davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Demand That Never Ceased
Throughout Centuries.

Washington.-Wha is described In
press dispatches as the first full time
fur exchange in the world was recent
ly opened in London. Its address. apt
ly enough, is Beaver House
This event emphasizes the stellar
role fur has played on the stage of
Europe and North America. according
TO a bulletin from the National Geo
graphic society, which points out that
the worlds demand for furs, through
out the centuries, has never ceased
valued first for warmth, then as
adornment," says the bulletin, fur be-
came a luxury. to he enjoyed only by
the wealthy few. Kings and emperors
exchanged furs as gifts; royal cap
tives redeemed themselves with furs;
and only kings and mobiles and the
highest clergy were permitted to wear
certain kinds of fur. Some kinds, like
the ermine of a judge, became almost
q badge of Office for state officials.
mans social Importance could be
gagged by the amount and kind of
fur he wore
Affects Map of World.
Like gold and spices, fur helped I'M
roll the map of the world and affected
its political and economic history; for
fur traders, trappers, and hunters
were frequently pioneers and explor-
ers as we'll Russians, seeking furs,
stretched their power over Siberia.
In North America. French, English and
Dutch ranged the lakes and woods
for pelts, and battled for possession of
this rich fur storehOuse. Men like La
Sale, Champlain and Joliet, Daniel
Boone, Kit Carson and Jim Bridger.
and Alexander Mackenzie, pushed back
frontiers and cleared up blind spots on
our map.
Quest of furs changed American and
Canadian trading posts like New York,
Albany, Detroit and ST. Louis, Win
nipeg Montreal, and Edmonton, into
prosperous cities; founded powerful
trading firms like the Hudson's Bay
company; built up fortunes like those
of John Jacob Astor and Lord Strath-
coma. From furs Canada derived its
early prosperity; even its present-day
boundaries roughly coincide with its
early fur-trading areas. From furs
originated much of the foreign COM
merce of the United States.
Beaver as far back as Chaucer's
day, was practically synonymous with
hat And because Charles | ruled
that no fur except beaver could be
used in the manufacture of hats, de-
mand for beaver pelts increased to
such an extent that new sources of
supply were sought and found in North
America SO important did the beaver
become that it found place on the
seal of New Netherlands and of New
York city, and on Canada's coat of
arms.
"a beaver pelt became not only an
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16

ing, windproof coats and rugs became
all the more necessary for outdoor
wear. And high wages of World war
days and postwar prosperity changed
increasing numbers of housewives and
Stenographers from cloth to fur coats.
"As result of this latter develop
ment, there is now less call for sables
and other expensive furs, and more
for cheaper grades like muskrat and
rabbit, that can be dressed and dyed
to resemble costly kinds. The musk
rat frequently masquerades under the
trade name of Hudson seal: the rabbit
once hid behind some seventy-five diff
ferent aliases. from Arctic seal to
Russian leopard To obyiate con-
fusion. manufacturers now use more
exact descriptive terms.
"For 800 years Canada and the Unit
ed States have supplied large pro-
portion of the raw furs-beaver, fox,
lynx, marten, mink, muskrat, skunk,
raccoon, weasel, and numerous others
that pour into various European GEN.
tiers to be dressed and manufactured
into finished articles. The United
States today is still the worlds larg-
est producer of raw furs."
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Living Pebbles Found on Islands

the most effective concealment devices
in nature, Smithsonian biologists say.
Doctor Schmitt also collected nu-
merous fresh water crustaceans on
islands practically devoid of fresh wa
ter, whose life cycle illustrates another
remarkable biological phenomenon.
They appear at the beginning of the
rainy season in mud puddles and rain
filled depressions in the lava crust.
Here they lay their eggs. The rainy
season is brief and the burning trop-
ical sun soon dries up the puddles.
The adults, unable to exist without
water. perish.
But, curiously enough, the eggs will
not hatch unless they are dried out
and again dampened. They are baked
into the mud. Life remains dormant
in them until the next rainy season.
This dormancy may last for several
years. But as soon as rain falls they
hatch and the life story is repeated.
The animals of this kind collected
on the Galapagos may throw light on
the past history of the islands. If
they are closely related to the spe-
cies found on the American continent
they may afford evidence of an an
cient land connection.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Fur Has Played Stellar
Role in World History

article Of trade, but medium of ex
change and standard of value. One
skin bought pound of tobacco or
four pounds of shot; five skins was
the price for plain red coat Brass
tokens for one. one-half. one-Quarter,
and one-eighth beaver were issued bv
the Hudsons Bay company. and known
as beaver money Beaver house.
home of the recently opened fur ex-
change in London. commentaries the
historic and commercial prominence Of
this little animal.
Fur Has "Gone Democratic"
Beaver continues popular, but other
furs now rival or exceed 1t in number
and value. An aristocratic luxury for
centuries. fur has gone democratic.
Although steam heated houses put an
end to the need for heavy undercloth-
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Blindness Wanes Among
Young Folk in England

London.-While blindness among the
young-those under twenty -one-con-
tinues to decline, there is heavy in
crease in blindness among persons
over fifty.
This fact is disclosed by a report
of the advisory committee on the well
fare of the blind.
1t shows that on March 81, 1882, the
registered blind population of England
and Wales was 62,079. compared with
52,727 in 1929-an increase of 1852, or
is per cent No fewer than 9,125 of
the 1852 were in the age groups over
fifty.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16

counties bordering Nevada are report
ed to be suffering from the weevil, al.
though San Bernardino county has es-
capped so far. despite the fact that it
has considerable frontage on the Ne
yada state line.
No means have been found for ex-
terminating the weevil thus far. al
though 1t may be controlled to some
extent by arsenical sprays.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Birthplace and Snuff
Mill of Artist Restored

North Kingston, r. 1.-The birth
place of Gilbert Stuart, famed portrait
painter of Colonial times. has been re-
stored by the Rhode Island Historical
society.
Norman NJ. Isham, who directed the
work, made researches in England and
America to secure accurate informa.
ton concerning the old snuff mill at
the Stuart birthplace.
The mill has been restored as 1t was
in Stuart's time and snuff has actually
been ground In 1t.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Survey Is Ordered in
Effort to Save Alfalfa

Victorville, Calif.-In an effort &c
save the 5000 acres of alfalfa in the
Mojave region from possible infection
by weeviL County Commissioner John
p. Coy has ordered a complete survey.
The destructive weevn exists In
some counties Of Nevada, Utah, Colo
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Dubuque Woman Nearest
Relative of Washington

Dubuque. Iowa.-Mrs. Carrie Bar
ker, a resident here, is the nearest
living relative of George Washington
Her great-grandfathe was Robert
Lewis, the grandson of Field-Lewis
the only sister of George Washington
Mrs. Barker has spent most of her life
in Dubuque. although she lived sever.
al years in Europe and once was an
official of the Paris exposition
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Pardoned, He Stays in
Penitentiary by Choice

Michigan City, Ind. Although
granted his freedom three years ago
through pardon. Fred Kettleshake,
seventy-two years old, remains. salts
fed to be an inmate of the state
prison here.
Kettleshake came to the prison 33
years ago. Six years later he be-
came i'll and was confined to the
prison hospital where he has re-
manned. Later he could walk lit
tie. but age finally pinned him to a
wheel chair.
After 80 years. the pardon he had
longed for as a young man, came.
There were no friends waiting out
side, however. no job for an invalid,
and no hope for care, so Kettleshake
stayed
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
University Wages War on
Habit of Loose TaIking

Boston.-War on loose talk has
been declared by Boston university.
The gradual degeneration of con-
versation as an art in America" and
consequent loose speaking habits
that have been acquired" are due for
correction at the University College
of Practical Arts and Letters next fall.
according to Dean T. Lawrence Davis.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
$40 Bill Is Paid With
EGO Pounds of Pennie.

Boston, Mass.-To pay $40 bill
the Weeks Printing company of Hall
fax, N. S., shipped $1,000 United
States pennies, weighing 260 pounds,
in a stout wooden crate. to Jacob
Bloom 4 Co of Boston. With the
Canadian dollar quoted around SO
cents the firm saved substantial sum
by using American pennies.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
"Iifer" Kill. Convict

Angleton. Texas--Tommy Refs. for
mer Chicago gunman serving So
year robbery sentence at the Texas
prison farm near here, was stabbed
seven times and killed by Clyde
Thompson. fellow convict serving
a life term for murder.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16

have received receipts for last years
tax bills. Town officials gave the bulk
of the bridge-building work to unem.
ployed men delinquent In tax pay
ments. When a man had worked out
his bill he was laid off and another
delinquent substituted.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-16
Unemployed Pay Taxes
by Working on Bridge

Winchendon, Mass.-This town has
new bridge, worth nearly S3OOOO,
and many of Winchendon's jobless
Evening star., 1933-03-31
Legislative Grist.

With President Roosevelt as the
miller and Congress as the mill, the
legislative grist continues to pour out
at a rapid rate. They have together
disposed OF the emergency banking act,
the economy act, the beer revenue act.
and the reforestation bill is the latest
measure to be put through the final
stages of enactment into law In the
mill still remain the farm relief bill
which has passed the House; the un-
employment direct aid bill, which has
passed the Senate, and the securitie,
bill, which has SO far passed neither
house, but upon which action is ex-
pected soon. In addition, the Congress
has put through the Steagall act to
allow State banks certain benefits of
the Federal Reserve system under the
emergency banking law, has disposed
of bill lifting the limit on the liquor
and wine which physicians may pre-
scribe, and is in the final process of
putting through a bill to legalize the
manufacture and sale of 80 per cent
beer in the District of Columbia Ger
tainly the first three weeks of the spe-
cial session of the new Congress, under
the leadership of Mr.. Roosevelt, have
been productive
Already the administration has
moved fast to utilize the emergency
banking act for the benefit Of the de-
Evening star., 1933-03-31

positors in banks throughout the coun-
try. And under the provisions of the
economy act the director of the budget,
backed by the President, is expected
to lop almost billion dollars off the
expenditures for the Government in the
next year. Consultations and elimina-
tions of Government agencies on large
scale have either been ordered or are
in the making. On April 7 beer will
begin to flow again in many of the
States, and the revenue from that bev-
erage is expected to help materially to
bring the expenditures of the Govern
ment near to q balance.
The Roosevelt program is moving on
Other measures of great Importance are
still to be initiated, among them bills
dealing with farm mortgages, the rail-
roads and other systems of transporta-
ton and communication, the banks and
the stock exchanges and the Govern
ment's power development at Muscle
Shoals. If the Congress continues to
work at its present high rate of speed,
however, there is hope that this huge
program will be completed by June. If
so, record will have been estab-
lished that is likely to stand, in the
matter of legislative enactment. for
many years to come.
Evening star., 1933-03-31

by train can blame just one person
for it-himself At all important cross
ings there are full and adequate warn
ing signals, and if he chooses not to
heed them, it is his own fault Just
why Mr.. Wynne should seek to blame
the railroads for the carelessness of
motorists struck by trains, or what
similarity there is between this and
person whose home is broken into by
a m!screant airplane I cannot see.
And as for the railroads menacing the
public" to quote from his letter, the
fact that an automobile derailed a mov-
ing freight train today would indicate
that the railroads are in as much danger
as the automobilists.
While the subject is in the public eye,
might it not be opportune to point out
the extravaganza in paying the air lines
SIS 900 600 in subsidies from the Federal
Treasury? A subvention for carrying
the mails Is quite appropriate, but with
adequate and. in fact, excessive trans
portation machines already in existence
for carrying passengers, why spend
governmental funds in air subsidies at
this time? ERANKLIN SNOW.
Evening star., 1933-03-31

demand for its retention. Various
beer celebrations" scheduled for April
7 are also deplored as injudicious.
x x K
Somebody has taken the trouble to
dig up the fact that of the 16 new
members of the United States Senate,
eight have served as public prosecutors
The conclusion is drawn from this
numerical circumstance that there will
be more "demagoguery" in the upper
house, on the theory that practice in
jury pleading is often practice in dema-
goguery. The further deduction is
made that, with its accession of former
prosecutors, the Senate's lust for in
quiries and investigations will be whet-
ted. Jim Reed of Missouri boasted in
the Congressional Directory of his
prosecutory ypast-"prosecuting attorney
of Jackson County" his autobiographical
sketch narrated, then: Prosecuted 1876
persons; convicted l93"
1t isn't generally known that Presi-
dent Roosevelt has a stake of his own
in Canada. 1t consists of his Summer
home on Campobello Island, in Passama-
quoddy Bay. The establishment is
usually referred to as lying two miles
OAA VIC SOdoI Ul Hldllle. Ills Is geo.
graphically true, but the attractive red
gabled cottage is across the water from
Eastport. Me, and stands on Canadian
soil in the maritime province of New
Brunswick. For years Camobello Island
has been the Summer vacation retreat
OF number of prominent American
families, of which the Roosevelts are
the most. distinguished. The President
spent his childhood vacations there
with his parents, who were the pioneers
OF the local American colony" Dur
ing most of his life, F. D. R. and his
people have "Summered" on Campo
bello. The island has ancient British
naval traditions, having in its earliest
days, dating from 1767, been property
held under feudal grant by families as
sociated with the Royal Navy.
X X
Former Senator Jim Watson of In
diana has contracted with national
news syndicate for publication in serial
form OF his political memoirs. They
will date from the Hoosier statespan's
arrival in Congress as a member OF the
House of Representatives in 1894 until
his disappearance from the Senate in
March, 1882, span of nearly 40 years
4 X X
North Carolina has taken the initia-
tive in placing on formal record the
Nations appreciation of Roosevelt poll
cies. The Legislature at Raleigh has
passed a joint resolution in support of
the administration economy program.
The project of having State govern
ments publicly voice their approval of
the New Deal originated with Erwin A.
Holt, Burlington, N. c., textile manu-
facturer, who confesses that he was an
original T. r. man and is an equally
enthusiastic supporter of the present
Roosevelt.
(Copyright 1880
Evening star., 1933-03-31
Regulate Machinery
And Reduce Idleness

10 the Editor OF The Star;
If the American public or Govern
ment places a machine 10 dig the
foundation of new building the
American people pay three ways to
have the work done, viz: First, it pays
to buy the machine or to have the work
done by the machine. Second, 1t pays
through charity to keep the men left
idle and their families. Third, 1t pays
through loss of revenue in taxes to the
states and Government, for If the men
were doing the work their wages spent
would create income in factories or on
farms large enough to be taxed.
No one gains through mans work
being done by machinery. The men are
idle, the tradesmen lose their trade, the
farmers lose their market, the Govern
ment loses its taxes and Is forced into
unemployment programs and, through
lack of industry, the machine stands
idle. There is a difference in ma
chinery, some displaces men, some does
not. The automobile displaces horses.
ditch digger displaces men. An ele-
vator displaceS no one, but creates jobs
for elevator boys and pays q license to
the State or Government. The rail-
roads create jobs, the tractors, mowers.
binders, harvesters and tractor plowS
diSplace men. When man loses his
job to the machine he becomes a public
charge, yet the machine pays no taxes,
does not help support the idle, nor con-
tributes nothing toward increasing the
purchasing power of the public except
ing the making and upkeep of the ma
chine, which Is trivial.
II the men did the work there would
De but one cost and the wage is the
peoples inherent right and should go
70 them, then the people could support
tne Government-not the Government
care for the people Why take away
the wages of the poor and give the
money to a privileged few and then let
the Government support the people.
Inc strongest government in the world
would soon 60 bankrupt under such a
system, for the government loses its
revenue; it assumes new burdens in
nelPlng the unemployed.
The fact that machinery can dis
place men proves that it displaces more
men than it provides work for. although
any one can see how ditch diggers,
steam shovelS, street washers and the
IKE are taking away jobs and creating
idleness.
cutting waves, soldiers economy and
laying OF men is only lowering the pur-
CHASING power of the people, and to
take this money and use it in EMPLOY
ment programs is only to take from one
needy class to give to another needy
class without bettering our economic
condition. The system is wrong; the
people must support themselves and the
government; yet to do this the people
must draw the wages. Men are happier
WORKING and are Self-respecting Ameri-
can citizens. now we are rapidly de-
generating into a Nation of tramps.
C0llnfriaC oil MI
stalling machinery, thereby taking awav
our foreign markets and are Shipping
goods here to undersell our farms and
factories
We hear the phrase, cit is an un-
precedented condition" There is no
cnange in our form of Government
Inc only change Is the machine. There
fore, If the old way was good the fa,,It
lies with the machine. Regulate the
use OF machinery and we correct the
eVH. NEWELL B. DAVIS.
Evening star., 1933-03-31
Airplane Accidents and
Grade Crossing Mishaps

To the Editor of The Star.
In your issue Thursday a letter by
John S. Wynne, general manager, At
lantlc Seaboard Airways, criticizes The
Star for having the temerity to COM
ment on the recent crashing Of an air
plane into a home, with the resultant
death both of passengers in the plane
and persons in the house. Just why
the aviation industry should hold it
self Sacrosanct and above all newspaper
editorial censure is cause in itself for
wonder, but the particular circumstances
OF the accident in question make it
doubly surprising that the air lines
should minimize this catastrophe. which
occurred, Judging from published ac-
counts, because of an absence of due
caution in flying
The point of Mr.. Wynne's letter
which attracted my attention, however
was his comment on accidents at rail-
road grade-crossings. Just what
analogy there is between this and air
crashes I fail to see. In an airplane
the passenger is utterly helpless and
is solely at the mercies of the pilot
and in the case of an airplane crash
ing into a home Cthe accident to which
he refers) the residents thereof GER
tainly have no opportunity Whatsoever
to take due precautions to protect them
selves. At railroad grede-crossinqs on
the contrary, the motorist who Is struck
Evening star., 1933-03-31
Federal Pay.Cut Order
Is Harshlv Unrealistif
To the Editor Of The Star:

AZ Iiie EuitOr o. Ihe Star:
There Is something curiouslv m
realistic about the pay cut order. It
assumes, not only that every Govern
ment employe can live as well in 1888
as In 1873, on Is per cent less paw.
puC tnat every Government employe
nad enough to live comfortably on in
1923. The fact is that many salaries
nave become adequate only since prices
zen. Many are not adequate yet for
tne number of people who live on them
why should there not be exemptions
Ior dependents in connection with a
pay cut as much as with an income
tax? The President must know that
the same nat cut has quite a different
eHect on a pay check on which only
one person Is dependent, or even two,
from what 1t has on a pay check for
tne same amount which has to carry
tnree or 1our people, or more In the
hrst case there is likely to be some
margin that can stand trimming. In
tne second, taking is per cent off NAV
take away all comfort, peace of mind
perhaps some pounds of flesh. It NAV
cost the family their home and plit
them into debt. N'
II we were not used to seeing it done
by business, it would seem insane to
subtract Is per cent from the income
OF a family that Is IS or so per cent
larger than In 1923 oy reason of the
arrival of baby or two. It would
seem only sensible for the Government
to do what it did when a baby was
born to a soldiers wife during the
war, send an allowance for the baby
every month. "'
There is one good thing about the
order. 1t is for only the remainder of
TINS flscal year. OF course, it is under
stood that it will be continued. But
it can be changed 0'
KATHARINE WARD FISHER
Evening star., 1933-03-31
Local Salary Cuts and
Rates of Living Costs

To the Editor of The Star:
Your editorial on reduction of taxes
Is very timely. The reduction of saIa-
rles In the District of Columbia should
not be based on the index of average
cost OF living in the U. S. A. but in
the District of Columbia. The market
conditions here, due to this being the
seat of the Government. with ali those
drawn here from the States and for
elgn countries, make such demand
1or the best OF everything that the cost
OF living here is above the average ma
tlonal cost. The Government employees
are forced to buy in this high market
housing. food, clothing, etc. The law
OF supply and demand makes this a
permanent condition, and this fact
should be considered in determining
the wage reduction of Federal and Dis
trict employees here in the National
Capital.
Since the interest rates are a large
factor in the cost of living and enter
into the cost of each item housing,
food, clothing, ETC.. the legal rate of
interest should be reduced to a maxi
mum of 4 per cent.
1t is not enough to simply reduce the
interest rate on ones home, as frugal
Wage-earnerS over several decades Of
efforts have little nest eggs invested
for their declining years. With empty
houses and all development of vacant
lands at standstill, this last wage cut
will remove all possibility of the wage
Garner carrying on at present interest
rates. D1LWORTH POWELL,