davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
Coolidge Likes "Alice"

A rare morsel has been found in the hash of meaningless data fed the public concerning the private habits and tastes of nationally known persons. One of Calvin Coolidges favorite books is Alice in Wonderland. For this information we are indebted to Dr A. s. w. Rosenbach who related in a recent address before two library associations that Mir Coolidge had once invited him to lunch at the White House and had directed him to bring the original manuscript of Lewis Carroll's fantasy which Dr Rosenbaeh had purchased at London auction. According to Dr Rosenbaeh the president exhibited great in- terest in the manuscript.
 He asked me details of the first pubica- ton of Alice in Wonderland the speaker said. T explained to him that the first edition. not being altogether to Carrolfs lik- ing, was suppressed. Suppressed?' remarked Mir Coolidge. I did not know there was anything off-eolor in Alice The tragedy is that the Sage of Northampton seemingly has never realized the benefits that might have resulted from advertising his extraordin- arily human delight in Alice's adventures. All of Mir Coolidges movie antics in cowboy costume are less endearing than this single literary taste.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
(NEA Seryice Writer,

Washington-Gove experts have been reassuring the country that the Nicaragtian earthquake should and would have no effect on the project for a asNicaraguan canal.
 but what may fAtard 1t iss the fact that the old story about the Panama Canal becoming outgrown has been effectively knocksds;ln the head. Argument for second cafal from the Atlantic. Ito the Pacific is now
 based almost entirely on the argu-
 ments that d Nicaragtan canal
 would provide faster transit for ships plying from Gulf ports or the east coast to, the west coast and that it would have a distinct military value.
 The contention that 1t would be much better in time of war to have two canals in case one were blocked up or destroyed is met with the as- sertion that our military and naval forces in the Caribbean would have to be divided to protect two and that if one canal could be blown up or something so, presumably, could the other.
 Would Save Time
 Nevertheless, although the fact apparently was. given no decisive weight when the Panama route was selected originally, it Is estimated that vessels sailing from one Ameri- can coast to the other would save an average of two days despite the fact that transit through the Nic- araguan canal would take 24 hours to the Panama Canals eight. And that. fact is likely to have more ef- feet on congress than the military argument.
 Meanwhile, at the end of this fiscal year the Panama Canal prob ably will have been used by fewer ships than in any year since 1926- l27. Some 5475 ships passed through l in that year, 6456 in 1928, 6413 in l1929 and 61S5 in 1880. The first eight months of the fiscal year 1891 showed 3S09 ships passed through as compared with 4224 for the first eight months of fiscal 1880. If the present year goes on at the rate thus far it's total will be about 5715 ships.
 Fewer Ships Use Canal That will mean that the number of ships using the canal has de- | creased for three successive years although not with proportional decrease in tonnage or tolls-but it is pointed out that the recent drop
 has been partly due to the general ! depression.
 It has been estimated officially that with the growth of canal traffic l-figuring in increases of business, population growth in South Amer | ica, steamship line expansion and so on-hte capacity of the Panama ditch would be reached about 1880. At hte same time it has always been known that installation of a third
 set of locks at cost of about $100.- | OO0,00 would double the present l capacity and to all intents and pur- poses give the Panama Canal capa- city big enough for all time. | Sooner or later congress will be found debating the question whether
 1t is best to build the third set of locks or a new canale to cost be-
 tween $5O0,00O,00O and $800,0O0. :
 900.
 Would Take 10 Years
 Work on the new locks would
 have to begin about 10 years before
 they were actually in operation and
 the Nicaraguan canal probably could
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
MONDAY, APRIL P, 1881
Why -You-Go?

Here's remark that we have made hun : dreds of times in the last four or five years with apparently little effect. The General Assembly is all the time authoriz- ina municipalities to borrow money for the financing of necessary public improvement
 which cannot be paid for out of current rey- enues without unduly increasing taxes Yet it seems to feel that State office building built for permaneney or hospital for the insane to meet both present and future needs. should be settled for now. That is all well enough when the money is readily available. but too often the money has not been available with out resort to higher taxes on existing sources of revenue taxes which could not be imposed without arousing serious protest
 The above is just an excerpt from an edi- toriaI in the Hartford Courant of last Satur- day in which this staunchly republican paper asserts that we are now at point in our state history where the much vaunted pay-asyou- 20 system needs to be discarded. The subject was brought up by discussion of appropria- tions for the biennium. l93l-32. During this two-year period we are going to spend lot of money, more than the state has ever spent before, for our expenses are mounting steadily. more rapidly than is state revenue. sCcmmissioner of Finance and Control Hall has pointed out that we are dangerously near the point where appropriations will exceed income.
 x We mustn't forget that in the next two 4years the dirt roads are to be favored with S6, ,OOO 900 fund, especially for their im- sprovement That in itself is siZeabe item, but when we stop to consider that this huge samount will Joe deducted from highway de- Tpartment income normally used for state roads trunk lines etc.. we may pause for sn,oment and wonder just what the end of athis will De. We are also confronted with the problem of the Merritt Highway, boule- ward project that will also run into millions. Both democrats and republicans have made stIss controversial issue and it may mean more than few votes in Fairfield county in .sf93z.
 There are other capital outlays to be made 9in the next few years thatwill force the state sto scrimp and postpone to future date what should be done to-day. It took a long time to secure action in regard to our state sana- toria Other state institutions need atention as badly When will it come if the state must sspSy-as-it-goes2sgsWe advise state officials to keep this thought in mind. propounded by the editor of the Courant. Going tempor- zrily into debt. except for highways in order that the cost of needed public improvements may not fall too heavily at any one time upon inc taxpayers need not necessarily be regarded as a calamity. To ask the present generation 10 pay for benefits that posterity will enjoy seems hardly an equitable arrangement.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

It's out in Illinois and you shouldn't need three guesses to know what county in that state wants to seeede and become separate state. You're right the first time. It's Cook county which can be expressed more simply by saying it's Chicago. A petition was filed with the Illinois Legislature last week by Representative John (. Carriott Jr. in be- half of the Park Improvement Assn. of Chi- cago for the creation of the state of Chicago. Lack of legislative reapportionment was the basis for the demand for separation of city and state. The Legislature placed the mat ter Ion fle". where it will probably remain until Doomsday. At that most of the United States thought Chicago was in a state by itself without having Illinois authorities draw up new boundaries.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

New York.-For many a month the cry has gone up that Broadway is going to the hot dogs.
 Take this literally. or otherwise, it still remains that the invasion Of soft drink stands and wieners hap pens to be giving the gents of the Broadway association more than 8 few gray hairs. ssS
 Broadway has been gradually sur- rendering to the forces of Coney Island, the county fairs and other forms of catch-penny entertainment. And with the various forms of bal1y- hoo, the real estate values have slipped. Rentals have become fly-by- night in scores of "set-ups.' Strong men have moved in with promises of health to everyone, including their own dietetic program.
 Variations on the old tintype racket of Main street have been most popular with the big town yokels who seem to want their pie
 lures taken. There lis "a record making device, where folk can send their voices back home; there are any number of phony auction houses. an equal number of .'pitch'' stunts, a greater number of bark CTS: turing the unwary into movies 0A0 CAAAOAtAOnS OA PSC0uOs aILs And because this happens to- be as 1t is, there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth. For there are those who remember when Broad way had a certain dignity and cre- ated a certain tradition. They for- get, of course, that way down where the Bowery begins to run into the river, Broadway started as sort of slattern; a fabulous series of freak shows and tattoo parlors and "musees'' with such performers as Weber and Fields as bait.
 But the fact remains that. at the moment, Broadway IS worried. And lit is not the floating dice same, the |gangs or the bootiekgers that wor- |ries 1t this time. The donoS of the Association have concluded that the general tone of the street should be about two octaves higher.
 The legendary Broadway threat lens to fade before their very eyes if something isn't done about 1t. The campaign. # you please. al- ready has begun. There is a class of humans known as "puilers in. !" They are the gentlemen, descended Inc doubt from certain East Side avenues, where suckers are literal- Ily halted in their tracks Eand in- Iduced to enter various stores. And they wrok Broadway with q sort of guile likely to persuade even the initiate.
 No thoroughfare in the land has quite so many bankers and bitch men, It's possible to buy any
 thing from rubber pigmy that lands on its feet to a trick airpiane that sometimes flies and sometimes doesn't.
 It's possible to watch q phohy card trick being demonstrated before the spieler informs you that he has the Itriclxiest sort of implement for threading needles. and it's possible to lesrn, week upon week. that Joe Blivis is quitting business. sSE The closing out'' sale is only lone of the minor naaladies from (which the big main stom aufkers. It is. also, over-run With pan- handlers, whose beggary runs into aa fortune daily. It ie extimakNd
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
GuoTATIoNS
 As=-----D

Fashion is endlessly illogical. The only thing permanent is the unfore- seen.-Pau1 Poiret.
 When machines clatter in the brain we do not see the sunshine on the hillside.-John Galsworthy.
 Water is the handmaid of Amer ican civilization, and gin is the Kite chenmaid.-Michael Arlen.
 Business is definitely on the up- grade, if people have the power to make the grade.-Adolph Ochs.
 We have reached a limit Gin wage cutting) beyond which it is impos- sibIe to go without running Into danger that the antidote may be- come a poison. Premier MuasO- 1ini, who three monfhs ago began administering lowered wages and lowered prices as an antidote to the Italian business depression.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
.SaSSE53S1Ee|
FINAL ARRAS ATTACKS

FINAL AHfkAS ATTACAS
 On April 27. 1917, the English launched the first of the final att tacks on an eight-mile front north of MoncAy-le-Prenxi General Sir Douglas HAig, SBritish commander. reports 1t as foiiowS: n
 ''The assault was launched at 4:25 a. m. by British and Canadian troops and resnIted in heavy fight ing which continued throughout thf greater part of thes 23th and 29th of April. The enemy delivered counter-attack after cotinter-attack with the greatest determination and most lavish expenditure Of men. Our positions at Gavrerle alone were again attacked seven times with strong forces, and on each occasion the enemy was repulsed with great loss. ss ;5
 "In spite of. the enemy.s desperate resistance, the village Of Arleux-en- Gohelle was captured by Canadian troops, after bitter hand -to-hand fighting; and English troops made further progress in the neighbor- hood of Oppy, on Greenland Hill, and between Monchy-le-Preux and the Scarpe. In addition to these ad- vances, another 1000 German pris- oners were taken by us in the course of two days lighting
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

The state prison farm has just been con- veyed to it's new owners. It is expected that a small force of prisoners will be put to work immediately in preparing the buildings of the old Shaker estate for their new inhabitants. It is scarcely possible that the land will be titled this year. although there may be few crops raised. However. by l934 when the Hawes- Cooper law. forbidding interstate shipment of prison made goods goes into effect the farm will be positively blooming.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

There's new racket born every day and you just can't cope with the ingenuity of some people. To rid the state of rattlesnakes Wisconsin has been paying bounty. Men would catch the snakes, cut off the rattles and then release the reptiles. In time new rattles would grow and the snake could be reeaught and the process repeated Finally the law caught up with the scheme and the Legisla- ture has just passed law forbidding rattle snake raeketeering. Now if you collect a bounty you have to show half of the snake s body It's good snakes aren't salamanders.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27


 According to reports from Washington Connecticut's two democratic representatives in the House are assured of good committee assignments when they are handed out in De- cember Prominent democratic leaders are ready to place both Attorney Lonergan and Judge Tierney on such committees that they will be much in the public eye. Of course that depends to some extent upon which party organizes the House when it convenes. Re- publicans are still confident that they will name the Speaker and Majority Floor Leader, although their paper majority is about one with Labor-Farmer vote apt to decide the issue one way or the other. However, the democrats are just as confident and Repre- sentative JoEn Garner of Texas is ready to step into the shoes of his revered friend. the late Nicholas Longworth. with whom Gar ner maintained friendly rivalry throughout their many years of legislative and personal aequaintaneeship. At that rate this state is go- ing to be honored. no matter which side does the organizing. If the republicans re- main in power 1t is expected that Floor Lead CT Tilson will advance to the Speakership. Of course if the democrats gain control we will look to see Messrs LoSergan and Tier ney outranking Messrs Tils6s. Goss and Freeman. although Mir Tilson will undoubt- edlt be Minority Floor Leader.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
At The National Cdpit0I DAILY WASHINGTON LETTER .@ N A Digest of Who's Who and What's What
 By RODNEY BUTCHER
DAILY WASHINGTON LETTE

be built in no shorter time. Con- struction of the third set, of locks has been envisaged all along; there's a rock foundation for them in case they are built. iS
 The interoceanic canal board of army and civilian engineers. as di- rected by congress, Is completing a survey and report on the canal sit- uation which will make new esti- mates on the various phases such as cost, commercial, value and capaci- porting on the new locks and Nicar- aguan canal projects, the engineers will give the results of study as to the feasibility of lowering the Pan- anna canal to sea level eA
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
(Hartford CouFant>

The senate Is supposed to be the popular branch Of the general as- sembly. but 1t actually falls short of being so. Although Hartford is now the largest city m the state, it elects but three members of the port and one less than New Haven! Silimoalletaoi shrd1 shrdluu etaoin Similarly. although the Twenty Seventh District, consisting of the towns of Greenwich and Stamford, has a population of more than SS,- 900, 1t elects but one member of the senate, no more than is elected by the Thirty Fifth District, consisting oe the towns of somers. Stafford Union. Ellington, Holland. Willing Mansfield. Andover. Hebron and Cos lumbia, with q total population oa less than 10000.
 nI view of such manifest inequais ities in representation. the necessity for senatorial redistricting Is nos .open, to dispute. Furthermore, be- cause of the constitutional limita-t ton which requires that senatorial redistricting be done in the session following a census. the necessity for doing so at the present session of the general assembly is urgent. To. shirk the duty of redistricting will mean that the inequalities now ap- parent will be perpefuafed for tens years longer. situation which the citizens of the populoua communi-s ties may not bear with patience, Only in the, senate have they an op- portunity to make their Influence felt in the government of the state If even it is denied them, they may be moved to take other steps to corr rect the situation.
 The difficulties of redistrictinE are not to be denied. The constitu- tional provision that no county shall share a senator with another coun-s ty. or part thereof. together with the provision that no town shall be die videA except to form more than one district wholly within it. makes the problem of redrawing the lines a hard one. None the less. the task should not be shirlked merely be- cause 1t is difficuIt. To solve such problems is the function of, the cCm- mittee on senatorial sand congres- ei0ha& diBtricts. alsd it should fulfill n iae justice to the people of the ese .. (
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
fIMYNE- -MtSYORk&<? GsA AliaiixAlf sl: iaAl z ii3 li;6

that at least $5o.o0o changes palms each working day thanks to gents with cards announcing that they lost q leg in the Chicago fire and old ladies with cards that tell all about their wfdowhood.
 In fact one young man has made more than a slight fortune turning out such cards. They sell for "a few cents per dozen and generally bring about 10 cents a piece--or more!
 The same bright young man sup plies blind men with pencils and tin cups; lame men with trick arms in fact. he has practically all the properties one needs to become q beggar. He's made g neat fortune doing 1t.
 GILBERT SWAN. (Copyright. 1891. NFcA Service. Incy
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

nomination at Kansas City in 1928. but he wasn't given even one sign of encouragement from the Connecticut delegation. That story is too well known to relate here. Suffice it to say thar New England and Connecticut in particular ought to rally to his support if he seeks the Speakefship.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
Personal Health Service
 (By William Brady, M. D.

Signed letters pertaining to personal health and hygiene. not disease diagnosis or treatment. will be answered by pr Brady. Ad- dress hin. care of the Democrat. sending stamp and addressed envelope.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

Mir Wrigley's next move, we s'pose. will be to dump chewing gum in Oklahoma and take his pay in oil.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

Charles M. Schwab advises wives to spend all they can and never mind what their hus- bands say He ought to go little farther and tell them never to mind what the bill collect ors say.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
SUED TO GET HOME BACK

Bridgeport-UP)-Jacob B. Jones attached his own home in .a suit, charging his stepr daughter refused to turn back to him property he conveyed to her four years ago to prevent 1t from becoming involved in litigation.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

Divorce on large scale, Pray pardon this pen, It's merely bankruptcy in we'd
 dings,
 Twixt women and men. o--O--O When you've got toothache, every smile Is grimace.
 o-O--o
 You never see bathing beauty with curvature of the spine.
 o-O-o Nowadays, uneasy lies the head that swears to a crown.
 o--O--0 As .a
 The new race Of women will have moustaches, says Arthur o. Manwaring. We'll, the pres ent race, at least part of it, has pretty good start right now.
 o--O--o When flappers wore short skirts a lot of people dragged their reputa- tions on the ground. Now the flaps are dragging their dresses in similar fashion.
 o-O--o- This comp1etes our opening pro- gram of the week. It came to you from DBD and was broadcast by the Waterbury Evening Democrat, pio- |neer in this type of newspaper work, We arc signing off at this time, to be back on the air again tomorrow evening at the usual hour. o--O-o Good night.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27
FARTHER NORTH ON THE TRAIL OF
 THE COMMON COLD

Prof Einstein's relativity theory is 8 little too complex for ordinary folk to understand but there are nineteen persons in North America who only understand it but assure us 1t is so
 Prof James A. Doull has offered a startling hypothesis which comes pretty darn close, dan- gerously close, should say, to telling what this "common cold" is that all our best health au- thorities are always telling about. pr Doul
 is professor of hygiene and public health in
 Eesere and ne ogsr gave sponsorship of the New York State Department of Health, in the course Of which ne remarkea that everybody has two or three colds year. and that in some cases the symptoms. notably fever and aching are suggestive of influenza. milton of 'the common cold" the professor pushes on just as though he had told us sn what meaning the notion he has just expressed. that some common colds' are suggestive Of innu- enza, supports the hypotnssis. $. a,ared nv tne hypothesis. A hypothesis is quite harmless and docilc, just professors name for notion that is his own notion, not your notion or mine.
 "-the hypothesis that certain proportion or colds may be of the same nature as epidemic influenza"
 There you are. Some of us 1owbrows have long suspected. nay, some of us nave even out in the oSs m reay dph theria, measles, infantie paralysis. influenza or what have you. the reason Tor the masqueraue being that some of most respected citizens, by and with the consent and approval or the public health authorities prefer to keep up tneir usual social pleasure, business or educational pursuits until the illness floors them and all their friends, customers, pupils or neighbors have had ample chance to share the infec- tion.
 Maybe the good Professor Douli had some such thought in mind when he hinted that some "common colds, are os the same nature as in. huenza. but having ventured that far he sud- denly remembered he was talking by courtesy of the N. Y. State Health Department, and so he left it at that.
 Toward the conclusion of his lecture the Pro- lessor did regain some of his courage Tor he advised victims of 'the common cold" to go to | bed and stay there. By doing, he said right out as plainly as professor ever said anything | you will save many others from catching your infection. A Yes sir, the professor said INFECTION. I'll bet the N Y. State Health Department was | just wild about that but the time 0 nthe air was up and there nothing they could do | about it then.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-27

All vehicles must be lighted not later than 7:l3 tonight.