should be engrossed, written or
printed any declaration, plea, replication,
rejoinder, demurrer or other pleading. or
any copy thereof, in any court of law
within the British colonies and planta-
tons in America, a stamp duty should be
imposed: also for all other legal docu-
ments, marriage certificates, ETC., a stamp
tax should be paid.
The stamps We're printed in embossed
letters sometimes directly upon the paper,
but most generally, for the colonies, on
coarse blue paper. The value of each
stamp was shown upon it and varied
from three pence to two pounds sterling.
The kind of documents and other pa
pers to be stamped to make them legal
numbered fifty-four. To the blue paper
stamps were attached a narrow strip of
tin foil The ends of this foil were passed
through the parchment or paper, fiat
tened on the opposite side and a piece
of paper with rough device and num-
ber and with the crown and the initials
Of the king was pasted over to secure it.
The preamble of the stamp act recited
that it's purpose was. 1.-The raising of a
revenue for defraying the expenses of
defending, protecting and securing his
majestys dominions in America The
colonials knew this was subterfuge. 1t
was European war and royal ambition
and extravaganza that made it Seem
necessary to raise more revenue. The
colonies burst into blaze of opposition.
Patrick Henry thrilled the colonials with
his speech In the Virginia house of bur-
gesses. The Westmoreland resolutions
were drawn up by Richard Henry Lee
and signed by many of the inhabitants
of Westmoreland, Northumberland and
Stafford.
Evening star., 1912-09-15

ONE with me this
morning for 9. trip
through the Swttz-
erland of Central
America. We are
in the mountains
of Costa Rica, the
upper end Of the
Andes, north OF
the range through
which we are cut
ting our great
ditch at Panama.
Evening star., 1912-09-15

Sparks in his writings on Washington
says of the Fairfax resolves that ''They
constitute one of the ablest and most
luminous expositions OF the points at issue
between Great Britain and the colonies
Evening star., 1912-09-15

of Spain to show him the character of the
Island of Haiti That man took a sheet
of paper and crushed it up into ball in
his hand. He then pulled 1t apart and
threw it, all wrinkled and crumpled, on
the table. saying,
your majesty, Haiti is like that"
Well, the same may be said of Costa
Rica From one end to the other 1t is
mass of great wrinkles and folds, but the
soil which fills up the wrinkles and COW
ers the folds is composed Of volcanic ashes
and mud, and is one of the richest soils
upon earth. The land will produce both
temperate and tropical fruits. Most of
the country is so high above the sea that
the climate is perpetual spring, and as
far as the weather goes, 1t reminds one
OF that Inscription which was carved on
the marble room in the palace of Delhi:
IF there Is a paradise on earth it is
this! It is this! 1t is this!"
But we can see the country better by
taking a trip from the Atlantic seacoast
up to this highland city of San Jose.
The northern railway. which is leased by
the United Fruit Company. starts at Port
Limon and climbs right over the noun
tains. 1t is about ninety miles to- the top
of the pass and in that distance we as
cend almost 5000 feet. The road then
goes down in the neighborhood of 1000
feet to the capital, leaving US at about
three-quarters of a mile over sea level.
There is now another road which has
been continued down the western side of
the mountains to the Pacific. That was
completed only last year. and it has given
the country a railroad trunk line from
ocean to ocean. The fare on the North
ern railway is about cents a mile and
freight rates are comparatively high. The
road is a narrow gauge, but the roadbed
is well ballasted, and as the locomotives
America, the trip is quite comfortable.
Leaving Port Limon, we go out into the
jungle. and for some miles skirt the At
lantic, whose silvery waves are rolling
up on the shore. On our left are many
cocoanut groves the trees of which are
SO close to the cars that the nuts might
fall down and crack the heads of the
brakemen. After awhile we come to the
Evening star., 1912-09-15

Among these industries that Uncle Sam
carries on ceaselessly is one that solves
for him q problem that bothers nearly
every housekeeper. With it's own inde-
pendent ice plant, no contracts or ar.
Evening star., 1912-09-15

We are in land made up oi iiiooi
tains. 1t is $50 miles wide and over 2"'
miles long. and the most of 1t is COM
posed of these tropical highlands, some
of which kiss the clouds at two miles
and more above the Caribbean sea- IL
is a land Of rugged volcanoes and OF
sarthouakes which destroy cities, but
nevertheless il Is one of the most beauti-
ful. parts of the face of old mother earth
We enter Costa Rica at Port Limon.
its gateway on the Atlantic. We have
sailed north from Bocas del Toro. the
last town of the Panamantan republic,
and been landed at a wooden settlement
of 5000 people. which annually ships to
us at least one-tenth of all the bahamas
we eat 1t exports every year over H.
nOoOOO punches or about 1.5oOOOO.OO
bananas. enough to give one to almost
longs largely to the United Fruit Com
pany. which does an immense banana
business here. but by no means the whole
II has over 1900 workmen employed on
its Costa Rican plantations. but there
are probably one-half as many more on
the outside estates.
As our ship comes to anchor. we see
and watch an endless river Of the green
frait flowing on the long carrying belts
into the holds Of the steamers. There are
two ships now loading. One belongs to
the Hamburg American and another to
the United Fruit Company. The bananas
from here are taken to New Orleans.
Mobile. New York and Boston. They go
also to Manchester and Bristol in Eng
land, and at last find their resting place
in something like billion and half
stomachs all over the world. We shall
find bananas for sale at the stations as
we go up the railroad to San Jose, and
will pay for them just about the same as
at home. The banana is the poor man
fruit, and 1t can be bought for from /
to cents a finger. for that is what the
single fruit is called, in any part of the
union.
Indeed, do not know but that 1t may
be even cheaper within few years from
now. The plantations are growing, and
a rival company is being formed here to
Evening star., 1912-09-15

HERE are 50 many things
to be replaced in q house
and il is SO hard to keep
Clean" Is the complaint OF
Evening star., 1912-09-15

FRANK G. CARPENTER
! Describes the Switzer-
land of Central America-A
Little Republic Without
Revolutions-Its Big Busi-
ness in Bananas and Coffee
How the Country Looks-Up
the Mountains by Railroad
A Country With Nineteen
Misunderstanding Pictures
of Scenery and Life in a
Little Known Land.
copyright. 1912. by Frank G. CarpenterJ
Special Correspondence OF The Star.
Evening star., 1912-09-15

copyright. 1912. by Frank G. Carpenter)
pecial Correspondence of The Star.
Evening star., 1912-09-15

SAN JOSE. Costa Rica.
The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1912-12-26
RAILROAD CIRCLES
MORE ACCIDENTS
THAN LAST YEAR

Safety first" is the paramount
rule Of train operation suggested by
the interstate commerce commission
in its twenty-siXth annual report,
submitted to congress. Discussion OF
disasters on American railroads dur
ing the last year constitutes an i'm
portant feature of the report.
It is pointed out that many of the
accidents resulting in fatalities might
have been averted by the exercise
of proper precaution or the employ
ment of suitable devices and good
equipment. Figures given show that
of the total of S,215 derailments dur.
ing the year, 1877 were caused by
defects of roadway and 3,947 were
due to defective equipment. This in
dicates an increase over the pre-
vious year CT $50 in the Treatments
due to bad roadway, and 1923 due
to bad equipment.
The investigation by the commits
SIGN itself of railroad accident in
volving loss of life, the report says,
has proceeded far enough to indi-
cate the need of more effective mea-
sures than thus far have been taken
to secure safety of railroad travel"
While the previous suggestions of
the commission as to the adoption
by the railroads Of all-Steel or steel
underframe cars are being adopted
Is rapidly as conditions will per-
nit" and ''the danger from the use
of unsound cars is gradually disap-
pearing," the serious dangers of de-
tective roadway and the use Of un-
sound rails still remains, as a re-
suit Ct dera:lments are likely at any
time to occur.
The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1912-12-26

The Pilot man has MANY tim

The Pilot man has many times
made the assertion that the Great
Northern now has the E:ggcs. loco
motives in the world in the 1000
Mallet compounds, but was called en-
this by Rev. F. c. Phelps, who pro-
duced picture of a locomotive
built and owned by the Santa Fe
railroad which is 121 fee. and six
inches long, and instead Of having
only eight. drivers under each pair
Of engines this one has ten, maxi
ing total CT 20 driving wheels in
all, in addition to trailer and pony
truck These locomotives are built in
the Santa Fee shops at Topeka Kan,
and they make every part about
them. Rev. Phelps hes brother who
is a mechanical engineer in these
shops and has charge CT construc-
ton. Sill this does nc. beat the en-
CINE in South Africa described by
the Calgary editor last week
The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1912-12-26
THREE DISPATCHES WILL RE-
ADDED TO HAvRE FORCE.

A change in railway circles which
will add three dispatchers to the
Havre office. will be made by the
Great Northern shortly after the
first of the year. The dispatcher's
office at Glasgow will be abolished,
as will also the position of assistant
chief at that place, and the three
trick men now at Glasgow will be
transferred to Havre, making this a
three set office, instead of two set
as at present.
The Havre office will, when the
change becomes effective, handle all
trains from Williston, N. D., on the
east, to Cut Bank on the west. Ad-
dltlonal telephone wires are now be-
Ing strung between Havre and Glas-
gov, to connect with wires now
being used by the dispatcher's Of
flee at Glasgow to connect with the
points east to Willistcn, and as soon
as this work is completed the change
will become effective.
This move is thought to be in
line with the intention of the Great
Northern officials to centralize their
offices at Havre, and make this the
most important point on the sys-
tenn between the Twin Cities and
the Coast.-Havre Plaindealer.
The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1912-12-26
MONTANA BETS
AMONG THE BEST

According to repor. Of the de-
partment Of agriculture en- the beet
sugar industry, the most promising
isolated sugar beet factories are in
southeastern Montana among others
The report says the Billings factory
is one of the largest and is said
be one CT the NEST profitable in the
country. Mos. CT the beets are grown
in Yellowstone county, and a few in
Carbon county. For the past season
a greater yield than ever before was
reported and a greater value per ton
to the grower was realized. The beets
of this section are the only ones
that rival those of California in sug-
ar content, the report says.