davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1916-11-12
The Average.

66'H HE egg trust according to the
Department of Agriculture's lat
est reports, is holding 100000 cases of
eggs - 143 900 900 dozen or, in other
words. 1,716O00,o00 single eggs. in cold
storage for the autumn and winter
rise"
The speaker was Samuel Irwin, the
Denver sociologist He resumed:
1T is corruption. political corruption,
which allows the egg trust and other
food trusts to boost up the prices of
the peoples food in this manner. But
for corruption. there would be laws
against such doings.
when / think of the AVERAGE politi-
clan in this regard l am reminded of
the senator who came home one night
and said:
"'The lobbyist for the adulterated
groceries combine approached me this
afternoon with an insulting PROPOSE
ton
The senator's young wife clapped
her hands for joy.
"'Ah. good. Then l can order that
new 1917 model ninety horsepowe
Limousine. can't l, darling" she cried"
Evening star., 1916-11-12
Her Birthday.

G ETH LOW, who died last month at
~ Broad Brook Farm. his Mount Kis-
CO estate. had devoted all his later en-
ergies to bringing back harmony be-
tween the railways and the railway
workers.
Mr.. Low, discussing one day at a
luncheon a terrible discord in this har-
mony he was working on, said, with u
melancholy smile:
THE thing was EXe's fault. Exc
treated the other side as the husband
in the story treated his wife's birth
day.
"The evening of her birthday this
husband brought home an interesting
little parcel. carefully wrapped in white
paper and gilt string. which he hand d
to his wife with a gallant smile.
"'Oh, you darlingr said she. Then
YOU didn't forget my birthday, after
all did youo'
'She opened the little parcel with de-
lighted interest. then she gave a kind
of groan.
pipe cleaners" she said
"'Yes, love- said the husband q
knew they'd please you. You never
did like me to use your hairpins, did
your"
Evening star., 1916-11-12

porters present. They saw the sig
nif1cance of the remark and those of
them who were supporting Mr. Cleve-
land made the most of it. spreading 1t,
with all its implications, broadcast
throughout the country
Try they did. the followers OF
Blaine could not undo the damage that
had been done. and thousands of votes
left Blaine for Cleveland November
was election day. Early returns gave
Cleveland the solid south, Connecticut.
New Jersey and Indiana. The rest OF
the north and east was republican ex,
cept New York, which was in painful
doubt for days,
Good-humored bluff and chatting gave
way to dangerous irritation as. the
suspense dragged on. AS the newspa-
per bulletins continued to show In
creasing gains for Cleveland. the ex-
citement grew intense; the people lost
their control and scenes of riotlng ana
wild disorder was the order of the
day. So threatening did the excitement
become in Chicago that Mayor Harrison
requested the newspapers to cease
vemher :. New York swung her vote to
Cleveland, making his total 2l9 votes
to Blaine's 1S2.
In the election of 1876 Samuel ]. TIL
den of New York was the nominee OF
the democrats. while Rutherford b.
Hayes of Ohio bore the standard OF
the republicans. The returns gave TIL
den 1874 votes, lack ing one of the neces-
sary majority required to elect. When
the counting of electoral votes in the
presence of the two Houses Of Con-
gress took place, according to the law.
it was found that there were conflict
ing certificates from the states Of
Florida, Louisiana, Oregon and South
Carolina and the two houses were
una BILE to agree in any case which GER
tificate should be received as genuine.
Because of alleged frauds and in
timidation in the elections in Louisiana,
Florida and South Carolina, the votes
of those states, which were nominally
given for the democratic party and
which would have turned the election
to Tilden, were claimed by the repub-
licans. The country was in a turmoil,
and threats of force and violence were
heard on all sides. The Senate was
controlled by the republicans and IA
vored Hayes election, while the House
of Representatives was controlled by
the democrats. who insisted on the
seating of Tilden.
1t was under these conditions and in
the midst of the greatest kind of ex-
citement that Congress. on January
29 1877, created what was known as
the electoral commission, which was
Evening star., 1916-11-12

legal preparations that were being
made to overthrow their will. They
told the federalists that if Burr was
made President in this manner they
would arm, march to Washington. de-
pose the usurper and put Jefferson in
his place.
To the charge that the federalsts
were seeking to hinder an election and
destroy the republic, the republicans
added another that of burning public
property and records. The charge was
founded on the following circum
stances: When it became evident that
a new administration was coming into
power every book and paper in the Of
nee OF the Secretary of War was burn
ed. Shortly after the fire the Secre-
tary of War was made Secretary of the
Treasury, and he had scarcely began
his new duties before the Treasury
Department. with its vouchers and rec
ords, was also burned. this fire being
called, at the time, Bonfire No. ."
The motive that was sought to be
drawn from the burning of these de-
partmental buildings was that the Sec
retary of War had misappropriated the
money, amounting to half million dol
lars, that had been intrusted to him
for the payment of the army, and
that he had first destroyed the War
Department records and then those of
the Treasury Department. thereby fur
nishing an explanation for the absence
of the vouchers and receipts that Were
necessary to balance his accounts.
From the above one can easily imagine
how bitter the two factions must have
been toward each other, and how the
have been famed into a flame that
would have enveloped the country in a
civil war, which would have complete
ly destroyed forever the government
that we now enjoy.
Tedious and costly as a journas1 to
Washington then was. the people came
by the hundreds. Hotels and lodging
houses were crowded. In one house. it
is stated, fifty men slept upon the floors
with no covering save their overcoats.
The time for the counting of the vote
was Wednesday. February II. The
members of the House proceeded to the
Senate chamber. and witnessed the
opening and counting of the ballots
the House Wing of the Capitol not hav-
ing been begun at that time. Jeffer-
son, occupying the chair of the Vice
President announced that no election
had taken place and that it now re-
mained for the House of Representa-
tives to decide whether the next Presi-
dent should he Thomas Jefferson or
Aaron Burr. The two houses then sepa-
rated, and the representatives, follow
ing the Speaker. went back to the COM
mittee room of the Senate, which was
used as their chamber. A call by states
showed that all the members except
two were in their places. Jones OF
Georgia was dead, while Nicholson OF
Maryland was i'll, having been brought
to the Capitol from his home. dis
tance of over mile, through snow
storm and placed upon a bed in COM
mittee room, where his faithful and
loving wife later guided his pen as he
recorded his vote for jefferson, the peo-
pies friend.
On the first ballot eight states sup
ported jefferson and six We're for Burr
but the tie still remained even after
the entire day had been spent in bal
loting. Toward evening the House
Evening star., 1916-11-12

passed a resolution which ordered that
no other business be considered and
that no adjournment was to be had un-
til an election WAS made. The menu
bers thereupon sent home for nightcaps
and pillows. and. wrapped in shawls
and overcoats, lay about the floor OF
the committee rooms sat sleeping in
their chairs. For five days and nights
the balloting thus continued. when, on
the thirty-sixth ballot, the Speaker
arose and announced that Jefferson was
elected.
Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson's polit-
ical rival believing Burr unsuited for
the presidency. exerted his personal
and political influence and succeeded
in getting Maryland, Delaware and
Vermont. which had formerly voted
for Burr. to cast blank ballots and
thereby gave Jefferson the needed ma
Jority of the states. Thus ended the
greatest political contest that the
United States has ever known, which
for time threatened civil war.
In 1925 ii became necessary for the SEQ
ond time for the House of Representa-
tives to elect the President, as the cleo
tion of 1924 failed to give any one of
the four candidates a ma jority of the
electoral votes. Monroe was retiring
as President. and according to the then
prevailing custom John Quincy
Adams. as Secretary of State, was
looked upon as the heir apparent to
the presidency" His rivals for the
office were Andrew jackson of Ten
nessee. William II. Crawford of Geor-
gia and Henry Clay of Kentucky Jack
son received 80 votes, Adams 81, Craw-
ford IL and Clay 81.
AS none had A majority, the election
under the Constitution was thrown
into the House of Representatives..
Clay, who was Speaker of the House,
threw his influence to Adams, thereby
defeating Jackson. the candidate of
the peoples choice. Upon his Access
sion. Adams appointed Clay Secretady
of State, thereby bringing upon himself
and Clay the charge of bargain and
corruption.
AS a result of Senator John Ram
dolph's bitter attack on the President
and his Secretary of State for the So
called deal" Clay challenged Randolph
to meet him on the field of honor.
The challenge was accepted. and the
meeting took place just above Chain
bridge, on the Virginia bank of the
Potomac river. When Randolphs pistol
acting for Mr.. Clay, protested and
threatened to lead his principal from
the field. Clay. however. stopped the
controversy with the generous remark
that the discharge of the pistol was
plainly an accident. When Clay's bull
let pierced his opponents coat, Ran
dolph deliberately fired into the air,
and stepping forward with outstretched
hand, remarked: MIR. Clay, you owe
me another coat"
Il am glad the debt is not greater"
replied Mr.. Clay. grasping the out
stretched hand.
Il might be interesting to know that
from that day forward these erstwhile
enemies became strong and true friends,
and years later, when Randolph was on
what proved to be his dying bed, he
begged that he be carried to the Cap
itol and placed where he could hear the
Magnetic voice of Clay as he spoke in
the halls of Congress.
Evening star., 1916-11-12
Country Preserve Nitrates Be Enemys Mercy

or to discuss elaborately the costs and
quantities of coal. coke, ammonium
steel. rate of ammunition consumption.
or the many other items which are in
volved in supplying the country With
nitrates in times of peace and of war.
But I have studied the subject suf-
ficiently to satisfy myself and 1 be-
lieve I have given facts enough to
show that the coal-coking by-products
oven viii produce all the nitrates
which may be needed in time of peace
for agricultural purposes. and that if
war should befall and foreign supplies
become availa BILE, they could be made
in such emergency to increase their
output amply to supply munition fac
tories to any desired extent, even
through war protracted many years"
Evening star., 1916-11-12
Exciting Races

F1HE closeness of the vote in the
race for president between
Woodrow Wilson and Charles
I. L. Hughes naturally takes one
back to the exciting campaign of 1884.
when Cleveland and Blaine were bat
tling for the prize, and to the Tilden
and Hayes contest of 1876, with its
charges of steal and its threats of
force and violence. Also to those who
are familiar with the early political
history of our country. the contest be-
tween Aaron Burr and Thomas Jeffer-
son will be recalled. likewise that of
1924 between Andrew Jackson and
John Quincy Adams.
In the campaign of 1884 the republi-
cans nominated James G. Blaine of
Maine. the most popular man of the
day, while Grover Cleveland Il sturdy
son of New York, carried the hopes of
the democracy. From the start the
campaign was charged with bitterness,
the issues of the day giving way to the
personalities of the candidates. AS in
the campaign that has just closed. much
speculation had been indulged in as to
who would be supported by this church
or that race. A prominent Tammany
orator had advised that no Irishman
or Catholic should vote for Cleveland
X
Notwithstanding the fact that Blaine
was favored by the Catholics of the
country. the vast majority of the Prot
estant clergy of the north strongly IA
vored him. it being known that he was
hostile to the political solidarity of any
race or creed On October 90, as the
campaign was drawing to a close, a
delegation of Protestant ministers call
ed on Mr.. Blaine at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel. New York, to assure their can
didate of their unwavering devotion to
his cause. The minister chosen to make
the address was suddenly taken sick
and a DIR. Burchard was selected to
take his place as spokesman.
Apparently holding the democracy re-
sponsible for all the evils of intem-
perance, religious bigotry and the war
between the states. DR.. Burchard, in
the course of his remarks. which were
made without previous preparation,
said that he was glad that Mr.. Blaine,
unlike his opponents, did not stand for
rum, Romanism and rebellion" Mr..
Blaine caught the words, but failed
to take in their significance. his mind
being busy working over the reply
which he was expected to make. Not
SO the alert and ready newspaper re-
Evening star., 1916-11-12

nitions and for fertilizer too. it must
be borne in mind that little fertilizer is
used by the American farmer in raising
the staple articles-wheat, corn, rye,
oats. hay and cotton.
The gas that may be made from
coking coal in the by-product oven is
a large and cheap source of power
when used with gas engines. 1t can be
generated wherever wanted and ap-
piled to Industrial use. In emergency
this power can be converted into cleo
trical power for the fixation of nitro
gen from the atmosphere, as the Ger
mans, in their peculiar situation, have
found necessary, or for running muni-
tion factories.
Il have not attempted in this infor-
NAL talk to detail the various processes
Evening star., 1916-11-12

bitter one Strange to say. as in the
present campaign. the paramount issue
was Adams foreign relation policy. He
was criticised in an endeavor to force
him to make war on France. 1t is
stated that in Maryland the contest,
for electors became SO bitter that the
publican district, set fire to the woods
in order to keep the farmers from the
polls.
Finally, after most exciting contest
for electors. running over a period of
several weeks, the vote stood tie be-
tween Jefferson and Burr, each re-
ceiving 73 votes. while Adams had 60
and Pinckney "a votes. The tie be-
tween Jefferson and Burr caused the
election to be thrown into the House
of Representatives. where the fol-
Evening star., 1916-11-12

lowers of Adams. known as the fed
eralists, were still strong, and who in
their dislike for Jefferson, determined
to throw their support to Burr. These
men, who had for eight years been ac-
cusing the republicans of seeking to
introduce the revolutionary principles
of France, We're now set upon a scheme,
born of political malice, to involve the
country in civil war. Their first plan
was to hinder any election and leave to
the Senate the duty of electing the
Chief Justice or some senator as
President until a new election could be
held. Their second plan was to elect
Burr.
There was not the slightest doubt
but what the votes cast for Burr were
for the vice presidency, and the people
became rightfully enraged at the il
Evening star., 1916-11-12

to hear the disputed facts and pass
judgment on the law that was to gov.
ern. The commission was composed of
eight republicans and seven democrats,
and on each question that arose the
vote was cast on strictly party lines.
The labors of the commission ended
and the result announced on March 1,
1877. just three days before the new
President was to take the oath of Of
flee. The votes. as awarded by the
commission. stood 1876 for Hayes and
1S4 for Tilden. Tilden thereupon re-
quested his followers to accept the
decision of the commission with good
grace, though many continue to this
day to believe and to assert that he
was rightfully elected President.
So much for these disputes which are
of comparatively recent times In the
Evening star., 1916-11-12

early period Of the government. hn~--
ever. the country was confronted with
a contest that for time threatened to
disrupt the Union.
In the campaign of 1900 the candi-
dates for the office of President were
President John Adams and Thomas
Jefferson. the latter being the most
popular political leader of the day.
Associated with Adams was Charles c.
Pinckney of South Carolina. who was
named for the vice presidency. The
candidate for the minor post Of the
republican or liberal party fas the fol-
was Aaron Burr of New York.
The campaign developed into a most
Evening star., 1916-11-12

chemist, out of him. He has studied
all known sources of nitrates. and has
told how to obtain from domestic
sources an ample supply for all pur-
poses; namely, by the oxidation of
ammonia produced as a by-product in
the process of coking bituminous coal.
IF one starts fire of soft coal in
an open CRATE" said he. "at first col
ored gases are given out; the coal
turns a dull black and settles into
mass. That mass is coke-soft coal
without thes gases and volatile mat
ter.
portant thing, contain ammonia, BEN
zol, toluol coal tar and other valu-
able things. which may be recovered
as by-products from the coking proc
ess.
Cooking soft coal frees it from these
gases, gives it many of the desirable
qualities of anthracite and is pre-re-
quisite for its use in the blast furnace
in the reduction of iron ore. The mistake
must not be made, however, Of sup
posing that coke is only valuable for
making iron and steel, for as matter
of fact the potential energy of soft coal
is increased by approximately 20 per
cent by utilizing the gas and the coke
separately.
I'm this country during the past year
about 15.000,0o0 tons Of soft coal were
converted into 100000 tons of coke
at a loss of the greater part of the
difference between these quantities.
"One of the craZiest processes of ma
tional waste has been that of letting
the gases in coke-making go up in
smoke from the old fas shiOned beehive
oven: for thereby during the past
twenty years by-products of the value
of hundreds of millions of dollars have
been wasted.
THE primitive method of making
fro
it's shape called beehive charge of
three tons or SO of coal and burn it
with restricted air until the gases were
driven out of the oven top and wholly
lost The first step taken toward
economy was to conduct enough of this
escaping gas in the adjacent beehive
to warm up its charge of coal.
although Germay, England and
France have been using them long
time. it was not until few years ago
that American engineers introduced
here by-product ovens by which all the
gas given off in the coking operation
is conveyed to tanks or holders. such
as may be seen at any municipal gas
plants and thence utilized.
THE by-products from these gases
consist of coal tar from which the
Germans make the valuable aniline
road building.
From this gas American manufac-
turers also get supply of illuminate
ing and fuel gas sufficient to supply
large communities. and they are actual
ly doing that very thing in several
parts of the country. They extract
benzol (56.o00.000 gallons in 1870, a
substitute for gasoline. only more pow
erful. anu tuluol, which, in connection
with nitric acid. Is used to form the
much dreaded trinitrotoluol. the ex-
plosive charge used in projectiles.
But the by-product of the most in
terest to us is ammonia, which when
Evening star., 1916-11-12
The Anti Scored.

E N ROUTE to Florida one winter. Il
Ia young suffragette seated herself
in the observation car between two
aged "antis." saying as she did so:
"A rose between two thorns.''
But one of the antis. a crusty old
codger' with gray whiskers, retorted:
mo. no. young lady-you mean a
tongue sandwich"
Evening star., 1916-11-12

~ HOCLD war come to the United
~ States. and the powder and ex-
a III plosives now on hand-and they
~ will not last long against pow
erful enemy-are exhausted, the army,
IL there be any, would have to fall
back upon the black powder of the
civil war.
The country would be utterly at the
mercy of the invader, because there
would be no nitrates with which to
make smokeless powder and high ex-
plosives. The first care of an enemy
strong enough to make a landing would
Evening star., 1916-11-12

be to stop the shipping of nitrates
(sa1tpeter) from Chile'
. The military experts and the scientific
bodies organized for preparedness have
seen this danger. and the last Congress.
in alarm. appropriated S2o.000,o00 to
erect If the President so decides. a
plant to fix the nitrogen of the atmos-
phere, that from the very element
which sustains life may be taken the
Evening star., 1916-11-12
COkING
CONVERTED NITRATEs

oxidized under the proper conditions
gives the Indispensable nitric acid for
explosives. and. after treatment with
sulphuric acid. produces the sulphate
ammonia of the fertilizer. Thus from
the coke oven we get nitric acid and
benzol. the two essentials of the most
diabolical explosives known.
while statistics are uninteresttng,
they are the shortest way and. there
fore. the best of telling some facts,
the growth of the coking industry and
the relative growth of the by-product
recovery of ammonia also the uses OF
ammonia for commercial purposes
In 1900 the annual ammonia produc-
ton of the United States by the coking
process, expressed in tons of sulphate
of ammonia. was 1890 tons t3,40O
tons of nitrogen): in 1915 il was
10000 and the estimates for 1916 and
1917, based upon by-product ovens
erected and ordered are, respectively,
234. 900 and 376,000 tons. But this repre-
sents the ammonia product OF less than
one-third of the soft coal coked annually
for the manufacture of iron. Apply
ing this, as in an emergency, the gov
ernment could do, to all coal coked
would result in more than 100000
tons a year.
The coal which is coked. however.
represents but small portion of the
soft coal used annually; and if there
is such a demand for ammonia as to
create Il market, good business Will
insist upon the coking of as mich of
this coal as may be required, for the
coke has nearly all the fuei capacity
which the coal had and is freed frc'n
the gas whicil makes its use uhd"-
sirable in many places On account of
dirt and smoke under combustion and
gases which make it unsuitable Tor
household and other uses.
'In war emergency the government
could take over this entire production
il would prohibit the use of raw SOFT
coal, or take other measures to compel
the coking of all soft coal before mn
consumption. In taking TINS course IL
would he procuring quantities OF DenIci
and toluol In so doing it would only
be enforcing Il scheme for economy III
the use of the great but not mex
haustibie natural product-coAi ,
AT present 1t takes about 100000
tons of nitrogen. equivalent to 4oo,ooo
of ammonia sulphate. to supply the
fertilizer trade, about 10000 tons OF
which are derived from the coking OF
coal, and the rest tGDoo0) from animal
tankages. bone carboniZatlon ana the
cottonseed meal industry.
practically all the nitrates used in
the United States in hlSh explosives
for purpose of peace and for war are
imported from Chile; and until the
price of domestic ammonia is reduced
by a more abundant supply their i'm
portation may be expected. But in
event of war of such character that
Chilean shipments be stopped. there
are ample quantities Of nitrogen avail
able from soft coal, lignites. and even
peat. to make all the explosives that
could possibly be needed.
X
eff there should not, particularly at
the outset. be enough nitrates for mu-