davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
Myers of Montana

When the democrats of the Montana
legislature set about to elect sue
cessor to Standpatter Tom Carter
there was great divergence of views
as to who should get the honor. Can
didates there were in plenty, but none
was able to poll the requisite vote.
Judge Henry l.. Myers lives in the
little town of Hamilton. One night his
wife had the headache, and the judge
hurried down to the drug store to get
something to relieve her. AS he
walked in, the clerk greeted him with
"Hello, senator"
"What's that?" inquired the judge,
intent upon his errand and with no
time for jokes.
Haven't you heard?" asked the
clerk.
"Heard what?"
you've been elected to, the United
States Senate"
"Kindly eliminate the persiflage and
get me some headache medicine" re-
turned the judge.
But it was true, nevertheless. N.Y.
ers had been sent to the Senate, and
there was not a string of even the
most flimsy material tied to 1t. "Well,
if I'm to be senator, Pm going to be
one to the best of my ability" was his
thought.
Senator Myers of Montana was one
of those with whom Louisiana's sugar
senators hoped to ally themselves; he
was one of those whom the wool men
hoped to win over. Just how much
chance they had can be CLEANED from
these sentences used by him in the
Senate speaking for the passage of
the Underwood Simmons bill:
"This discrimination against home
interests when translated into Eng
lish in my opinion often means I'VE
are not getting our neighbors' share
of the graft; we are being overlooked
in the distribution of the plunder.
"The wool growing business, after
nearly 100 years of protection-mere-
ly a century of coddling and nursing
not only does not hold it's own but
positively is on the decline. Are we
longer to stimulate it at the expense of
rifling the pockets of the hard work
ing masses in order to keep it up?"
Certainly Mr.. Myers toga is not
all bound round with a wooden string.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
IA Solomon Needed

President Wilson is no worshiper
of precedent; he has habit of acting
as he sees fit, but times do come when
he must wish there could be found in
the archives some little tip which
would lead him safely from the mazes
Of doubt. For instance, there is the
now pressing question, "What is to be
done with a postmaster with the
mumps?"
1t is thus the pestering point has
arisen: An unnamed democrat, seeker
after federal preferment, has discov-
cred that George P. Helmer, republi-
can postmaster of Almond, N. Y, has
the mumps, and he has hastened to
convey the information to Senator
O'Gorman. The letter says: at would
not be good taste for the applicant for
a position to prefer charges against
the incumbent, but there are plenty
of parties here who know the facts.
Mr.. Helmer has been having severe
time with the mumps."
Now postmaster has every right,
decreed by law as well as custom, to
distribute mail, but certainly not the
mumps. "Many complaints were
heard" says Senator O'Gorman's cor
respondent. parties who had mail to
send out employed other parties to go
to the postoffice to mail letters for
them, fearing to do so themselves. 1t
has been the talk of the town for sew
eral days"
1t will be noticed that the word "par-
ties" hangs in the mind of the seeker
after federal preferment With him it
is party question, being democrat
after republicans job. Mr.. Helmer
SO far has been able to hold to the
office, and he is all "swelled up"
Should he, as a favor to the now
mumpless citizens of Almond, N. Y,
be removed?
Perhaps so, but such summary ac-
tion on the part of the President might
establish another precedent, one that
would be most annoying IN the future,
and perhaps lead to sickness on the
part of many another republican post
master. Who knows bat that hungry
democrats would go around with
pocket full of mump germs seeking
opportunity to throw them at repub-
licans whose jobs they coverted?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06

From the New York Evening sun.
" VICE since Mexico gained inde-
pendence an outside power has
4 stepped in and conquered the
country. We have available the sta
tistics of each of these military oper-
ations. The present Is a suitable time
to open the foiios of the old ledgers
and scan again the cost of sending an
armed force into the land of the chill
dren of Montezuma. Neither our own
Mexican war nor the French conquest
of the country is likely to form
sufficiently up-to-date guide to afford
any interventionist of the present hour
an exact knowledge of what Mexican
operations would cost today. None
the less either of the wars in question
furnishes recent enough precedent to
reverse the old judgment based on
the exploits of Cortez, who conquered
the country at a profit.
Intervention in Mexico does not nec-
essarily imply war. Neither does the
fact that a policeman enters mans
house necessarily imply that the in
yader will be saluted with a brickbat.
Only there are some houses known by
reputation as not to be entered with
out due preparation on the policeman's
part. Mexico is a land which has put up
a determined fight against each of the
two historic invasions of her terri
tory.
What, then, did our Mexican war OF
1S4e-4S cost, whether in dollars or in
the magnitude of the effort involved?
To cite C. NJ. Wilcox, the Mexican
war" to the effect that the war cost
us between s130,000,00 and s150,000,-
900, is the most direct answer to the
question. This figure, he explains, is
exclusive of pensions. Although he
does not so specify, it is doubtless
likewise exclusive of the $4,000, 900
obligation which the country assumed
by the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo,
In all, according to this authority,
the United States had under arms or
employed about 100000 men in the
course of this after all thoroughly
successful war. More than three quar-
ters of these were in the army, vol
unteer and regular The remainder
were in the army and in commissary
and transportation employment. This
is not saying that the actual army
of invasion actually at any time to-
tailed anywhere near $4,000 troops in
Mexican territory Major General Scott
when he proceeded against the City of
Mexico had under his command an
effective force of little over 1900
men. The enlistments of many of the
volunteer troops were discharged at
the conclusion of such brief terms of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
CONQUEST OF MEXICO

service after they had been brought to
the front at large expense.
Leaving out of the question the vol
unteer forces, we find that the regular
army of the United States, after being
about doubled by reason of the neces-
stiles of the Mexican campaigns
amounted to some 2e,690 officers and
men engaged in Mexico. This force
was of three regiments of dragons,
one of mounted rifles, four of artillery
Is of infantry and one of foot rifle
men. While this force may have formed
the chief dependence of the American
cause, the regimental casualty lists
show that thousands of the state vol
unteer troops were heavily engaged in
the chief battles of the war.
In the great majority of engage
ments our troops were the inferior in
number, and superior only through
their experience and organization, over
the i'll trained and poorly armed Mex
leans. The invaders superiority over
the Mexicans in these respects was less
observable in the French invasion Is
years later. How far the Mexicans of
today, with their thorough course in
warfare during the past three years,
are still inferior when on their own
ground to standard troops is hard to
settle
The Americans. with an effective
force at the front of $4,000 to $4,000
men and large reserve, were able
TO capture the capital and overrun a
great remote area, little populated and
feebly defended, The operations con-
sumed nearly two years in day of
slower transportation than the present.
The money cost was great, partly be-
cause the era was one of high prices,
but more because the seat OF war was
remote and transportation expensive.
Twelve thousand four hundred and
twenty lives lost was an item In the
cost of the conquest not covered by
the money outlay.
The French. employing $4,000 men
for three years and enduring expenses
and losses certainly equal to ours, were
able to hold but not wholly to pacify
the Mexican territory. Their interven-
tion would apparently have involved
the maintenance of this great military
force perpetually on the watch for
an indefinitely long period
Railroads and other modern adyan-
tages would favor an army entering
Mexico today to some extent. But such
an advantage is easily overestimated,
while, moreover, modern means OF
warfare have their advantages for the
defender as well. Possibly Mexico could
be pacined at a military ~cst of less
than s20o.00o.00o. But past events DO
not justify any confidence of such an
outcome.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
1T EVEN THRILLED BROADWAY

From the New York Telegraph.
At last it has come--the long awaited,
the daring-the perforated skirt. Broad
way tried it on yesterday and 1t suited
Broadway to a zephyr The perforated
skirt is femininity's latest concession to
the advances of fashion and at the same
time its latest and most violent protest
against the hot weather.
Perforated skirts We're seen in and about
Lonacre square shortly after high, hot
noontide. In half an hour there was no
speech nor language where their voice was
not heard. Nothing else was talked Of
all the rest of the afternoon either in front
of the Putnam building or in the various
bar harbors.
To be understood this creation must first
be seen. 1t is impossible even for the most
expert compilers of fashion notes to de-
scribe the ease. the grace. the daring, the
ingenuity and the artistry with which the
perforatons have been rdisposed on the
surface of the skirt where they will do the
most good. Slashes of perforations extend
from the ankle to the belt In straight
line, and another line extends from the
middle of the belt at the back to the ex.
act middle of the circumference at the
band. Then there are horizontal and dag,
onal slashes Of air holes and In some OF
| the more artistic patterns the perfora.
tions are arranged in the figures of rose-
buds.
| 1t is claimed for these skirts that they
give all the freedom and comfort of tn,
slashed variety, but without the same de-
gree of notoriety. The perforations--ths
holes. to be exact-are of sufficient diam
eter to admit large quantities of fresh ali
without presenting too great scenic at
traction.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
THE STEEL Can
From the Philadelphia Ledger.

From the Philadelphia Ledger.
II ever there could be a good argu-
ment for the all-steel railroad pas.
senger car, that wreck at Tyrone sup
piled 1t. A heavy express train running
80 miles an hour plows into another
train ahead of it. Behold the result.
OF the 127 passengers injured not one
suffers a broken bone.
You may recall the Mud Run disaster
on the Lehigh Valley about 25 years
ago. The accident was similar to that
at Tyrone--a moving train telescoping
one at the station. But note the diff
ference in the effect. At Mud Run about
80 persons We're killed, In that day
there were no steel cars, and the wood
en- onces crumbled up like egg shells
before the onrushing locomotives.
Wooden cars at Tyrone would prob
ably have meant so dead passengers
The steel car saved that many lives and
scores from serious injury
The steel car is of modern origin.
The Pennsylvania began building them
only seven years ago. since which time
1t has bought no other kind. 1t now
has over $500 at cost of about s40,-
100000. This company. it may be OBJ
served, owns over half of the all-steel
cars in the United States.
1 doubt IL the travelling public real
ICES the full advantages of the steel
car. Without any doubt it is the biggest
single advance ever made by the rail-
roads for the protection of passengers
The air brake, of course, was a great
invention, but its chief use was to run
swift trains safely. The air brakes
sequel was increased speed with no
greater risk to the train.
But the steel car puts an armour
plate protection around every pas
senger. 1t insures him against death
and also serious injury.
Here is one place where the public
has right to demand large expendi-
ture of money by the railroads. The
goodnight curtain was run down for
the wooden car long ago, and 1t should
be removed from the stage completely
OF course, new equipment costs heavily.
and for that reason the travelling pub
lie should realize what Is being done
for its protection. A steel car costs
double the price of a wooden one and
carries but few more persons 1t is one
of the many instances where in re-
cent years railroads have felt Obliged
TO spend money from which they de-
rive but little revenue.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06

when such postoffiees are within one
quarter of a mile of the station.
q. The railroads are also required to
transfer the mail between stations or from
one train to connection. IL the stations
or connections are within one-quarter Of
a mile of each other. This unremuner-
ated service in the city of st. Louis
calls for 90 porters, especially to carry
the malls from the different roads to
their connections In Kansas City SIS men
are thus required. In Chicago there are
90 such attendants in one station alone.
'5. Railroads are required to provide
rooms in the stations for transfer clerks
employed by the postoffice department
"6. Rooms In stations are also provided
for sorting mail. This is a charge on
the railroad. but relieves the postoffice
department of the necessity to pay rent
for such space
THE railroads are compelled to pro-
vide mail receivers and mail catchers, so
that mails may be taken on and put off
moving trains, although in Great Britain,
where similar apparatus is employed, the
postoffice department pays for it's install
lation and maintenance.
Such are the incidental services re-
quired of the railways for which no pay
ment is made by the nation.
1T is estimated that the extra space
In mail apartment cars for travelling
postoffices Is worth s5,0OO.oOo, IL paid for
at the same rate as full railway post
office cars, and that the other incidental
services If performed by the postoffice
department directly would cost over S5,-
0OO.0oo."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
Mementoes of the war

81 treasure certain little mementoes
of the war experience I had those long
years ago" said H. F. Wilson, who was
a member of the Third Alabama regi7
ment, as he showed a small memorandum
book with a record of purchases, and
his parole at Appomatox pasted therein
II we'll remember the closing scenes
On Sunday General Lee came back
along the lines of thousands of Confed-
crate soldiers. General Gordon pre-
ceded him, and said Boys, the general
feels mighty bad; give him cheer as
he passes;' and we did. Presently Cen
eral Lee rode along, lifting his hat,
great tear drops trickling down his
face.
ION Monday, General Coke, who COM
manded our division, agreed to take
some of us down to General Lees
camp to bid him good by. He gave each
of us a hand grasp, and said something
to almost every one. There was
Dutchman in line who had two fingers
missing but it was not the result of
his services General Lee pleasantly re-
marked to him: L see you have me-
mento to carry home with YOU The
Dutchman told me he was too confused
to take time to explain to General Lee
the erronerous impression
II brought overland two horses from
North Carolina, accompanied by SER
want, to Colonel Webster at Greensboro,
Ala I then made my way by train, with
transportation granted by the federals
to Meridian, thence to my home in
Mobile
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
Tilting at WindmilIs

1t is the custom of the minority
party to embarrass the majority as
much as possible and to attempt to
convince the country that it made a
gigantic mistake i'll It's choice of ad-
ministrators. The republicans are do
ing their best to live up to tradition,
but they have hard job.
In the Senate the tone of the
speeches of the republicans in oppo-
sition to the tariff bill was so pessi-
mistic that Mr.. Stone of Missouri
bluntly charged that an effort was de-
liberately being made to undermine
confidence in the commercial condition
of the country and bring about a
panic. This was hotly denied, of
course, but Mr.. Gallinger, gallant
Cambronne of the Old Guard, she'd
ding crocodile tears the while, lachry-
mosely lamented that hard times were
just bound to come anyhow.
In the House Mr.. Mann and his fol
lowers have sought assiduously to
make mountain out of mole hill in
the Diggs-Caminetti affair. They have
failed miserably, and the denouement
was farcical. A large attendance of
women in the House galleries did not
deter Mr.. Mann from painting a
shocking picture of the relations of
Caminetti and Diggs and the girls
they are alleged to have enticed to
Reno. And in burst of eloquence he
concluded:
"You may weep for the elder Cami-
netti grieving over a wayward son. |
shed my tears for the young wife and
the 5-weeks-old baby of young Cami-
netti, for the wife and children of the
man Diggs."
Mr.. Clayton, in closing the debate.
charged that peanut politics" was at
the bottom of the attack on Attorney
General McReynolds. "The republi-
cans have fallen down in their at
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
. imprisonment FROM 30 DAYS to

ject to Imprisonment from 80 days to
one year.
The theory of eugenics is to be
given fair trial. The science hopes
to aid nature by law. Survival of the
fittest is inevitable. It is possible to
prevent the mating of detectives and
thus legally assist in the bettering of
the race. The subject is one that has
forced itself upon society. Its sane
discussion is necessary. Self preserva-
tion in law of nation as well as
of person. Squeamishness should
not prevent remedial measures. Rupert
Blue, surgeon general of the public
health service, says;
Statistics show that there are half
million insane, epileptic. blind. and
deaf people in asylums; $4,000 prison.
ers and 100000 paupers in this country.
These are costing 100000, 900 annually
to support And there is an alarmingly
rapid increase of the unfit from de-
feetive families.
As an example of how rapidly and
how terribly the offspring of detectives
fasten themselves on the nation, L
might cite one example-that of a drunk
en- woman who had two daughters.
From these two daughters have sprung
five generations, with S34 descendants.
We have traced 709 of these and found
1O7 were illegitimate; 64 were in aims
houses; 1872 were professional beggars;
l64 were prostitutes; IL were procurers;
rs were In prison serving sentences
that aggregated 116 years, and seven
were condemned for murder. Remember.
these sores on the face of society
sprung from one woman who was a
drunkard, and is but typical case of
the result of the propagation of the
mentally and morally unfit.
TO the layman eugenics represents
something scientific that. in connection
with love and marriage, is too material
1t is, however, the fundamental prinoi-
pie upon which 1 believe we must build
our future generations. 1t Is the science
of making the future generations we'll
born-providing for them a clean her
edity.
These statistics are startling. They
are enough to give pause to busy
world. "No one is fit to be married
who is unfit to be an ancestor" says
DIR. Blue, "should be the slogan of all
parents"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
better Price for Iron

The iron market is decidedly stronger
than 1t was two weeks ago. In fact it Is
becoming very strong and active. EARLY
IN the summer a Birmingham district
concern sold large tonnage at $40 on a
No. basis. 1t is up fully 81 ton
since then. Eleven dollars is the estab-
lished price and the tendency is still
upward.
We are having an active iron mar
ket once more" said a broker yester-
day. Eleven dollars for No. is the
price now and it win probably be $11.50
very shortly There is a most healthy
demand for the pig metal and the price
will probably be s12 or more before
this quarter is ended"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
FROM THE HYMN OF EMPEDOCLES

By Matthew
rs 1t small a thing
To have enjoyed the
i To have lived light in the spring
To thought
To friends,
That feigp bliss
OF doubtful future date,
And relegate to worlds yet distant repoae?
Not much, know, prize
What pleasures be had
with
like and
the village chur feels the truth than
Who's 10th leave this life
Which him little yields;
task'd sunburnt wife.
often-labord fields,
with whom he alkd the country spots he knew
thou hearst
Heaven Fate;
the gods fearst
make blest
wilt trust the Joys there
I
Leav
But, i'll,
Because thou not then deapajr
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
The Educative Value of Music


''The educative value of music is
brought clearly to my mind by the class
of music being nightly rendered by Memo-
lis excellent band at Capitol park" said
a man who has an appreciative ear for
music
when the concerts began there was a
common impulse of persons of all degrees
of intelligence or culture to talk away.
even when some of the most refined and
tender passages were being played. Then,
too, much boisterous behavior ON the part
of big children and even young men,
was quite common. Gradually the subtle
influence of music-that food for the soul,
that panacea for the wearied or troubled
mind-began to make itself felt, and the
department of everybody responded there
to. Now loud, harsh voice or bolster
Gus laugh that jars the listening ear at
tuned to music is no longer heard.
And Phil Memoli we'll expressed the
abiding value of programmes made up Of
only the artistic music in that they In
struct many and familiarize others with
music that is played by symphony orches-
tras so that when they attend festival
concerts they may more fully enjoy such
offerings.
II enjoy the interspersed novelties, such
as the Chilean dance, with it's Spanish
melody and rhythm the Scotch melodies
and the Custer march. This last is a mu-
sical reflection of Indian customs in a
characteristic composition, unique in the
voice chant interpolated.
"As for lighter programme, one may
find that anywhere, at any time, but high
class music by first class band. directed
by an accomplished master, is something
every person can or should appreciate,
and most of the very large audiences that
visit Capitol park certainly do"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-06
The Railway Mail Service

BY way of making clear the position
they have taken before the joint con-
gressional committee. which is investi-
eating the payment made to the rail-
ways for transporting the mails. the rail
roads of the United States will issue a
pamphlet claiming they are required to
receive no pay whatever.
A few preliminary extracts from that
document are as follows:
Those services rendered the nation
for which the railways receive no COM
pensation are the following:
Il. Providing apartments for mail dis
tribution in combination baggage cars.
Though the government has recognized
THAI the space used for the distribution
of mail en- route should be paid for, the
law stipulates that there shall be no pay
ment for such space unless the car. or
portion of the car used aggregates 40
feet in length. A very large number of
cars have distribution space of from but
10 to 80 feet Some 40o9 such cars are
now in use with aggregate space, ac-
cording to the Postmaster Generals re-
port, of Approximately 92,S66 feet, equal
to 154S full postal cars. Yet for this COM
partment space the government makes no
pay whatever.
"2. Carrying free postoffice employees not
in charge of mails.
when an employe or agent of the
postoffice department travels on govern
ment business as a passenger in pas
senger car, the government, it is MAIN
tanned, ought to pay his reasonable fare
The amount of transportation required by
the department and not covered by law
for which no compensation is rendered
aggregates over $l.ooo0oo in value per an
nun.
''3. Railroads must carry the mail be,
tween railroad stations and postoffice.