The chronicle=news., 1912-11-16

|
| ronagc Amounting 10 Millions
High Cost Of Living Goes Still
Higher ns Adoption OF Metric Car
| ut Advances Diamond Prices-New
Move Toward Conservation Of
Sanity-Houycwiyc Trying Novel
Solution Of Servant Problem-New
York's Oldest Inhabitant Celebrate
cs 225th Birthday.
| New York, Nov. 1G.-That New
York for the next two years at least
will have the most powerful political
ear which this state. or any state In
the nation has ever known. is one
OF the most significant facts on
which insiders In politics are COM
menting now tina, the smoke OF the
general battle OF election is clearing
away. From any point OF view 1t
now seems certain that Charles +.
Murphy. the Tammany Hall and
State Democratic leader. will exer-
else n power for greater than any
rammany leader has ever known.
Ereat us many Of these have been.
Az "a result OF the mighty patronage.
city. state and national which Mur-
rhy Will WELD, his name II Ia now
b. lieved will 20 down In history as
that Of tho most powerful leader
since the organization OF the Tam
many machine In 1883 outrankIng
even those of such famous leaders
n Van Buren.-Twced and Croker.
II Is doubtful II any Democrat In the
Tammnny organization. or any lead.
cr In that organization since II was
founded had the power ut his com.
nand Of Charles F. Murphy. Martin
Van Buren, may have had aud SAM
uel J. Tilden to n great extent had
almost similar power. Bnt. according
to the records. Martin Van Buren,,
William II. Tweed and Charles +.
Murphy are the only three Demo.
Gratis In the annals OF Tammany Hall
who have been both leaders OF Tam
many and Democratic leaders Of the
state. Great rs is the federal pat
ronaKe OF this state concerning the
distribution OF which II Is expected
Mr.. Murphy will have practically
final say As state Democratic leader,
the patronage Of the state and this
city which VIII come into his hands
las Tammnny leader Is estimated to
be five or six times as large. so that
altogether he will undoubtedly rank
ms the greatest political ear In the
history OF the party SO far rs the dis
tribution OF offices goes and far out
strip the records OF even Tweed md
Crocker. %
A new scheme to opprcss the poor
and raise the cost OF living Is sus-
pectcd by some sensitive souls who
are questioning tho newly adopted
Metric Carat The metric carat will
not affect the cantents OF Irish stew
or OF the standard New England boil
ed dinner. But 1t may very easily
put up the price OF diamonds. and
the price OF diamonds. rs Is gcncr
ALLY known. has been put up so Oft
en- lately that the average working
mans family can only purchase Its
yearly supply by the most careful
economy In food. and even In articles
OF luxury. Precious stones, II seems.
have been weighed for centuries. by
the carat. But there has been no
general standard to show how much
the carat itself weighs, and in dif-
ferent countries. and even in differ
ent parts of the United States. its
weight has varied materially. The
standard which has become almost
universal in this country is one OF
2O5.3 mill!grams-whatevc that
may be. The jewelers. Of New York.
however, met the other day In the
National jewelers. Board OF Trade
and voted to adopt the metric car
at" which is 200 milligrams. or cx-
actly one-fifth Of gram In weight.
The change will 20 into effect all
over the United States on the first o.
turks. A one carnt diamond is about
as big as n small pea. The customer
can hardly tell by holding it in his
hand whether 1t weighs the 205.3
milligrams Of the good, old. honest
American carat, or the 200 of the
Frenchified metric" carat. Will the
jeweler tell him the difference, or
will he charge him the old price for
the new short-weight stone.4 And
with a cold winter coming on, and
with the increasing prospects Of n
tariff which will take precious stones
off the free list and charge heavy
duty on them. it beSins to look as If
the poor man would have to take the
diamonds from his hunsry children's
throats and give them pearls instead
Conservation OF sanity ID the key
note of movement, the first of its
kind attempted In this country in
which New York is'spartieularly In
terested this week. That there is
need for such movement is indi-
Gated by the figures which show that
the insane of this country outnum-
bered the enrolment of all its uni