The Yale expositor., 1914-12-31

The Panama Canal was formally opened
for world traffic on August Is. The steam
er Ancon. belonging to the Panama rail-
road, passed from ocean to ocean In ten
hours. In September the railroad rate
case showed increased activity. The roads
east of the Mississippi and north or the
Potomac again petitioned the Interstate
commerce commission for permission 10
advance freight rates 8 per cent, and the
commission consented to reopen the case.
The commission granted the increase
with certain exceptions, on December 10
A delegation of railroad presidents VS.
tied President Wilson at the White House
and laid before him the unsatisfactory
situation which confronted American
roads. The president was sympathetic.
but expressed his confidence In the inter
state commerce commission to regulate
the matter satisfactorily.
On September % Secretary McAdoo
aroused great interest in banking circles
by announcing his intention to withdraw
government patronage and assistance
from national banks known to be hoard
ing currency or demanding excessive in
terest.
In October the court dismissed all but
one of the governments charges in It's
suit to dissolve the Atlantic steamship
trust. Final argument in the suit to dis
solve the Steel trust was made at Phila-
delphfa, and the discussion OF increased
railroad freight rates was resumed before
| the interstate commerce commission.
At the elections held on November the
Democratic majority in the house of rep
resentatives was reduced from 1f to 25
although the Democratic majority in the
senate was increased from 10 to 1G. Con-
stitutional amendments giving the suf-
| FIR IN taH in
and Montana and prohibition triumphed
In Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and
Colorado. In Missouri the so-called full
crew. law passed by the legislature was
| rejected.
Politics In other Lands.
On January 81 Michel Oreste, president
of Haiti, warned of the approach of a
| large body of revolutionists, abdicated has
tily and took refuge on German cruiser.
| On February Orestes ZamOr was elected
| president OF Haiti, and on the same day
! Jose Vicente Concha was elected presi-
| dent of Colombia.
Early In the year the Chinese admins
| tratve council re-establiShed Confucian-
ism as the state religion of the republic.
At the opening Of parliament February 10
King George urged mutual concessions in
! the Irish home rule controversy. On
! March the home rule bid was introduced
! for its third passage through the COM
mons. On May 25 the bill passed the COM
! mons for the third time. On September
IS King George signed the home rule and
Welsh disestabshment bills and the par
| lament was prorogued.
On March II, as the finale to a bitter
political and personal controversy, the
wife OF the French minister of finance,
Nine Caillaux, shot and killed the editor
of Figaro, CASTOR Calmette. Her hus-
band resigned his office at once and n
new cabinet was formed. The trial Of
| Nine. CaillauX resulted in her acquittal
on July 2S. On March II treaty of peace
between Turkey and Servia was signed at
Constantinople, a sequel to the Balkan
| war. On May the new Chinese consti-
tuition was published. II abolished the
premiership and gave increased power to
the president. On May Prince Alexan-
der of Teck Queen Mary's brother. was
appointed governor general of Canada.
On May IS Colonel Benavdes, leader
| of the Peruvian faction which expelled
President Billinghurst, was elected pro-
| visional president. Three days later a
group of senator's and deputies declared
| Roberto Leguia provisional president. The
| Peruvian supreme court, however, recog-
nzed Benavides. On July 81 Ahmed Mir
"a, sixteen years of age, was crowned
shah of Persia. On August 26 the French
cabinet was reconstructed on a commit
tee of national defense basis. Rene VII
| viani, Socialist, remained premier.
| On September 10 Turkey notified the
outside world that she had done away
with the arrangement whereby foreigners
| in that country have been exempt from
| local jurisdiction in civil and criminal
| cases and under which many special priv
ileges have been enjoyed by citizens OF
other countries residing in Turkey.
Two days later note was presented ia
| the Turkish government by Great Britain
France, Russia and Italy. in which 1t was
affirmed that the special rights of aliens
can be abolished only by the powers that
| We're parties to the original contract
Austria and Germany presented a sepa-
| rate protest.
| On September % the Albanian senate
| which had driven its recently elected ruler
Prince William of Wied-out of the
country, chose a Turk for king--Prince
| Durham Eddin. son OF the deposed Abdul
Hamid of Turkey. The European powers
protested. but their wishes were disre-
| garded. On October T. after four months
exile. Essad Pasha, accompanied by ar
| armed force, entered Albania and took
possession OF the government. On the
day following the death of King Charles
of Roumania his nephew, Ferdinand, took
the oath of Office as sovereign.
|
the border of German Southwest Africa
but was frustrated by the loyalty Of the
Beers Of the Union. On october A. Rus.
TEN Bey, Turkish ambassador to the Uni
ted States, left Washington, where he
had incurred criticism by his frank views
Of American affairs.
Industrial Trials and Triumphs.
The Ford Motor company at the begin.
ming of the year adopted a profit-sharinl
plan by which $10O00,0OO is to be distrib
uted annually among the $4,000 wage-earn'
ers OF that concern The great South Afri-
can railroad strike came to an end. Or
January 10 a strike Of the Delaware and
Hudson railroad men, as a protest against
the discharge Of two employees, was set
tied within sixteen hours by the fedora
board of mediation and Cancellation.
Two great labor controversies had beer
left over from the preceding year-one ir
the Michigan copper mines, which begar
July g. 1918, and another In the Colorado
coal fields, where 1900 men had been or
| strike since September % of the previous
year Violence ensued and federal aid
was demanded. On April 20 the striking
miners clashed with the state militia neal
Trinidad. Colo. and twenty-five persons
were killed or burned to death In a fire
which followed. President Wilson ordered