davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
Contests at Chicago

On Thursday next the national re- publican committee will meet in Chi capo to hear and decide 260 contests that have been duly filed. The Roose- welt side will present 225 cases and the Taft side 35 more.
 The make up of the committee is generally supposed to be friendly to MT. Taft, but in these days of change and rival bandwagons, it is difficult to say just how the national commit tee does stand.
 The committee will have but 10 working days in which to decide 260 contests for seats. This calls for de- cisions at the rate of 26 day, and it is doubtful indeed whether the calen- dar can be cleared before the conven- tion is assembled All contests are subject to appeals to the convention itself, and altogether the prospect is good for janglc of large proportions and exceeding bitterness, unless in- deed the President takes himself out of it by or before June IS.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
The Iron Market

Business seems to be getting on more normal lines than has been the case Tor several years" say Matthew Aody x Co. in their report. There has been an cratic market. coming by spurts with sporadic bursts of activ- ity here and there. But we have had nothing that has been permanent The value of trade now for seven or eight months in all branches of iron and steel has been steadily increasing. or der books are well filled and, best of all, there are more orders in sight when the present ones are completed
 Prices are firm with a hardening tendency. The menace of a constantly accommodating stock of pig iron in fur mace yards has been removed. The greater part of that accumulation has been used up and the balance which remains is steadily dwindling. It does not matter from which point you view the situation-from the point of sta tistics or of current business-the out look is encouraging.
 During the week that Is passing buying has been on fairly large scale with orders well scattered No one branch of the trade has had any particular movement as compared with another Steel irons, malleable irons foundry irons. all have been in about the same proportionate demand. Prob ably there has been more business in the east than in the west, but every where there has been enough to make thoroughly satisfactory showing, and May is closing with a very excellent record"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
HIGH DEATH RATE OF BOSSES

From Current Literature for June.
 A campaign unique in our history draws to it's close strewn with the wreclss of many a machine and the mangled remains of many boss. The preferential urinary has shown us what 1t can do in It's Her cuiean infancy. and there is almost as much discussion of it's merits and demerts as there is of the many candidates for the presidential nomination. Barnes and Murphy in New York state, still holds the steering wheel of their uninjured motor cars: but in Pennsylvania Penrose and Gi.ffey, in Illinois I.orirner md Sullivan.
 ncrnder in the ditch with their legs way ing in the air in frantic protest. In Mary land and Massachusetts and elsewhere similar results are seen. The members of the ''old guard have found that a new game is being played. How long 1t will take them to master 1t remains to be seen; but their temporary defeat is rather startling. In elation over this result, the prediction is made that the preferential primary will, before another presidential campaign, become general throughout the country, and that the political conventions held this year will be the last we shall ever see for the nomination of presidential candidates. They will become as obso- lete it is said. as torchlight processions.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Concerning Legal Holidays

1 Yesterday, May 30. was not a bank holiday in Alabama, although many persons perhaps thought it was. May 30 is Decoration Day, and is a legal holiday In most of the states. but not in Alabama The World Almanac, a nigh authority on everything, makes f appear that Decoration Day is a legal holiday in all the states except Flor ida, Georgia. Louisiana, Mississippi North Carolina. South Carolina. Tennes- see and Texas By not excepting Ala bama the World Almanac makes a mis- take but 1t will be glad to correct 1t next year
 Alabama's decoration or Confederate Memorial Day Is on April 26. and Is a legal holiday.
 June Is Jefferson Davis birthday and Is legal holiday In Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi Tennes- see. Texas and South Carolina.
 Quite number of persons thought that May 30 was legal holiday here said an official of the First National bank yesterday afternoon. Tn fact. our business was only about one-half of normal owing 10 the mistake that peo- pie had made in thinking 1t legal holiday. They got it mixed up with the federal Decoration Day-May 30-- which is strictly observed as legal holiday in the north. Next Monday, June 3, being a legal holiday in this state. the banks will be closed on that day"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
THE DUEL, A LA BARRIERE

From the London Chronicle.
 A tragic duel story is told by Sir Alger- non West in his 'Recollections." A young English officer in Paris quarreled with notorious French dueist, who insisted upon a duel la barriere.
 A rope was drawn between the two, who were stationed at equal distances from 1t, At signal the two combatants started to walk to the rope, with liberty to fire when- ever 1t so suited them.
 The young officer at once fired his pis- toi, and. having missed his man. had to continue his walk up to the barrier when he came face to face with his opponent, who had reserved his fire. The French man. putting his hand over the officers s heart. said:
 Brave jeune homme, ton coeuer ne pal pitc pas" and shot him dead.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
\ Hot Summer Predicted

My forecast calls for hot summer. ;, said an old goose-bone prophet. The temperature in Birmingham this week has been deiightful-warm enough, but not progressively hot This Is fine growing weather and the lawns and flower beds are looking their best.
 We will probably have weather like this for the next two or three weeks. but after June 21 it will be very hot. and with short cooling spell now and then. summer will run far into the fall. Even with the hot waves Jones valley is pleas anter in summer than many of the mucsi exploited fashionable resorts. and as for our nearby mountains nothing in North Carolina surpasses them in beauty or in low temperature'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
PARADE OF WOMAN suFFRAGIsr,

From Current Literature (June).
 Fifth avenue, New York. has witnessed many wonderful parades-military pa redes, political parades, religious pa- rodes. civic parades; but the woman suf- frage parade last month was probably
 as great surprise to it as anything it
 has ever witnessed The number of pa-
 raders was not large. as the New York
 parades go. Some military marianne not mentioned-is said by the Times 0
 have made careful estimate. and his figures are: women on foot Go94: women
 on horseback. 54; men on foot sss; men in the 2s bands, 1o4o; total in line, So2J. Some of the newspaper estimates run as h gh as cO00. But the chief surprise of the occasion was the outpouring of inter- estcd spectators The line of march was something over two miles, and for the whole distance the street was packed on each side and every window seemed to be filed The estimate of half a million spectators is probably not too large. Their treatment of the parade was also
 a surprise The men received some good nQtured chanIng, Wnlcn they Setnieu to
 enjoy: liut the women were regarded in almost total silence. There was very lit- tie cheering or hand clapping, and the lpering, so far as we could hear, was totally absent Says the Times report ,and the Times is very 'antio: Tt was a crowd far larger than that which greet ed the home coming of Theodore Roose welt and the home coming of Cardinal Farley. It was crowd that took every :, inch of the sidewalk from Washington souaro to Carnegie Hall, that filled all
 the steps and crowded all of the windows
 along the line of march. It was crowd l that stood through the two hours of the
 pp rade without thought of weariness. ''
 Callantry aside. one is forced to say that
 rhe paraders were well worth looking a..
 Many were young and attractive. nearly l all were becomingly gowned, all stepped
 oJt Ike women unafraid and the innum-
 erable banners bore legends that were t.,
 the point. The woman suffragist of the cartoons may have been there; but she
 was very inconspicuous.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
Discrimination in Taxation

Representative Molton's figures, which were laid before the West End meeting, cannot be studied too closely.
 They show that Al counties in this state receive more money from the state in public school and pension funds than they pay into the state treasury, and they get into the state benefits of state government, in- cluding courts, judges, solicitors and like expenses.
 This leaves II counties to carry on the state government over and above the receipts other than from taxes. The Il counties are Baldwin, Calhoun, Dallas, Escambia, Etowah, Jefferson, Mobile, Montgomery, Talladega, Walker and Washington.
 In 1910 Jefferson county paid to the state S699, ,161, and received back in school and pension funds $21S,1 and its pro rata of the states ex- penses in 1910 was ,238-thus leaving $367, 764 which it paid to the state in order that Al counties might enjoy the benefits of state govern ment free of cost.
 If the administration programme of Increases in assessments in Jefferson county be carried out three counties will then practically foot the excess expenses of the ate-Jefferson, Montgomery and Mobile The scheme to unload the cost of government on the three counties is readily sanctioned by the state tax commission, two members of which live in Butler coun- ty, Messrs. Long and Powell Butler is a productive and prosperous coun- ty, and yet it has no county commis- sioner, and the property holders in ii are left free to return their property for taxation purposes to suit them. selves. They return their property real and personal, at only S5,277,775 The rich and prosperous county re- ceived in 1910 the sum of Sl9, ,491 ir school and pension money over and above all it paid to the state, to say nothing about the advantages of the state government which it shared.
 In view of the facts, is it just, is it fair, to force valuations up in this county to the extent in 8 single year of se5, 100000 There is but one remedy and that consista in united action against the increases. We be- licve," said Mr. Notion at West End, '.the property in this county is as sessed high enough. We know that it is assessed much higher than t is in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
The South's Progress

No one can present statistics more eloquently than Richard H. Edmonds, editor of the Baltimore Manufactur- ers' Record. He has long been a recognized authority on southern de- velopment and the resources of the south, and he never loses an oppor- tunity of telling the world about southern progress.
 The large special edition of the Manufacturers Record, published in February in celebration of the thir- tieth anniversary of that publication, was not only a treasure of informa- tion, but it was Illuminating through out. MT. Edmonds has written many special articles about the south re- gently, but one of his most telling discussions was in the form of an address delivered Wednesday at the annual banquet of the Columbus, Ga., Board of Trade.
 President W. W. Finley of the Southern railway, another distin- guished authority on southern prog ress, was speaker at the same ban quet. He is master of good English and everything he writes or speaks about the south has a convincing ring. MT. Finley stressed southern agriculture and the organized efforts to improve health conditions of the south. Conditions have radically changed" said MT. Finley, "since MT. Greeley gave his famous advice, and 1 believe that if that great editor were alive today he would say, go south, young man, and grow up with the country"
 Those two addresses-Mr. Ed monds' and Mir. Finley's-should be published in permanent form and dis tributed widely in the north. The tide of population has been turned this way, and it is reasonable to say that within the next five years Alabama and other southern states will ad- vance more rapidly than during any period of 10 or IS years.
 
 The Birmingham district has nat ural treasures in it's coal and iron, and outside of mineral Alabama the agricultural resources are practically unlimited. Scientific farming is now the rule and the time will soon come when the cotton belt will be large seller of corn as well as of the white staple.
 Mir. Edmonds and MT. Finley are both optimists, but they cannot over estimate the future prosperity of the south.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
Give Cuba Every Chance

More than 2000 American marines are being assembled at Key West ready to go to Havana in seven hours if their presence is needed for police purposes. President Taft has ex- plained that intervention and occupa- tion are not anticipated, and that the object of the assembling of battle ships and marines at Key West is tc enable this government "to act promptly in case it should unfor. tunately become necessary to protect American life and property by render. ing moral support or assistance to the Cuban government"
 The rebels in Cuba are very elusive They have no intention of fighting a decisive battle. They prefer to roam from one point to another, footing all who have money, and destroying mills and cane of those that have none. They cannot be compelled to give bat tie, and this may in itself render in- tervention necessary.
 There is, however, a wish that Cuba should be given every possible oppor- tunity to crush the negro uprising. Intervention is greatly dreaded in Cuba, for interventions cannot go on forever. The good faith of the United States should not be strained. The need of intervention should become unmistakable before the act itself takes place. Give Cuba every possi- ble chance to preserve her independ- ence, and make intervention a last re- sort that this country cannot justly or honorably shirk.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31

any other county in the state, and be- heving as we do, we do not propose to pile up all this trouble and expense against the hundreds and thousands of our citizens just to put more money in other pockets and in the state treasury"
 The call to arms has come, and the people of West End have started a campaign that promises to spread into every beat in the county. All increases of this year will be fought outright to a finish.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
ORIGIN OF THE OPAL

Anonymous. dew drop came. with spark of flame
 He had caught from the suns last rag, To violet's breast. where he lay at rest Till the hours brought back the day. The rose looked down. with a blush ard
 frown
 But she smiled all at once, to view Her own bright form with it's. eolorine
 warm.
 Reflected back by the dew. Then the stranger took a stolen look Al The sky, so soft and blue; And a leafiet green. with it's silver sheen, Was seen by the idler, too A cold north wind as he thus reclined, of a sudden ragged around; And maiden fair. wno was walking there.
 Next morning, an opal found.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
TIMELY ESCAPE

From Everybody's Magazine.
 A German shoemaker left the gas turned
 on in his shop one night and upon ar
 irving in the morning struck a match to light it. There was terrific explosion,
 and the shoemaker was blown out through the door, almost to the middle of the street. A passer-by rushed to his assistance, and, after helping him to rise. inquired f he was injured. The little German gazed in at his place of business. which was now burning quito b, kly. and said: NO. 1 ain't hurt. But l got out shust in time. eh?'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
Attending rubercuIo.is Congress

The Rev pr. Eaves has gone to Wasn- ington to attend the National Tuberculosis congress. pr. Cabot Lull and pr. Earle Drennen are also en route.
 pr. Eaves has not only given a great deal of attention to all efforts to stop the ravages of tuberculosis. but he is a ready and eloquent speaker. and will no doubt take an active part in the discus sion in the congress- said prominent layman "Dr. Eaves is really one of the best public speakers we have in Alabama. He has not only fine English style, but there Is pith in what he says, and his discourses are usually illuminating in high degree.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
WHEN A FIGHTER WINS

New York Letter to the Cincinnati Times
 Star.
 The toughest part of looming back is the congratulations one gets. according to Willie Fitzgerald. the fighter. Fitzgerald dropped fighting in favor of saloon keep ing three years ago. When he gave the saloon away he weighed more than ton Of hay. and had to stop and pant when he climbed out of subway station. Now he's back in form and has several good fights to his credit.
 ''l don't molnd the wallops l get in the ring" said Fitzgerald in fine brogue that is complicated by pair of lips that have been split and fringed at various tin es But l dhraw the line, dye moind, on thim congratulations get whin I win. The lasht toime I won fight a perfick stranger comes up behint me. as I'm sit tin in the ring Good bye he hollers The Fighting Harp is himself again.
 And he hauls off and slaps me on me hare back so he leaves the print of his five fingers on me back for tin days. But he was not as bad as a copper named Peacock. the night I fought Marty McCue I'd just got the decision. dye molnd. and the byes were running all throo the ring mad with excitement, and this copper comes up to me Maybe he'd been drink ing bit. l dunno. But he had his night stick In his hand By gorrah.' he says, they can't hurt you, bye.
 And he bats me across the top of me head with his stick so I couldn't keep me hat on for two weeks. They think because mans fighter he can't be hurt But, believe me, I'd rather take what get in the ring than some of the congrat- ulations after the lights over.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
The Trip to RaItimnre

Tt Is not often that attend a national gathering that means a vast crowd, said an old democrat
 T have been an enthusiastic democrat the greater part of my life; was voter as far back as 1872. but I have attended only one national democratic convention Chicago in 1892. I have arranged my busi- ness affairs. however. so as to take at least 10 days off and attend the Baltimore convention.
 All national conventions are of great interest, of course. but the Baltimore con- vention will be of especial interest not only to Alabamians on account of Under- woods candidacy, but to the party at large throughout the country. Underwood has the best chance. think for the nom nation. He is certainly the strongest man the party has today. Bryan is evidently hoping that the nominatin lightning will strike him, but there are several million democrats who would stay away from the polls rather than vote for him. Many who have voted for him in former years would refuse to vote for him an- other time. There is some talk about Gaynor as dark horse.
 Clark has the largest number of dele gates but I cannot conceive of any na- tional convention putting him at the head of the ticket. He has many good points. no doubt but he is chronic joker, and while jokers have their good uses, they never get to the top.
 | Woodrow Wilson, if nominated, would make good run and I am sure that Governor Harmon is the only democrat who would stand the ghost of showing O. being elected, provided Roosevelt was ! the republican nominee.
 Every man in Alabama is proud of Underwood, and 10000 Alabamians will go to Baltimore to manifest their loyalty to him. oscar c. Turner, president of the Underwood Marching club of this city, will head a large crowd from Jefferson county. He should take a large band along. All the big cities will have dem- ocratic marching clubs headed by fine bands of music. I hope Mir. Turner vii he able to raise sufficient money to take Napp and his banda band of not less than 25 pieces.
 | Birmingham is noted far and wide as a progressive, rapidly growing eity-a cit, that does things on large scale-and Il , would be @ reflection on this city's repu. tation not to have a fine band at the head of the Marching club. First class band. cost money. but Birmingham peopl, should have enough pride to chip in anN
 help MT. Turner raise the necessar, funds
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
Trying to Legislate Gen. Wood Out

tO 6NS toihtN oShs ffooo Oht
 When the army appropriation bill was sent to conference it was reported back with a provision that no one shall be chief of staff of the army un- less he has served 10 years or more with troops prior to his appointment. This is simply direct attack on Major General Wood, who was for merly surgeon in the army He wishes to abolish useless army posts and he does not favor the present re- organization plan, and some of the members of Congress propose, there fore, to bounce him from his place at the head of the army. General Wood has many enemies among those whom he now outranks. His promotion has been rapid, and that is really all that can be said against him. He is pro- gressive and efficient, and he is striving to put the army on good footing.
 The maneuvers on the Rio Grande sufficiently illustrated his gooc work as an army administrator General Wood should not be busted ir the manner mentioned in the confer. ence report on the army appropria- ton bill.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
SECRET OF uNBREAKABLE GLASS

From the London Chronicle unbreakable glass, for which there
 might be demand just now, was in- vented nearly 2o0o years ago. accord : ing to Petronius and Dion Cassius
 though Pliny casts doubt on the story.
 An artist appeared before Tiberius with cup of glass which he dashed vio- lently on the ground. It was nelthe.' broken nor cracked, but merely denied, like a piece of metal. Then the man produced a mallet and hammered the cup back into It's proper shape. Tiberius. however, asked whether anybody else knew the secret and when the artist proudly answered No had him instantly beheaded The emperor feared that such glass would terribly Gepreciate the value of the precious metal,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
DARKER MOMENTS.

When comes a sense of weariness, The mornings lose their gold Ano in each heart is dreariness
 No tongue has ever told, It may be that the tricks of fate
 Our hopes have overthrown, Or else, We may find when too late. The fault Is all eur own.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
A coLp sToRAGE EGG

Somebody told me you weie writing a love story
 "Yes."
 ''Nyhat is the title?s
 T haven't chosen title yet but the story IS about farmers daughter who wrote Her name and address on an egg and some years later she received a pro- rosaI of marriage from an ultimate con- sumer.."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
WHERE THE SOIL RErELs

From the New Orleans Times Democrat.
 A prize of s25o is offered to the student in the University of Missouri who writes the best essay on Why Life on the Farm Is Ideal. It is probably safe to predict that the prize will not be won by any student who was raised on a farm"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
nEELECTIoNs OF A BACHELOR

From the New York Press.
 man is lot more patient with bad cards than with a good family.
 The hard thing to understand how Mormon gets along Is what do his wives say to him for letting one of them have a bigger dressmakers bill than the others.
 mother practices her greatest decep- tion in making her daughter believe how happy she Is in her husband; and then whef her daughter gets married she does the same thing to her mother.