davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
Price of Sel6shness

The desire to make financial killing is
one of the most natural and understand
able of all human emotions = especially
in times like these. Nevertheless, there
are cases in which it can. be disastrous
thing.
The federal government recently pre-
pared to spend 100000 on slum
clearance program in large manufactur-
ing city. It had all it's plans made; but
now it may have to abandon them alto
gether, because the owners of the land in
volved are holding out for high prices.
Owners have let this property deteri-
crate for years." says one government Of
ficial, "and in many instances have neither
received any income from it nor kept up
taxes. The fact that owners have done
nothing would make it appear that they
considered the land worth exactly moth
ing, but now so many of them want specu-
lative prices that the city will lose the ex-
penditure of 100000 unless right prices
are found in other places"
1t would be hard to find a clearer in
stance of the ruinous price community
can be forced to pay for individual
selfishness.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
HISTORY

In comparison to the modern
equipment of Waterbury's factories
today the work at the endN of the
eighteenth and the beginning of
the nineteenth centuries was ardu-
Gus and prolonged. The spirit,
however, was willing, as well as'the
flesh, and men worked with a good
will and laid the foundations of
many of our important industries.
The labor was pretty much hand
done. Banking and business facili-
ties were sketchy. The hours Of
labor varied according to the sea-
son, something in this fashion -
twelve or thirteen hours in the
summer against about an average
Of ten in the winter; daylight had
to be made the most Of, consider
ing the poor lighting facilities up
to q later time whom gas was in
vented. Night work, of course,
came alter.
DR. Anderson reprints an inter-
esting letter of February 10, 1893
by Israel Holmes to his firm,
Holmes, Hotchkiss, Brown & Ell
ton, and written by him from
Providence, in which he describes
business trip to Boston. Israel
Holmes was born in December,
1900, the third son of Israel
Holmes, the first of that name in
Waterbury. He became associated
with Scovilrs and was sent to Eng
land to better learn the proper
methods for carrying on their bus
mess. Other trips to England were
made by him, and on returning he
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
Time To Get Going

A long time ago, at least year it must
have been, the New Haven Journal Cour-
Ter urged our national legislature to take
action on a tercentenary stamp for
Connecticut. This is the year in which
the states 300th anniversary is to be OBJ
served. Proper application has been
made, upon the suggestion of the states
tercentenary commission, for the Mint to
strike off commemorative SO cent pieces.
This was done through the congressman
from the third district, Representative
Francis T. Maloney.
So far as we know, though, no effort
has been made to have the Post Office De-
partment order stamp to observe this
anniversary in which we all expect to take
much pride and perhaps play a small
part. While Waterbury isn't included IN
the group of communities that will di-
rectly be concerned with the 300th ami
yersary, she, as a part of Connecticut ex-
pects to do her full part in the celebra-
ton. There lives in New Haven, UNI
known to most men, the designer OF the
current one-half cent stamp. Most of US
probably don't even know what this
stamp looks like, if we knew there was
such one.
However, George Dudley Seymour was
the designer and also was instrumental in
tie issuance Of Che one-half cent stamp
thnt bears the likeness of Nathan Hale,
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

The National Grange is the latest or
ganization to go on record as opposed to
diversion of tax funds for purposes other
than those for which they are raised.
That sounds rather paradoxical, doesn't
it? Here's the explanation. 1t is becom-
ing increasingly easy for legislators to
levy higher or additional taxes on the
motorist through motor car registrations,
operators licenses, and gasoline taxation.
When returns from these sources reach
high totals demands are made from other
state departments that they be allowed to
divert some of the funds, thus raised. So
far in Connecticut we have managed TO
Withstand the pressure brought to bear
for this maneuver. Money has been bor-
rowed from the highway fund for general
use, though. The Grange says, "No tax
alton or regulation of motor vehicles
should be permitted which has for it's
purpose any increase in cost of restriction
in use, in order to equalize competition
between motor transportation and other
forms of transportation. Every special
tax collected for highway improvement
should be conserved for that purpose
alone. Consequently no gasoline tax d.
version should be permitted. -"
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
NO FORGOTTEN MAN

NO FORGOTTEN MAN
No matter what happens to
the general, his ornate collection
of cuss-words, his passion for
berating big business, mis-
thoughtfulness In reading daily
to inmates of the chiidrens
ward in thu hospital when ne
was i'll, the clouds of glorious
headlines which trailed ever In
his wake, never will be forgotten
even by a blase and semi-somno-
lent Washington.
The character Of Hugh john
son is a mass of contradictions.
The personification of two
listed, hell-roaring action, john
son also is q man Of extraordi-
nary intellectual cali b. er, a
genuine scholar, a lover of poetry
and fine literature, an unusually
talented writer and stylist.
Few nights go by that he does
not read q few passages from the
Bible before retiring. This is not
because he is religious, but be-
cause of the Joy and Intellectual
release he finds i'm the beauty
ana dramatic sweep Of the scrip
tural language.
BURNS UP
Sports are too tepid for john
sons dynamic pragmatic, we'll
springs. He exhausts himself in
work, more work. IL there Is
nothing particular at the moment
to do, he buries himself in some
brain tagging tome
Reading is his major recrea-
ton. Another is reminiscing
with old army cronies. His stor-
les, rare and pungent, savoring
of picket-liney and mess rooms,
are about the "old" army, before
the World war, with its Paul
Bunyanesque figures of great
liquid intake and fantastic adj
ventures.
Johnson's youthful soldering
days along the Mexican border
are very dear to him. When in a
mellow mood he speaks with
deep tenderness Of the great
chapperal plains of the Rio
Grande valley. Says he:
"yNhen ! get through with all
this, that's where I'm going.
Down there where the owls make
love to the chicken, and 1t Is
starry, and quiet, and peaceful"
Perhaps It Is to the land OF
the owl and the chicken that
General Johnson Is going when
he leaves the Land Of the Blue
Eagle.
Copyright, 1884, by United
Feature Syndicate, Incl
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

That's one angle of the perplexing tax
problems now confronting every govern
ment bureau, agency or department in
the United States. Here's another. Out
in Washington the state legislators were
looking with some favor on bill that
would exempt them from paying the state
tax of cents on gasoline. The bill
seemed sure to pass in both the Senate
and House until public opinion was
trained on it, Then the legislators began
to wilt under the storm of criticism that
was heaped upon them And well it
might. There certainly is no reason why
anybody in state should pay gasoline
taxes if state legislators were to be ex-
empt We can't even understand why
certain employees are exempt from such
ordinary taxes as the income tax paid to
Uncle Sam. This business of granting
special privileges has no place in the
scheme of things in the United States.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
What are peasants?

Q. What are peasants?
A. In Europe the name an.
plies to small landed proprietors or
leaseholders who till the soil: petty
farmers, farm la borers; any rustic
workman or uncultured country
man.
@. What. form OF government
did Rome have during the time Of
Julius Caesar?
A. Republic.
@. What is guncotton?
A. A powerful explosive pro-
duced by the action Of strong nitric
acid on ordinary cotton.
Q. How large is Central Park,
New York City?
A. Two and one-half miles long
and half a mile wide.
Q. Does glass deteriorate with
age?
a. Under ordinary conditions ii
does not.
Q. Why does water put out
FIRE?
A. Because 1t shuts OF the air
and stops the chemical Gombina-
ton Of the carbon in the burning
substance with the oxygen In the
air.
@. What is the derivation and
meaning of the name. Cowdrey7
Al. It ID a British family name,
derived from the French, and
means grove of hazel-trees.
/. @. Is Joe Penner an American?
u "A. He is q naturalized Ameri-
can Of Hungarian birth.
@. What are the principal ex-
ports from the United States to
Switzerland and the principal Inn
ports from Switzerland?
A. Some of the chief exports to
Switzerland are: Automobiles, ma
chinery, wheat, raw cotton, leaf to-
Hbacco, gasoline and 1ubricatfng oils.
Among the chief imports from
Switzerland are: Cheese, cotton
manufactures, straw goods, watch
movements. coal tar dyes and silk
manufactures.
q. Give the area or Texas.
=. It contains z66,S96. square
miles.
q. How large Is the King
ranch In Texas? 3,
4. II contains approximately
II. zoo. 600 acres and has about
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
A Book a Day
Ivy BRUCE CATION
A Hero Of The Days.
Of Americas Youth

Davy Crockett Is one of those
legendary figures from the day
when America was young and the
commonplaces OF frontier life were
like the inspired dreams of a ro-
mantle novelist.
Most of US know little about
him, but he's worth getting ac-
Guainted with; and Constance
T:ourke's new biography, ''Davy
Crockett" provides an excellent in
PRODUCTION.
Crockett grew up in the raw
new lands Of the south and west
o. century ago. He served under
Andrew jackson IN that doughty
warriors Indian campaigns and in
the War of 1912. He was the most
famous huntsman of a whole ma
ton of great hunters; he was a
leader in a community of self-re-
the great fight of the Alamo.
nota BILE figure in pioneer history.
and Miss Rourke has. written a
very interesting book about him.
She not only has told the story
Of his life accurately and clearly;
she has recounted the legends
that gathered about him. and in
SO doing has recaptured the. flavor
of those lusty and salty days OF
long ago.
Davy Crockett, they used to
say, could dive deeper, stay. down
longer, and come up drier than
any other frontiersman: he could
stand three bolts Of lightning
without lodging: once he freed q
bear, and the bear looked down
and recognized him and said
Don't shoot, colonel--rll come
down."
For some unaccountable reason
this book Is published as a story
for boys. It's a fine one for boys, tc
be sure; but any adult who cares
for an intelligent and truthful pre-.
sentation Of an absorbinsIy inter
csfins bit Of early American his.
tory VIII ind II very much worth
req az '2 s.. s. I. 4. ~.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

@. Do cats see better in the
dark than In the light, and why do
their eyes shine in the dark?. Nd
A. They see better in the dusk
because their eyes are specially
sensitive to ultraviolet rays and,
the pupils are capable OF greater
expansion than those of man or al
most any other animal, thus adj
uniting more light. The belief
that cats can see at night as we'll
as by day, however, is erroneous.
The eyes shine because the caudai
area around the optic nerve has a
metallic lustcr that reflects the
light rays that strike them.
@. What is the title of the mo-
ton picture in which the song
This Little Pig Went to Market"
Is sung?
A. Eight Girls In Boat" v
@. How long do apes live and
when do they mature?
A. Apes mature at the age Of 10
to ~ years and their average
average span Of life is from 35
to 40 years.
II you want copy OF our bull
letin Lawn and Garden Pools, write
TO the Waterbury Democrats
Washington bureau, enclosing Ave
cents In postage stamps.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

turned his attention to the manu-
facture of brass and brass kettles
in Wolcottville, and later in Tor
rington. He stayed at this business
in the latter place until the Wa
terbury Brass company was organ
lied in 1S45. and he was president
Of this company until 1863, at
which time the company Of
Holmes, Booth and Hayden was
organized. He also was associated
with what was known as Holmes,
Booth and Atwood, then Plume
& Atwood's. The brass mill may
be said to have been the originate
or of brass mills in this city.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
DAILY WASHINGTON
MERRY-GO-ROUND

General johnson Once More Gets Ready Clear out of
Washington Tired OversOOred Broke He Plans to Let
Blue Eagle Fly Alone; Close Friend of Rooseves He Is
Basicay Alien to NeO DEAL Holds to Business Railing
Itself and Not Government Ruling Trade
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

In 1855 on August IS, the but
ton factory of Maltby, Morton C
Company was destroyed with loss
Of $4,000.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Robert A. Cairns, for years Wa
terbury's city engineer, was born
here December 2, 1859.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Brown street was SO named be-
cause Deacon James Brown owned
the land.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Horace G. johnson, returning
from q course of study of art in
Rome, opened q studio here in
1859, working as O portrait painter
for about thirty years.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Students of political history experience
strange emotions on learning that prob
able appointee for under-secretaryship
in the United States Treasury is named
Thomas jefferson Coolidge.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Now if the whole nation would take .
VOW of silence for few weeks, every
thing would be all right.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Young storI<s with clipped wings
will be placed this season IL man-
made nests 81 WesfpH<I14 and the
Hhins1a1,6 1Is[r|t< % j1duee tho
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05
! Know Your Waterbury
Its History, Facts and General Information
BRASS CITY FACTS
. tgs4 NEA

Sanford B. Spencer was mayor of
Waterbury in 1857 and 1868.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Thomas Hewes of Pennington doesn't
seem to have much trouble in securing
recognition at Washington. Dropped
from the Treasury Department late last
year when Dean Acheson severed his con-
nection with that Department he is now
special assistant to the Secretary Of State.
There are plenty of native Connecticut
men who can't seem to get even one little
bit of recognition from the Roosevelt
administration.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-05

Fifteen federal transients have just
been transferred to the new camp built
for them in the Nepaug Forest Reserva-
ton. They started to work this week
clearing fire line in the forest. The
remainder of the group that wintered at
the temporary camp established in West
Hartford will be moved as soon as quarters
are made available At least 200 will be
housed there by June, it is expected. This
is a government experiment that is just
taking form. Transient camps through
out the nation may prove supplementary
to our CCC units, but will never approach
them in popularity or in actual service.
The Washington times., 1934-08-08
Repudiating the Treaty
By James T. Williams, Jr.

countries must inevitably be car.
ried on.
At the London Conference,
this principle was modified in
favor of Great Britain and
Japan.
Meantime, Great Britain and
Japan have been steadily build
ing up their navies to the
strength authorized by the
Washington and London treaties,
while the United States failed to
follow their example until Presi-
dent Roosevelt entered the
White House. Thanks to his
leadership, Congress has begun
a building program which, if
carried out, should give this
country a treaty Navy by the
time President Roosevelt COM
pletes his second term.
AS soon as it becomes evident
that the United States intends
to build up a treaty Navy, as
Great Britain and Japan have
already done, there comes al
most simultaneously from Lon
don and Tokyo a demand that
reduction and limitation Of
naval ornaments by treaties
shall be abandoned.
In other words, treaty navies
were entirely acceptable to Lon
don and Tokyo when that device
served to stop the United States
from building the most power
full Navy in the world. They
were satisfactory to London and
Tokyo when that device enabled
them to build up their navies
while Washington failed to exer-
else it's right under the treaty
to build up the American Navy.
Change Attitude
But now that a treaty Navy
is about to mean the same
thing for the United States that
it means to Great Britain and
Japan, the British Admiral OF
the fleet and the japanese pre-
mier declare against the whole
system of limitation and reduc-
tion Of naval armamentS by
international agreement.
The United States has con-
Sistently advocated reduction
and limitation of ornaments by
treaty. It has made concessions
in vital principles as well as
enormous sacrifices in the form
of physical reduction" Of its
own Navy in order to reach
agreements with other naval
powers.
But these other naval powers
more and more appear to favor
limitation and reduction Of
armaments afield and afloat
only when such limitation ap-
plies exclusively to the United
States. In fact, there seems to
be no limit to the disarmament
on land and sea and in the
air to which the great powers
of the world will consent pro-
vided the disarming is all done
by the United States.
Copyright. 1894. The Washington Times
The Washington times., 1934-08-08
Omln0uS announcements
By Robert BenchIey

tug on their muscles as if it
were on your own, and the
sweat starts from your own
forehead as they finally grunt
their way out of the room,
neatly chipping off a large seq
ment from the door jamb. 1t
would have been simpler to have
carried the trunk down your
self.
Another announcement Of al
most equal implications to the
man who breads disruption of
the regular, easy flow of house
hold life is: "The plumbers
here to fix the bathroom!"
He couldn't wait until after
noon, when you might be feel
ing better. Oh, no! He must
come at crack of dawn, with all
his instruments and blow torches,
like a fiend from hell.
The water must be shut off,
pipes must be hammered and
banged, and, above all, strangers
will be poking their heads in and
out of doors where you are accus-
toned to seeing only familiar
faces.
Strange faces peering out from
the bathroom can be pretty
The Washington times., 1934-08-08

do after they get into the room.
It is the shock of the announce
ment that they are downstairs
and on their way up! It is like
seeing a comet rushing toward
the earth at a million miles a
second.
In the first place, the trunks
are very likely not quite ready,
which makes for confusion, and
confusion is just the thing you
do not want on that particular
morning. above all things, no
confusion!" you have said, as
you agreed to get up out Of bed
that morning. ''No confusion,
and a minimum of crashing
about, pleased" And here are
the eXpreSSmen!
Then the trunks always seem
to be too heavy for the helpers.
They must run across some
pretty heavy trunks in their
days work and, after all, it is
their work and they knew what
it was going to be like when
they went into it, but yours is
evidently more than even an ex-
pressman's helper could be ex-
pected to face. What have you
got in it-rockS?
This attitude on their part
does not help you in your own
mental strain. You feel every
The Washington times., 1934-08-08
The Greatest Sh0W
On Earth
By John Snure, j

Taking in the area OF the TWO
isles, Jefferson and Wilson Is
lands, the club is feverishly
seeking to rid the land of brush
and undergrOwth SO that it will
be in tiptOp shape when the
Chief Executive comes home.
Senator-Member Millard Tyd'
ings of Maryland, Jock Rob
inson, Key Pittman, and former
Senator Harry Hawes are away,
so the job of putting things in
good order is left to a great
degree to Rene Clerc, attorney
and friend of the Administra-
ton leaders.
When the club was first pro-
posed, it was decided to spend
about $4,000 on furnishings.
But the President promised to
spend some time on the islands
so it was agreed to construct
an annex to the regular build
ing for him.
Thus far $4,000 has been
expended on Furnishings alone.
Red leather chairs are to be
seen and from all reports it will
be a much more pretentious
camp than Mr.. Hoover'S Rapi-
dan.
Not content with minting
coins of this realm, the United
States mintS also pound out
coins for other nations.
At the present time, the PhtLG-
delphia mint is 10orking at the
rate of 100000 pesos a month
to complete a 100000 peso or
der from the Cuban government.
Coins for the Colombian gov
ernment are being minted at
San Francisco and an order for
the Panamanian government
has been completed and when
paid for will be delivered.
The United States mints for
eign coins on request if not too
busy and if we are paid for the
trouble.
Foreign governments and peO-
pie seem to believe that If the
United States Cover m e n t
makes the coins there will be
no graft and that the coins will
be more reliable than If the job
IL performed by private con.
Germs.
Copyright, 1894. by The Washington
rTimOs)
The Washington times., 1934-08-08

developed that the gold was be-
ing shipped under heavy guard.
When asked the reason for
the gigantic shipment, Secretary
Morgenthau said that it was
because of a fear of earth:
quakes in San Francisco. It
was intimated that when Treas.
ury officials awoke in the morn
ing they feared that they would
be advised that a quake had
swallowed up the precious metal
stored in Frisco.
Be that as it may, it is also
pointed out that San Francisco
is subject to foreign attack in
the event Of war from that
quarter. And, it is said, Off
cials might have thought it
wise to move the tempting gold
from that region.
OF course, the quake that Sec
retGry MorgenthGu feared might
haze been a dream of timely
blasts from enemy guns.
Frantic efforts are being
made to complete that fisher
mems and hunters paradise in
Chesapeake Bay, the jefferson
Island Club, before the return
Of President Roosevelt.
The Washington times., 1934-08-08

rod was too short, it paused
again and then deliberately, af-
ter some experimenting, Joined
the two rods together and cas-
lily reached the prize. That,
says DR.. Blair, was quick, logl-
cal, intelligent thinking.
Second on his list is the
orang-utan, more inventive,
even, than the chimpanzee, but
less alert and observant. They
had a famous orang at the ZOO
some years ago, Dohong by
name, from the Malay States
who did startling things, show
ing a distinct knack for the
use of simple tools.
The third most intelligent OF
animals, in DR.. Blair's estlma-
ton, is the elephant. Their
The Washington times., 1934-08-08
1Iuman Side Of the News - ByEdwin c. T I'LL

faculty of speech might eventu-
ally have been taught the tail
less ones, those creatures with
''half a human soul in their
bellies" as Mr.. Kipling says.
Repeated tests have convinced
DR.. Blair that the chimpanzee
has a fairly good thinking
brain. On one occasion DR..
Blair hung a banana high out
of reach of a chimpanzee he
was studying, but in its cage
he placed two rods which could
be jcinted together.
Failing to grab the banana
with it's bare hands, the CHM
panzee paused a few moments,
then picked up one of the rods
and tried to knock the banana
down. That failing, because the